Emo’s Free Week bites back tonight with a smorgasbord of sounds from a variety of acts. Lions draw blood on the outside arena with chant-along chorus’ and scorching guitars. Their 2007 release No Generation allowed the band to voice their political views as well as display their rock n’ roll chops, and their live shows aptly roar with energy and fervor. Lions’ “Heavy Metal Lady” currently encourages the masses in homes everywhere to “unleash your inner rock legend” via Guitar Hero III and you can do the same at Emo's tonight! more ›

No worries if you haven't paid Helmet any mind since the mid-nineties: the band's potent blend of post-hardcore riffing and sarcastic, smart-stupid lyrics made Page Hamilton and Co. underground stars, but it also unwittingly helped usher in the IQ-lowering hordes of nu-metal that sent heavy music into a self-loathing free fall at the turn of the century. That does not, however, discount the fact that Helmet was-and is-one of the most formidable acts in hard... more ›

Lions held their own recently amidst a who’s who of Texas talent at the 2007 Wall Of Sound Festival. The Austin act was one of the few to make sense of the commotion that was Stage 3, generating incessant guitar riffs supplemented by vocalist Matt Drenik’s energy and howls to successfully satisfy a somewhat disgruntled crowd. The no-nonsense rock n’ roll band brings its brand new album, No Generation (produced at The Bubble Studio), and... more ›

Are you a Guitar Hero champion? Find out tonight at Stubb's as 101X and C3 present the first of a three night competition, followed by a performance by Austin's Alice Rose. Here's what you need to know: rounds one and two are strictly for qualifying. Show off your skills this evening and make the cut, then you'll be placed into a bracketing system. The opportunity to qualify is based on a first come, first serve... more ›

Five local personalities get together to tell The Sickest F***ing Stories I Ever Heard over a game of Texas Hold 'Em 101x hosts a Guitar Hero happy hour at Stubb's Car Stereo (Wars) celebrate the release of their first album, The Bandit—think Burt Reynolds circa 1977—at Beauty Bar, with a little help from Single Frame, White Denim, and NYC DJs Finger on the Pulse Peter Bean, founder of BurntOrangeNation.com, and Chip Brown, a sportswriter... more ›

The Lions have a pretty exciting summer lined up: they've been busy in the studio working on their full-length (and possible major label debut) and celebrating "Metal Heavy Lady" being picked up by Austinist's favorite pastime, . Tonight at Emo's, they are playing what will no doubt be a raucous, sweat-stained show with Red Fang, and request your presence. more ›

Wilco Sky Blue Sky (Nonesuch) Recorded in Wilco's own Chicago studio, the album was recorded by TJ Doherty (the Hold Steady, Sonic Youth) and mixed by Jim Scott (the Rolling Stones, the Dixie Chicks), Sky Blue Sky finds Tweedy & Co. leaning closer to the down-home gritty side of their sound, all while bending glass with avant-jazz guitar hero Nels Cline. Full of guitars and electricity, songs like "Impossible Germany" highlight the relationship between... more ›

The Field From Here We Go Sublime (Kompakt Germany) Apparently dance floor purists are winning the battle against rock and roll, and Stockholm's The Field are leading the march. On an album Pitchfork calls a "safe bet" for "2007's most luxuriant record", sole member Alex Willner utilizes elements of trance, electronica and drum and bass to produce an album that definitely pushes the boundary that other indie disco groups only flirt with. The success... more ›

The fourth annual Austin Game Conference kicked off this morning. Right about now, thousands of gaming industry developers are probably sitting through opening remarks by Game Initiative conference director Tonda Bunge, Mayor Wynn, and Blizzard Entertainment's Rob Pardo -- the guy who brought computer geeks around the world such escapist hits as StarCraft and Warcraft III. Running through Friday, AGC includes an exhausting schedule of programming, with seminars focused on topics such as "The Joy... more ›