KUT checked in with Beck at ACL last weekend, and you can hear the interview here. more ›

After what seemed like an eternity of anticipation from a crowd chanting his name softly, Beck finally arose from his lair behind stage and began the night with an angsty classic, "Loser." Adorning his most recent look of long blond locks and cowboy hat, Beck gave a nostalgic performance realizing his audience grew up listening to albums like Mellow Gold and Odelay. He did up the pace a bit, playing "Gamma Ray" off his new album Modern Guilt, but the pinnacle of his performance was in hits like "Where It's At" and "Devil's Haircut" which make every bone in your body happy. And yes, even people in line for the port-a-potties couldn't resist dancing. A long-standing frontman, Beck has not lost his stamina and still manages to remain mysteriously omniscient. With a catchy pulse and captivating rhythms, Beck wooed the souls of a sea at people who didn't mind staying late after a long day of great acts. There was a blithe vibe in the air as fans enjoyed a few more beers and chatted with friends, while stretched across blankets. A sudden switch to the wicked beats of "Hell Yes" brought about electric chanting. The performance sparked conversation in my group realizing we forgot how much we truly liked Beck's music and how it pushed us through awkward transformative years. A quick iPhone search led us to discover that he is indeed 38 years old, but still sexy and soulful nonetheless. Critics and hipsters- say what you will, but he definitely surpassed by Becktations. -Candace Birkelbach more ›

The AT&T Saturday line-up started as a MiniDisc playlist back in 1998. Back then, one artist was “weird” and one was weird, and one was cool and one was “cool”. And the Drive-By Truckers were big in Athens. They still are, but every year sees their thoroughbred country-rock oats get more and more tender and palatable (and popular) – 2008’s Brighter Than Creation’s Dark is their quietest album to date. But it’s like when a Clint Eastwood character goes to the barbershop – the cleaner sheen doesn’t change a band’s heart. more ›

This year, ACL Fest is hosting quite a few official after parties and shows, featuring the talents of Gnarls Barkley, Manu Chao, the Butthole Surfers, Conor Oberst, Bill Callahan and Jose Gonzalez just to name a few. more ›

It's Beck's birthday, and this future Austin City Limits festival headliner is celebrating with the release of his latest, Modern Guilt. Produced by Danger Mouse (Gnarls Barkley), featuring none other than Chan Marshall (Cat Power), Guilt oozes pop noir. more ›

Two days after SXSW kicks off and our city becomes a living, breathing conglomeration of people from all walks of life, Austinist presents Local Music is Sexy at the PureVolume Ranch. Past Local Music is Sexy events have showcased acts such as The Black Angels, Brothers and Sisters, The Lemurs, The Corto Maltese, Black Before Red, and IV Thieves to name a few. Last year, we remember dancing the night away to Car Stereo (Wars)’ mad mash-ups, drinking free Red Bull (among other things), and having a go at the sweet Wii set up in that little lounge at the location. All in all, an excellent time. more ›

The Mohawk presents a solid double bill of local pop this evening. The Lemurs have been writing new material over the last few months and a handful of those songs will be included in their set tonight. The band enjoyed a stellar 2007 -- highlights included licensing their music to NBC show Las Vegas (as well as an Australian indie flick called Newcastle) and touring with Canadian act Stars. This past Sunday, ME Television telecast a 2nd ME Live! featuring The Lemurs' shimmering melodies in concert at a recent La Zona Rosa gig. more ›

Image from MySpace Love as Laughter at Emo’s (inside)Monday, November 19Emos (603 Red River St)Doors at 8:00, Show at 10:00[info] Today, Emo’s inside stage will be graced by Sam Jayne and his band Love as Laughter, his artistic outlet for a little under ten years after his former, very influential group Lync disbanded. Payne is best known for his work within the K Records, Olympia, WA scene, where he staked his claim for strange indie... more ›

Austin writer, journalist and musician Lance Hahn died Sunday afternoon. He had been in a coma since collapsing during dialysis treatment on Friday, October 12th. Lance was 40. His contributions to the punk scene both in Austin and internationally are too many to list. He was the creative force behind Cringer and the prolific, self-described "anarcho-situationist pop-punk" band, J-Church. His chops on the guitar eventually landed him the job as Beck's guitarist in 1994. He... more ›

Nine employees at Twin Liquors now face felony charges after allegedly stealing more than a quarter million dollars' worth of booze. According to TABC officials, the employees had been running a fairly large-scale bootlegging operation for the past two years. Liquor and beer would be lifted from Twin Liquor's warehouses on Seventh Street and Stassney Lane, and then re-sold elsewhere around town. Authorities are unclear where the booze ended up. "They could have been going... more ›

Formed from the ashes of Split Enz, Crowded House may well have been the best pure pop-rock group of their era. Twenty-two years after their beginnings in Melbourne, Australia, Neil Finn and Nick Seymour have brought back Crowded House's classic songwriting and effortless melodies via a new album and tour. The group disbanded in 1996 and has weathered the shocking suicide of founding member Paul Hester, the disconnect of distance (Finn lives in Auckland,... more ›

Emo's is packing in approximately half of the bands in Austin this evening for a Bacchanalian orgy of rock and roll, Lone Star, and - with all due respect - poorly conceptualized tattoos. Silly tats aside, tonight is guaranteed to be a blowout, and whether you're looking to get familiar with some of the best indie that this town has to offer, or a long-time fan, you'll be sonically satiated come this evening. Here's... more ›

Every fall, Austin looks forward to ACL Fest, and each year, there's always a point where two of your favorite bands are playing on different sides of the park at the exact same time. ACL Band Clash is a weekly series in which Austinist scribes Paige Maguire and Tom Thornton examine the worst ACL scheduling clashes, and try to provide good advice on finding a resolution. Well, good advice might be a stretch, but... more ›

Coldplay's Chris Martin recently described Travis as "the band that invented my band and lots of others." That should give most people a solid idea of what to expect when Glasgow's indie-pop quartet stop into Stubb's Thursday night. After debuting with the raucous pub rock album Good Feeling in 1997, the band did an about-face with 1999's The Man Who, a moody, ballad-filled acoustic record produced by Nigel Godrich (Radiohead, Beck) that produced several... more ›

We love Austin. As obvious as that might seem, it never hurts to declare how great this city is for people interested in art and culture, and specifically live music. On any given evening, one has a chance to experience a wide variety of genres at different venues around town. And in most cases the cost is minimal, or nothing. Tonight, the Scoot Inn presents another great opportunity to catch a local favorite. Pink... more ›

Little-known outside the experimental guitar scene, the immensely talented Japanese guitar-slinger Tetuzi Akiyama has been perfecting his improvisational rockabilly style for the better part of 20 years now. Due to play several shows during SXSW and a smattering of shows in Texas and elsewhere, Tetuzi kindly extrapolated on his singular talents for us: You started playing guitar when you were 13. What sort of music were you listening to at the time that drew... more ›

An art extravaganza along the vein of E.A.S.T., the Texas Biennial returns to Austin tomorrow, kicking off a month and a half's worth of nifty art-related events at the Dougherty Arts Center, Bolm Studios, Okay Mountain and Site 1808. This time around, they're showcasing just about every medium of visual art imaginable, including paintings, drawings, photography, mixed media, video, sculpture and site-specific installations. Founded back in 2005 by Bolm Studios, Camp Fig, the Dougherty... more ›

Seattle's public radio station, KEXP 90.3, has long been a bellwether of up-and-coming bands in the national indie-rock scene. This year, Austin groups took not one, but two spots in their Top 90.3 albums of 2006. Nestled in the top 20, our own beloved electronica exhibitionists Ghostland Observatory's Paparazzi Lightning took #16, while brooding psych-rockers The Black Angels' Passover took #6. Not only is this titillating news for the bands, outplacing indie legends like Yo... more ›

THURSDAY [9] music • Ice Age Cobra, Maaster Gaiden at The Mohawk music • Crash Gallery, The Last Gasp, Future Clouds and Radar, Red Leaves at Emo's music • 2nd Annual Miracles on 8th Street at Stubb's ($70, 7pm) music • 2006 Hotel Cafe Tour with Cary Brothers, Rachel Yamagata, Tristan Prettyman, Joshua Radin, Jonah Matranga, Jim Bianco, Sara Bareilles at The Parish Room music • Joshua Radin at Waterloo Records music • CREEPOUT... more ›

On Tuesday, the American -ists will be celebrating democracy and hitting the polls, letting politicians know what they really think. It just made us wonder: if it were up to the -ist-a-verse, what would we be voting for? Londonist votes for better skincare, alternative spaces for art, cute little birds and the men who keep them, and concrete. Lots of concrete. Shanghaiist votes for one of the Bee Gees and Air Supply (it's a double-ticket),... more ›

Last weekend was pretty intense show-wise, if you're like us, you're ready to crawl in bed with your headphones and listen to something new from End of an Ear or Waterloo's new release wall. Well, here's what you've got to choose from: The Decemberists The Crane Wife (Capital) Already being described as the album of the year in some circles, Crane Wife marks the Portland-based Decemberists' major label debut with themes familiar to the... more ›

THURSDAY [7] music • Shoot For the Stars and Kill Them VS. Cry Blood Apache, and Coma in Algiers at The Parlor food • Austin Farmers Market at Plaza Saltillo, 5th and Comal (4-7pm) film • TerrorStorm with Alex Jones Live at Alamo South (7pm) film • The Wire Season 4 Sneak Preview at Alamo Downtown (7:30pm, $10 food voucher to reserve) film • Raiders of the Lost Ark at Paramount Theatre (7:30pm) film... more ›

Gorch Fock aren’t exactly safe listening…one is meant to engage and survive them on their twisted level, facing ugly reality in blunt terms, grinding it all into a sonic maelstrom threatening to devastate and bewilder. Like hellfire itself, one should only listen if they are itching to get burned. more ›

Tomorrow night, we're helping out folks from PartyEnds.com, Green Potato Ventures, Sparrowhead, and Super!Alright! to throw one hell of a party over at Gallery Lombardi. Come and check out bands, video projections, art installations, and DJs while you enjoy complimentary beverages, courtesy of Austin's own Independence Brewery. The Lineup: The Lemurs [link] Cue [link] Tacks, the Boy Disaster [link] Economy [link] Stay Gold DJs [link] Luther at PartyEnds has also put together his first... more ›

We mentioned before that we absolutely love Beck, but even setting our fan status aside, last Tuesday night's show at the Backyard was a quality performance and one of the best we’ve seen in a long time. more ›

MONDAY [19] [film] Tickets on Sale Now for Superman Returns, opening June 27th @ Alamo at Alamo South (Multiple Shows, $8) (more) [sports] World Cup Matches at Alamo Village (Daily, Various) (more) [film] State vs. Reed (funds from screening benefit Rodney Reed's family) at Alamo Downtown (7pm) (more) [film] Casino at Austin Java (8pm, FREE) (more) [film] The Fearless Freaks at Café Mundi (8pm, FREE) (more) [film] Fela Kuti: Music is the Weapon at Alamo... more ›

You can throw a rock this month and hit a good touring show in Austin. After our usual post-SXSW doldrums, everyone seems to be scheduling Austin as an early summer stop. Check out new additions like Pete Yorn, M. Ward, Reverend Horton Heat, and indie-blogger favorite Human Television in the listings below: June: 6/02 The Roots + Blackalicious (Stubb’s) 6/03 Film School + Margot & The Nuclear So-And-Sos (Emo’s) 6/07 Arctic Monkeys + We... more ›

With new shows on sale from Sonic Youth, INXS, Echo and the Bunnymen, and Rancid, it seems to be college radio nostalgia week for the concert update. There are also a nice batch of new indie shows, including Tapes 'n' Tapes for Pitchfork fans, Dios Malos for the mellow types, The Futureheads for the edgy punky stuff, and even Tilly and the Wall for you tap dancers. On with the shows: May: 5/10 -... more ›

Formed by two former members of brilliant-but-short lived indie popsters The Unicorns a little over a year ago, Canada's Islands just recently released their debut LP, Return to the Sea, with a haunting cover taken from a mid-1820s painting by German romantic painter Caspar David Friedrich. Back at SXSW, our friends over at See You In the Pit previewed this seven-piece, describing their songs as "strangely beautiful, quirky pop melodies combined with sprawling instrumentation,... more ›

Summer is coming, and the post-SX lull appears to be ending for Austin gigs. Many SX bands are scheduling return appearances, and our outdoor venues are beginning to release May and June schedules. The following list offers some highlights (for comprehensive listings, check Pollstar or Showlist Austin): 4/15 - Calexico (free early show) @ Emo's 4/15 - Deathray Davies + The M's @ Emo's 4/24 - TV on the Radio + Celebration @ Emo's... more ›