Let's not mince words: when Cat Power comes to town, it's pretty much mandated by law that you attend. This is because not only will you be able to witness one of the most shockingly talented vocalists in the world, but you also may learn a thing or two. For those who don't remember, let's do a brief recap of what we learned last time the timeless (and timelessly eccentric) soulstress was in town: that Chan Marshall, the woman behind the voice, is on steroids, that she was born deaf, that she wants to shoot her monitors, that she likes to apologize to the crowd, that she was born deaf, that steroids make you angry (and that's why they make you stronger), and on and on she went with her pearls of wisdom. Pretty much, she's a spectacularly unpredictable bounty of non-sequiturs and stunning musicianship....

Photo of Diplo courtesy Annie RayFun Fun Fun Fest lived up to its name in spades last weekend, showcasing local and not-so local bands of all genres on three stages in two short days. Day two was a waiting game of sorts for a lot of festival-goers, and judging by the crowd at Mohawk the night before, many people had only had a taste of Murder City Devils, and were craving more. Stage three was......

Photos courtesy of Austinist contributors Steve Hopson, Eric Uhlir, Zach Ground, Keith Gaddis, Briana Purser, Erin Hanson, Patrick Dentler, Davis Ayer, Nash Cook, and Chad Wadsworth. If you can't view the Flash slideshow above, an alternate version appears after the jump.......

Photo by Nash Cook on FlickrFun Fun Fun Fest lived up to its name in spades last weekend, showcasing local and not-so local bands of all genres on three stages in two short days. Day 2 was teeming with talent and intrigue as local acts like I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness, Riverboat Gamblers, Car Stereo (Wars) and Moth!Fight! did their thing, laying the groundwork for an out of town lineup any festival would......

Photos courtesy of Austinist contributors Eric Uhlir, Keith Gaddis, Briana Purser, Erin Hanson, Patrick Dentler and Davis Ayer. If you can't view the Flash slideshow above, an alternate version appears after the jump.......

Photo of Girl Talk by Davisayer on FlickrFun Fun Fun Fest lived up to its name in spades last weekend, showcasing local and not-so local bands of all genres on three stages in two short days. Day one included local acts White Denim, Brothers and Sisters and Okkervil River, as well as touring acts like Neurosis, Final Fantasy, of Montreal and Girl Talk. Last year's event was a success, albeit overshadowed by too-cool temperatures and......

In April we captured hot local looks for spring, asking local boutique owners to create outfits based on their new stock for the season. We had so much fun doing it that we asked other store owners to come up with cool ensembles for fall. This time we cast our net a little farther by choosing four old and new boutiques in different regions of Austin: By George on North Lamar, Solid Gold off......

Photos taken by Aaron Haley and Eric Uhlir from this weekend's Flugtag at Auditorium Shores. If you can't view the Flash slideshow above, an alternate version appears after the jump.......

Photos by Eric Uhlir If you can't view the Flash slideshow above, an alternate version appears after the jump.......

Photos by Eric Uhlir, Aasim Syed and Keith Gaddis. The Mohawk's summer of "secret" musical showcases continued on Friday night with a special performance by local heroes, Spoon. Fresh off the release of their critically lauded new album, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, the band took to the outdoor stage, tented against the threat of rain, ready to rock the capacity crowd.......

Another special night of local music beckons Friday at the baby Emo’s (Lounge). Headlining will be fast rising favorites Golden Bear, featured recently as the Artist Of The Day by Spin Magazine, while fellow Austinites Peel celebrate the release of their self-titled debut out now on Peek-A-Boo Records. Sandwiched between the two are the Midgetmen who specialize in beer infused punk n’ roll fit to kick off any weekend, or week-day for that matter.......

Photos courtesy Eric Uhlir......

Photo by Eric Uhlir on Flickr......

Photo of Okkervil River sound check courtesy Kevin Schneider Peter & The Wolf's Daytrotter Session was recorded here in Austin at Big Orange Studio during SXSW, which Hunter notes was marked by highlights like "Dirty Projectors, this one rad chick, and blacking out onstage at our showcase," and lowlights such as, "This one guy, that lame dude, and blacking out onstage at our showcase.” He recorded a handful of songs, including the previously unreleased......

Okkervil River's long-suffered plan to perform with a string and horns section came to fruition on Saturday night at Hogg Auditorium. The band performed songs from their upcoming album (due sometime this year) as well as familiar favorites such as "A King and a Queen" and "So Come Back, I Am Waiting", and even surprised the audience with a cover of The Fugs' 1966 waltz-like song about hunger pains and knowledge, "I Want to......

Photo by Eric Uhlir on Flickr......

Local fans of Spoon might have to cope with only occasionally seeing Britt Daniel and his co-dependent black dress shirt performing downtown since his relocation to Portland, but Merge is handling one part of our loss: the new album, titled Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. The band also has a few spattered tour dates lined up for the spring to tide us over until the full scale outing in the fall to support the......

Photo by Eric Uhlir on Flickr......

Violinist Charles Yang. Photo by Eric Uhlir Three weeks ago, Austin's newest arts organization, strataTX, launched with a successful kickoff gala at the Design Center of Austin. The latest giving group of the Texas Cultural Trust, strataTX brings together enthusiastic young professionals of all industries and backgrounds to help sustain and expand the Lone Star State's arts community. StrataTX Launch Party Attendees. Photo by Eric Uhlir Amidst heavy fanfare, TCT Deputy Director Jennifer Wijangco......

Everyone, no matter his or her station in life, has either jilted someone or been jilted in their love life. The feelings of anger, betrayal, and humiliation run deep, and there is no force more powerful or threatening than a woman scorned. What does any of this have to do with naming your band She Wants Revenge and making post-Joy Division anthems in line with bands like Interpol? Just beware, there might be some......

Interview conducted by Miguel Hinojosa on October 26, 2006 In my brief career as a journalist, I've dealt primarily with close friends, local musicians that I love and respect, and the conversations are candid and open. This I was rather nervous about. I interviewed Adem the afternoon of his show with Juana Molina at the Parish. He is definitely a man of great ideas and by far one of the nicest people I have......

An admittedly nervous Britt Daniel played a solo show at The Parish in Austin, TX. He performed a number of new songs and a collection of Spoon favorites using only a 6-string, a vintage Gibson hollow body, and a boom box for the occasional drum track. Photos and text contributed by Eric Uhlir. See the rest of last night's photos here.......

“In the movie about your life, are you the hero or the anti-hero?” It’s the question we’ve always wanted to ask prodigious screenwriter, Shane Black, and we finally got the opportunity. Not that Black is inaccessible, just. . . intimidating from a distance. His reputation precedes him. Known for “reinventing” the action flick as much as breaking with the stereotypical screenwriter persona of a bespectacled pipsqueak, Black prefers to shun the conventions of the movie......

Today is the day that all you ghouls and ghosties have been waiting for, like Christmas for those of us who worship at the altar of fake wounds, zombies and pirate costumes. That's right, its Halloween, the most liminal time of the year, and what better way to celebrate the magic of All Hallows' Eve than with our good friends the Swedish retrodoompsychfolk band Witchcraft! Channeling the spirits of acts like Black Sabbath and Pentagram,......

David Milch ("NYPD Blue," "Deadwood"), Shane Black (Lethal Weapon, Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang) and Sydney Pollack (Tootsie, Three Days of the Condor) gathered Saturday for the Creating Classic Characters panel at the Austin Film Festival. The conversation quickly became a completely engaging discussion of the craft of writing, managing expectations of the studios, Dostoevsky and much more. Black was his general convivial and vulnerable self, while the affable Pollack spoke with great humility about......

The fellas from "The State" (Michael Showalter, David Wain & Michael Ian Black) joined the screenwriting duo who brought you Wedding Crashers (Steve Faber & Bob Fisher) and Jake Kadan (The TV Set, "Freaks & Geeks") Saturday to discuss writing R-rated comedies. Once it was established in the first few minutes that any more than 8 "shits" and 2 "fucks" would get you an "R" rating, the panel seemed headed for an untimely death. But,......

Just hours before The Decemberists were to take the outdoor stage at Stubb's, ominous clouds gathered over Austin, releasing a piddling sprinkle of rain that seemed, at the time, to bode unwell for the evening's show. But as the minutes crept ahead, the clouds followed suit, leaving us with a perfectly breezy fall evening -- a far cry from the sub-saharan muck we were mired in when we last saw the Portland, Oregon bunch,......

As the temperature quickly dropped, Austinites packed in together at Stubb's to see CSS and Ladytron heat up the chilly fall night. Openers CSS came out guns blazing and hips shaking, tearing through a 45 minute set with more vigor than one of their native Brazil's ferocious piranhas. Lead singer Lovefoxx, a bundle of kinetics and hand drawn whiskers, let the crowd know it as she repeatedly dove into the audience, who were more......

Summer is quickly becoming a fond memory of blistering heat and ice cold mojitos, but that does't mean that the oportunities to get hot and sweaty are as distant as summer's attendant glories. Drink lots of water this Saturday night because it's time to dance, and like your mom the Austinist wants you to be safe while having fun. This Saturday at Stubb's they're forgoing the usual BBQ sauce slathered briskett and mixing a......

Only a week earlier, we had watched from afar (very far) as José González performed his subdued acoustic set on a massive Austin City Limits Festival stage. Though large crowds and larger stages aren't out of the ordinary for the Scandanavian superstar, José seemed much more at place at The Parish a few weeks later, where we sat down for a chat before the show. Are large stage shows and massive outdoor audiences difficult......