Ben Kweller, now a local label owner who put out his latest album on said label Go Fly A Kite last week played the Beauty Ballroom on Friday night. Chad Wadsworth got photos. more ›

The Pablove Foundation is a California-based organization whose aim is to "improve the lives of children with cancer, at both a national level as well as a local level here in Los Angeles." more ›

Austin singer/songwriter Amy Cook has a lot of friends, a few of which will be joining her for a show at the Mohawk Wednesday. She’ll be headlining with a full band at her back and the addition of the orchestral grace of Austin’s Tosca String Quartet. Local folk rock musician and songwriter Ben Kweller will open the show and possibly trade a song or two with Cook. Both Kweller and the Tosca String Quartet contributed to the production of Cook’s upcoming album, let the Light In, which is scheduled for release in early 2010. The album also includes contributions from Patty Griffin and Alejandro Escovedo, who is also the record’s producer. more ›

You may follow MCHammer, Erykah Badu, or Austin's own Ben Kweller on Twitter, but how can you be sure you're following all of your favorite artists? Check out this list, which has the Twitter accounts and websites for more than 700 musicians, along with those of music bloggers, record labels, podcasts, stores and more. more ›

Born in San Francisco, Ben Kweller moved to Texas in the early 80’s and was somewhat of a childhood prodigy, penning songs and learning to play the guitar and drums at a very early age. In 1993, Kweller formed and spearheaded Radish, a pop band out of Dallas that helped showcase his talent to a larger audience (including yours truly at a Liberty Lunch gig in the mid 90’s). By the end of the decade, Kweller had relocated to New York and launched his solo career. His full-length debut Sha Sha arrived soon after, complete with catchy ditties such as “Commerce, TX” and “Wasted & Ready.” 2004’s On My Way and 2006’s self-titled release further revealed Kweller’s penchant for earnest lyricism and astute melodies. more ›

We entered the park around 1:10pm to the strains of a seriously thrashy number from Yo La Tengo. It was impressive to hear how determined YLT were to throw out some serious noise rock at such an early hour. Being a bit sunburned and rather low-energy, we listened rather than watched, grabbed a blissfully freezing cold beer, and headed over to grab a spot for The National. The National (1:30pm): What perfect music for... more ›

Dallas native Ben Kweller is an interesting tangle of contradictions. He's 26, but his first major label album was released a decade ago. Kweller is an indie rock star, but lives in a Brooklyn brownstone with his longtime wife and young son. And his music is accessible and catchy, yet it hasn't quite found the large audience it deserves. Kweller returns to the Austin City Limits Festival for two shows this weekend to bounce... more ›

Let's get to it: ACL Fest organizers dropped the aftershow schedule yesterday, and it's fairly extensive. Stubb's, La Zona Rosa, The Parish, and Antone's will all host aftershows over the Thursday to Sunday that everyone is in town for the big event. Highlights include an intimate show from The White Stripes and Cold War Kids at Stubb's, an extra gig from Argentina's loungerific Gotan Project (also at Stubb's), appearances by Spoon, Common, and Queens... more ›

In a (somewhat) surprising announcement via press release mid-afternoon Monday, Austin's legendary venue Emo's, announced a partnership with local talent buying firm, C3 Presents. The announcement arrives on the heels of another announcement: Transmission Entertainment's official bid in the Austin talent buying and event booking business. In many ways, the partnership between Emo's and C3 is a match made in heaven: Stubb's, which is co-owned by Charles Attal, a partner at C3, is a neighbor... more ›

The 2007 ACL Fest lineup came into focus a bit earlier than expected this afternoon. Much like last year's online scavenger hunt, the folks at Charles Attal have decided to whet appetites with an ACL Crossword puzzle in this Thursday's Chronicle. The two big names revealed today: The White Stripes and Björk. Well played, ACL. The crossword reveal: The White Stripes, Björk, The Decemberists, Peter, Bjorn, and John, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, Robert Earl Keen,... more ›

After a six-month wait since the UK release, Strokes guitarist Albert Hammond, Jr.'s solo debut Yours To Keep finally arrived in US record stores this week. We reviewed the disc back in October, saying: "On his quick, punchy solo disc, Hammond does a slightly poppy variation on The Strokes' first album. This is meant as a compliment, because while most side projects are self-indulgent and weird, this one is concise, fun, and really catchy."... more ›

Brr! Good thing you're not at work today, there are some marginally interesting new releases this week for you purchase via the heavenly lady herself, The Internet. She won't freeze over on you, she won't keep you from your girlfriend's house tonight, and she won't cause you to wake up from a strange and unexpected four day weekend in an un-showered and groggy haze. Wait a second, yes she will! Crowded House Farewell to... more ›

Ben Kweller - Ben Kweller (ATO): Mr. ACL nosebleed's new disc is a strong rebound from 2004's sub-par On My Way. Despite Kweller's jangly, simple writing style, there is evidence of real maturity here, from the crisp Gil Norton production to the consistency of the material. There's nothing quite as catchy as "Wasted And Ready," but the album is a hook-filled, enjoyable indie-pop listen all the way through, and that's pretty rare these days.... more ›

Multi-instrumentalist and programmer Evan Mast and guitarist Mike Stroud are very busy boys. Between day jobs running record labels and graphic design, studio and tour stints with the likes of Ben Kweller and Dashboard Confessional and a wide assortment of side projects, the New Yorkers formerly known as Cherry found time to record one of the summer's most talked-about albums and are now touring the U.S. The sound is a more studio developed one... more ›

If ACL fest hasn't caused you to hate music, you might want to check out this week's new releases: DJ Shadow The Outsider (Universal) DJ Shadow's latest offering has certainly managed to garner (perhaps more than) its fair share of critique, and for fans of Shadow who have been listening since Entroducing, it's fairly easy to see why. Outsider is, for the most part, DJ Shadow's most straightforward foray into hip-hop, and features an... more ›

FRIDAY [15] music • Ghostland Observatory and Thee Emergency at The Mohawk (912 Red River) ® party • Earthdance at NiaSpace (7:30pm-10pm, $15) party • Eastside City Limits party with Pink Nasty, Tnlons Fort, I Kill Cars, Missing Tapes, Brothesr and Sisters, Til We're Blue or Destroy, The Black at Red Scoot Inn and Old Austin Daze Compound (9pm-4am, FREE) ® party • Teleport Door presents the Pop Yo Colla' party with DJs Daniel... more ›

Didn’t want to spend your hard-earned cash for ACL ducats this year? Or maybe you have to work, and can’t get away from that computer to which you’re chained. Whatever the case may be, if you aren’t heading down to Zilker Park this weekend, you can still catch several of the ACL performances broadcast live over the intranets. AT&T will be airing exclusive content at their Blue Room portal beginning tomorrow with the first... more ›

MONDAY [11] film • AICN presents Calvaire at Alamo Drafthouse (7pm) ® film • El Mariachi at Rounders Pizzeria (8pm, Free) film • Dave Chappelle's Block Party at Café Mundi (8:30pm, Free) film • A Reasonable Guide to Horrible Noise at Alamo Drafthouse (9:45pm, $2) ® music • End of an Ear presents a listening party and midnight sale for TV On the Radio and Yo La Tengo, with DJs from The Rich Girls... more ›

There is much to report this week surrounding the Zilker Park-sized dust oven that is ACL Fest. The big news is that a ridiculous number of 'official' ACL aftershow concerts has been announced. Many of the fest's acts will take over all of our club venues immediately after the big show ends each night. All tickets go onsale tomorrow at 10am, except for Sufjan Stevens, which is already onsale. This means that either (a)... more ›

We just read a leaked report of the ACL Fest Lineup, to be officially announced on Thursday. The report comes from Dallas Observer entertainment guru Robert Wilonsky. As we said, this is just a leaked report and therefore considered a rumor, but this source is about as good as they get. Of course, we hope there are a few more of our favorites coming but won't hold our breath. Have a look for yourself... more ›

Imagine you are a 14-year-old musician living in Australia, accustomed to recording songs for your punk rock band in your bedroom. All of a sudden, Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth is singing your praises, and you sign to Grand Royal (the Beastie Boys’ now defunct label). Over the next 11 years, you release five solo indie-pop albums, start your own record label, and collaborate with artists such as Ben Kweller, Ben Folds, Petra Haden,... more ›