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....

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......

The Austin Music Foundation presents the third installment of its ever popular She Rocks Calendar Series this month. Created by Ricardo Acevedo and In The RA Studios, the calendar first debuted in 2006, and has since seen notable local female rockers such as Amber Dickerson of Full Stride, Margaret Myrick of Blackholicus, Cella Blue of White Ghost Shivers, and Stella Maxwell of Cruiserweight grace its pages. The first edition’s proceeds were collected for New Orleans......

If you don't already know about Nick Lowe, it's time you found out. The quick and dirty: He's been around since the mid-'60s, playing a mixture of country, rock, blues, and pop. His first band Brinsley Schwarz is constantly noted as a major influence on '70s punk. He wrote "Cruel to Be Kind" and "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding," a song destined to become an Elvis Costello hit in 1979; in......

MONDAY [4] film • "The Big Sleep" at The Paramount film • Eddie Muller Noir Night: "The Window" at Alamo Downtown film • Music Monday: "La Brune Et Moi" at Alamo Downtown food • Central Market Cooking Class: Knife Skills 101 with Chef Cindy Haenel at Central Market Cooking School, 4001 N Lamar ($60, 6:30-9:30pm) music • Lifesavas, Strange Fruit Project, DJ Marc Sense, Who M.I.?, Prawphit at Emo's music • Strange Fruit Project,......

Austin Music Foundation is bringing back its Music Industry Boot Camp (MIBC) tonight, with a panel discussion entitled "Road Warriors: The DIY Approach to Successful Booking and Touring." This 33rd installment of the popular seminar series features five local (and popular) musicians, each well-versed in scoring that perfect last-minute gig in Omaha or knowing where to get a drink when your van breaks down in Kansas City. The lineup: Matt Drenik, Artist, Lions; Talent Buyer,......

MONDAY [30] food • Central Market Cooking School with Chef Aimee Olson: Spectacular Sponge Cakes at Central Market Cooking School, 4001 N Lamar ($45, 6:30-9pm) books • Dirty Found: Live! with Found Magazine Creative Directors Jason Bitner and Arthur Jones at Alamo Downtown (7:00pm) film • "Dirty Found" at Alamo Drafthouse Downtown film • Music Mondays: "The Smiths: These Things Take Time" at Alamo Drafthouse Downtown music • Music Industry Boot Camp, presented by......

THURSDAY [12] music • The Carrots, The Interest Kills (LAST SHOW) at The Mohawk music • ME TV's monthly Austin Music Foundation benefit series, "Emerging Artists," with The Dedringers, Nakia and His at Antone's (8pm, $5) music • Alex Dupree and the Trapdoor Band, Jeff Klein, The Normans at Emo's music • Twilight Broadcast CD Release Show with Loss Rayne, Goldcure at Stubb's music • DJ Omari's Soul Party, with the Rock and Roll......

MONDAY [9] books • Jillian Robinson presents Change Your Life Through Travel at BookPeople (7:00pm) comedy • 22nd Annual Funniest Person in Austin Contest, hosted by John Ramsey at Cap City Comedy Club dance • Spank Dance's "4Red Lines" at Secret Location, Check Austinist's Clues (5:30pm) film • "Harold and Kumar" with All-You-Can-Eat Mini-Burgers at Alamo Downtown film • Music Mondays: "Times Square" at Alamo Downtown film • Jim Jarmusch Film Series: "Dead Man"......

ME Television and the Austin Music Foundation continue to promote the best of the city’s promising up-and-coming acts at Antone’s on Thursdays. After the success of the first Emerging Artists Series, the time is ripe for the latest edition. The good times rock n’ tonk of The Jungle Rockers (featured today in The Daily Texan) along with prog-metal from Stasis promises another night of diverse music. Add to that one of our fast emerging favorites,......

MONDAY [26] film • Squeegee Your Third Eye: Remembering Bill Hicks at Alamo Drafthouse Downtown books • New and Noteworthy Book Club discusses Snow by Orhan Pamuk at BookPeople (7:00pm) film • Wonderwall at Alamo Drafthouse Downtown meeting • Austin Music Foundation's Music Industry Boot Camp at Gibson Guitar Showroom (3601 South Congress G400) music • Aloha, Pompeii, The Politics, Low Line Caller at Emo's Lounge music • Shoot for the Stars, iKiLLcaRs, Bones......

ME Television and the Austin Music Foundation have been doing their fair share in our city to promote local talent and improve artist networks. The former has brought in the likes of Pink Nasty and Sparrow House for their weekly Almost Late Show, while the latter has recently initiated a twice-a-month mixer at the Belmont. Tonight, they combine to bring us the Emerging Artists Series. A $5 cover (with partial proceeds going to AMF)......

Last week we brought you Unlock Austin’s Red River Pass. This week, Unlock Austin brings us its first “Lose Your Resolution” Party featuring IV Thieves, White Ghost Shivers, and Seth Walker. The schedule includes a fashion show, with outfits designed by the participating bands to be modeled by none other than former Mayoral candidate and always entertaining Leslie Cochran. The event is co-sponsored by Soundcheck Magazine, Austin Music Foundation, and Steaz. A true believer in......

Yes, it sucks that there is so little lead-time on this event. The first Austin Music Mixer! It’s tonight. TONIGHT, damnit. But don’t act like you’re super busy on Tuesday nights anyway. What, CSI: Waco Suburbs got your evening on-lock? Tivo that bullshit and mingle with other musicians. Here’s their press release, in their own musicianesque words: -------------------------------------------------------------------- The Austin Music Foundation (AMF) today announces the launch of the Austin Music Mixer, a twice-monthly......

The Austin Music Foundation, a local nonprofit dedicated to uniting and serving our local music community, puts together a big seminar every couple of months called Music Industry Boot Camp (MIBC). Since 2002, MIBCs have been familiarizing our local musicians -- a group to which half of you reading this probably belong -- into the various and sundry business aspects of the tumultuous, sleazy, and overstimulated world of the music industry. Whether it's the 1-2-3s......

Austin Music Foundation is currently conducting a survey in an effort to better understand how we're all going about discovering new tunes these days, as well as what MySpace and similar social networking sites are all about. There are separate surveys for music fans and artists, and both look pretty quick and easy to fill out. In return for your five or ten minutes, they'll enter you in a contest for $15/$25 (music fans)......

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......

MONDAY [17][music] The High Flyers at Continental Club (10pm) (link) [lecture] Josh Rushing, future host of a show on Al Jazeera International and "accidental media star" in "Control Room," speaks at UT LBJ Auditorium (7pm) (link) [art] Opening Reception for Michael Schliefke's newest works, "What If We Could Get It All Back?" at bolm Studios (6pm-11pm) (link) [film] Oscar-Nominated Documentary shorts at Alamo Downtown (7pm) (link) [film] Anime Movie Monday at Ventana del Sol (7:30pm)......

Don’t miss Rare Magazine’s Austin Rocks! extravaganza on Saturday, April 22 at Tambaleo! Part fashion show, part rock show, the event showcases Austin’s unique music and fashion scene by pairing styling by local boutiques and salons alongside three local bands. Each boutique will work with a salon to provide hair and makeup, and the names include: Hem Jeans, Orbit Salon, Flirt, Anne Kelso Salon, Upstairs, Electra Beauty Lounge, Cream Vintage, N Salon, Flipnotics, Innu Salon,......

See any good shows this weekend? Don't forget to send us your Reader Weekend Reviews! Send 'em here. M O N D A Y music · Green Potato Ventures presents Chicago's The City on Film, Stories from the Frontier and Sad Accordians at Emo's. Inside, 10pm [myspace stream: Stories From the Frontier] [mp3: The City On Film - For Holly] music · "Puyo Punk Music for All": Gadjo Bango at The Parlor [mp3: Gadjo Bango......

Singer-songwriters get a bad rap. It’s a proven fact that not all of them are whiny, sullen assholes. Some of them actually bring the rock. Lucky for us, three of Austin’s best troubadours are joining forces to melt your face inside Stubb’s this Saturday, May 14. Shane Bartell wil take the stage first to play songs from his first full length cd, “Too Soon To Say.” David Newbould is up next, fresh off his......