No worries if you haven't paid Helmet any mind since the mid-nineties: the band's potent blend of post-hardcore riffing and sarcastic, smart-stupid lyrics made Page Hamilton and Co. underground stars, but it also unwittingly helped usher in the IQ-lowering hordes of nu-metal that sent heavy music into a self-loathing free fall at the turn of the century. That does not, however, discount the fact that Helmet was-and is-one of the most formidable acts in hard......

Division Day Beartrap Island (Eenie Meanie) Formed in Santa Cruz in 2001, Division Day honed their craft in a small sound-proofed bedroom. They put together an EP, The Mean Way In, in 2005, and have earned a bit of blogosphere recognition since then thanks to their catchy indie pop hooks and knack for a good cover song. Beartrap Island, their first full-length, is full of toe-tapping, old fashioned sing-a-long start and stop rock'n'roll that......

A popular dance-workout phenomenon that's been getting asses in shape in New York City and Chicago is now catching on in Austin. It's called the Dance Dance Party Party — think of it as a ladies-only, free-form, DIY Sunday night Rock the Casbah to help you work off that weekend of boozing. In their October/November issue, BUST magazine explains its appeal as bringing back that "giddy, uninhibited spirit of those bygone slumber parties, when you......

The complete schedule for the 14th annual Austin Film Festival has been announced, and it looks pretty amazing. 79 feature films and 98 shorts will screen over the course of eight days at various locations in Austin, beginning on October 11th with Brett Morgen’s much hyped docudrama Chicago 10, starring Hank Azaria, Dylan Baker, Nick Nolte, Mark Ruffalo, Roy Scheider, Liev Schreiber and Jeffrey Wright. Jason Reitman's brilliant new comedy Juno (starring Ellen Page, Michael......

[This review courtesy of new Austinist contributor Anna Hanks! -Ed.] As much as we'd like to change a few things about our first time, we regret we’ll never be able to repeat the experience. We also can’t change history, so catching the currently playing, slick incarnation of the Rude Mechanicals' Get Your War On also wasn't our first time. (We reviewed the show last January as well.) Directed by Shawn Sides, Get Your War......

This summer, you have a choice: you can see Johnny Depp as a pirate frolicking across a movie screen, delightfully impersonating a rock star, or you can see rock star David Bowie frolicking across a movie screen, delightfully impersonating a pirate, er fairy king. So, no matter what, there will be frolicking, but with the second instance you will also get singing, dancing, riddle and rhyme in the magical re-release of Jim Henson’s Labyrinth. All......

United Abominations – MegadethMegadeth (AKA Dave Mustaine) follows up 2004’s politically charged The System Has Failed with, well, the politically charged United Abominations. Due to contractual obligations, TSHF had to be released as Megadeth, although it was primarily a Mustaine project. No report indicating why the new album also falls under the Megadeth moniker, but it does contain all the staples of a typical Megadeth record: Mustaine’s trademark vocals, soaring six-string solos, and insistent drums,......

There are quite a few mentionables this week, including Dappled Cities' Granddance, produced by Jim Fairchild (of Grandaddy) and Peter Walker, and mixed by Jaquire King (Modest Mouse). Dappled Cities are an Australian indie rock band that we've grown rather fond of as of late, mostly because of "Fire, Fire Fire". Also of note this week is the latest from Ladybug Transistor and the latest Eccentric Soul compilation, The Prix Label. As usual, do......

The Midgetmen jam out at Emo's Lounge, covering David Bowie's "Five Years" to help cap off a set spanning their 5 years as a band. Delivering one of their tightest sets in recent memory, drummer Justin Petro credited long hours spent rehearsing and the bands pledge of renewed sobriety professionalism...at least for the duration of the set. Congradulations Congradewlashuns Way to go on 5 years, boys. Keep it up.......

Ola Podrida (Plug Research) David Wingo splits his time between Brooklyn and Austin composing the soundtrack to the Polaroid taking, scarf wearing community of slow-moving coffee sippers and film lovers. Literally. His work with director David Gordan Green (All the Real Girls, Snow Angels) has provided him with an outlet for his soft and subtle odes, but his new project under the name Ola Podrida offers a bit of a broader spectrum, at least......

Bill Callahan Woke on a Whaleheart (Drag City) "Well, I could tell you about the river, or we could just get in" seems to typify Bill Callahan's mood throughout his official solo debut, Woke on a Whaleheart. The album's first track, "From the Rivers to the Ocean", introduces us to Callahan's new take on an old vibe by showcasing little pieces of everything he'll bring to full bloom as the album unfolds. As Callahan......

Since unleashing the Peter Gabriel-like "Staring At The Sun" in 2003, TV On The Radio has done just about everything an indie band can hope for. They've released two lauded albums, made the major label jump, opened for the Pixies, recorded with David Bowie, and won the Shortlist Prize. And while The Arcade Fire may be the most blogged about band of the last two years, one could argue that TVOTR may be the......

Jonathan Richman is many things to many people. To the casual observer, he's the upbeat and silly troubadour featured in There's Something About Mary and on Conan O'Brien. For music nerds, he's the architect of "Roadrunner," a three-chord classic that is sometimes referred to as the first punk song. David Bowie covers his tunes, Lou Reed considers him a friend, and legions of indie-rockers were inspired by him. But none of this truly gives......

Bellingham, WA's The Trucks carry on the loud-and-proud post-riot grrl tradition of acts like Peaches, Le Tigre, and The Gossip, playing guitarless, keyboard-driven pop-punk that'd be perfect for your little sister's sleepover if their hit single wasn't called "Titties." Maybe it is anyway. Depends on your sister. Anyhow we got to chat with singer/visual artist Marissa Moore, who also doesn't get why the SXSW schedule isn't up yet. Share a story about a visit......

The holidays are over, there's an all you can eat grackle buffet downtown, and it's January 9, the first proper release week of 2007. How fitting: the damned Canadians are dominating it. Neko Case Live From Austin, TX (New West Records) Though Case's recording from Austin City Limits is four years old (recorded originally in 2003), it stands as a testament to the unequivocal talent those not in the audience that night were privy......

Though not a household name, Thomas Dolby was nevertheless among the vanguard of the early 80s synth movement. Born Thomas Morgan Robertson, Dolby acquired his nickname from his love of studio experimentation with keyboards and electro-noises. His resume includes cameos on numerous albums, such as Def Leppard's Pyromania and Foreigner's 4, and live appearances with the likes of David Bowie and Roger Waters--plus there was that infamous performance at the 1985 Grammy's with Herbie......

Tonight, Music Mondays presents Christopher Petit's brooding 1979 "anti-road movie" Radio On, featuring music from David Bowie, Kraftwerk and Devo, as well as several Stiff Records artists, including Lene Lovich, Ian Dury & The Blockheads and Wreckless Eric. Set in 1970's England, Radio On follows a young man as he travels from London to Bristol to investigate the suicide of his brother. Along the way, he encounters a string of strange characters (including a brief......

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......

Jean-Marc Vallée's award-winning C.R.A.Z.Y., recipient of accolades at film festivals around the world (Gijón, Toronto, Vancouver, Boulder), recently garnered yet another laurel: the low-budget indie comedy-drama was given the "Soundpost.com Feature Film Director Award" at the 19th Annual Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival (aGLIFF), which continues through Sunday. It's fitting that Vallée, who uses both sound and music to extraordinary emotional effect, will be receiving a $130,000 grant from Soundpost.com. The prize money......

The 19th annual Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival (aGLIFF) kicks off in exactly one week, and things are looking better than ever for the oldest and largest GLBT film fest in the Southwest. Nearly two decades ago, the festival began as a humble, five-film event over at the Dobie. This year, aGLIFF will screen an astounding 150 films from over 20 countries, with well over 10,000 attendees in total. Entitled "Say What?",......

Due to some odd twist of fate—or some serious demographic research—several major/minor art-rock figures are releasing albums today. These artists run the gamut from graceful (Thom Yorke) to chaotic (TV On The Radio) to I’ll-have-whatever-they’re-having (Muse). Let’s take a look: THOM YORKE-THE ERASER Thom Yorke once quipped that, in the United Nations that is Radiohead, he plays America—the joke being that, while he doesn’t have all the ideas (or talent), he sets the aesthetic......

Ah, love. It’s nice. But you know what’s even better? Hipster love. Romance between two people who've achieved a certain stature in their particular social circles. Two people who've attained a little recognition in their chosen profession. Two people who are so cool around each other that they don’t annoy the crap out of you with lovey-dovey little kisses and coo coo cooing. Hence, we bring you our first interview with a bona fide......

Londonist prepares a Happy Birthday bath for Buddah this week and then things get all cliched. A madman goes on a rampage while axe-wiedling and London's mayor warns an American diplomat to avoid the kitchen if the heat bothers him so much. LAist has finally come around to purchasing tickets for Clipper Train. Hyper local dating sites are spamming L.A. neighborhoods and the fascinating Dame Darcy talks with LAist about art, the city and earthquakes.......

Back in 1996, when Al Gore had only just invented the internet, The Webby Awards were born. A kind of e-Oscar, they recognize online excellence; Webby nominees must possess websites whose "design, creativity, usability and functionality" rise above the rest. Like the Oscars, the Webby Awards are powered by an "academy," in this case The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, which boasts such members as David Bowie and Matt Groening. Assuming these......

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......

Recently, following the extraordinary back-to-back successes of Satanic Panic in the Attic and The Sunlandic Twins. Polyvinyl Records reissued three albums from Of Montreal's back catalog, off the now-defunct Kindercore label: The Bedside Drama: a Petite Tragedy, The Early Four Track Recordings, and The Bird Who Continues to Eat the Rabbit’s Flower. We had a phone chat with frontman Kevin Barnes a while back (admittedly, before SXSW), where we discussed the band's recent successes,......

Austinist has eagerly awaited Oliver Future's return to Austin for two evenings of sweaty, raucous sessions at Stubb's. Pairing a diabolical sense of rhythm with lustrous guitar hooks and ambient, pulsating textures, their exceptional musical chemistry grows out of their earlier incarnation as The Love Supreme. This glam rock-oriented band reflected the fuzzy guitar and downright Britishness of T-Rex, Slade, Roxy Music, and David Bowie in the Diamond Dogs era. Oliver Future's new format......

We Are Scientists - "Nobody Move, Nobody Gets Hurt" (from their forthcoming LP, We Are Squalor ) Death From Above 1979 - "Black History Month" (Sammy Danger Remix) (from Romance Bloody Romance)......

Austin's own Sound Team was one of the best acts we caught at ACL this year - despite the blistering temperature and sporadic dust tornadoes, they played an unceasingly energetic set that made us (nearly) forget about our impending heat strokes. Live, theirs is synth-happy dancerock constructed from the supple layering of their dual keyboard/guitars, toe-tappingly catchy drum beats, and Matt O.'s big, blaring vocals. Their studio work is something you'll have to experience......

Before their show at the Parish Room last week, Austinist sat down for a brief chat with the boys of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - one of the hottest bands out of the East Coast this year. Over drinks at the Jazz Kitchen downstairs, the guys - Alec Ounsworth, Lee Sargent, Robbie Guertin, Tyler Sargent, and Sean Greenhalgh - were more than happy to answer the questions that you, our readers, suggested beforehand.......