Last night's news that the APD has identified the prime suspect in the New Year's Eve attacks - and, apparently, several earlier assaults - provides a bit of emotional respite in anticipation of perhaps the biggest benefit show yet staged for Esme Barrera. The Statesman reports James Loren Brown, 25, was found dead in his North Campus home on January 12th. He has subsequently been linked by DNA evidence to a string of attacks last summer and is the prime suspect in the New Year's attacks, including the murder of Barrera. The police describe him as a "serial predator." more ›

Continuing Thursday night's benefit show from the Scoot Inn, myriad bands have come together to help raise funds for Esme Barrera's family at Club 1808. Friday's showcase includes Quin Galavis, Literature, Les Rav, Crooked Bangs, Schmillion and more. See below for the full lineup and some set times. Two stages will have performances starting at 5pm, and minors are welcome until 6:30pm. Between the bands' performances, guests are welcome to speak and pay tribute to Esme. more ›

The Skellies, Austin's favorite ride-or-die bike crew, is populated by hardcore street cyclists who also happen to be do-gooders; each month, they throw a benefit bash. more ›

Poverty—it’s a scourge that has stuck with the wealthiest nation in the world even as LBJ battled it and President Obama tries to come to grips with its alarming rise. It’s a heady subject, but even locally, we can all do our small part. That’s where RESULTS Austin—part of a national organization aimed at eradicating poverty in America—comes in. They’re giving us an extra incentive to join the fight by putting on the Poverty Over Benefit at the Mohawk tonight, a concert featuring locals Bill Callahan and Mother Falcon. more ›

While this weekend’s slight temperature drop brings brief and questionable “relief,” you might feel so brave as to actually venture out in the daylight--to places without swimming holes, no less. If you’re looking for a dark place to catch a mid-day buzz, stumble down to Red River tomorrow afternoon and into Beerland’s cool confines for a Saturday matinee punk show benefiting the Quin Galavis Driving Academy Scholarship Fund. more ›

Central Market's N. Lamar wine expert Seth Pollard has been battling cancer, and like so many, his medical bills have mounted up. Friends of Pollard's from the food and wine community have taken matters into their own hands with a fun and family-friendly benefit to be held Saturday at The Scoot Inn. Guests can feast on apps from StrEat, Andiamo, Max's Wine Dive, and Cantina Laredo, sample drinks from Ben E. Keith Distributors, and view silent auction items, with all proceeds going to bills from Pollard's post-cancer stem cell therapy. more ›

One of the highlights of the yearly festival is the Hands on an Eggplant Sub competition, which pits contestants against one another in a marathon contest to see who can keep their grubby paws on said sandwich for the longest. The winner scores a year of free Home Slice pizza—former champ Seth Mazow went so far as to blog about his experience. This year, they're letting folks sponsor one of the five chosen participants, and with Mazow having relocated to California, it's anyone's guess which of these challengers will end up sticking around the longest. more ›

Bicycle enthusiasts, community do-gooders, and local music lovers alike are all geared up for a special Yellow Bike Benefit Show tonight at Red 7. Local favorites The Sour Notes, The Boxing Lesson, She Sir, White Rhino and newcomers Searching For Signal will take turns on stage. Door proceeds will aid our local Yellow Bike Project, Austin’s only all-volunteer community bike initiative, which opened their new Webberville headquarters in May. more ›

This Friday evening, Habitat Young Professionals (HYP) will host its fourth annual HYP Gala at South Austin's Mercury Hall. more ›

Celebrate your dominion over animals at the annual Hotel San Jose/Jo’s Coffee Easter Pet Parade, making its eleventh appearance tomorrow afternoon. The parade benefits Austin Pets Alive! and is a tribute to the late Lyndon Lambert, a notable animal lover and co-owner of SF-based pet products purveyor GEORGE. more ›

South Congress eatery Home Slice Pizza's annual Carnival-O-Pizza offers all the trappings of a festive fête to share in the successes of a thriving local business—carnival-style booths, raffles, live music, zany contests, and loads of beer and pizza. But more than that, as co-owner Jen Strickland points out, it's also a way to give back to the community and a nod to the festivals of her youth. more ›

Tomorrow, thirty music, media, and assorted arts professionals will be taking a break from their day jobs to help out Caritas of Austin, a local nonprofit that feeds the homeless and strives to get them back on their feet. The event starts by putting these enthusiastic volunteers to work at the downtown food kitchen during the day, where they'll get to see firsthand just how Caritas goes about its mission. Later in the evening, they'd like you to join them for the "What Gives" Food Drive & Fundraiser Benefit at the Mohawk, a big charity bash catered by Woodland and Frank and featuring music by DJ A.One (of Dallas' The Cannabinoids). Host Mike Wiebe of The Riverboat Gamblers will oversee an auction of goods from a plethora of local stores and businesses, including Woodland, Frank, Decoder Ring, Transmission Entertainment, Olivia, Mint Salon, and more. more ›

Remembering our time in the central Texas school system, we can tell you that while our public school teachers do a pretty darn good job of coaxing some interesting writing out of their students, sometimes they are expected to teach kiddos how to write to pass an exam, not necessarily to express themselves. The Austin Bat Cave hopes to augment their efforts through free after-school tutoring programs, in-school programs, book groups and special workshops that include music and songwriting. If anyone could get behind fostering expressive and creative writing in our youth, it would have been Van Zandt, who believed that achieving greatness required constant practice, that you had to continually try to achieve your best. more ›

Local photographer Todd V. Wolfson has captured iconic images of some of Austin's best-known performers and musicians. A successful freelancer, his work has appeared in numerous publications and graced the albums of more than a few bands. This summer, however, Wolfson was faced with the kind of crisis that all freelancers have nightmares about: a bicycle accident put the shutterbug out of commission. more ›

The Community Art Makers crew responsible for creating (then burning) the fabulous Resolution Clock at the 2009 First Night Austin are at it again. This time, they've been picked to build the temple for this year's Burning Man. During the festival, event participants will cover the wooden surfaces of the structure with writing, remembrances, wishes, and resolutions. Until now, the temple has always been made by California artists, so the Austin based Community Art Makers are going to have to bring it big - Texas style. The massive, modular structure is being constructed by hand and by ShopBot in Austin and will soon be trucked out to the desert where it will be assembled. There will be to be a benefit show at the Parish tomorrow night to help fund this major community art effort. Gypsy cabaret rockers WinoVino will headline the show, with sideshow oddities That Damned Band supporting. Barebones Orchestra, with their rock and roll horn section, will open. Tickets will be sold at the door and cost $10 for general admission and $7 for those who come in costume - think your best Gadjo Disko gear. more ›

Max Moses, whose smiling mug you may have seen on advertisement for Dell Children's Hospital, contracted Leukemia in January. Since then, he's become the hospital's poster child, proving himself one of those amazing people who manages to confront major adversity with a general good mood. Good mood or not, however, the cost of treating Max's illness is significant, which is why there is a benefit show Sunday at Antone's. Attendees can catch a slew of Texas bands including the Jolly Garogers, Shane Bartell, Topaz, Exit, Uncle Bruno, Johnny Goudie, John Pointer, and Chatterton. And, they also bid on items in the silent auction, which will be running through the night. Up for grabs will be items ranging from salon services to ACL passes to one-of-a-kind vintage clothing items. more ›

This Friday, various and sundry folks from the local music community and Flipside members are rallying together to throw a giant fundraising benefit under the stars for one beloved Austinite (and friend of Austinist), Starr, who's currently recovering from major surgery and facing mounting medical bills. STARR FEST takes place at 5700 Blue Bluff Road, just south of Walter E Long Lake in East Austin, and comes replete with camping, music, a silent auction, and even a potluck assisted by members of Bridgepoint Cafe and Ararat. A suggested donation of $10-20 is requested, but, as volunteer event organizers have pointed out, "no one [will be] turned away for lack of funds." [Details and more] more ›

Art Week Austin events will come to a peak with Saturday's Art After Dark party. The event is being held at City Hall and along the 1st Street Bridge, offering party goers spectacular views of the city at night. Art collectors and appreciators who have enjoyed the daytime events of Art City Austin will be entertained by DJ Chicken George and headliners Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears. Food will be provided by Austin's Word of Mouth Catering along with area restaurants including the Belmont, the Salt Lick, Tacodeli, and the Cookie Lounge. Twin Liquors and Bacardi are on board as the night's wine and beverage sponsors. Tickets to the party cost $75 a piece with art collector badges and VIP options available for groups. more ›

Tomorrow night, the Austin State Hospital's Volunteer Services Council are holding a benefit art show and auction. The event will feature art by Daniel Johnston as well as work by professional artists and State Hospital patients. Johnston's work colorfully features his whimsical other-worldly character sketches, while other donations range from the simple geometric figures of Jerry Walters to Piercarlo Abate's striking portraits of asylum patients from 1915 Venice. The hospital's patient art is bold and often abstract, combining mediums and themes to create true outsider art. more ›

MA's Guster and Wild Sweet Orange will rock the walls of Stubb's Waller Creek on April 22 at an Earth Day celebration to benefit the Hill Country Conservancy. The conservancy focuses on keeping Texas' open spaces, uh, open, but specifically dotes on Barton Springs because of its relationship with our water supply. more ›

This past October, DJ Melodic suffered a cardiac arrest and was in a coma for 3 days. This tragedy has spurred many Austin DJs to come together and hold a benefit on Friday, January 23rd at Lambert's, for Melodic, who many hold as one of their most treasured influences (both in life, and in creativity). more ›

Christie Constante was diagnosed with cervical cancer stage IIB in January of 2008. After going through the rigors of chemotherapy, radiation, and internal radiation therapy, the cancer has not subsided, and now her diagnosis is seen as terminal. As if insult needed to be applied to injury, Christie is struggling with Medicaid to cover all bills, So her friends with Latinas Unidas Por El Arte (LUPE Arte), and Klown Dog Bikes are throwing a benefit featuring Kitty Kitty Bang Bang, Brownout, Ruby Rico, Woodgrain, DJ Chorizo Funk, and RAD, in Christie’s name to help ease the financial burden. more ›

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Each year, The Junior League of Austin, Jack Brown Cleaners, KASE 101, and KVUE partner to bring the community together to ensure that the children of Central Texas stay warm. This year's Butter Ball to benefit Coats for Kids will happen at the Belmont, and will feature a performance by Dale Watson and his Lone Stars. more ›

The Health Alliance for Austin Musicians benefit day back in October was a huge success, raising $150,000. With the funds, the 3 1/2-year-old HAAM can sustain high-quality services for its members, "the city's hard-working, professional musicians, self-employed and without health insurance." Since March 2005, HAAM has raised a total of more than $1 million. (myhaam.org)
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Visiting Asia, South America and Europe in one night could seem like a rather daunting task to someone without some sweet teleportation skills or a bankrolled time machine. Even if you could make it to all three, you would probably not have the minutes or digestional fortitude to sample the multitude of tastes that each place has to offer. Luckily for us, all of these worries will be whisked away on Sunday, October 25th by Lovexotic, a night of sounds, sights and savoriness, hosted by our fave Indian eatery The Clay Pit. more ›

In case you weren't aware, there are thousands of working musicians in Austin, many of whom don't have health insurance. The Health Alliance for Austin Musicians has existed for three years, working daily to provide low-cost primary health care services, basic dental care and mental health counseling for Austin-area musicians and their families. more ›

Austin's SIMS Foundation has been providing low cost counseling and mental health services to Austin musicians and their families since 1995. The foundation was formed after local musician Sims Ellison took his own life after a profound battle with depression. Sadly, there are many musicians in the live music capitol of the world in need of help battling depression, anxiety, drug and alcohol dependency and other mental / neurological disorders, sometimes present before the big jump into the world of music, sometimes exacerbated by the pressure of living in a town saturated with hundreds of other people trying to make it as well. Financial pressure, relationship woes and general stress can all contribute to an artist's mental stability (or lack thereof), and oftentimes extends to the rest of the family as well. SIMS understands, and SIMS exists to help. more ›