It's hard to explain in 2007 what it feels like for music to be both uniting and important. Having spent nearly three years of the '90s living in London, it's with honest nostalgia and wonder that we examine Rhino's The Brit Box. The set's mission is rather broad: it attempts to examine the whole of UK indie rock from 1985-1999 and devotes a disc each to '80s indie, shoegaze, Britpop, and the late '90s. One......

If you've ever been to the Texas/Oklahoma State Fair, you know that area between the ferris wheel and the Dizzy Dragons: it begs for rock. It glistens, yearns, begs for an instrumental post-rock 5-piece to grace it with versions of "Spiegel im Spiegel" (Arvo Part), long-form pieces composed for F.W. Murnau's classic 1927 silent film Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans, and the other, more traditional state fair-ready jams: you know, the kind with vibraphone......

They think they won't find those miners in Utah. Historical irony?: Israel rejects hundreds of African refugees, some from Darfur, calling their flight "economically" motivated. Virginia Tech just can't catch a break. Corporate PR sticks its long scalpel into Wikipedia. At 2:37 pm, we systematically curl up underneath our desks for ten minutes. Now we come to find out that, dammit, that's only natcheral. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) is going to appear in the......

Wall Street has faith in the Texas economy Dell scores low in the latest American Customer Satisfaction Index A boy swimming in Lake LBJ contracts a fatal strain of meningitis and is now fighting for his life at the Dell Children's Medical Center. Austinist wishes you well, kiddo. A 9-year-old was responsible for one of the Dollar General fires Is Whole Foods buying Wild Oats just to take 'em out? Customs officials in Hidalgo confiscate......

Every once in awhile a show comes along that sounds like a sure bet. The press for Capital T Theatre's upcoming production of Noah Haidle's Mr. Marmalade makes us believe this is just such a show: Lucy is a four-year-old girl with a very active imagination. Unfortunately, her imaginary friend Mr. Marmalade doesn’t have much time for her. Not to mention he beats up his personal assistant, has a cocaine addiction, and a penchant for......

Slackerwood features some notes and photographs from the Simpsons Feast @ The Alamo Drafthouse. Keith Richards: He didn't mix his dad's ashes with cocaine, you guys. He snorted him outright. Humidity got your hair in a funk? In the U.K., they have hair straightening vending machines. Jealous much? Unpopular Ideas: The downside of cultural diversity. Karl Rove has an iPhone, wears Twins hat to show support for collapsed bridge victims. How is it that......

A 71-year-old El Paso woman soars off a 150-foot cliff in her pickup truck and lives Kyle family's trailer houses some 15,000 bees and over 60 pounds of honey After being arrested for giving her 3-year-old cocaine and marijuana, a woman in Taylor shows up in court high on drugs Town Lake was officially renamed to Lady Bird Lake today TxTags are selling like hotcakes—authorities claim toll roads getting 168% more traffic than predicted......

LaGrange, Texas says 'good riddance' to Houston reporter whom they believe responsible for the closing of the infamous Chicken Ranch (aka Best Little Whorehouse in Texas) Austin ranks 13th among office building sales in the US, with transactions totaling $1.44 billion in the first half of 2007 alone Fire Department officials believe the fire at a Dollar General in North Austin was arson The Feds discover another massive marijuana field near Dallas Elsewhere in......

A little over a week before the third season of Weeds is set to debut, Austin Police last Saturday raided a South Austin home where they discovered 185 marijuana plants, all apparently healthy. Arthur Bass and Oscar Borjon Lopez, both in their early fifties, were arrested and charged with possessing controlled substances. Also found in the house on Lunar Drive were cocaine and alprazolam, a prescription drug used to treat anxiety disorders and depression. No......

Early in the morning of June 3, the cops were called over to Chester's in Central East Austin because a club employee suspected that Kevin Brown was carrying a weapon. Brown was killed that morning as he ran from police pursuit. His autopsy results were released yesterday, and he was found to have have died from the two gunshots he received in his back from Sgt. Michael Olsen. His toxicology results show that he had......

Texas state troopers at the Department of Public Safety (DPS) proudly announced yesterday that they managed to seize a record number of drugs in 2006. All told, an estimated $335.9 million worth of drugs were confiscated during routine traffic stops. Most of the loot, as you can see in the slideshow above, was as cleverly hidden as possible, often stashed in tar machines, wrapped around tires, or stored in the axles of pickup trucks.......

You got lucky, this time, smokers! The House was tired yesterday. The CEO of HBO, Chris Albrecht, took the De La Hoya/Mayweather fight into his own hands. Now here is a genius business model! Who wouldn't want to take Junior to day care every morning? Mix Arkansas and a guy name Jim Bob and you get a family with 17 children. This story brought to you by the letter "J". Be a Born Again......

Ah, the holiday season. That joyful celebration of generosity, kindness, and all that’s good in the human spirit–so often lovingly dramatized by playwrights, filmmakers, and career-minded popstars trying to fund their cocaine habits make a comeback. These simple pleasures are unfortunately absent from the Violet Crown Radio Player’s production of Moneygo on 34th Street–a half-hearted adaptation of the Christmas classic, Miracle on 34th Street. The show’s main conceit is that you’re watching a group......

The first-ever Fun Fun Fun Fest is this Friday, December 1st, at Waterloo Park. Over two dozen great acts are on the bill, including Spoon, Peaches, The Black Angels, Prefuse 73, and DJ Mel. Tickets are $20, and can be purchased online. Circle Jerks perform on the Punk stage at 8:55pm. -- The Editors We’re excited to have you coming to Austin. You were here in March attending South By Southwest, right? I’ve been......

We're moving quickly into the holiday season, but this week there are no holiday-themed movies. Rejoice! Because there will be. Dear God, there will be. *Stranger Than Fiction We love seeing talented "funny guys" attempt less-over-the-top acting, especially when they do it well (see: Jim Carrey, Robin Williams, Freddie Prinze, Jr. - oh wait, he's neither funny nor talented). We commend you, Mr. Ferrell. Please be our friend? *Babel Multicultural interconnection, global complexity, blah......

You scoff at man-manipulating-nature. We get kind of turned on by the thought of blue tomatoes. 7-Eleven is pulling Cocaine off their shelves. We'll see it being abused in high schools any day now. Fat-ass police officers get offended easily. We often dream of being in the right place at the right time. Did your neighbor recenly install a disc golf course in his backyard? Ask him where he got the baskets. Michael J.......

Not to be outdone by the federal agents who recently seized nearly $37 million worth of cocaine at the border, Austin SWAT descended upon a purported crack house house containing crack in the wee morning hours today, according to the Statesman. After a lengthy investigation that began back in July, members of the Travis County Sheriff's Crime Suppression Unit, together with the SWAT team, broke into 2019 E. Third St -- conveniently located near......

Now this, courtesy of an APD drug bust, is a great picture. Those are apparently "crack cookies," according to the APD blotter. By the way, the headline of that release: "Police put dent in city’s supply of crack cocaine." As one commenter pointed out, "OK - illegal drugs - not funny. But the headline is - made me think that the police had a crack party." More blotter news below the Expand-o-Tron.......

San Francisco is proud host of a new reality show called "How to Get the Guy" that's unfortunately not a descendant of Will and Grace, Queer Eye, The L Word, American Idol etc. Also a biodefence lab is coming to the East Bay and SFist teaches wine pairing. Getting on the wrong train sucks. Getting on the wrong train and becoming the victim of what will later be described as a "stabbing spree" really sucks.......

Austin is getting a new public Art Installation. Today at 11am, Mayor Will Wynn and Gibson Guitars will be part of a ceremony kicking-off the project in front of City Hall. Austin GuitarTown is going to feature guitars scattered around the city, placed in front of landmarks and significant businesses, that are painted by local musicians and artisans. NASA is planning to bomb the moon in order to study dust particles that come from......

The SWAT standoff off of Riverside yesterday ended in the arrest of a 19-year old who allegedly shot two people overnight-injuries were minor. George W. Bush's visit to India-in hopes of congealing some kind of partnership with the country-is laughable. His next stop is Pakistan where, ironically, he has been deemed as The Most Hated Man. If only we had his confidence, after a 5 year search, Bush insists that Osama Bin Laden will......

We knew there was some devious reason John Mayer’s “Daughters” topped the charts. That song managed to be both cheesy and creepy at the same time. This morning, New York’s illustrious Attorney General Eliot Spitzer subpoenaed nine major radio conglomerates for their role in this crime against music. Buying airplay has been illegal since the 1960, when a federal law was put into place to ban the rampant practice of “payola” (pay plus Victrola,......

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon undergoes emergency surgery after doctors discover an increase in cranial pressure. Meanwhile, Pat Robertson has the audacity to suggest this is some sort of "divine retribution." The Canadian Medical Association Journal claims that supplying winos with booze might actually be good for them and everyone else. BBC lists the top 100 things we learned this year. Our favorites? "WD-40 dissolves cocaine - it has been used by a pub......

M O N D AY [ 31 ] music/party · The White Ghost Shivers' Halloween Ball at American Legion Hall! Burlesque, Independence Brew, apple bobbing with the TX Roller Girls, Tarot card readings, a kissing booth and more. The White Ghost Shivers will also be performing a live soundtrack to accompany Buster Keaton's "Cops." ($25, 9pm) music · Galactic, Mofro and New Monsoon at Stubb's music · Halloween Show at Emo's with Flametrick Subs, Satans......

-Surprise, surprise: NCLB has, in fact, left most behind. -Considering weight loss surgery? You're 4.6% likely to die. Better options: eating right, vigorous exercise, or picking up a cocaine habit. -Yet another reason why we wish we were twelve: Star Wars Transformers! -As a rule, when you throw a house party, uninvited guests will invariably show up. -These 2006 SXSW wristbands are going for a great cause. -They're actually arguing that intelligent design is......

-Yesterday the Senate almost unanimously approved John McCain's bill to set official standards for the military's treatment of detainees. The White House countered that this would "limit the president's ability as commander-in-chief to effectively carry out the war on terrorism." We won't bother commenting on that statement. -Spies from the Philippines may have infiltrated the White House! TomKat are expecting, Kate Moss might be arrested on charges of supplying cocaine upon return to Britain,......

The Peels are a rock band out of San Francisco, now under indie DIY darlings Dim Mak Records. Their debut LP "S/T", produced by the legendary John Goodmanson, was released back in February this year. Now on tour with The Raveonettes and Autolux, The Peels took time after their show last week at the Parish Room to sit down for a chat with Austinist. We spoke with lead singer Robyn Miller and bassist Joshua......

It all starts out innocently enough. Thanks for leaving empty beers all over my house every time you are over. Thanks for getting angry jealous when another guy asks me what time it is and making a scene and freaking everyone out, especially me. Thank you for making loud knocking noises at my door at two o'clock in the morning after I took the time to call you to ask you specifically not to do......