Tired of staying in your house to watch the Oscars, all seventy hours of them? Want to heckle in the company of others? Couture make you really hungry? more ›

Ed Note: Austinist and Prototype Vintage hosted the media tent at this year's Fun Fun Fun Fest. Throughout the weekend, we invited festival artists and audience members alike to come and have their portraits taken—what you see above is the result of two days' worth of impromptu photo shoots, featuring everyone from Of Montreal and Final Fantasy to the good people of APD and the friendly backstage security guard, Dylan. Photos courtesy of Austinist... more ›

When Joseph Campbell said, "Follow your bliss," what artist Jason Hackenwerth heard was, "If you love blowing balloons, git up on it." And so he did. Today, Hackenwerth's latex balloon sculptures are highly sought after; they exude an organic, 20,000 Leagues kind of invertebrate charm. Several colorful, oxygen-plumped specimens will be on display at The Blanton Museum, "...until [the pieces] run out of air." That will likely be around mid-November, unless an evil-doing darts player... more ›

As we promised earlier this week, here's your chance to score those coveted space-available tickets* to the John Mayer Austin City Limits taping at KLRU-TV studios. Instead of the previously-announced 25, we're actually giving away 50 pairs of tickets to the first folks who enter. KLRU-TV will be taping an episode of Austin City Limits this Thursday with singer-songwriter (and guitarist extraordinaire) John Mayer. These days, the Grammy Award-winning artist routinely plays to packed amphitheaters... more ›

KLRU-TV will be taping an episode of Austin City Limits this Thursday with singer-songwriter (and guitarist extraordinaire) John Mayer. These days, the Grammy Award-winning artist routinely plays to packed amphitheaters and festival audiences. For die-hard Mayer fans, seeing him at the intimate ACL studios with its capacity of a few hundred and incredible acoustics is an opportunity not to be missed. That being said, your only chance to win a pair of space-available tickets* is... more ›

There comes a day when one must ask oneself: WWTDD? What Would Tyler Durden Do? If not that, then WWDD? What Would Dolly Do? In the former case, the answer is available via one pretty damn entertaining celeb blog—if that's not an oxymoron. The latter? The Getalong Gang Performance Group explores all things Parton with Dolly Would: a cast of characters who stumble, fight, and dance their way through a series of obstacles, searching... more ›

On Mondays and Thursdays, we'll be syndicating comics from around the IST network. If you're an artist and would like to share your works with our readers, please email us. Today's post comes from SF-based artist Levni "Lev" Yilmaz. -- Ed Note more ›

Surely by now you've heard about this big boat party bash we're co-sponsoring on Sunday with Green Potato Ventures, PartyEnds.com, Independence Brewery, Super!Alright! and Progress Coffee.This party's going to be off the hook. Seriously. Five hours on a lake on a boat full of good music and great people*. And food. If you want to take a pop at getting yourself a spot on the list without having to pony up the entry fee like... more ›

Although it may just look like a pizza stand parked in a Mobil gas station on Barton Skyway and South Lamar, Giovanni's Pizza Stand may be one of the greatest South Austin pizza joints since Austin's Pizza (Ed Note: and Home Slice Pizza, ahem). Barton Hills residents don't have far to look for value-priced pizza with a ton of toppings to satisfy their hunger after a jump in Barton Springs, a spin around The... more ›

The following is a column by Austinist staff writer Matthew Dewitt -- Ed Note more ›

Update: Thanks to a confounding formatting glitch, it now looks like the previously mentioned rumor of tomorrow's removal of Mr. Johnston's mural was just that -- a rumor. Austinist and our sources at City Hall were both fooled by the mix-up. Our apologies for any confusion caused by this, and good on you to those who exhibited enough care to call in the story. Daniel Johnston's historic mural is safe, for now. -- Ed Note more ›

There's something about this unpredictable spring weather that's just so tiring. If you think it's going to rain, it's going to be sunny. If you want sun, you're getting clouds. If you plan an Easter barbecue, it will be freezing cold and sleeting. These are the days the names of playlists on your iTunes are called "Upbeat" and "Light-hearted" and "Even If It's Raining I Will Ride My Bicycle." On these lists are Motown favorites... more ›

Christian and Celeste Casasare laughing about their obsession with the movie Flashdance. “I think the guys in the audience who saw Flashdance will be like...” Christian looks up, smiling in a daze with her finger pointed up, in recognition of Jennifer Beals’ sexy dance routine to Shandi's "He's A Dream." The sisters — both charming and classic beauties — describe the steamiest number of The Southern Sirens' burlesque performance while sipping margaritas. That’s right;... more ›

Ed Note: Please note that the Mobile Art Place opening party mentioned yesterday is not actually free, but is open to those attending Night at the Galleries. Sorry for the inconvenience. FRIDAY [23] music • Maneja Beto, The Interest Kills, The Laughing, White Denim at The Compound ($5, 18+, 9pm, 1300 East 4th Street) comedy • The Frank Mills perform their new sketch show, "One Classy-Ass Show," at Blue Theatre (DEETS) books • Abriendo Brecha... more ›

The following is a column by staff writer Carly Kocurek, compiled with the help of Elizabeth S., Sam Armstrong, and Shannon Roberts -- Ed Note So, you've waited until the last minute to address the whole "Valentine's Day" situation. Trust me, I've been there. In fact, I'm there right now -- my grandmother will be getting a card from us sometime next week. (I'll put extra stickers on the envelope to make up for... more ›

On their self-titled debut album, Peel delivers a patchwork of songs with well thought-out, energetic arrangements that will no doubt leave a lasting impression. Tracks like "In the City" showcase the combination of Alison Moore's light-bright synths alongside Josh Permenter and Dakota Smith's slurred noise guitar spew. A sort of comforting nostalgia is invoked, reminding you of when you first started listening to early Pavement singles. There is a boozy lit to tracks like... more ›

Ed Note: Corrections below. Whether to make way for the latest loft development or for personal reasons, two of Austin's more interesting art galleries will bid adieu this weekend. Gallery Lombardi, after being voted Best Art Gallery (alongside Women & Their Work) in this year's AusChron Readers Poll, is being forced to vacate their premises as construction begins on the $70 million Spring condominium project. They're hosting an "End of the World" Party that... more ›

[Ed Note -- Austinist contributor Miguel Hinojosa recently sat down for a chat with Ramesh Srivastava, lead singer of Austin's indie pop wunderkinds Voxtrot. Adored by Pitchfork, the NME, fans from all over the states and overseas, and every music blogger who ever lived, these remarkably talented lads are on the verge of something extraordinary. Later this year they'll be releasing their debut full-length album; to tide you over for now, EPs Raised by Wolves and Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives are available from Insound and iTunes.] more ›

Since 2003, an estimated 300,000 people in the Darfur region of Sudan have been killed, and millions more have been forced from their homes, through a government-sponsored genocide. For most of us, the horror is unimaginable. For Brian Steidle, it’s all too real. Steidle is a former Marine captain who served as the U.S. representative to the African Union's peacekeeping mission in Darfur from September 2004 to February 2005. Part of his mission was... more ›

Car Stereo (Wars), the weekly indie rock/electro dance party championed by members of Austin band Single Frame and visual media artist collective Super!Alright! - the latter which recently was tapped to create all of the nifty vignettes for the 2006 Plug Awards in New York City - is moving from Sunday nights to Fridays at Plush, known otherwise as "that lounge/club that we generally avoid any other night." Formed roughly six months ago, Car Stereo... more ›