Editor's Note: This fantastic interview was contributed by guest writer and aspiring music journalist Ruth Griffin. From fork-lifter to critically acclaimed singer-songwriter, Kurt Vile seems to be the role model of every kid working a day job, just hoping to make it big someday. After jumping from label to label, Vile finally found sanctuary in Matador Records. With his latest, and most cohesive album, Smoke Ring for My Halo, this guy has built a masterpiece from the ground up, destined for greatness from the beginning. His entrancing swoons of sincerity coupled with his harmonious yet melancholy aesthetic have put him at the forefront of the indie music scene, and has earned him a much anticipated Friday afternoon ACL performance. Seemingly unfazed by such a glowing reputation, the lovely Kurt Vile got a chance to give the Austinist some updates on his venture into the spotlight, enlightening us on his counterparts, the Violators, his admiration for Matador, and, naturally, some good old 90210. more ›

Bob Dylan is playing in mere weeks at the Backyard, and we have tickets to give you. more ›

Bob Dylan and His Band will play at the new Backyard on Wednesday, August 4th. Tickets go on sale next Friday, June 25th at 10 a.m. online and at Waterloo Records. more ›

Two Presidents and a Prime Minister walk into a bar... 47 killed in Iraq bomb attacks Economic MadLibs: Cash-for-(insert noun here) Republicans stashing away the pennies for 2012 Back-to-school shopping? Don't forget your sexually transmitted disease vaccine! Porn industry at half-mast Dylan to release Christmas album -- no joke. more ›

• How former president Bill Clinton secured the release of two journalists from a North Korea prison
• Ahmadinejad sworn in as Iran's president amid boycotts and street protests
• Pittsburgh man with "grudge against women" kills three, wounds nine in health-club shooting

With nearly 150 million records sold between them, we'd wager that you already know plenty about Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, and Bob Dylan. For some, this might be a dream bill of classic American entertainers, while others might view it as a cash run by a bunch of aging legends past their prime. With Mellencamp and Dylan in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame and Nelson in the Country Music Hall, what one can't argue is that this is a rare opportunity to view three hugely popular (and populist) musicians in a relaxed setting. So if this is your thing, put on your sunscreen, leave work early, and start packing the car for Round Rock. To help inform and prepare you for tonight's show, here's some information you may not be aware of: more ›

Cass McCombs has mastered the spell of casting spare, hazy instrumentation that creates a space just tangible enough for the listener to become lost in. But “Dreams Come True Girl” simply sets the bar outlandishly high, even by the time Karen Black’s guest vocals make an entrance late in the song, sun-drenched and conjuring Lolita. more ›

For nearly a decade, John Vanderslice has consistently accomplished the difficult task of seamlessly, and seemingly carelessly, blending the streamlined, edgy production he terms "sloppy hi-fi" with complicated lyrics expressed by cryptic characters. more ›

If Buckner’s voice were a wine, it would be heavy with oak, and his instrumentation is also undeniably gnarled with country fundamentals, cutting a swath following the simplest path the way a river does. And yet, his vocals resonate with a shimmering, almost phosphorescent quality that rises above the workaday flesh of the very songs they narrate. more ›

Let's not mince words: when Cat Power comes to town, it's pretty much mandated by law that you attend. This is because not only will you be able to witness one of the most shockingly talented vocalists in the world, but you also may learn a thing or two. For those who don't remember, let's do a brief recap of what we learned last time the timeless (and timelessly eccentric) soulstress was in town: that Chan Marshall, the woman behind the voice, is on steroids, that she was born deaf, that she wants to shoot her monitors, that she likes to apologize to the crowd, that she was born deaf, that steroids make you angry (and that's why they make you stronger), and on and on she went with her pearls of wisdom. Pretty much, she's a spectacularly unpredictable bounty of non-sequiturs and stunning musicianship. more ›

What would you get if you snatched up Bob Dylan while he was sitting backstage at the Newport Folk Festival in 1963, strapped him to the rather large hood of a Chevrolet K20 pickup and drove through the deserts and ranches of the Southwest finally making your way across to the southern states and stopping for an extra long time in Tennessee? What if he soaked it all up and adopted a little more of the sounds, culture and twang? Well, he’d be a lot like Randy ‘Bag’ Reynolds and company. Saturday night at Hole in the Wall you’ll be able to make your own assessment when locals Leatherbag make their way to the stage sometime around midnight. Between tunes of cello, slide guitar and smokey vocals and others full of fuzzy guitar and brash rock and roll sounds, there exists a captivating balance of sentiment and flat-out fun. more ›

There was no escaping the gravity of Austin in 2007. Three major festivals drew artists, labels, promoters and press from around the world. Critically and commercially, Spoon was an undeniably dominating force. Production power increased with the emergence of C3 Presents, a joint venture between heavyweights Charles Attal, Charlie Jones and Charlie Walker. Yet our unique universe still grows from within. Bands like Okkervil River and businesses like Transmission Entertainment continue to expand our horizons. My best of list is a celebration of what makes the Austin music scene independent and innovative. more ›

Abby Birds provide delightful pop ditties to our yearning ears this Thursday evening at Room 710. Although the venue is largely known for its raucous rock acts, Abby Birds headline a bill showcasing the softer side of the Red River spot. Singer/guitarist Nathan Crawford is already somewhat of a veteran on the scene, having sold his 4-track, home recorded cassettes at Sound Exchange (R.I.P.) and 33 Degrees (R.I.P.) since the mid-'90s. Abby Birds formed in 2005 and a debut record featuring the band's brand of harmonious pop, the kind that keeps your head bobbing throughout, is in the works. more ›

To commemorate the day on which the pilgrims invented persistence of vision, Hollywood is releasing a whole bunch of movies in the middle of the week. There's a little something for everyone, from horror-thriller to arthouse-biopic to barfbag-melodrama. The Mist After the titular mist engulfs a small Northeastern town, a group of folks trapped in a local supermarket must work together to survive a monster attack. But when the poo hits the fan, the line... more ›

Doctors plugged an Italian tourist into a drip-feed of vodka to save him at a hospital in Australia that ran out of the medicinal alcohol it would normally have used for treatment. Plants chatter amongst themselves to spread information, a lot like humans and other animals, new research suggests. Actor Nick Nolte is a father again at age 66 after his British girlfriend of several years, Clytie Lane, gave birth to the couple's first... 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 ›

ACL Previews Interview: Patterson Hood Del McCoury Band, Preservation Hall Jazz Band Jon Dee Graham, Kevin Devine, and Ike Reilly Assassination Beau Soleil & Will Hoges Rail Road Earth It's Official: Bob Dylan & His Band Set to Play Stubb's Aftershow So You Wanna See An ACL Taping Trent Summar, Steve Earle, & DeVotchKa Interview: Crowded House It's Official: Bob Dylan & His Band Set to Play Stubb's Aftershow Weekly Features The Accidental Gentrifist:... more ›

As the rumor mill indicated earlier today, Bob Dylan is set to play an ACL aftershow at Stubb's on Saturday, Sept. 15. Doors at 8 PM, show at 9 PM. Tickets go on sale Wednesday September 12 @ 10 AM online only through Frontgate. For more information visit Stubb's Austin, or check back here at Austinist. more ›

Trent Summar’s story-telling capabilities and straight-up country sound drive his latest album, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades. His music has been covered by artists such as Jack Ingram (who scored a hit with his adaptation of Summar’s “Love You”) while Summar has also collaborated with country stars like Pat Green. (They co-wrote “Somewhere Between Texas And Mexico” off Green’s Lucky Ones record.) Summar fronted the band Hank Flamingo prior to working with The New Row Mob.... more ›

Austin-based singer and guitarist Jon Dee Graham has a gravel-filled voice that calls to mind Tom Waits. Graham's songwriting is full of salt-of-the-earth wisdom, and his style is comfortingly familiar without being overdone or unoriginal. That said, Graham's style is too high-energy to get him lumped into the singer-songwriter category. more ›

JOSH RITTER What’s The Deal: Josh Ritter graduated from college with a major in American History through Narrative Folk Music, which makes the title of this folk-pop singer/songwriter’s recently released album, The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter, fitting as well as boastful. He can boast all he wants with those hearty lyrics fat with imagery and the voluminous songwriting of this, his fifth album. Comparisons to Bob Dylan as well as John Lennon immediately come... more ›

Billy Joe Shaver is one of those Texas music legends with a life story that sounds like country and western fantasy. His father abandoned the family before he was born, he lost 2 fingers in a sawmill accident, he lost his mother and wife to cancer and his son to drug overdose within a single year, and he suffered a heart attack on stage. But, Shaver has long channeled his pain into his music. For... 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 ›

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 ›

Verdict: Well done, and great for Bob's followers. Expect KGSR to play this to death. more ›

Whether you go down to the local record store or shop through the Tubes, today is new release Tuesday. Birdmonster No Midnight (SpinART) Despite the rock n roll media's underwhelmed response, No Midnight is going to be the biggest indie seller this week, quite easily. Considering the fact that they gained their audience primarily through the web, and were unsigned at the start of the year, it's a pleasant surprise to see such a... more ›

Reggie Jackson c. 1977. Michelangelo c.1512. Muhammad Ali c. 1967. Henry David Thoreau c. 1846. Bob Dylan c. 1966. Stephen Colbert c. 2006. The Coen Brothers c. 1998. There are years when the greats really hit their strides, when their tools are at their sharpest. Everything they touch turns to gold. It's the one shining moment when they are indisputably the greatest in the world. For Joel and Ethan Coen, that moment came in... more ›

We've just come across the incredibly sad news that Houston native Billy Preston has died of hypertension and kidney failure this morning in Arizona. Widely known as the "fifth Beatle" due to his fantastic organ parts on Abbey Road and Let It Be, Preston maintained a lifelong friendship with the Beatles, collaborating with John, Ringo, and George on 70's solo projects as well. Preston's resume is staggering: he played in the touring bands of... more ›

You are a self-professed Daniel Johnston obsessive. Can you remember when you first heard about Daniel Johnston? I was a college radio DJ [in New Jersey], and word was trickling up from Austin, Texas, through this underground network of people--before there was an internet—through fanzine culture. I was reading a lot of fanzines, which was an underground publishing network. Word was trickling up through this network of a few hundred people around the country from... more ›

It has recently come to our attention that, like your old crusty uncle who's too mean to die, the John Birch Society, which spent those good old Red Scare years faithfully outing pinkos and defending our borders, is still crouched in the corner in a rocking chair, issuing periodic proclamations about them damn immigrants and the necessity of keeping our precious national bodily fluids pure. more ›