Twisted Pixel's sequel to their addictive and hilarious Splosion Man of 2009 will hit the XBox Live Arcade on July 13th. The game promises 50 levels of single player as well as 50 for the multi-splosion of 2-4 players online or off. The game has better mechanics, behind the scenes snippets, improved level design, and it's a safe bet to say, more ridiculousness than even the first (exhibit A: the 'Two Girls One Controller' gameplay mode). more ›

Hey readers - time for a friendly reminder about our day party tomorrow! We can't believe it's almost here. Remember: the party is free and you don't need to RSVP. The set times and artists are below, and though Cloud Cult had to drop out, we have Washington taking their place. more ›

• Texas to Federal Gov: We don't need your sex ed money.
• The Flagship Hotel on Galveston’s Seawall will likely be torn down for an amusement park
• Lacharlesla Edwards, girlfriend of Baylor University basketball player LaceDarius Dunn (and mother of his 3 year-old son), wants assault charges dropped. Edwards claims Dunn didn’t hit her, and her jaw isn’t broken.

This year, the Alamo Drafthouse decided have their own special week: seven days of totally awesome shark events with beer, nachos, pizza, milkshakes, friends ... and SHARKS. more ›

This Saturday, on the anniversary of his birth, we should all take a moment to thank Nikola Tesla. After all, he revolutionized human understanding of electricity, pioneered wireless technology, and even inspired generations of decent rock musicians. This weekend, Pump Project Art Complex is throwing a party for those who want to celebrate Tesla's life and contributions in style. The Tesla Project will consist of an art exhibit featuring work by nearly two dozen local artists whose exhibited work was inspired by Tesla. The show was co-curated by printmaker and collage artist Cathy Savage and Cody Scrogum who designs for Twin Villain clothing. Both Savage and Scrogum have created Tesla inspired work of their own. The exhibit will also include a Tesla focused poetry reading and the screening of Michael Krause's documentary All About Tesla. more ›

Ahh, Toy Joy... no other business can capture the overstimulating ethos of Keeping Austin Weird quite like they do. This Thursday, everyone's favorite retailer of inflatable horses, sushi shaped erasers, and self-adhesive mustaches is hosting their second annual art show, The Fine Art of Fun. This family friendly art spectacular will feature work that exemplifies Toy Joy's adoration for all things cute and creepy. Thursday's show will appeal to kids and grown-ups alike with pieces created by local artists, some of whom are part of Toy Joy's talented staff. The Fine Art of Fun is a free, one night only show and takes place on Thursday, July 8th from 7pm to midnight. Musical entertainment will be provided by Achachay, The Sour Notes, Mother Falcon, and The Department of Public Safety. Tasty sponsors of the show include GoodPop, Tom's Tabooley, Sugar Mama's Bakeshop, and Maine Root. Chew well! more ›

Manchester Orchestra starts out most of their material with emotional, peaceful little chunks of harmony; then, like a chainsaw to a tree, the sound is quickly interrupted by raw unearthy screamo licks. The band's mix is definitely indie rock, but it totally stands out from many others in the genre. The Atlanta-based boys spawned like any other—a rebellion to the alienating feeling of growing up in a small town at a Christian high school. more ›

We had more fun watching this show than we did seeing Chicago's famed improv group Second City. We enjoyed this more than some of the of the stuff we've seen off-Broadway! Of course, since this is an improvised show—meaning the characters and situations are created on the spot—the show we saw most certainly won't be the show you'll see. Yet we trust that any group putting on something so fresh and vibrant one weekend will be able to reproduce the magic in the next performance. Watching a comedy show like this is sort of like visiting the farmer's market. You see fresh eggs and tomatoes every week, but you don't see exactly the same eggs, now do you? more ›

Saturday Saturday Saturday! It's a bounty of goodness unlike anything most people of privilege (or non-privilege) have seen, seeming that it is filled not only with SXSW's usual wealth of day-funs and joys and diversities, but that it is also privy to the wonderment that is Mess With Texas 2, a noon-to-ten cornucopia of music and comedy at Waterloo Park. It's sort of like a day of Fun Fun Fun Fest plus comedy minus the price plus the knowledge that there's great stuff going on everywhere else as well. So let's get to it, and all the other great stuff going on EVERYWHERE, shall we? Mess With Texas 2 @ Waterloo Park At this event, it's almost ridiculous what a wide range of musics you'll be able to see, from electro-folk to softcore-punk to anti-pop to alterna-world to whatever-other-hyphenated-genre-you-could-possibly-fabricate. Headlining are the Kim Deal-led Breeders and late-nineties punk-stars NOFX, but they are just icing on the cake of a day that features acts as intriguing as the inimitable Islands and the ever-so-subtle Atlas Sound. And, take a deep breath, because also lining up on one of the three stages is rise-from-the-ashes-via-Juno story Kimya Dawson, the mysteriously-spelled Wooden Shjips, hype-machine Simian Mobile Disco, quick risers Yeasayer, Monotonix, and No Age. And in case you haven't already caught them, this may be a convenient time to check out local respectables Shearwater and White Denim. Seriously, though, that's a ridiculous list already, and it's really just the beginning. And it's free, for God's sake! And there was some comedy at this Mess With Texas thing, too, right? Yeah, you can expect some laughs from the likes of Janeane Garofalo, Brian Posehn, Todd Barry, and Eugene Mirman, among a veritable slew of others. Make sure to get there before the sun goes down if you want to check that out, though, because we all know humor goes best with some sunshine. more ›

Monochrome is having a big night this Saturday, with the rebellious flower-punk of Atlanta’s Black Lips coming together with our own freewheelin’ sons of garage rock, White Denim. more ›

I've decided to out myself about something that will shock even my closest friends. Hell, it might even get me fired. Oh well. Here goes. All day, Monday through Friday, I listen to conservative talk radio on 590-KLBJ. Being a lifelong, card-carrying Democrat, some folks might guess my husband turned me on to it—but this is all me. It began about a year ago in a desperate move fueled by pregnancy hormones. A bona-fide Morning Edition junkie, I needed a break from the incessant negative news, so I decided to find out what the enemy was up to. Somehow...I got hooked. Here's a brief run-down of what life is like on the other side. more ›

Austin Style Watch shot this footage from last Sunday's Silent Dance Party flash mob in the Capitol Rotunda. more ›

Psst, guess what? Refraction Arts has added a show to their blockbuster remount of The Assumption. With reported shenanigans of mustache thievery (bet it was the all-powerful mustache of man-nation) and scores of "terrifying" ad-libbed lines (a la the master, Tim Conway), it's clear these players are having way too much fun. So they're offering up "Wild Winter Wonder-F#@king-Land Wednesday," a pay-what-you-can performance, night after tomorrow. If you want to skip that awkward, "how much can I pay" moment, we've got a pair of free tickets to blow out to one lucky reader. more ›

It's not even Christmas yet, and we're still talking about Murder City Devils at Fun Fun Fun Fest, but that won't stop us from gearing up to begin bringing you the latest rumors and confirmations regarding 2008's SXSW music festival. It's right around the corner, and we're not the only ones with our minds set towards March: plenty of bands have already announced their intentions to be here for the week. more ›

Sick to death of unleashing that inner crazed, gritty, noisy, pure, roll-around-on-your-belly-on-the-dirty-floor rock and roller only on the weekends? Ready to start that party on say... a Tuesday? Then, you’re in luck my fine garage rock friend. Locals The Golden Boys and The Teeners are going to fill the inside of Emo’s with a very unrefined base rock sound that is moving and uncompromising. more ›

Editor's note: My Ex-Boyfriend's Band is a reoccurring column that features the opinions and insight of the author, not necessarily reflective of the Ist network as a whole. Thank you for reading! For the times they are a-changin'. And the music festivals are a-changin' with them. Even Dylan, who declined to take the stage at Woodstock in 1969, evolved into the 2007 Austin City Limits headliner. With SXSW, Fun Fun Fun and the C3... more ›

Image courtesy of Nacional RecordsThe first annual Ground Zero Texas fest kicks off their weekend schedule of events on Thursday, with the opening ceremony at Sound On Sound Records at 6 p.m. (featuring a performance by the official GZT mascot NOBUNNY), followed by opening night action at Beerland with music from The Spits, The Wax Museums, and The Hibachi Stranglers. Denton’s The Reds will also re-unite and rock this special evening. The plethora of local... more ›

Image from MySpace Ready Steady GoFriday, December 7Rio Rita Cafe y Cantina (1308 E 6th St)Free, 9pm-2am[info] This Friday, get ready to get retro. Ready Steady Go is coming to Rio Rita, and East Sixth Street is about to get walloped with the sort of danceable goodness that only five, yes five DJs can produce. Moving from their residency at Beerland, Ready Steady Go collaborators Mike Hooker and Shorty Stump will be spinning their vinyl... more ›

The Ultimate Christmas Musical: The Musical!Through 12/22, Th/Fr/Sa at 8pmSalvage Vanguard Theater (map)[info] | [tickets]Christmas will be here sooner than you think! What nicer gift than an evening out at the theater? Here're just a few shows we think worthy of being early stocking-stuffers. You've probably already seen the XL cover or read the AusChron piece (damn, Jonathon Morgan gets around!)—Yellow Tape Construction Company's Ultimate Christmas Musical: The Musical! opened last weekend. We loved... more ›

It's hard to explain in 2007 what it feels like for music to be both uniting and important. Having spent nearly three years of the '90s living in London, it's with honest nostalgia and wonder that we examine Rhino's The Brit Box. The set's mission is rather broad: it attempts to examine the whole of UK indie rock from 1985-1999 and devotes a disc each to '80s indie, shoegaze, Britpop, and the late '90s. One... more ›

Image from Birds Barbershop Man FestSaturday, December 1Birds Barbershop (2110 S. Lamar)Free, 2pm-7pm[info]Need a dose of machismo this weekend? Get your arm wrestling biceps and triceps warmed up for some very manly fun at Man Fest — a free testosterone-filled afternoon hosted by PartyEnds.com at Birds Barbershop. This is the kick off event for the salon's Man Month, where men's hair products are half off with a purchase of a cut. There’s going to be... more ›

Poster by christoball Acknowledge MeSaturday, December 1Scoot Inn (1308 E. Fourth)$5, 8pm-2am, 21+[info] As if you didn't have enough fun events from which to choose this weekend, we'd also like to mention the Acknowledge Me shindig happening on Saturday evening at the Scoot Inn. Billed as "for the creatively disposed and the disposably creative," the event begins at 8 p.m. Among the things to see and do: Over thirty vendors at a DIY craft market... more ›

"Barista Babe" From Unrelated Source, Found on Seattle MetblogsA new coffee trailer in South Austin is hoping to capitalize on the recent "sexpresso" fad that's taken over Seattle. Latte Dolls offers a selection of coffees and espresso drinks served by scantily-clad female baristas with stripper fascinating names like Kyana, Alysha, and Reyna. Touting itself as a "highly-personalized, memorable and convenient coffee alternative to morning commuters and the mobile labor force of Austin," the stand plans... more ›

Photo courtesy austinsantaspeedorun.com Santa Speedo Run at Trail of Lights 5kSaturday, December 8Zilker Park6pm[info]During next weekend's Trail of Lights 5k Run, Zilker Park's festive arrangement of lighted scenes won't be the only eye candy on display. Some steely individuals will get together to participate in Austin's first annual Santa Speedo Run, wearing, as you might have guessed, nothing but the trademark Lycra swim briefs. It's all in the name of good fun, while (informally) fundraising... more ›

Image by The Young Adorable, Daetron Vargas DJ Mel Guests In For Radio On, TonightThursday, November 15PLUSH (617 Red River St.)10pm-2am, 21+ only, Free[info] Sure, Mel’s best known for his longstanding hip hop gig at Nasty’s every Monday, and then there are his quarterly Rock Tha Casbah parties which we here at the Ist like to get whiskey bent and sweat buckets. But he’s got more tricks up his sleeves than that. And tonight he’ll... more ›

Image from www.loadedguntheory.comThe holidays are a busy time for theatre in Austin, with too many seasonal shows to choose from. As the glut looms, several fine shows are closing. Get to these while the gettin's good! Much-lauded director Karen Jambon helms Loaded Gun Theory's Little Murders. You can't judge a show by its artwork, but we think theirs is the best we've seen all year. This dark comedy about an overbearing daughter—played by the always-delightful... more ›

Editors’ note: The opinions and ideas expressed in My Ex-Boyfriend's Band are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the outlook and belief of anyone else in the Ist network. It's been a big year for Graham Williams. Last December, he joined forces with Alamo Drafthouse to put on the inaugural Fun Fun Fun Fest, one day of indie, punk and electronic music on three stages in Waterloo Park. It was... more ›

Photo by Veronica Meewes on flickrAs expected, this year’s Stitch was both fun and overwhelming. We tried to take it all in, circling around the booths bundled under Austin Convention Center many, many times. However, it really is impossible to experience everything thing unless you dedicate at least three hours to paint a Carlo Rossi jug, sew a sweater at First Samples, watch the runway show… and then, of course, shop! The latter was easy.... more ›

Waller Creek Design Workshop. Image from City of Austin News Austin Music Commission's Town Hall Meeting Notes AMD Sued Over Birth Defects Plant a Tree for Freedom Waller Creek Design and Vision Workshop At This Rate, We're Having Our Next Happy Hour in Cancun Pangaea: It's For Real, Y'all UT Biologists Propose Biodiversity Institute Save BookWoman! Austin Music Commission Considering Plan to Stop the Rock They've Got the Lasers... Now All You Need is... more ›

Fun Fun Fun Fest 2007 Recap from Super!Alright! on Vimeo. Editor's Note: The kind folks at Super!Alright! helped us put together this video recap of last weekend's Fun Fun Fun Fest. Also viewable here, in HD.... more ›