It adorns T-Shirts, stickers, posters and even has its own figurines, but Daniel Johnston’s iconic mural, known as “Hi, How Are You?” is now adorned with something new: graffiti. Austinites woke up Monday morning to the news that Jeremiah the Innocent (as the frog is affectionately known) had been vandalized with illegible red words on his face and belly. more ›

Opening with the crooning strains of Richard Hawley's "Tonight The Streets Are Ours" over a montage of clips featuring artists wheat pasting work, tagging walls, climbing buildings and running from the cops, Exit Through the Gift Shop immediately draws us into the world of street art, specifically the tale of Thierry Guetta's rise from fashion store owner to successful street artist, Mr. Brainwash. Billed as a Banksy film, we didn't realize until after the screening that there has been some minor speculation that the entire film itself may be another well-executed prank by the elusive street artist, who is famous for works displayed in locations spanning from post-hurricane New Orleans to the separation barrier on the Palestinian West Bank. Even if Exit Through the Gift Shop is an elaborate hoax, it feels very real and doesn't necessarily have to be fact for us to gain wisdom and insight into this niche community. more ›

Crave's vegan and vegetarian-friendly menu features a large variety of Japanese cuisine (sushi, tempura, miso soup), Thai favorites (pad thai, curries), and pan-Asian stir-fries at reasonable prices. more ›

You don’t see graffiti tags popping out of ornate frames very often, but Pieced Together, on exhibit at Gallery Lombardi through July 5, showcases a vibrant collision of fine art and street art. more ›

From Gomer, Sez and Flee to the Austin High Class of 2004, Ron Paul supporters or people who wish to deify Eminem, the Union Pacific Train Trestle has long been Austin's most elusive, yet public and prized spot for Austin graffiti artists. The bridge is owned by Union Pacific, and recently some fed up residents have raised concern about the increasing amount of spray-paint tattooing both the east and west sides of the bridge. The City of Austin agrees and has declared that the lack of maintenance to the bridge violates Austin City Code. However, they understand that cleanup isn't easy. more ›

The Secret Show is a collective of Austin musicians who are dedicated to bringing music to the most out-of-the-way and beautifully unusual corners of Austin. Their 4th performance in the series took place on Tuesday night, in a drainage ditch behind Ricky Guerrero park, with a wall covered in graffiti as a backdrop and a few dozen fans and friends in attendance. The shows are always performed with short notice, announced on the group's... more ›

As you have probably heard by now, the Planning Commission voted to deny CWS Capital Partners' variance request, which would have allowed them to build condo towers within 150 feet of Lady Bird Lake in exchange for demolishing their existing structures and donating the land along the shoreline to the city (approximately the pink bit in the top left of the image above). As a result, the existing structures will almost certainly be re-built... more ›

The Austin Museum of Digital Art (AMODA) is bringing back its monthly Digital Showcase tomorrow night at Club DeVille, and, as usual, they've managed to assemble an impressive roster of electronic musicians and visual artists. Saturday's headliner is New York City's DJ /rupture, aka Jace Clayton. A gifted musician and producer, Rupture has enjoyed a prolific career that's run the gamut from releasing mix albums and performing with the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra (as a turntable... more ›

The Lamar Train Bridge has forever been a canvas for local graffiti artists, Austin High seniors, and hopeless romantics with poor penmanship. Long gone are the days of "EMINEM IS GOD"; a few months ago, the most prominent thing on that rusty old bridge was a declaration of peace. Now, looking east from Lamar, you'll be reminded of the grassroots appeal of Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul. Let's see how long this one lasts.... more ›

In Texas, one arrest for possession of marijuana costs the taxpayer $2,000, takes the police officer off the street for about three hours, and fills a space in an already overcrowded jail system for at least one night. However, once House Bill 2391 goes into effect on September 1st, you'll no longer get immediately carted off to jail—it's now up to the officer's discretion to cite individuals found in possession of four ounces (a quarter-pound)... more ›

Newsweek ranks UT Austin as "Hottest for Saving America's Schools" A woman dies while tubing on the Blanco River Sunday night Keith Williams, 33, and Charkora Gentry, 31, attempt to steal brisket from an H-E-B, end up kicking a store employee in the back The good news: Karl Rove is resigning. The bad news: he's moving back to Texas. Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Central Texas are searching for a few good male mentors Former... more ›

This is a popular week for air conditioners to flake out, Karmalized discovers. Trinsic Solutions blog got to hear new chief of police Art Acevedo speak at the Metropolitan Breakfast Club. Ali at Blendor rates the Buenos Aires Cafe. Home Girl was touched by The Untelling. ITPT takes on the new Bachelor. Favorite Random Blog Site of the Week: Okay, it's not a blog, but the official site for the Texas organ donor registry... more ›

• Cops can spend more time at the donut shop, thanks to new speed detection cameras. But don't worry--they're only testing the cams in Hudspeth County and College Station, places you should probably avoid anyway.
• Apple releases Safari for Windows. Hackers hack Safari for Windows. Apple releases Safari for Windows 3.0.1.
• Dirty keyboard? Put it in the dishwasher. You might want to make sure it's waterproof first, though.
• Hamas forces seize Fatah security headquarters in Gaza City. As if the Israeli-Palestinian conflict weren't enough, the Palestinians may now be divided as well: Hamas in Gaza, and Fatah in the West Bank. Hard to find something funny about that one.
• Strike on Shiite shrine brings retaliation. So when will the whole world be blind?
• You're never too old for graffiti. Or whorehouses. (Linguistic revelation gives yet more meaning to "Puff the Magic Dragon.")
• Who knew microwave popcorn needed to be banned? Personally, we like stopping work for a while to evacuate. Gives us a little brain rest.
• Doctors overcharge without producing better results. Don't they get enough money from drug companies already?
• High school seniors get free cars for coming to school, and proceed to use cars to ditch college classes. At least they were only Chevy Cobalts.
• Foreigners get all the good (?) fast food. When will they start serving queso at McDonald's?

Holy smokes! Giant fish on the MTA, Paris Hilton in jail, then out, then in again, Al Gore, goatses, blumpkins, Matt Damon, and baby art critics! It's been a busy week across the Ist-A-Verse, and here's a smattering of what's been going on. In Gothamist's neck of the woods, they found out that many things are possible: A man caught a 40+ pound fish off the Rockaways and took it home on the subway. Graffiti... more ›

LAist is experimenting with blogging dates from J-Date, but finds the best men are found offline. Some date vicariously online and that is one reason why porn is big -- really freaking big -- so they ask if they should cover XXX since the heart of it lays in the city's San Fernando Valley. A writer grapples with her food porn photography obsession, another gets censored on Flickr, one gets scooped by the LA... more ›

The Alamo has Music Mondays, so it seems only fitting that a bar-slash-music-venue should host a few films. Beauty Bar and I Luv Video are teaming up to bring you Movie Mondays, a celebration of film in a bad-ass bar setting. This month's Movie Monday theme is hip-hop, and tonight the projectors will be rolling Style Wars, a classic eighties celebration of graffiti, breakdancing, and rapping. So slip on your Chucks, grab a can of... more ›

Gallery Lombardi, vanguard art institution and perennial party host, makes its triumphant return to Austin this month. Hot on the heels of their well-received debut of Mobile Art Place last month (in collaboration with the event organizers at We Manage Stuff), Lombardi will inaugurate their new digs at West 7th and Rio Grande with an opening party tomorrow night. Their newest exhibit, "DRAW," is touted as a "tribute to the often-underrated but fundamental building-block of... more ›

WEDNESDAY [31] dj • fStar, a biweekly project about "living, breathing, moving graffiti" coupled with a live soundtrack at Jo's on 2nd Street (8-10pm, Free) dj • Cut Club at The Mohawk music • The Lymbyc Systym, This Will Destroy You, Loren Dent at Emo's music • Live Oak Decline, Sounds Under Radar at Stubb's music • Brother Will, Carley Wolf, Stoney's Spoken Word (featuring the Golden Boys) at Beerland music • Militant Babies,... more ›

This week these posts caught our eye: Southpaw Jones lists 63 reasons that 63 birds died on Monday. Greg at Beetsolonely remembers "The Catch" made 25 years ago this week that ruined the Cowboys' hopes of an NFC championship (along with his appetite). Chris Trew tells about judging the Air Guitar Championships a while ago. Rhiannon celebrates ramen. Huevos Rancheros led us to this short documentary (filmed in Austin) about bathroom graffiti (may not... more ›

First Night Austin Schedule 2-5pm Family Festival 5:30-6:30pm Grand Procession 7pm Family Finale at City Hall 7-11:30pm Evening programming Midnight Grand Finale First Night Austin takes over downtown this Sunday, kicking off the second annual festival with three hours of family-friendly activities, performances, and art installations. From hip hop freestyling to Appalachian-style clog dancing, there promises to be enough culturally-rich distractions to entertain even that obnoxious nephew of yours who'd rather stay home to... more ›

Official Poster of First Night Austin 2007 by Peat Duggins After the tremendous success of last year's inaugural festival, First Night Austin returns to downtown this New Year's Eve with an all-day program full of music, art, theatre, dance, and more. Begun in Boston back in 1976 as a massive public gathering to ring in the new year through "art, ritual, and festivity," First Night events are now held all over the world, from... more ›

Last week, The Austin Police Department announced the arrest of four of Austin's most noticeable graffiti artists, who were responsible for more than 200 hundred acts of graffiti around Austin, racking up a bill of more than $76,000 in maintenance. more ›

The nasty gap in the Town Lake Hike-and-Bike Trail on either side of I-35 on the south side of the lake may finally be closed. The circle squared. The Odyssey completed. Just like we wanted! The Parks and Recreation Department and the Town Lake Trail Foundation have obtained a $250,000 pledge from Constellation Property Group, which is building the "Star Riverside" condos nearby. A suggestion: hit up Cypress Real Estate Advisors for another big... more ›

Total annual budget for University of Texas system: $10 billion Number of cell phones confiscated from three "Texas citizens of Pakistani descent," which police alleged could be used in setting off explosives or making meth: 1,000 Cost of renovating Carl's Corner truck stop on I-35 to include a hotel, saloon, and possible golf course, rebadged as Willie's Place in honor of investor Willie Nelson: $5 million Length of sentencing, in years, that 35-year old... more ›

We told you a few weeks ago about MySpace and Austin-based Bside Entertainment’s Roadshow that began here in Austin and set out to tour the country. Well, they sallied forth into the American wilds and, after entertaining folks in 9 cities with indie music and movies, have returned home for the final presentation of their roadshow. Tonight at Sky Lounge they will screen Quality of Life, “An award winning drama surrounding the relationship of two friends facing the prospect of doing hard time for graffiti writing in San Francisco.” more ›

San Francisco is proud host of a new reality show called "How to Get the Guy" that's unfortunately not a descendant of Will and Grace, Queer Eye, The L Word, American Idol etc. Also a biodefence lab is coming to the East Bay and SFist teaches wine pairing. Getting on the wrong train sucks. Getting on the wrong train and becoming the victim of what will later be described as a "stabbing spree" really sucks.... more ›

[Ed. Note -- Pretty Girls Make Graves are playing tonight, Thursday May 25th, at Emo's with Giant Drag and The Joggers. Tickets are more info here.] A lot has changed for art-punks Pretty Girls Make Graves in the three years since the release of their universally-acclaimed sophomore album The New Romance. They’ve had their gear stolen out of a Seattle parking lot, lost guitar player Nathan Thelen and added keyboardist Leona Marrs. While some... more ›

Gallery Dv8, the outdoor "guerrilla gallery" curated by former Mojo's owner Wade Beesley, strives to represent "raw, innovative artists whose works often don't get recognized or appreciated by traditional galleries." Every so often Beesley turns his backyard into a giant art party/exhibition with live music. This Sunday, DV8 holds court yet again, this time turning their focus to works of a more urgent matter. The exhibition is entitled "Caution: Police State -- Politically Inspired Art... more ›

Back in May, Alamo Drafthouse and DJ Nick Nack teamed up to bring us a screening of Fritz Lang's magnificent Metropolis, set to a live turntable score by the vinyl maestro. This Saturday, they're bringing it back with back-to-back showings of the black and white sci-fi masterpiece at the Downtown Drafthouse, at 7pm and 9pm. The screening we attended last time sold out, so we had to settle for seats at the very front;... more ›