In keeping with its aim of promoting exceptional artists to the unsuspecting masses, or “starting fires”, SureFire Media + Promotion presents an exciting line-up of local talent this Thursday at Antone’s. SureFire takes on responsibilities such as booking, publicity, and marketing for Austin acts with The Soldier Thread and The Mercers being just two of the bands on its roster. The Antone’s showcases are meant to bring a new set of local bands to the legendary venue -- according to SureFire’s Director of Media Relations, Stephen Tatton, “Antone's is really an Austin landmark, and I think that if we can do something there that helps everyone involved, then we've done our part.”...

Steaming on through the weekend, Free Week at Emo's continues Monday night with a mostly local smattering of acts at the lounge and inside stages....

THURSDAY [29] theatre •Yellow Tape Construction Company presents I Am Not Tartuffe at play! Theatre (8pm) theatre •The City Theatre Company presents The Boys Next Door at The City Theatre (8pm) theatre •Ohio Trip, a "slide show adventure" by Elizabeth Cobbe at Women & Their Work Gallery (7:30pm) theatre •The Vortex presents Hamlet at The Vortex (8pm) theatre •Hyde Park Theatre presents Zell Miller III's My Child, My Child, My Alien Child at Hyde......

THURSDAY [25] music • Meryll, The Lovely Sparrows at The Parish Room music • Many Birthdays, Skiesfalling, The Ron Titter Band at Emo's music • The Laughing, Bello Ragazzo, Shapes Have Fangs, DJ Brian Tweedy at Stubb's ® music • Cartright, Pataphysics, Cavedweller, Smoke Detector at Beerland music • Ottmar Leibert at The Paramount Theatre music • The Missing Tapes, Student Film, Pompeii, The Onlys at Continental Club music • Lindsey Buckingham at Hogg......

We attended the press day preview of the new Round Rock IKEA store last week, where we had a chance to snack on an assortment of delectable Swedish cuisine before being given a tour of the new (and enormous) space. Like every other IKEA we've ever visited—Frisco, Houston, Elizabeth, Emeryville, Covina, Taipei—the store is laid out as a series of showcase areas (Living Rooms, Wall Units, Media & Storage, Kitchens & Dining, etc.) that......

WIN AN OPENING SPOT AT CMJ!Awesome Inc. -- made up of folks from Austinist, Super!Alright!, Car Stereo (Wars), Learning Secrets, Finger on the Pulse (NYC) and more -- have teamed up with imeem to throw a massive Dia De Los Muertos party during CMJ in New York City. We've already booked a handful of great acts; now, we're looking for an excellent up-and-coming act to open. Submit audio or video tracks that best represent......

For the third installment of YouTubeAUSTIN, we feature Austin's most popular displaced homeowner, Leslie Cochran. Yeah, the whole Leslie thing is a bit outdated and overdone. Yeah, he gives us a nice chuckle when we see his saggy ass cheeks on our way to a show or bar, but we try to save the gawking, laughing, pointing and picture-taking to the out-of-towners and 21st birthdays. If you're like most Austinites, you might see Leslie......

Even though St. Genesius doesn't celebrate his feastday until August, it seems the Theatre Party stars must be in alignment or something because this weekend brings you not one, not two, but four -- you heard us -- four theatre party-benefit thingees. All from companies we love, so if you want to rub shoulders with some delightful, talented people, check out any of the following! Friday, 3/24 Rob Nash's Birthday Benefit for the Vortex.......

Austin is Taradise! And Lance and Sheryl split Congrats to Adlai McMahon, winner of our giveaway contest for Bloc Party's documentary/concert DVD, God Bless Bloc Party! The SXSW Music Festival roster expanded to over 1,100 this week, including such esteemed acts as Morrissey and The Flaming Lips Austinist photographer Matt Wright captures yet another amazing night shot in Austin, as well as some sexy shots of last week's Box Magazine issue release party. The......

Next Thursday will mark the 93rd birthday of Lady Bird Johnson, widow of our 36th President of the United States and visionary behind our Town Lake Beautification Project. Austinist wishes the good miss the happiest of birthdays! And to celebrate, the Continental Club is presenting their inaugural "Ladies Nite" this evening, the twist being that everything performed onstage will include the word "lady" at some point: Spontaneously conceived over happy hour pints at a......

Last week, two of Austin's bastions of style jointly celebrated their second birthdays - FactoryPeople, purveyor of the hautest threads you'll find in Austin, and Youth of Tomorrow, a custom-fashion design house whose clients run the gamut from darling indie bands to elementary school chess clubs. As is typical of every soiree we've attended at FP this year, the decadent open bar and wicked grooves - provided by mixmaestros Black Madonna, DJ Shit Robot......

Austin has built its reputation of being a fun, liberal, artistic and open community in part due to activities such as this weekend’s annual Eeyore’s Birthday Party in Pease Park. About 40 years ago, University of Texas Delta Tau Delta fraternity member Lloyd Birdwell and some of his buddies started this fictional birthday party, partly as a spring rite of passage and partly out of the desire to throw a big ol’ party in......