Amidst all the stage combat, mugging, and music in Guest by Courtesy, the writing steals the show. Often in pieces born of movement and stage pictures, words take a back seat, but Hannah Kenah's script is polished and nuanced, with a Wildean attention to style amidst so much wild stage action. The zingers are precise, the lines have rhythm, and Jason Hays delivers a monologue about ponies that is both political and hilarious. more ›

In this Internet age, censorship isn’t much of a going concern in America. Yet, things were different in this country back when cars had a rumble seat, a lady never went out without her gloves and telephones still plugged into the wall. more ›

He's back. That cheeky, lascivious child genius who burnt out young (even for the time) at thirty-five, the master composer whose legend has inspired tributes of all types is again the subject for The Mozart Project, a triptych of pieces that are either directly indebted his work or to the spirit that motivated them. more ›

This weekend, Ballet Austin will stage the world premiere of The Mozart Project, a three-part production celebrating the music of a master. With the help of Graham Reynolds, DJ Spooky and Dr. Michelle Schumann, Ballet Austin Artistic Director Stephen Mills will examine a few classic pieces from a contemporary point of view, and just as he did with last year's Bach Project, create something that is both an homage and an expansion. more ›

Graham Reynolds vs The Red Piano from Raphael Umscheid on Vimeo.

Directors Joe Bailey, Jr. and Steve Mims know how you feel when you first hear the two-sentence summary of documentaries like INCENDIARY: The Willingham Case. They call them your "vegetable films" — the ones that inform, warn, provoke, and interest, but are just too heavy and heartbreaking to take home from the weekend trip to the video store. That's why Bailey and Mims have become experts at feeding you, film style. more ›

• New Austin City Limits venue gets some love from Andy Langer and The New York Times.
• Hipster Valentine cards!
• Hipster Valentine’s gift guide. (Don't miss the Harold and Maude paper dolls!)

Fusebox Festival officially starts today with what will surely be an epic display of Texas pride unfolding on the steps of the capitol this evening at 6:30pm. Choreographer Allison Orr and composer Graham Reynolds (whos previous collaboration, The Trash Project, blew us away last year) have teamed up to present T is for: Two Hundred Two-Steppers on the Steps of the Texas Capitol. A fifteen piece Texas swing orchestra featuring vocalists Dale Watson and Christina Marrs will accompany the dancers for their thirty minute performance. For the evening's final "All-Step" piece, audience members will be invited to two step their big Texas hearts out as well. Show up early - Stubb's will be on site serving up free BBQ to nourish ravenous dancers and audience members. more ›

Last weekend marked the premiere of Ballet Austin’s Truth & Beauty/The Bach Project, an emotionally charged and enjoyably challenging artistic collaboration driven by choreographer Stephen Mills. Inspired by the music of Johann Sebastian Bach and shaped by modern interpretations of the composer’s work, this three-part piece mixed classic sounds with modern sensibilities, asking the audience to consider the ways in which past permeates present. more ›

Last week, Ron Berry, the easygoing powerhouse behind the Fusebox Festival, announced the lineup for the multi-disciplinary art festival that will entertain audiences this spring between April 21st and May 1st. With an estimated eighty percent of the lineup finalized, Berry described various headlining events that will be staged in theaters, galleries, and the streets of Austin. The ever ambitious duo of choreographer Allison Orr and composer Graham Reynolds are teaming up again to kick off the festival on the steps of the capitol, where two-hundred Texas two-steppers will perform accompanied by a live western swing orchestra. more ›

Last year, when Allison Orr and Forklift Danceworks presented Skate! A Night at the Rink it was one of the most uplifting performances of 2008. The event brought together professional dancers on skates with dedicated longtime rink skaters in a breathtaking series of dances that were both fresh and nostalgic. This weekend, for one night only, Orr is once again employing her gift of taking ordinary folk (which is to say, non-professional dancers) and shining a spotlight on their inner dancers. The show is called The Trash Project and you needn’t be psychic to know this is going to wind up as one of 2009’s most uplifting performances. more ›

The Rude Mechs are known for two things: bold, progressive theater and throwing one hell of a party at their annual themed "Eye Ball" fundraiser. (Who can forget the free mustache rides - on a giant vibrating mustache - at the Magnum P.EyeBall?) more ›

All we have to say is that if you were ever tempted to follow the white rabbit, make sure the rabbit is not, we repeat, NOT Dustin Wills. His androgynous tart will lead you in, around, over, under, and finally throw you into a sea of troubles that is the world of Iphigenia Crash Land Falls on the Neon Shell That Was Once Her Heart (a Rave Fable). What starts as a happy meeting in the open, outside Salvage Vanguard Theater’s eastside space, quickens to a techno pulse as we moved into the theatre, and the beat will not let you go until the inevitable tragic end. more ›

Iphigenia is a twisted tale, so we'll let the press release do the talking: "...Greek tragedy spun into a sleek netherworld of sex, drugs, and trance music. Iphigenia is the daughter of a political celebrity. She embraces sensuous excess with a transgendered glam rock star named Achilles in a desperate attempt to flee her seemingly inevitable fate." more ›

South by Southwest always brings some pretty eclectic artists to town, and this year’s roster includes New York’s DeLeon, which has a very different indie-meets-international sound that’s both new and very old. DeLeon mixes modern indie rock with 15th Century Spanish folk songs and the mysterious melodies of ancient Sephardic Judaism. more ›

Local indie-classical auteur Graham Reynolds is probably Austin's busiest composer, bandleader, pianist and drummer. When he's not performing with the Golden Arm Trio, he's working with local composer Peter Stopschinski at their non-profit, Golden Hornet Project, bringing the works of composers to performance. We are thrilled he had some time to let us know what he's been into in 2008. more ›

Golden Arm Trio is the brainchild of Graham Reynolds, a legend for all his contributions to the music and arts community in Austin. Besides performing live in a wide array of settings around town, Reynolds has scored many a film in the past and continues to bring us innovative compositions and unique shows. The number of members in Golden Arm Trio and the different instruments utilized varies depending on the subject matter of the specific show but Reynolds' versatility and genius is a constant force that impeccably ties it all up. We caught up with the maestro this week to learn more about his inspirations, collaborations, and endeavors. more ›

Now here’s something different: Graham Reynolds and his Golden Arm Trio will bring their progressive jazz fusion to what’s turning out to be the most diverse Fun Fun Fun Fest ever. more ›

Peter Stopschinski and Graham Reynolds formed The Golden Hornet Project in 1999 aiming to bring the work of their own compositions and others into settings “bridging the nightclub and the concert hall, the academy and the underground.” Since their formation, the duo have put on one hundred events, including a “Classical Hoot Night” at Beerland and five percussion ensemble concerts. more ›

Ron Berry has been having a mighty fine time of things lately. Last year's Fuse Box Festival was critically and commercially successful. Refraction Arts' production of The Assumption was so popular, they resurrected it late last year to sold out houses. The company garnered a whopping 24 Critics Table Awards in '07. To top it all off, in its most ambitious year to date, Fuse Box '08 kicks off in less than two weeks. We recently chatted with Ron about Fuse Box to get the scoop on this year's fest. more ›

Ballet Austin’s Artistic Director, Stephen Mills, and locally based (internationally loved) composer Graham Reynolds are two of the three collaborative masterminds behind Ballet Austin’s presentation of Cult of Color: Call to Color. Along with visual artist Trenton Doyle Hancock—who created the sets and designed the costumes, and upon whose painted characters the show is based—Mills and Reynolds have put together an astounding presentation. We spoke with Mills and Graham about creating the show. more ›

There are not enough good words to say about Cult of Color: Call to Color. Attempts to capture the performance will only wind up sounding like some over-hyped ad in the Sunday Times Arts section. But Cult really is: Astonishing! Amazing! Fifty Thumbs Up! Visually Stunning! Musically Breathtaking! and The Dance of a Lifetime! In short, it very much deserves a Run-Don’t-Walk-to-See-It recommendation, this urgency compounded by the fact that the show is only slated for a very short run. more ›

The exhibit traces a two-and-a-half-year collaboration among three Texas-based artists: Trenton Doyle Hancock of Houston and Austinites Graham Reynolds and Stephen Mills. Cult of Color: Call to Color is a chapter in Hancock’s ongoing artistic mythology, which incorporates stories about imaginative creatures like the Mounds and the Vegans. On display will be Hancock’s colorful paintings, notes, and sketches that inspired the design and concept of the ballet, as well as artwork that inspired the backdrop curtains, stage props, and costumes. more ›

Salvage Vanguard Theater has announced its new season! // Rubber Repertory has started airing their dirty laundry in a new, recurring series called From the Dumpster, in which they confess to madcap ideas they seriously considered staging. // There's more than music to SXSW. more ›

Image from Benko’s MySpace Benko, The Boxing Lesson, & The Story OfWednesday, November 21Stubbs (801 Red River)9 p.m. | $8[info] | [Benko MySpace] | [The Boxing Lesson MySpace] | [The Story Of MySpace]Thanksgiving is just around the corner but before you get stuffed and sleepy, get your long weekend started right on Wednesday evening. There is a mouth watering set of shows on the Austin schedule for the 21st. Extended details to follow in our... more ›

Last New Year’s Eve, experimental film artist Luke Savisky gave us the eye. This Halloween season, he'll create a surreal urban oasis on film at one of Austin’s historic parks. It may be hard to top images of a giant eyeball projected on to a downtown water tower, but Savisky’s latest large-scale film installation promises to be just as imaginative—and maybe just a little less creepy. On Friday night, Savisky will present Film Actions VI:... more ›

We had, like, totally the best time at the Rude Mechanicals' annual fund-raising shindig this past Saturday, the Magnum P. Eye Ball. Hosted by Jonathan Quayle Higgins III, of course, the island-themed event featured local music icon Graham Reynolds of The Golden Arm Trio spinning period tunes. Meanwhile, numerous dudes walked around in mullets, mustaches and Hawaiian shirts, and several screens played different Magnum P.I. adventures. The night even included the chance to ride "The... more ›

If, like us, you thought that Marie Antoinette might have been a hell of a lot better as a silent movie, consider Orphans of the Storm (1921), screening tonight for free at the Harry Ransom Center as part of the Silent Silver Screens Series. Starring the lovely and incandescent Gish sisters (that's Lillian on the left and Dorothy there on the right), Orphans follows the odyssey of devoted French sisters Henriette and Louise. When... more ›

My how this city has grown. Austin used to be the kind of town where the summertime theatre offerings were slim pickings. Not so...not anymore. The joints are jumping, and this week is no exception. It's darn near impossible to offer a Pick of the Week, so this week we're suggesting not one but two productions we think you'll enjoy. First, however, we need to report on some awards show shenanigans that went down earlier... more ›

Graham Reynolds' Golden Arm Trio will be performing at the Mohawk on Saturday night in support of the new album, no doubt full of the experimental power-jazz you'd come to expect from a group that Rolling Stone has called "a merger of John Zorn's Naked City and the 1970's radical-prog band Henry Cow. In case you weren't aware, Reynolds has worked on film scores (most recently, Linklater's A Scanner Darkly), symphonies, operas, and children's... more ›