We thought we knew all the nitty gritty exciting details surrounding the 2012 SXSW Film Festival (which begins next Friday oh-yes-it-does), but a couple of cool musical surprises have just been added to the mix. Following the March 15 premiere of the documentary Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me and the March 17 screening of BIG EASY EXPRESS, film attendees will be treated to exclusive live musical performances, as well. more ›

• The New York Times explains what that SXSW Spoon show at Stubb’s really meant.
• Photo set from the Rachael Ray day party.
• The Washington Post covers the Hole reunion.

You wouldn’t necessarily think the squeaky-clean world of power-pop and dirty, dirty metal have a great deal in common, but they do share a few similarities other than loud guitars. Writers and fans of metal often rate metal in terms of its “heaviness,” as if how sludgy, powerful, hard, or just “metal” an artist is works as a sure-fire way to judge their output. Even when picking and choosing between different types of metal, the... more ›

According to their MySpace page, buxom AC/DC impersonators The Donnas "are for real and are here to stay", just in case you were wondering. Suffice it to say, they've paid their dues over the course of seven albums with their brand of unabashedly referential rock 'n' roll and still soldier on, recently starting their own label for a new release. Ours is not to judge their swaggering shred, however, just to inform you that... more ›

There's always been something undeniable about a quality West Coast power-pop record. From the mainstream success of Tom Petty's Full Moon Fever to the more obscure gems of The Posies and Jellyfish, the records in this oeuvre feel instantly memorable, lighter than air, and modestly perfect. Such sounds are likely what inspires The Broken West, a Los Angeles-based band that channels these sounds and those of Big Star and early Wilco on their debut... more ›

FRIDAY [1] party • Rare Magazine Summer Issue Launch Party at Mean Eyed Cat (5:30pm) bikes • Republic of Texas Biker Rally at All Over Austin dance/benefit • Project Transitions Hosts 12th Annual Texas Swing at Saengerrunde Hall and Scholz’s Beer Garten ($40, 8-Midnight) art • Opening Reception: Cantanker/us, the Cantanker Magazine staff show at Else Madsen Gallery, 411 Brazos, Suite 99 (7-11pm) art • The B Scene at The Blanton Museum of Art,... more ›

Please take a moment and enjoy Austinst's first installment of staff writer Matthew DeWitt's column, Hots On For Nowhere, which will appear each Thursday, concentrating on one album (maybe a new release, maybe a dollar bin discovery, or perhaps an over-looked classic) in depth. DeWitt is a longtime Austinist contributor and freelance writer splitting his time between here and Skyscraper Magazine. -Paige Maguire, Music Editor Tuesday saw the release of New Moon, a collection of... more ›