This week's news on art, books, music, and film....

Londonist are starting to think their city is getting just a little bit too expensive, when even Christian Slater can't afford to go out there. And there's no escaping, as local singer Lily Allen discovered when she was barred entry to the US. The British mapping agency caused further bad karma, by blocking a 3-D representation of London in Google Earth. But the smiles returned to Londonist's faces as they interviewed Baroness von Reichardt,......

FRIDAY [4] party/bikes • Yellow Bike Project's Second Annual Bike Art Show with music by DJ Orion, DJ Katherine at Gallery 1906 (Free, 7pm-Midnight) art • Opening Reception: memoria/memoir: Carol Flax at Volitant Gallery, 320 Congress Ave., Ste 100 (6-9pm) art • B Scene at the Blanton Museum of Art 1st Anniversary Celebration at Blanton Museum of Art, MLK at Congress ($5 members, $10 non-members, 6-11pm) art • Opening Reception: Tunnel Vision: Parading Down the......

The folks at The Opera House are casting their net wide for tiny art to grace the 3rd Annual Tiny Brigade Art Show celebrating, well, tiny art. The show opens 7pm, May 11 and runs through May 25. Participation (and interpretation) is open. The deadline for entries is Friday, May 11, so act quick and think small. We also hear rumors of prizes. Interested? Email for more info. The Opera House 2209-K South 1st......

Arts on Real Theater will be hosting the Sex Workers Art Show tonight and tomorrow night. The cabaret-style show blends drag, spoken word, music, and burlesque produced by people who work in various segments of the sex industry. Billed as "the implosion of the service industry," the touring show is an attempt to "dispel the myth that [sex workers] are anything other than artists, innovators, and geniuses." The Sex Workers Art Show Monday, February 5......

MONDAY [5] art/theatre • Sex Workers Art Show at Arts on Real (7:30pm, $24) film • Eddie Murphy: RAW at Alamo Drafthouse Downtown film • Air Guitar Nation at Alamo Drafthouse Downtown music • Possessed By Paul James w. Paleo, Andy Klier, Ralph White at The Parish Room music • Guy Town Happy Hour at Scoot Inn (7pm) IST List compiled by Allen Y Chen, Sam Armstrong, Shannon Roberts, Adam Rice.......

FRIDAY [26] film • El Automovil Gris at McCullough Theatre ® art • Opening Reception: Ishmael Soto: Vessels and Inspirations: Ceramic and Sculptural Work at Mexic-Arte Museum (7-9pm, free) books • Sarah Lewis presents Indecent at BookPeople (7:00pm) comedy • Bil Dwyer at Cap City Comedy Club film • Spike & Mike's Sick & Twisted Festival 2007 at Alamo Drafthouse Downtown ® film • The Bridge at Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar community • Meeting......

THURSDAY [14] art • Ethan Azarian's Art Show 2006: Alien Abduction series, Fruit in the City, Eight Foot Cows (First Night 05), and more at In House Gallery (2514 East 17th Street, 5-10pm) music • Shapes & Sizes, Weird Weeds, Lovely Sparrows, Benko at Emo's music • OHN, Lila's Medicine at Flamingo Cantina music • Ruthie Foster at Cactus Café music • Balmorhea, Low Line Caller, Sthil at The Mohawk music • White Ghost......

Of all the cafés in Austin, Progress Coffee has to be one of the most ambitious. Ambitious may even be an understatement considering what owners Joshua and Sarah Bingaman have done to establish their little eastside gem as a casual, cultural environment that’s equally welcoming to day and night crowds. In addition to serving deconstructed delicacies, traditional café fare, coffee, and booze, Progress Coffee also regularly hosts literary events, art exhibitions, and live music. They......

This past June, American portrait photographer Arnold Newman passed away in his birthplace of New York City at the age of 88. Four months later, his acclaimed portrait photographs have found a permanent home, where they will share a room with the first-ever photograph and The Gutenberg Bible, at The University of Texas' Harry Ransom Humantities Research Center. Arnold Newman began photography in the mid-1930s as a student during the Great Depression. He spent......

THURSDAY [24] music • Brother Will (Brothers & Sisters) and Friends, Lomita, and Sean Ohno (The Arm) at Beauty Bar (10pm, Free, Drink tickets to first 150 guests) ® music • Fiction, Gulf of Mexico, Bello Ragazzo at 912 Red River (10pm) ® party/fashion • DJ Ian Orth aka Learning Secrets spins at Bettysport's cocktail party celebrating the new silhouettes and colors of the Stella Mccartney fall/winter collection for Adidas at Bettysport (5-8pm, Free)......

From an art show at Emo's this summer.......

FRIDAY [11] [music] Sage Francis, Buddy Wakefield, Jared Paul, Grand Buffet, DJ Jester the Filipino Fist (outside), Those Peabodys, Horse+Donkey, The Carrots (inside) at Emo's [art/party] As Naked As You Wanna Be: Art Show and Celebration with Celesta Danger and Tamara Hoover at Pedernales Lofts Suite 2028 ($10 Suggested Donation, 6-11pm) ® [art/party] After-party for As Naked As You Wanna Be at The Peacock (11pm-2am) ® [film] The Sinus Show: Point Break at Alamo Downtown......

While eBay may not allow people to auction off items in support of suspended teacher Tamara Hoover, ain’t nobody gettin in the way of this party. Tomorrow night at the Pedernales Lofts there will be an art party and exhibition featuring work from Tamara, as well as photographic and video works from Celesta Danger. All proceeds will benefit Ms. Hoover’s legal defense fund. Food and drink will also be served. Hoover was recently suspended......

Checking out the art at Everyone Knows Everyone III, a joint music/art show at Emo's featuring some of Austin's finest. This photo also happens to feature some of Austinist's finest, with photos by Justin "Juice" Cox on the left.......

FRIDAY [21] [music] Sons of Hercules and The Bad Rackets at Woody's South (link) [music] Those Peabodys, Grand Champeen, Birds of Avalon (ex-Cherry Valence), Man Eaters of Tsavo at Emo's (link) [music] The Radiators at The Parish (link) [music] Blue October w/ People In Planes and Bril at Stubb's (link) [music] The Shells CD Release at End of an Ear (Free, 6pm) (link) [lecture] The Texas Observer presents David Sirota, author of Hostile Takeover: How......

Last year, we had a great time at the Bolm Studio's 'Will There Ever be a Rainbow' unicorn art show which Ian Shults and Michael Schliefke produced and which the Austin Chronicle put on their top ten best list of group shows. And now we're looking forward to seeing the latest display of new paintings by Michael Schliefke at Bolm Studios. Schliefke's site gives more detail about the opening:In addition to roughly twenty new paintings......

Be sure to check out our extensive theatre coverage and new movie releases. Please let us know about any corrections/suggestions! FRIDAY [31] [music] Reckless Kelly at La Zona Rosa (link) [music] Peter & the Wolf, Navajo Radio and more at Emo's (Inside) (link) [music] Ghostface Killah, Word Association, DJ Notion at Emo's (Outside) (link) [music] The Glass Family w/ Quien es Boom (CD Release) & Brothers and Sisters at The Parish Room (link) [music] Red......

If you live near downtown, you may have heard the low grumbling that permeated the air late last night. No, it was not a super-isolated thunder storm. The sound you heard was that of the hundreds of Hot Rods and Kustoms (that's pre-1963, thank you) that are descending on the capital for the Lone Star Rod & Kustom Round-Up. Festival organizers hit their limit of 500 cars, so Festival Beach is guaranteed to be......

Interesting art extravaganzas and south Austin seem to go together very well. We're excited about this one, the Art Outside community art show, since it brings together many of our favorites all into the beautiful natural setting of the 3-acre South Austin Enchanted Forest. The show is back for its second year, with "over 200 visual and performing artists to lay the foundation for a revolutionary and one-of-a-kind artistic endeavor." It will feature sculptures,......

Thrashing about on stage with his amp turned to 11 is Jason Babin’s preferred creative outlet. Fortunately, there are a couple of things the guitarist and singer from Slider just couldn’t express through screaming, and the resulting visual art pieces are stunning. Tonight Babin’s work will be on display at the Ritz, along with pieces by other Headstrong artists, complete with music from Beat Rabbi and Paradox. If anyone is left standing, the show......

M O N D A Y [20] [art] Sex Workers' Art Show comes to UT-Austin at Texas Union Showroom (RM. 2.208) at UT-Austin (Free, 7pm) (link) [music] Tammany Hall Machine, Impossible Shapes, and Red Hunter at Stubb's (link) [film] "The Outdoorsmen: Blood, Sweat and Beers" at Alamo South (Monday-Thursday, 10:05pm) (link) [film] "Penitentiary" at Alamo Downtown (7pm) (link) [film] "930 F" (a documentary about DC's 9:30 Club) at Alamo Downtown ($1, 9:45pm) (link) [film] "The......

Earlier this week kissy couples were wading through roses and red tissue paper deeper than an east coast snow dump and singles shook a tiny, lonely fist (no ring!) at it all. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 - Valentine's season is in the can, finally. Austinist is already pulsing with SX energy and posting on the People's Choice Award nominees and the short films that will be playing while the......

Image from Art Outside website All artists, performers, and lovers of art are encouraged to participate in the 2nd annual Art Outside. The Art Outside site explains the event as follows: Returning to the Enchanted Forest for 2 weekends in 2006, Art Outside will have more art, more performances with over 140 spaces available on 3 acres of land and 8 days & nights of programming to fill your imagination. Art Outside is a......

*Warning: Post may contain sarcasm.* Why do people always feel the need to label and categorize everything and everyone? She’s a hipster; that guy’s a douche bag; those kids are square. We assume, with our rudimentary understanding of psychology and sociology, that it has something to do with fear and insecurity. We’re not real sure, but sometimes it can be a lot of fun. And we hate it when people don’t live up to......

Last night, as we were standing outside of Plush waiting for Ghostland Observatory to play -- yes, we know we go see them too often, but we simply can't help ourselves -- a lovely woman came up to us and handed us a flyer for an event. Then she beat us up. And we liked it. What event? It's a Lonestar Rollergirls fashion show! This Thursday, as part of the drag's Third "Not First"......

We got word that there is an art show this Friday, June 17th @ 708 Congress Ave. We don't know the name of the place (maybe the Tips Building?), but the address puts it a few doors north of the Arthouse. Chris Hernandez, whose art we've seen before at Gallery Lombardi is supposedly showing work. We're not sure if anyone else has art showing. Opening starts at 7pm and runs until 10pm. Know anything......

Those fashionable ladies behind Soco's ever-so-popular boutique, Parts and Labour (1604 S. Congress Ave.) are hosting a Trunk and Art Show for Travis Nichols this Sunday, May 29th. Nichols' band, The Needies will also be performing. We're told food and drink will also be available, including vegan cookies which happen to be an Austinist guilty pleasure. If you've never stopped by Parts and Labour, we recommend you drop by sometime. Opened in 2003 by......

We're really happy to hear that The Press is back in action tonight at Beerland (711 1/2 Red River) after taking a four month hiatus from shows. We caught their last show at the Resolution:Empire opening at Gallery Lombardi that the Chromatic Consortium presented in January. At the time we had never heard of them and we were shocked as they stole the show with a fun blend of organ-laced guitar rock that turned......