For years, the Austinist staff has fielded queries from friends and acquaintances about SXSW goings-on. "Can I walk to The Salt Lick?" "Does it really take 90 minutes for a Casino El Camino burger?" But most of all: "What showcase do you recommend to see some good new bands I don't know about?" This year, we've made the answer official. Austinist is presenting an official nighttime showcase featuring six different American acts at Spiro's on Thursday, March 13. We've done a lot of listening to different bands and entire showcases, and believe that this one has great potential to impress you. The roster: more ›

But beyond the miracles of bloated advertising budgets, the real victory here lies in that for the first time I can fathom, cartoons got some play off a sales method which has always been tapped for far more insidious purposes. more ›

I'm not sure if today would be the day to go shopping at Waterloo or not, but if you do go, check out today's new releases: Bloc Party A Weekend In the City (Vice) The story of bands like Bloc Party is familiar, but still depends upon a sort of mystery to come to fruition. Whereas the huge fame and irrepressible buzz seemed to propel them into official stardom, the stress and anguish that... more ›

The kids returning to UT Austin have something extra special to brag about this year: the university was just named the country's number one party school in a survey of 115,000 college students conducted by the Princeton Review, beating the likes of Penn State University, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and (snicker) Brigham Young University. In addition to dominating the overall list, Longhorn students were ranked: 2nd in the "use of hard liquor" 3rd in beer... more ›

Four and a half years ago, Catellus Corporation was chosen as the developer for the site of the former Robert Mueller Airport in North Austin, which spans 700 acres along I-35 around the east 40's. Catellus specializes in constructing modern, urban communities that combine residential and business areas, and -- wisely -- art. (Check out their previous work in California here.) If you flip through the 1,000+ page agreement between Catellus and the City... more ›

MONDAY [17][music] The High Flyers at Continental Club (10pm) (link) [lecture] Josh Rushing, future host of a show on Al Jazeera International and "accidental media star" in "Control Room," speaks at UT LBJ Auditorium (7pm) (link) [art] Opening Reception for Michael Schliefke's newest works, "What If We Could Get It All Back?" at bolm Studios (6pm-11pm) (link) [film] Oscar-Nominated Documentary shorts at Alamo Downtown (7pm) (link) [film] Anime Movie Monday at Ventana del Sol (7:30pm)... more ›