Brandon Beasley took these shots of Minus the Bear when they came to La Zona Rosa. Witness the monkey! knife! fight! in all its glory. more ›

We've begun. Bands, submit your material to the honchos at SXSW now to be considered for the festival. You have until November 4th, but if you apply between now and October 7th, you'll only have to pay $30 as opposed to the latecomers fee of $40. More here. more ›

For every specialty showcase presided over by SXSW and its strict badge-holders only policy, about fifteen other events are taking place on the east side and elsewhere, featuring many of the same bands and oftentimes featuring free libations. Both the official and unofficial sides of SXSW have notable advantages and disadvantages, which make for a good chunk of casual conversation during the festival (the rest is taken up with where to find the best and most free beer). What we've compiled here is a list of some of our most worthy hopes for a non-sanctioned SXSW blast during the days and occasionally nights of the coming week. more ›

Here's a look back at a few entries from the vaults of Le Diamant Brut. These are bands we've profiled in the past who are playing SXSW this year. Following a little about the artists is a list of shows they're playing during the fest, and we say it's a musical imperative that you make it out to at least one of them. more ›

OK, so it's not exactly charity, but it's a great cause, nonetheless. Trailer Space Records is, was, and will soon be again, what Austin is best at: grassroots music aesthetes making and promoting their - and others' - wares. If you check out their Myspace, you'll see endearing entreaties to bands on the run, asking them to think coming to play at the little blue building "next to a middle school." more ›

The many musical offerings at this year's Maker Faire will compliment the festival's innovative, do-it-yourself focus. The line-up is comprised of more than twenty groups who play a wide range of genres including gypsy punk, shanty tunes, orchestral pop, circus marching band, and many more. A common element the groups share is their often unconventional, hands-on approach to making music. more ›

Here at Austinist, we were thrilled to be asked by ACL Fest organizers to pick a handful of sleeper picks from the Friday lineup. After all, you don't really need anyone to tell you to catch David Byrne or G. Love; you need someone to recommend a couple of names you might not know. And hey, if you already knew everyone playing on Friday, you're in the wrong line of work (give us a ring). more ›

Listen to the beginning of “Masochism in the Trade” and try not to be mesmerized. The experimentally shrieking guitars and ghoulish keyboards make the air thick with a carnival vibe that quickly turns into an electro pop number fronted by a singer sounding something like a darker version of Gwen Stefani at times. Add in plenty of violin along with some viola, glockenspiel, mandolin and even a drum machine, and you’ve got a local group that’s easy to get wrapped up in, but hard to classify. You can dance until you drop dead from the consumption with this bleak, experimental, violin-rock. more ›

Another day, another long list of long list of web-darling music acts and their attendant corporate sponsors. more ›

In case you hadn't realized, music poster art and design is a a medium all its own. The creative effort that goes into each print and poster is a labor of love, artists finding new and inventive ways to combine elements from a band's own vision, their own voice, as well as actual information. more ›

There was no escaping the gravity of Austin in 2007. Three major festivals drew artists, labels, promoters and press from around the world. Critically and commercially, Spoon was an undeniably dominating force. Production power increased with the emergence of C3 Presents, a joint venture between heavyweights Charles Attal, Charlie Jones and Charlie Walker. Yet our unique universe still grows from within. Bands like Okkervil River and businesses like Transmission Entertainment continue to expand our horizons. My best of list is a celebration of what makes the Austin music scene independent and innovative. 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 ›

Austin Sound, if you haven't checked it out already, is a great site featuring information about local music. This Saturday, they're pulling out all the stops to celebrate their one year anniversary, and throwing a mini-ACL that's much, much cheaper. With 13 bands playing, there's bound to be someone to rock your picky ass. Also: free food and FREE BEER for five bucks! We know, it doesn't make sense to us either, but it... more ›

Tonight's KEXP sponsored Hot Freaks + Gorilla vs. Bear blow-out features Dallas' Ghosthustler and Cry Blood Apache. We have a feeling there will be a lot of sweaty dance-a-holics leaning on each other They Shoot Horses, Don't They?-style on Red River Tuesday night. As always, the shows happen each Tuesday night, with the headliners taking turns. Shapes Have Fangs will lead the way next week, but for tonight, grab $2 and head downtown. Doors will... more ›

“There’s a sign on the east Texas border that says Beaumont 23, El Paso 857. To me it was a braggadocio, quintessential Texas symbol," says Coyote Funeral co-director Jason May about the original inspiration for the film about two estranged brothers who rekindle their boyhood friendship on a walk across Texas. (The kind of thing we wish we'd done while we still had the opportunity. The walking part, not the boyhood friendship rekindling part.) more ›

Friday night's Glorium reunion show marks the final pinnacle of Emo's 15th anniversary celebration. Glorium are one of the vital pages in Austin's long musical history. The band originally formed in San Antonio in 1991 and immediately began to make a name for themselves by using avant-garde aesthetics with lessons learned from the hardcore punk scene. The result was an explosion of emotional and musical creativity; pushing the boundaries of lyrical imagery and human... more ›

FRIDAY [15] juneteenth/parade • Alvin Patterson Battle of the Bands and Drumline Competition at Congress Avenue (2pm) books • Lama Surya Das presents Buddha is as Buddha Does at BookPeople (7:00pm) comedy • Billy D Washington with Doug Mellard at Cap City Comedy Club comedy • Punchline, open mic stand up comedy at ColdTowne Theater (10pm) dance • Constellation, a site-specific dance work from Sally Jacques at Pickle & Thornberry Federal Courthouses (9pm) dance... more ›

Battles Mirrored (Warp) Battles combine John Stanier's (Helmet, Tomahawk) frenetic drumming with Ian Williams' (Don Caballero) signature finger-tapping guitar work and layer prog-metal keyboards along with everything from hip-hop and rap to free jazz to cartoonish vocal effects, creating what is probably going to be one of the most quietly influential albums of the year. Though the band has been around for over four years, Mirrored is their first full-length. Previous EPs have indicated... more ›

Rocket, Quiet Company, Blackholicus, and Golden AX squared off at Room 710 last night in a friendly LA versus Austin Battle-of-the-Bands, and Austin you came out on top. LAist held their SXSW party at the Red River mainstay and brought two bands to "compete" against a pair of local groups for a free Sunday night show that started with the My Morning Jacket-esque Quiet Company (who should change their names because they're anything but... more ›

The first-ever Fun Fun Fun Fest is this Friday, December 1st, at Waterloo Park. Over two dozen great acts are on the bill, including Spoon, Peaches, The Black Angels, Prefuse 73, and DJ Mel. Tickets are $20, and can be purchased online. Gamblers perform on the punk stage at 6:55. --The Editors How's Volcom treating you? Any Riverboat Gamblers skate decks in your future? Volcom has been great! They give us lots of socks,... more ›

Note: Today's the last day of our two week long ticket giveaway, and the festival's nearly a week away! This winter, Alamo Drafthouse and some of the folks at Emo's are teaming up to throw an enormous single-day music festival at Waterloo Park. Sponsored by yours truly, METV, 101x, The Onion, AT&T, Mickey's, and Waterloo Records, the FunFunFun Fest features three stages of nonstop indie rock, punk, and electronic bands, including several bigger acts... more ›

This winter, Alamo Drafthouse and some of the folks at Emo's are teaming up to throw an enormous single-day music festival at Waterloo Park. Sponsored by yours truly, METV, 101x, The Onion, AT&T, Mickey's, and Waterloo Records, the FunFunFun Fest features three stages of nonstop indie rock, punk, and electronic bands, including several bigger acts like Peaches, Spoon, Prefuse 73 and Circle Jerks. From November 8 to November 22, we're giving away a pair... more ›

This winter, Alamo Drafthouse and some of the folks at Emo's are teaming up to throw an enormous single-day music festival at Waterloo Park. Sponsored by yours truly, METV, 101x, The Onion, AT&T, Mickey's, and Waterloo Records, the FunFunFun Fest features three stages of nonstop indie rock, punk, and electronic bands, including several bigger acts like Peaches, Spoon, Prefuse 73 and Circle Jerks. From November 8 to November 22, we're giving away a pair... more ›

This winter, Alamo Drafthouse and some of the folks at Emo's are teaming up to throw an enormous single-day music festival at Waterloo Park. Sponsored by yours truly, METV, 101x, The Onion, AT&T, Mickey's, and Waterloo Records, the FunFunFun Fest features three stages of nonstop indie rock, punk, and electronic bands, including several bigger acts like Peaches, Spoon, Prefuse 73 and Circle Jerks. From November 8 to November 22, we're giving away a pair... more ›

This winter, Alamo Drafthouse and some of the folks at Emo's are teaming up to throw an enormous single-day music festival at Waterloo Park. Sponsored by yours truly, METV, 101x, The Onion, AT&T, Mickey's, and Waterloo Records, the FunFunFun Fest features three stages of nonstop indie rock, punk, and electronic bands, including several bigger acts like Peaches, Spoon, Prefuse 73 and Circle Jerks. From November 8 to November 22, we're giving away a pair... more ›

This winter, Alamo Drafthouse and some of the folks at Emo's are teaming up to throw an enormous single-day music festival at Waterloo Park. Sponsored by yours truly, METV, 101x, The Onion, AT&T, Mickey's, and Waterloo Records, the FunFunFun Fest features three stages of nonstop indie rock, punk, and electronic bands, including several bigger acts like Peaches, Spoon, Prefuse 73 and Circle Jerks. From November 8 to November 22, we're giving away a pair... more ›

This winter, Alamo Drafthouse and some of the folks at Emo's are teaming up to throw an enormous single-day music festival at Waterloo Park. Sponsored by yours truly, METV, 101x, The Onion, AT&T, Mickey's, and Waterloo Records, the FunFunFun Fest features three stages of nonstop indie rock, punk, and electronic bands, including several bigger acts like Peaches, Spoon, Prefuse 73 and Circle Jerks. From November 8 to November 22, we're giving away a pair... more ›

This winter, Alamo Drafthouse and some of the folks at Emo's are teaming up to throw an enormous single-day music festival at Waterloo Park. Sponsored by yours truly, METV, 101x, The Onion, AT&T, Mickey's, and Waterloo Records, the FunFunFun Fest features three stages of nonstop indie rock, punk, and electronic bands, including several bigger acts like Peaches, Spoon, Prefuse 73 and Circle Jerks. From November 8 to November 22, we're giving away a pair... more ›

This winter, Alamo Drafthouse and some of the folks at Emo's are teaming up to throw an enormous single-day music festival at Waterloo Park. Sponsored by yours truly, METV, 101x, The Onion, AT&T, Mickey's, and Waterloo Records, the FunFunFun Fest features three stages of nonstop indie rock, punk, and electronic bands, including several bigger acts like Peaches, Spoon, Prefuse 73 and Circle Jerks. From November 8 to November 22, we're giving away a pair... more ›

This winter, Alamo Drafthouse and some of the folks at Emo's are teaming up to throw an enormous single-day music festival at Waterloo Park. Sponsored by yours truly, METV, 101x, The Onion, AT&T, Mickey's, and Waterloo Records, the FunFunFun Fest features three stages of nonstop indie rock, punk, and electronic bands, including several bigger acts like Peaches, Spoon, Prefuse 73 and Circle Jerks. From November 8 to November 22, we're giving away a pair... more ›