The speed of light is just under 300,000 km/s. It takes about 8 seconds for the sun’s light to reach us on earth, and that’s about how long it should take you to find Lightspeed Champion (aka Dev Hynes) completely charming. After his days in the short-lived, dance-core group Test Icicles, Hynes began this folked-out, playful, indie-pop project. His debut full-length, Falling Off the Lavender Bridge, comes out February 5th, and it’s full of players that provide the perfect accent to his earnest twang and sweetly-sung melodies. For the album, the American-born, U.K.-raised Hynes struck out for Omaha and decided to enlist Mike Mogis as producer to add that Saddle Creek sound. It was here that he found his additional players for the record in Mogis, Nate Walcott, Clark Baechle from the Faint, as well as members of Cursive and Tilly And The Wall. He keeps good company, even on tour. He’s been out with Bright Eyes, Final Fantasy and Patrick Wolf. While touring, Hynes enlists a rotating cast of accompanying musicians pulled from a list of his musician friends. ...

[This post comes from Anna Hanks, who'll soon be joining the Austinist staff!] We admit that when it comes to being entertained, we have the attention span of a kitten. We’re happily distracted by bright shiny costumes, jingly bells, and the occasional gilded, squeaky rubber chicken, especially when said chicken is employed to excellent comedic effect. Put a capable, young, red-headed actress charmed with crazy comedic timing into a twinkly, jingly costume, and we’re smitten.......

We'd heard rumors of a big blogger bonanza taking place during SXSW Music, and today finally got a glimpse of their awesome setup: two days, three stages, and 32 bands divided between Club Deville and The Mohawk. But then again, what else would you expect from music bloggers like Chromewaves, Gorilla vs Bear, Largehearted Boy, My Old Kentucky Blog, rock insider, and You Ain't No Picasso? Friday Catfish Haven, Thunderbirds Are Now!, Apostle of......

TUESDAY [31] party • "Pirate Booty" featuring Lila's Medicine and Sangre del Sol at the Enchanted Forest (Gates at 8pm, Show 9pm, $10, BYO Everything) music • Swedish "retrodoompsychfolk band" Witchcraft and Danava at The Parish (9pm, $10/12) music • Sideshow Burlesque, with Mistress Stephanie and Her Melodic Cat, Six Gun Republic (NYC), Tall Shadows at Emo's music • Trey Anastasio Halloween Show at Stubb's music • Halloween-themed show: Strange Boys as the Mummies,......

Just hours after a bunch of road flares were mistaken for dynamite in Williamson County, authorities have converged upon 10th and West Lynn, where a suspicious package is sitting in a car. From reader Matt: [2:08pm] There is either a giant donut being cooked up over at the Galaxy Cafe on West Lynn, or something all the more serious. I counted eight squad cars, a hazmat truck, the bomb squad outfitted and ready to go......

Some people choose to spend their Halloween hopped up on the ol' boozendrugs, running dementedly through the warehouse district dressed up like Papa Smurf. Some like to go traditional, choosing to dress up and trick-or-treat with the kids. Others prefer to spend Halloween attempting to rekindle their youth my scaring the shit out of themselves with a horror movie. Tonight and tomorrow offer a bevy of some classics and one or two lesser-known gems guaranteed......

MONDAY [30] books • John Hodgman - The Areas of My Expertise at BookPeople (7:00pm) film • Tideland at Alamo Downtown (7pm) film • Be Here to Love Me at Rounders Pizzeria (8pm, Free) film • Grass at Café Mundi (8pm, Free) film • My Morning Jacket: Okonokos at Galaxy Highland (8pm & 10pm) film • Halloween at Regal Metropolitan (8pm) film • Anchorman at Austin Java (9pm, Free) film • Hillbillies in a......

THURSDAY [5] music • Ghostland Observatory, Mellowdrone, Pompeii at Emo's ® music • Bobby Bare Jr, Grand Champeen, Chalk Outlines at Emo's music • Ozomatli, Ghandaia at Stubb's music • Voodoo Organist, The Devil Drums, Ralph White at Beerland music • She, Sir, Bello Ragazzo, Cartright at The Mohawk music • Bonnie Raitt, Keb Mo at The Backyard music • Proteus, Starcastic Pheromone, TBA at Trophy's benefit/music • Rock 'n Roll Garage Sale for......

Lisa Machac of Clifford's Original Wine Bar in Wimberley sent a reminder to stop tonight from 7 to 9 p.m. for complementary tastings of several Texas wines, including selections from Driftwood Vineyards, Texas Hill Vineyard, Becker Vineyard. Have one for us, but drink responsibly. Clifford's Original Wine Bar 16920 RR 12 In other culinary news, can we borrow $130 a ticket for some kick-ass supper this Sunday? Outstanding in the Field presents an open-air......

Last week we finally acquiesced to peer pressure and signed up for one of them MySpace accounts, something which our friends had long promised would bring us untold fortune, prestige, and - on a not infrequent occasion - direct access to a cornucopian bounty of slutty hipsters. The redundancy of that last term aside, we did find ourselves, nary an hour into our grand new social experiment, face to cathode-ray-tube with a bevy of:Internet......

Awesome, Awesome, Awesome. Here's to your livers and wallets making it through this week. MONDAY [books] Will Clarke talks crazy with his latest novel, Lord Vishnu's Love Handles @ Bookpeople, 7pm [film] Starchaser in 3-D! @ Alamo Drafthouse Downtown, 7pm, $1 + $1 Glasses Rental [music] 54 Seconds @ Lucky Lounge [music] Paris 49 @ Continental Club TUESDAY [music] Cafe Tacvba with Grupo Fantasmo @ Stubb's BBQ, Doors at 7 pm [music] Alkaline Trio with......

FRIDAY [Film] Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room opens today. [Health] Health Expo 3pm-8pm [Music] PFUNK at Auditorium Shores [Music] Okkervil River CD release show w/ Earlimart @ The Parish [Music] Mix Master Mike at Sky Lounge [Party] Rosa's 25th birthday party at Beerland! Tram Tram / Loxsly / Belaire / Canoe w/ northKOREAN spinning inbetween sets SATURDAY [Health] Texas Round Up Marathon 8am (yikes!) [More Health] Health......

This Friday marks the opening of Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room at the Dobie and South Lamar Alamo theaters. The film was in Austin about a month ago when it showed at SXSW, so some of you lucky ones may have already seen it. (Also? It's based on the book of the same name.) None of that really matters though. Austinist just wants you to go see this film. We know. It's......

Don't Panic! A bunch of Austinist staffers are skipping out of work early on Friday to catch the premiere of the new Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy movie. HHGTTG, the story of a man who wakes up to find that his best friend is from a different planet, and that the Earth is about to be destroyed to make way for a new hyperspace bypass, has been presented in a variety of formats since......

Austinist would be remiss if we did not inform you that although Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith is not opening for another month, tickets at the Alamo Drafthouse South are on sale now at the S. Lamar and Anderson Lane locations of the Alamo Drafthouse. Get them while their hot, and keep telling yourself that this one will be better. We know we are. Also at the Drafthouse and other local......