The long spring has been wonderful. But now it's getting warmer, things are getting slower, and Austin is quieting down a bit for the summer. Not as much as in past years, we admit, but at least crazy Longhorn alum won't be overtaking I-35 for football games. And with a quiet summer music schedule, we're looking forward to delving in to the local scene. We here at Austinist will be your guide, so keep......

Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie and Postal Service fame played to a sweaty, sold-out crowd at a sweltering Emo's on Tuesday night. Openers Jonathan Rice and David Bazan (Pedro the Lion) opened the acoustic evening with solid sets and a profuse thanks to Gibbard for giving them the opportunity to tour. Gibbard's set was comprised mostly of Death Cab favorites with a dose of Postal Service thrown in for good measure. In......

In one of the most anticipated shows of the year, two of this generation's most beloved singer-songwriters and one young up-and-comer are gonna be strumming the night away this evening at Emo's. Ben Gibbard, the bespectacled teddy bear that fronts Death Cab for Cutie has teamed up with David Bazan (aka Pedro the Lion, going by his own name) and mussy-haired crooner Johnathan Rice (Jenny Lewis' beau, lucky stiff...) There's a reason this show......

We first ran into The Small Stakes at The Flatstock Poster Show during SXSW 2006. The three-day concert poster convention features works by today's premiere screenprinters and artists. Sifting through the field of amazing choices, we kept finding ourselves returning to The Small Stakes before making our final purchases. We grabbed up a number of their posters that day; now, their business card is the only one we still have. Behind The Small Stakes......

Easily indie rock's most well-read bunch, The Decemberists returned this year with The Crane Wife, their follow-up to last year's critically acclaimed LP, Picaresque (as well as their bonus EP, Picaresqueties, a nifty collection of b-sides). Frontman Colin Meloy imbues the record with his signature storytelling acumen, narrating esoteric tales of airships, Civil War romances, and Belfast terrorists while managing intricate and often exhilarating rhythm sequences. Produced in part by Death Cab's Chris Walla,......

While Jenny Lewis still has her day job in the form of Rilo Kiley, the singer/songwriter/crush magnet also released the solo disc Rabbit Fur Coat in early 2006. Rabbit is a low-key, gospel and soul influnced late-night record with ruminations on parents, God, and of course love, and features cameos from M. Ward and Conor Oberst. The album is a departure from Lewis' traditional indie-pop, and features bluegrass duo The Watson Twins to set......

We have to admit, we were a little skeptical when we first heard about the 2nd Street Shopping District redevelopment a few years ago. It sounded great, but we envisioned another vacuous, conspicuous consumption festival like Dallas' Mockingbird Station which, even with the West Village, light rail, and a preponderance of lofts, still doesn't do much to help make Dallas a real city. Boy, were we wrong! We started our evening at Jo's Coffee......

It's Wednesday night and you didn't think to buy Franz/Death Cab tickets. What to do? Well, as usual, the Alamo Drafthouse Downtown has something on you'd enjoy. The final showing of "World's Best Commercials" happens at 7pm, and the breadth alone of this compilation makes it look mighty good. Over 140 (!!) commericals from around the world will be shown, and the curators promise amped up sex, violence, and comedy during the foreign bits.......

Austinist is recruiting! We're looking for 5 or 6 proficient, dedicated writers. If you're interested in covering: Music Art Film Local News Politics Fashion Food Interviews with Austinites Then we'd like to talk to you. To get a sense of what joining our staff would entail, we've lifted this from our IST brothers and sisters over at Shanghaiist: Ask yourself What would I like to write about? If you're a good writer with style and......

MONDAY [27] [ music ] Jay Moeller's Birthday Blues Bash, with Ephraim Owens, Mike Barfield, Scott Nelson, Damien Llanes, James Bullard, and loads more at The Continental Club (9:30pm) (link) [ music ] KOOP Radio Monday Benefit with Guy Forsyth, Wammo and Sick, and Southpaw Jones. Hosted by Owen Egerton (of Sinus) at Ruta Maya ($5, 8:30pm) (link) [ art ] "Art is Imagination": Paintings of the American West at Blanton Museum of Art (Free,......

After SXSW trashes our fair town, Coachella layers the California desert with dusty beer cans, and Wall of Sound leaves Fort Worth a city ... well, much the same, we're probably heading over to Sasquatch, the annual Pacific Northwest festival at Washingon State's scenic Gorge Amphitheatre. Scheduled to perform during the three-day Memorial Weekend blitz are Austinites Trail of Dead and Iron & Wine, plus a salivatory stew of sweet, sweet bands: FRIDAY, MAY 26......

On sale this weekend: [3/29] Death Cab For Cutie and Franz Ferdinand - Tomorrow at 11am (The Backyard) (tickets) [4/18] Neko Case - Tomorrow at 11am (La Zona Rosa) (tickets) [4/18] Lily Tomlin (The Paramount Theatre) (tickets) Tickets to see The Strokes and Eagles of Death Metal are totally sold out Did we miss something? Let us know! Upcoming shows include: [2/14] Voxtrot (Emo's) (tickets) [2/15] The Hold Steady and Swearing At Motorists (Emo's)......

The Austin Center for FEMA Disaster Relief closed yesterday The New Pantheon shortlist nominees have been announced, and they are: Animal Collective, Antony and the Johnsons, Fiona Apple, Arcade Fire, Bloc Party, Death Cab for Cutie, The Decemberists, Kings of Leon, M.I.A., and Sufjan Stevens So there's evidently a species of rare African clawed frogs that, when injected with urine from a pregnant woman, will ovulate. There's also a story about how they're dying......

While scores of wonderful albums from already well-established indie acts like Broken Social Scene, Of Montreal and The Decemberists were all but predestined for greatness this year, others seemed to appear from nowhere. Case in point: Sup Pop phenoms Wolf Parade, emerging from Montreal with a series of cameos in various compilation albums that left American fans in a rabid frenzy before finally dazzling us with their debut LP, Apologies to the Queen Mary;......

A few weeks ago, Death Cab for Cutie played two sold-out, back-to-back shows at Stubb's in support of their latest album, Plans. We had a very brief chat with their bassist, the affable Nick Harmer, and discussed a wide variety of topics: their recent move to Atlantic Records, being on the road, Death Cab pushing their mid-forties, writing the Great American Novel and more. Read on for the interview! --- So we’d might as......

: : FRIDAY : : [music] Moretempo, 10pm-2am @ Copa - $5 [theatre] "Inside a Broken Clock: A Tom Waits Peepshow" @ Arts on Real (Through Saturday) [film] New Movies! @ your local theater [music] The Sad Accordions with Jim Yoshii Pileup, 10pm @ the Ritz [lecture] Gallery Tour of the Ansel Adams exhibit @ The Harry Ransom Center, 6pm - FREE! [art] Jerry Uelsmann and wife Maggie Taylor present their latest works, 6-9pm@......

We'll be adding to this later in the week. Check the IST list for show details. Death Cab for Cutie: Title and Registration Wait Movie Script Ending Song for Kelly Huckaby For What Reason Champagne The Clientele: E.M.P.T.Y. Inversion Effect: Cavesong (live) Puppets, part 1 (live) Puppets, part 2 (live) Textural Interlude #1 (live) Sleeping People: Nasty Portion Blue Fly Green Fly Neva Dinova: Tinman Jesus Choir At Least the Pain is Real Sage......

We've given the IST list a fab makeover - now with pictures, music links, and more! exclamation! marks! Whether you love it or hate it, let us know - we do this for you, after all. And we apologize for the delay in posting this; one word: meetings. Another word: narcolepsy. We're bummed that We Are Scientists decided to bail on their Austin show, but nevertheless there's a full week ahead of us. Pace yourselves,......

The line-up for this year's Austin City Limits festival, running from September 23-25 in Zilker Park, has just been posted. The 2005 bill runs the gamut from heavy hitters like Coldplay, Widespread Panic and Wilco, indie favorites Death Cab for Cutie, Arcade Fire, Bloc Party, and Franz Ferdinand, and even local Austin bands like Pong and Oliver Future. Despite having just come off the high that was Coachella, we're dizzy with anticipation. And it's practically......