Two years ago Tennis emerged out of the blue and into the throws of internet buzz band status. The husband and wife duo from Denver of Patrick Riley and Alaina Moore quickly won us over with the nostalgic dream-pop of Cape Dory well before the debut album's official release, as it leaked and streamed into popularity. To prove it wasn't a fluke, they brought on drummer James Barone and dropped Young & Old less than a year later, an album produced by Patrick Carney of The Black Keys. After two years of mostly touring and appearances at SXSW, Tennis will be graduating to their first proper show in Austin with Tuesday night's appearance at The Parish. Last week Austinist caught up with Tennis on their day off, somewhere between Portland and San Francisco. We spoke with Alaina while Patrick drove. more ›

Craig Finn's dynamic Brooklyn-based quintet, The Hold Steady, returns to Austin tonight with their sing-your-hear-out anthems that live somewhere between last night's drunken stupor and today's sobering epiphany. more ›

It's already been a pretty incredible year for local instrumental rock band Explosions In The Sky. They released their sixth full-length album Take Care, Take Care, Take Care back in April and itdebuted at #16 on the Billboard album charts. In the first week alone, the record sold more than 19,000 copies, but that shouldn't be a huge surprise considering that 2007's All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone has gone on to sell over 107,000 copies. more ›

As anyone at last night’s Man Man show will agree, the band put on one hell of a live show - arguably one of the best around. In t-shirts with “roadie” written across their back, the five-piece and friends transformed the outside stage at Emo’s into a mystical junkyard/art instillation with lights, a small television showing a man with a bloody nose, the front of a bicycle attached to a pole and, of course, various scattered instruments all centered around two keyboards and a drum kit. more ›

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with the crazy crew from Man Man. Their theatrical performance will provide the perfect spectacle for your post-happy hour, margarita-mindset. With colorful stage names - Honus Honus, Sergei Sogay, Pow Pow, Critter Crat and Chang Wang - and painted faces, this five-piece from Philly will bring a smile to your face and a wiggle to your hips with their experimental, multi-instrumental show featuring clavinet, flute, trumpet, sousaphone, saxophone, French horn, marimba, euphonium, xylophone and random percussive instruments. Their unique production has been fittingly described as “Viking-vaudeville” and “manic Gypsy jazz.” more ›

When people talk about the cities with the most alive musical cultures, the name of our little burg is thrown about with the likes of Seattle, Brooklyn, Los Angeles, and the rest. But the local landscape has changed in recent years, and we’re not just talking about the 20-story cranes that seem to be everywhere or the skyscrapers they leave behind. As the city continues to grow, we are forced to evolve as well. Those new condos are full of people that still need to be able to sleep at night. The new documentary Echotone takes a long look at the issues arising out of these new circumstances with Austin as its focus. more ›

Sic Alps’ latest album, Napa Asylum, is a favorite ‘round these parts. The San Francisco trio is perfectly adept at blasting out nuggets of raw power or psych-damaged folk sketches—the breadth of their sound is what places them a cut above many of their garage-rock peers. They’re putting these tunes front and center on a headlining American tour, which makes its way to Emo’s tonight. more ›

As you know, it’s the end of the year. Media outlets and meme aggregators and disseminators of all things artsy take a mutual break around the middle of December, and a ceasefire between the makers and the takers briefly goes down before the start of the new year. During the void, albums are rarely released (save for awesome holiday records or uproariously unnecessary/expensive box sets), and instead we’re supposed to be taking inventory of all of our personal triumphs and sins, and - for we who care - those of the various industries that get us excited. more ›

SXSW Music kicks off on Wednesday the 12th, as always with the Annual Austin Music Awards at Austin Music Hall, but it has become clear over the last few years that the music really starts the night before. Just thinking back to last year, we remember walking up and down Red River, watching bands like Golden Bear, White Denim and Broken Teeth at venues such as Beauty Bar, Emo’s and Red 7, and congratulating ourselves for getting started early. more ›

Kick off this weekend early on Thursday at Antone’s with music from Black Joe Lewis, Bankrupt and the Borrowers, and The Best Love In Town on the special occasion of The Versatile Syndicate’s “Launch Party.” The entity is now open for business, and their agenda is to aid any artist in pursuing their dreams and professional development via booking/tour management, consulting, live production, and so on. This event is a part of the Austin Music Foundation’s Love Austin Music Month and cover for AMF members is $5. The rest of us mere mortals can get in for $10. The shindig also marks AMF's 6th Birthday; free cake and food (courtesy of Whole Foods Market) and free 2008 She Rocks Calendars while the goodies last. more ›

SXSW has announced the schedule of events for this year’s official showcases -- start here! Also, check out Greg Hewgill's site for (unofficial) Torrents featuring the various artists playing SXSW 2008 (as well as past years). more ›

If you’re a fan of Okkervil River, the news keeps getting better. First there was an online release of an exclusive mix-tape titled Golden Opportunities last December. Then, the smaller matter of the recently announced SXSW gig with Roky Erikson at the Annual Austin Music Awards. Finally, we get to enjoy a live webcast of their show in Amsterdam tomorrow at the Paradiso -- hold your horses if you’re logging onto Orbitz already, it is sold out! more ›

Zach Scott is getting national attention for its run of Porgy and Bess at the newly remodeled Austin Music Hall. The show runs two weekends only, and wraps up this Sunday. // Jaston Williams had great success with his autobiographical, one-man show, I'm Not Lying—and now he's back with more. This weekend only, Cowboy Noises further explores Williams' fascinating life with humor and, we expect, unflinching honesty. // We're mighty fond of local playwright Max Langert, and his current play, You're Happier Than You Think: Recalibrating Your Emotional Scale, at Frontera Short Fringe sounds like a charmer. Saturday @6:15pm, and Sunday @noon. more ›

The good thing about Bush's State of the Union speech tonight: it will be his last! St. Austin's Church turns 100. Judge decides against landowners in Brownsville border fence dispute. This has us baffled: Harris County assistant district attorney sends out e-mail using "Canadian" as a racial slur. more ›

Classic Rock, Classic Country: As per usual, Willie Nelson will play two nights at The Backyard for both locals avoiding SXSW and tourists willing to skip one night of showcases to see Austin's most enduring music legend. Willie's shows are tentatively scheduled for 3/14 and 3/15, and will go on sale sometime in February. In another move designed to access some tourist dollars, Direct Events has announced a relatively intimate show with Van Morrison at the Austin Music Hall on Tuesday, March 11. Van the Man apparently hasn't heard about the looming recession, as tickets are priced from $102 to a whopping $257. more ›

Also this weekend, the Zachary Scott Theatre Center kicks off its 75th Anniversary Season with George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess. This special production is inspired by the city of New Orleans as well as the music of Ray Charles, Nina Simone, and Louis Armstrong, among others. The show runs for two weeks at the Austin Music Hall and you can purchase tickets here. more ›

This year's SXSW Music lineup seems to be taking shape a bit more quickly than last year, as bands have taken it upon themselves to announce showcases publicly before the official list release by SX organizers. This is a departure from prior years, but since festival officials aren't complaining, we assume they're happy to let the hype build as the acts trickle in. This week's top twelve additions: more ›

Emo’s Free Week has come and gone, but the venue and the city march on with a buffet of mouth-watering shows available for consumption tonight. Eclectic beats from Dan Deacon pace Emo’s inside stage (as a part of the Ultimate Reality Tour) while Steamroller, She Craves, Killer Crocs of Uganda, and The Banner Year rock Emo’s Lounge. more ›

Chris Rose, or Car Stereo (Wars), will ensure 2008 kicks off right, with a barrage of dance floor ready material that includes a fair share of samples and mash-ups, no doubt. Happy New Year! more ›

Spider House and the United States Art Authority, along with yours truly, want to keep you away from downtown this New Year’s Eve. Sure the shenanigans on 6th St. is always stirring but keeping within the cozy confines of the campus area is arguably safer and largely less expensive. Spider House hosts a solid line-up of DJ’s with a couple of live acts thrown in for good measure. Doors are at 8 p.m. and the $12 tickets can be purchased in advance via Front Gate Tickets. more ›

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This weekend brings another tremendous set of gigs to our beloved city. If the abundance of synth-pop and electro-rock acts lately is bringing you down, raise your spirits and beers to some stellar rock n’ roll on Friday. Emo’s hosts one of Austin’s hardest rockers in the form of the Young Heart Attack, while the newly renovated Austin Music Hall boasts a Dallas - Forth Worth Metroplex attack in the shape of the Toadies and Baboon. more ›

On Monday night, Austin Music Hall re-opened its doors. Once completely finished, the revamped venue will feature a permanent stage and 2,800 seats. Photos courtesy of Dale Haussner. If you can't view the Flash slideshow above, an alternate version appears after the jump.... more ›

The first U.S. troop cutback in Iraq has officially begun. The tentative working title for this one is "Operation Mistake Acknowledgment." Human rights organization takes the Kenyan police force to task on allegations of mass murder. In order to prevent the "destruction of culture," the French government has outlawed certain forms of P2P downloading. Event is referred to as a "victory" for the recording industry. Oh reeeeally? Economist suggests that we could soon know... more ›

Waller Creek Design Workshop. Image from City of Austin News Austin Music Commission's Town Hall Meeting Notes AMD Sued Over Birth Defects Plant a Tree for Freedom Waller Creek Design and Vision Workshop At This Rate, We're Having Our Next Happy Hour in Cancun Pangaea: It's For Real, Y'all UT Biologists Propose Biodiversity Institute Save BookWoman! Austin Music Commission Considering Plan to Stop the Rock They've Got the Lasers... Now All You Need is... more ›

Photo by Will Pate on flickrInteractive + ScreenBurn The preliminary list of Interactive panels has been released, and includes topics like "The Great Debate: Is Web 2.0 Bulls#!t?", "The Porn Police: Know the Rules," and "The Suxorz: The Worst Ten Social Media Ad Campaigns of 2007." [Preliminary List] Additional, several panels for the gaming-centric ScreenBurn fest have been revealed. These include "The Future Virtual World Game Development: Rise of the Indies," "You Are Here: Gaming... more ›

Skeletor playing drums, found on Joystiq.comLast night's town hall meeting on the proposed noise ordinance changes drew a record turnout at Momo's, bringing out a crowd that consisted mostly of local venue owners, musicians, and longtime residents. As we mentioned yesterday, the meeting was held to discuss a proposal put forth by the Austin City Planning Commission that would basically lower the decibel (dB) rating for music venues from the current limit, 85 dB, to... more ›

Photo by Sandstep on flickr Austin Music Commission MeetingMonday, November 5, 2007, 6 p.m.Momos [map][info]Austin's future as Rock Capital of the Universe or whatever hangs in the balance at tonight's meeting of the Austin Music Commission. The Commission will be discussing a proposed ordinance that would change the requirements for obtaining an outdoor music permit, prohibiting music within 100 feet of a residence and lowering the decibel limit from 85 to 75 or 70 depending... more ›

Album cover of McLemore Avenue, Booker T. & The MG’s The hilarious kids of ColdTowne bring their audience-driven film/music/improv spectacle, 3, 2, 1 Kill!, to the new downtown Drafthouse digs Austin Music Commission hosts a very important town hall meeting tonight at Momo's on the resurrected sound ordinance proposal, which could dramatically transform our city's live music landscape -- and not in a good way Stitch, Austin's ultimate gathering of D-I-Y fashion and design, takes... more ›