It's always great catching a band at their CD Release show, because you know they're going to be fired up and ready to bring it. And such is the state of this Thursday at The Parish Room, where Austin-proud The Boxing Lesson will be dropping their new disc, Wild Streaks & Windy Days, an unabashedly Pink Floyd-esque collection of psychedelic rock. With songs like "Muerta" and "Back from the Dead," they establish an eerily sinister tone that's ably coupled with songs nodding to their forebears, such as "Dark Side of the Moog."...

Because we're all hoping they'll finally find their audience (aside from our moms) and land a record deal, The Black Crowes have announced their 2008 tour, which includes a stop at SXSW 2008. They will headline at Stubb's, no less. Keep your fingers crossed for them, folks. In other news, we've received word on a handful of local bands that have been accepted by SXSW, including (but not limited to) The Lemurs, Peel, Weird Weeds, Car Stereo (Wars) and almost local rapper Bun B of UGK (Houston). We'll be updating with local additions as often as we can, so stay tuned!...

Tonight at Emo's Lounge be sure to check out a show with some heavy-hitting sponsors (Filter , Both Sides of the Mouth, and Zune) behind it in order to put some great music in front of you. Straight outta Compton (well, LA at least) is Great Northern, a band that's been making waves of late. Listen closely to their instantly appealing pop and you'll hear the burnt edges and dark undertones. Your head will......

Monday, June 25musicGreat Northern, Experimental Aircraft, Seaholm Electric at Emo’s musicWhen Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth, Pataphysics, The Jimmy Buffet Experience at Emo’s music"Wet Hot American Summer" with Friends of So at Beauty Bar film"The Princess Bride" Quote-along at Alamo Drafthouse Downtown filmMusic Monday: "Nashville Girl" at Alamo Drafthouse Downtown......

Because we feel like you don’t have enough Canadian music in your life, we’d like to propose to you yet another opportunity to get your Canuck on . This Sunday night at Emo’s, Vancouver denizens Ladyhawk will bring some genuine, riff-heavy Canadian goods and prove, once again, that Neil Young’s influence knows no limits. Ladyhawk play the kind of guitar rock that Canada would be famous for, if only the border extended far enough south......

FRIDAY [27] party/music/awesome • Car Stereo (Wars) and Austinist host a Halloween Bash with Clap!Clap!, carnie games, face painting, fortune tellers, free fangs, "killer" drink specials, a costume contest judged by the fashionistas of Team Fabrication, and more at Beauty Bar (10pm-2am, $3 with, 4 w/o costume) zombies • Zombie Flash Mob at City Hall fashion • Beauty Bar Blowout with complimentary 'dos by Birds Barbershop, makeup applications by MAC artists, DJ Robbie Hardkiss......

Congratulations to Coleen McKechnie, our winner of last week's The Sounds prize package giveaway! We've another contest for today -- Brooklyn's dance rockers The Cloud Room, who were in stellar form at our SXSW afterparty, are back in town tonight for a show at Emo's, along with Asobi Seksu (they played our day party), AM Syndicate, and Experimental Aircraft. Doubtless that by now you've heard their ridiculously catchy single, "Hey Now Now." But, just in......

As always, let us know about any corrections or suggestions! MONDAY [3] [music] ICP Orchestra at Scottish Rite Theatre (link) [art] Gabriel Perez-Barreiro, Curator of Latin American Art, discusses "Art is Connection: America/Americas" at Blanton Museum of Art (Free, 6-8pm) (link) [books] Michael Gordon presents Cobra II at BookPeople (7pm) (link) [books] AAIM, Austin Area Interreligious BookGroup will discuss Peace is the Way by Deepak Chopra. Lori Seremetis will be the Special Guest at BookPeople......

Nestled snugly between SXSW and Coachella is Wall Of Sound, a two-day festival at the Ridglea Theatre in Fort Worth. Its goal (stolen from their Myspace profile) is to "shed new light and exposure for emerging local and regional unsigned bands by giving them the opportunity to be showcased along with higher profile national artists on the same stage," and in the process bringing a "respected independent music and arts culture to the city......

F R I D A Y [16] [theatre] Rude Mechs present Pale Idiot by Kirk Lynn at The Off Centre (Through Sat, $12, 8pm) [Austinist Review] [theatre] Langston Hughes' "Black Nativity" at Austin Playhouse on Penn Field (Through Sat, $20, 7:30pm) [theatre] "When Pigs Fly" at Arts on Real (8pm) [theatre] Shrewd Productions presents "Xmas Unwrapped! A Holiday Burlesque" at Hyde Park Theatre (Through Sat, 10pm) [theatre] "A Christmas Carol" at The State Theatre......

M O N D A Y [12] [music] UT Ethnomusicology Dept Ensembles at Momo's (8pm) [music] David Newbould at Flipnotics (8pm) [music] Singer-Songwriter Night at Longbranch Inn [music] Elizabeth McQueen at Theadgill's (8pm) [music] Listening party for Ludacris' new album, Disturbing Tha Peace at Nasty's (8pm) [music/shopping] Armadillo Christmas Bazaar with the Eggmen at Austin Music Hall (Check website for dates/hours) [party] Friends of the Spade Christmas Party at Velvet Spade (11pm) [film/food] "Narnia"......

Put down Harry Potter if you haven't finished it yet (we haven't, so don't ruin the ending for us!) and get out this weekend. As always, if there's something you'd like to recommend, drop us a line. FRIDAY [music] BLING Party at Beerland, with Things That Go Pop, Tran Tram, Assacre. [music] We finally have an excuse to party at Gallery Lombardi when Green Potato Ventures presents A Cool Summer Night, the Snowman Media Launch......

There’s nothing like pretending it’s cool outside in mid-July and that’s exactly what the kids over at Green Potato Ventures and snowman media want you to do tonight at Gallery Lombardi. They are throwing together a party jam they call A Cool Summer Nite, which will be celebrating the official launch of snowman media. They have put together quite the arsenal of local bands to rock your booty the entire night. Canoe, Experimental Aircraft,......

We might as well dub this the Week of the Dance Party - Emo's on Monday, Beerland on Tuesday, Flamingo Cantina on Wednesday, The Parish on Thursday, and - best of all - Gallery Lombardi on Friday. Check it out, and pace yourselves. As always, feel free to contact us with any hot tips! MONDAY [music] Church of the Friendly Ghost may have postponed shows at their awesome Eastside house, but they're still bringing great......

The background - Spawned in pre-Madchester UK by bands such as Dinosaur Jr, the Cocteau Twins, and My Bloody Valentine, shoegaze rock developed into a fairly prolific genre in the late 80's and early 90's. Characterized by its subdued vocals enveloped in heavily distored guitar riffs and an underlying sense of melody, the term "shoegazing" itself refers to the tendency of these rock proprietors to stare at their feet while playing. In more recent times......