Image from MySpace Ear to the UndergroundSunday, December 9Salvage Vanguard Theatre ()$5, 8pm-12am, BYOB[info] This Sunday, The Church of the Friendly Ghost and the Misc. Music label are banding together to bring new, mind-expanding music to the Salvage Vanguard Theatre. The event, called Ear to the Underground, begins at 8:00 p.m. and ends at 12:00 p.m. Four bands will be performing; Damage Pants and Aliens from Austin, and Make Your Own Maps with the painful-sounding......

Welcome to the latest edition of Band Slam!, wherein I navigate the murky waters of Austin's club listings for the best and worst band names playing this week. The only rule: I can't know anything about the actual band, thus limiting my critique strictly to the band's chosen moniker. Cum on, feel the noise! Comanche Abortion - Snake Eyes Vinyl, 08/09 Oof. Who knows what kind of nightmare gave birth to this one (yuk......

*The views expressed in The Laurie Show are those of the author and do not represent Austinist as a whole.* -ed. note Kids, I hope you're not too irritated with me but, once again, I will not be working the The Laurie Show late shift tonight on KUT 90.5. No sir. Or ma'am. I'm actually going to have live music adventures of my own this evening, leaving my program in the capable hands of......

*The views expressed in The Laurie Show are those of the author and do not represent Austinist as a whole.* -ed. note There are literally three separate schedules I'm keeping during the insanity known as South By Southwest: 1. The evening shows, of course. 2. The numerous day shows, complete with free alcoholic beverages and/or food, which is nice because obtaining some kind of nourishment in between running back and forth is most helpful.......

FRIDAY [2] music • A Fist Full of Duckets, featuring The Interest Kills, Finally Punk, and The Fucking Transmissions at The Mohawk (10pm, 18+, $6) ® music • Dave Barnes at Stubb's music • Black Before Red at End of an Ear (6pm, Free) ® music • Sparklehorse, Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter, Bill Baird (member of Sound Team) at Antone's ® music • For Her & The Snow, The Unfortunate Heads at......

FIRST THURSDAY [1] music • Tre Orsi (members of Shearwater, South San Gabriel, Little Grizzly), The Paper Chase, Red X Red M, at Emo's music/benefit • ME! Live presents the Emerging Artist Series Debut with Meagan Tubb band, Tacks, the Boy Disaster and the Channel at Antone’s (7pm, $5) music • Yonder Mountain String Band at La Zona Rosa music • Onion Creek Crawdaddies at Waterloo Records (5pm, Free) music • Horse + Donkey,......

MONDAY [29] opera • Philip Glass' Waiting for the Barbarians at Bass Concert Hall music • Unwed Sailor, Bayta Darell, The Twilight Lieutenants at Emo's Lounge music • Hidden Hand, Kylesa, The Roller, Ironclad at Emo's music • The Fray, Mute Math at Frank Erwin Center music • Hill Country Outdoors' New Member Meeting at Opal Divine's Penn Field film • Darkon: The Movie at Alamo Drafthouse Downtown film • Melody at Alamo Drafthouse......

WEDNESDAY [13] party • 3rd Annual Food Drive & Holiday Party at The Side Bar music • The Transgressors, Hello Lovers, The Dresses at Emo's music • Joanna Newsom & Her Orchestra, Bill Callahan at The Parish Room music • The Onlys, J Dimenna, Dolly Partners, Daughter at Beerland music • Pete Yorn, Sound Team, Starsailor at Antone's music • Tia Carrera, Flower to Hide, Damage Pants at Red's Scoot Inn film • Dinner......

MONDAY [11] film • Danielson: A Family Movie at Alamo Downtown (9:45pm, $2) film • Third Coast Night: Iraq in Fragments at Alamo Downtown (7pm) film • "City of Men" at Spiderhouse (8pm, Free) film • White at Rounders Pizzeria (8pm, Free) film • Nacho Libre at Café Mundi (8pm, Free) film • The Life Aquatic at Austin Java (9pm, Free) shopping/art/holidays • Blue Genie Art Bazaar at Blue Genie HQ (10am-10pm/Midnight) music •......

The following is a column by guest contributor Laurie Gallardo. Hear her on KUT 90.5FM, Friday evenings from 11pm-3am. -- The Editors Greetings, ghoulies! I must admit that this happens to be my favorite time of the year, which means I just may wreak a bit of havoc on the ol’ airwaves this evening. With plenty of helpful recommendations from some of my KUT peeps, including music director Jeff McCord, Texas Music Matters producer......

FRIDAY [7] [film] Patton at Paramount Theatre (7:30pm) (link) [film] Sinus Show: Footloose at Alamo Downtown (7pm & 10pm, $12.50) (link) [books] Robert Sullivan presents Cross Country: Fifteen Years and 90,000 Miles on the Roads and Interstates of America ... at BookPeople (7pm) (link) [theatre] Capital T Theatre presents "A Brief History of Helen of Troy" at Hyde Park Theatre (8pm, $10-$20) (link) [theatre] "The Hollow" at Vortex (8pm, $10-$30) (link) [theatre] "In On It"......

There was a time, in the days before gentle, melodic, feeling-laden indie music, that rock n’ roll was all about being loud, ugly, and only a little bit talented. You remember: Iggy Pop didn’t have to be sensitive or good looking to pick up women, he just had to spit and snarl. Johnny Rotten didn’t even need the women; he just spit and snarled for the hell of it. And while there are surely those......