Zookeeper is the perfect nom d’arte for Chris Simpson. Technically Zookeeper is a band, a group effort, but Simpson is the one constant. He acts as frontman and ringleader for a pack of ragamuffin rockers associated with projects like Bishop Allen, Zykos, The Glass Family, 1986 and Sad Accordions. And Simpson knows how to write songs that capitalize on this unique amalgamation of talent. Zookeeper is more into performing than practicing, which makes each show a distinct and fantastic musical circus. more ›

FRIDAY [13] fashion • RARE Magazine Spring Fling Fashion Show at The Belmont Hi-Lo (Moved due to rain) art/music • Take That!, a show of new images by Lance McMahan, plus music by Amanda Jones, Connie Ball, & Teddy and Marge at The Opera House (7-10pm) art • Hot and Cold: The Best of Canadian Contemporary Art at Art on 5th, 1501 W 5th (10am-6pm) art • Opening Reception for abstract paintings and encaustics... more ›

Over the past six weeks, Austinist's music writers have spoken with dozens of bands playing this year's SXSW festival. In case you're just now joining us, here's a link-filled list of all Austinist SX07 band interviews: Albert Hammond, Jr. Alexi Murdoch Annuals Aqueduct Architecture in Helsinki Car Stereo (Wars) Evangelicals Girl In A Coma Girl Talk I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter Ladyhawk Lions in the Street... more ›

TUESDAY [27] books • Jason Dorsey presents My Reality Check Bounced at BookPeople (7:00pm) books • Aaron Allston presents Star Wars: Legacy of the Force at Dragon's Lair Comics (5:00pm) film • TMNT 2: Secret of the Ooze Pizza Party at Alamo Drafthouse Downtown film • AFS Essential: Satin Rouge at Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar music • Brothers and Sisters, The Broken West, The Glass Family at Emo's (Free) music • Scion Live Metro... more ›

The Glass Family is a talented indie-rock band from Austin that caters to fans of melodious, riff-friendly pop soundscapes. Although possibly a little under-rated as compared with (the hype associated with) other local outfits, their solid debut effort on i eat records, Sleep Inside This Wheel is chock full of multi-instrumental, well orchestrated pop-rock that does us just fine. Michael Winningham shared his thoughts with us recently. Share a story about a visit to... more ›

FRIDAY [17] music • Frida Hyvonen, Tacks the Boy Disaster, Jonathan Meiburg (Shearwater) at Emo's Lounge music • She Wants Revenge & Pretty Girls Make Graves at Stubb's music • Deftones, Deadsy at Austin Music Hall music • Steve Carter at Waterloo Records music • Grupo Fantasma at Antone's music • Golden Bear, The Lemurs, Glass Family at Continental Club (9:30pm) music • Joe Ely at Cactus Café music • Chin Up Chin Up,... more ›

The following is a weekly column by guest contributor Laurie Gallardo. Hear her Friday evenings on KUT 90.5FM, from 11pm-3am. -- The Editors Hello again, kids! I’m not sure how you’ve been feeling as of late, but it seems time is flying by faster than I can read the clock. Must be all the shows that keep popping up, one right after the other. That spells goldmine for me.  First things first, ladies and... more ›

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... more ›

Emo’s as three of Texas’ most promising indie-pop acts take the stage along with Oklahoma’s Colourmusic. Headliners the Glass Family have garnered solid reviews for their compositions: stirring melodies, attractive soundscapes, all with plenty of keys and hooks mark their debut record, Sleep Inside This Wheel. San Antonio’s Buttercup’s new release, Hot Love, in similar vein, conjures up sweet melodies with regular bah bah bahs and doo doo doos. The band wears its influences on its sleeve: the Kinks and the Beatles, to name just a couple of their intrinsic inspirations, while gems like “Anti-Antarctica” and “Unlevel” would slide into most radio station rotations. more ›

FRIDAY [15] music • Ghostland Observatory and Thee Emergency at The Mohawk (912 Red River) ® party • Earthdance at NiaSpace (7:30pm-10pm, $15) party • Eastside City Limits party with Pink Nasty, Tnlons Fort, I Kill Cars, Missing Tapes, Brothesr and Sisters, Til We're Blue or Destroy, The Black at Red Scoot Inn and Old Austin Daze Compound (9pm-4am, FREE) ® party • Teleport Door presents the Pop Yo Colla' party with DJs Daniel... more ›

Austin's Sound Team just released their major-label debut, Movie Monster, a few weeks ago. We've been pretty impressed with it. Pitchfork, on the other hand, gave the album a less than stellar rating (3.7), though we're inclined to question the authority of any review mentioning the already-passé Snakes on a Plane reference. The above video is Sound Team's response: In retaliation of the 3.7 rating, the band-- or someone purporting to be them-- posted... more ›

FRIDAY 28 [music] Ghostland Observatory, Glass Family, Clap! Clap! and Crash Gallery at Emo's (info) [music] White Ghost Shivers (CD Release Ball) with The Small Stars at The Parish Room (info) [music] Texas Sapphires at Waterloo Records (Free, 5pm) (info) [music] Joe Satriani at The Paramount Theatre (8pm) (info) [music] Southern Culture on the Skids at Continental Club (Through Sunday!, 11:30pm) (info) [music] My Education and Cue at Blue Theatre ($6) (info) [music/food] ATX Fest,... more ›

Be sure to check out our extensive theatre coverage and new movie releases. Please let us know about any corrections/suggestions! FRIDAY [31] [music] Reckless Kelly at La Zona Rosa (link) [music] Peter & the Wolf, Navajo Radio and more at Emo's (Inside) (link) [music] Ghostface Killah, Word Association, DJ Notion at Emo's (Outside) (link) [music] The Glass Family w/ Quien es Boom (CD Release) & Brothers and Sisters at The Parish Room (link) [music] Red... more ›

Mike Booher looks like a rock star until he smiles. Tall and lanky, shaggy black hair, smoking a cigarette outside his practice room, he is a throwback to the Ramones. Then he grins, waves, and he’s the friendly guy everyone loves. Who just happens to be the front man for Austin’s much-hyped Zykos. more ›

If you’re participating in SXSW this year, we hope you’ve got a day planner or something so you can keep track of all the crazy shizz that’s going on around town. Speaking of, here’s something else you should mark on your calendars. I Eat Records (with a little help from Austinist) is throwing a couple of FREE day parties this Friday AND Saturday at Spider House, and you really don’t want to miss ‘em.... more ›

MONDAY [27] [film] Soul Cinema Monday: "The Spook Who Sat By the Door" at Alamo Downtown ($1, 7pm) (link) [film] "Candy: Terry Southern Psychedelic Mindwarp" at Alamo Downtown ($1, 9:45pm) (link) [film] Spike & Mike? Twisted Animation Fest at Alamo South Lamar and Alamo Village (Through Thursday, 10:15 SL, 9:45 Vill) (link) [film] "Tank Girl" at Cafe Mundi (8pm) (link) [TV] Twin Peaks & Carnivale at Beerland (Free, 7pm) (link) [books] Karenna Gore Schiff, the... more ›

SXSW.com released an updated lineup for this year's SXSW Music Festival earlier today, and it's one hell of a list. The SXSW committee hastens to note that "This is a partial list of performers confirmed to appear at the 2006 SXSW Music Festival. This list is current as of 1/13/06. All of this information is subject to change." International acts include: Masahiro Nitta, DMBQ, Ellegarden, Tsu Shi Ma Mi Re, PE'Z, The Emeralds (Japan)... more ›

We’ve sacrificed our money, blood, sweat, relationships, and jobs, all in the name of their amazing live music. Most bars wouldn’t give a shit. But Emo’s cares. They really do. And, like any good dealer offering us a tantalizing taste to keep us hooked, they are rewarding us with Free Week. From Tuesday, Jan. 3, to Wednesday, Jan. 11, you can get your indie rock on gratis. An eight-day music marathon might seem a... more ›

Austinist is very happy to celebrate the debut CD release party for local five-piece The Glass Family on Thursday night at the Continental Club. The incandescent musicianship featured on Sleep Inside This Wheel evokes Wilco, Gram Parsons, The Ponys, My Bloody Valentine, and Kent while suggesting that The Glass Family has achieved something uniquely their own in the space of ethereal alt-country and indie rock. The band produced Sleep Inside This Wheel over a... more ›

M O N D A Y [5] music · MF Doom, Count Bass D, John Robinson at La Zona Rosa music · Saves the Day, Senses Fall, Emmanuel, Early November at Emo's film · "Shaun Of The Dead" spinoffs at The Drafthouse Downtown (7pm) [link] T U E S D A Y [6] music · Red Leaves at CRL Art Gallery film · AFS screens "The Singing Blacksmith" at The Drafthouse Downtown (7pm) [link]... more ›

: : FRIDAY : : [culture] End of Ramadan (EID) Festival, 9:30am-4:30pm @ Richard Moya Park [homework] Deadline for the Soup Peddler's Soupie Cookbook [film] New Movies! @ Your Local Theater! [dance] Armagetdown with New Berlin, DJ Big Face and DJ Manny, 9pm @ Progress Coffee [music] Cruiserweight, The Fall Collection, The Always Already and Paper Airlines @ Emo's [music] Fluffer's Union and American Graveyard @ Trophy's [theatre] Paul Rudnick's "The Most Fabulous Story... more ›

: : FRIDAY : : [music] Veruca Salt, The Lovemakers and Porcelain @ La Zona Rosa [birthdayparty] Austin Metrobloggers turn one, 5:30pm @ Casino El Camino [music] South San Gabriel, The Glass Family and My Education @ Emo's [film/comedy] The Sinus Show presents "The Lost Boys," 7pm & 9:45pm @ the Drafthouse Downtown also Saturday [music] Blue October w/ Wideawake and iSOLA @ Stubb's [booksigning] Michael Corcoran signs "All Over the Map", with a... more ›

: : FRIDAY : : [music] The Zippo Hot Tour Semi-Finals featuring Fractious, 9pm @ The Backroom - FREE! [film] A Bunch of New Movies Open! @ your local theater [film] QT6, 7pm & 9:30pm @ Drafthouse Downtown: Grindhouse Triple Feature also Saturday [music] Mike Graff, 8pm @ End of an Ear [dance] Refraction Arts presents "Shish-ka-bob! An Inventory of Works by Amy Cone," 8pm @ The Blue Theatre [music] Palaxy Tracks, The Glass... more ›

Tonight's Killers + Louis XIV show at Stubb's is completely sold out - you could opt to unload $160 for a pair of tickets, but they're simply not worth it. Instead, we have two great alternatives for you... and they're free! The White Ghost Shivers are, well, kinda nuts. And that's why we like them! That, and the fact that they play a lively blend of hillbilly bluegrass folk and always seem to put on... more ›

We've been given some free CDs and a few spots on the guestlist for tonight's I Eat Records label launch show at Emo's, which we're passing on to you guys ... because we love you! Yes, you. The gargantuan lineup starts at 8 and includes sets by (take a deep breath): The Glass Family Thor & Friends Jonathan Meiburg of Shearwater The Casting Couch Orange Mothers Ethan Azarian Will Sheff (of Okkervil River) Hitchhike... more ›

This week's IST list is a work in progress. Bear with us -- we're tired and hungover. M O N D A Y music · I Eat Records label launch show at Emo's with: The Glass Family, Thor & Friends, Jonathan Meiburg of Shearwater, The Casting Couch, Orange Mothers, Ethan Azarian, Will Sheff (of Okkervil River), Hitchhike, The Handsome Charlies, Fluffers Union, and Fine Fifteen. Benefiting SafePlace and Capital Area Food Bank, new compilation CDs... more ›

Compiling a respectable musical showcase of local talent that lends credibility to Austin’s self-proclaimed "Live Music Capital" claim is, if not a Sisyphean endeavor, certainly an extraordinarily daunting task. But indie upstart label I Eat Records somehow manages to accomplish just this with their debut compilation CD, "Appetizers & Leftovers". Make no mistake, the album's modest titling almost deliberately shrouds the fact that hidden within lies an ambitious 21-course aural feast featuring everyone from... more ›

FRIDAY Early-80s post-punk icons Mission of Burma at Emo's. Their latest endeavor, ONoffONSnapshot, is avaiable strictly on iTunes. Opening support by Sally Crewe and indielicious Austinites I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness. OHN play Stubb's to celebrate the release of their sophomore album, In the End, All Things Begin. Also with Echo Base Soundsystem and DJ Vinyl Richie. Jeff Klein's CD release show at the Parish, featuring Zykos, The Glass Family, and Chris Simpson... more ›

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... more ›