How does one of the most influential and fun trios in the history of alt/indie rock celebrate Halloween as they enter their fourth decade of existence? In Shonen Knife’s case, they dress up as Osaka Ramones to headline what’s sure to be one of the season's most exciting cover band nights. more ›

• Slideshow for ways that people remember Day of the Dead.
• The World Series came to Texas!
• Great Halloween costumes, via the Dallas Observer.

• On election eve, the size of the coming Republican wave is hard to predict
• Thousands descend on Washington DC for Rally to Restore Sanity
• Bomb plot shows key role played by intelligence

Still trying to make Halloween plans? Break out a Le Tigre polo (or two), that Adidas track suit, or the Snookie outfit (yes, Snookie), for Goodwill's 4th Annual Ghoulwill Ball this Friday. more ›

A couple of Austin bands’ album release parties kick off our list of recommended shows this weekend. Head down to Latitude 30 on Friday for the Vampyros Disco’s Costume Ball and enjoy a hearty helping of the Suncopters’ good times rock ‘n’ roll, or swing by Club de Ville on Saturday for a taste of Radar Radar’s indie-pop delicacies. And of course, support local music by picking up each band’s new record! more ›

Long the local hangout for the Goth crowd, Elysium always throws a party on All Hallow’s Eve, especially since it coincides with the club’s anniversary. This year’s 9th birthday/Halloween ball features not only a steampunk theme (and a costume contest to go with it), but also the first Austin gig by American darkwave/Gothic music legend Black Tape For a Blue Girl in over a decade. more ›

• Whoa! One Republican House candidate from Dallas says that violent overthrow of the government is an option.
• Former Austin artist Mark Schatz has a show opening in San Marcos!
• Local writer survives trip thru charity haunted house, lives to write about it.

ColdTowne Theater's most recently formed house troupe just announced their name: Journey to the Big Water. They are the ninth official improv house troupe to be formed out of ColdTowne Theater's Conservatory. One of the more successful and hardest working troupes that preceded them is Midnight Society, the second troupe to emerge from ColdTowne. Midnight Society's hard work has been rewarded with a nomination for a B. Iden Payne Award in 2009, appearances in festivals all around the country, a weekly improv slot and a regular slot for sketch comedy at ColdTowne Theater. One of the yearly highlights for Midnight Society has become their annual Halloween sketch show, dubbed the Halloween Spooktacular. more ›

• You might not remember the details from Halloween on 6th Street, but it really happened!
• Be careful what you put on Facebook. That’s especially true if you do super-tacky things!
• Look at the planning for this incredible wedding that was scheduled for Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead.)

Texas has nurtured more than its fair share of talented musical acts over the course of our esteemed history. Buddy Holly, Willie Nelson, ZZ Top, Roy Orbison, and Stevie Ray Vaughan have garnered worldwide fame and acclaim, but digging a little deeper and looking beyond every instantly recognizable musician from the Lone Star State uncovers some of the most unique acts to emerge from this land. And thus, we arrive at the Butthole Surfers, a legendary Austin band armed with a moniker that’s had parents and censors running for cover for almost three decades, and a sound that has largely defied categorization through the years. more ›

Today's second offering in our three part series Halloween at the Movies presents you with a list of the different horror features currently (and by currently we mean as of Friday, October 30) playing at one of our many fine theaters around town. If you don't feel like staying home Saturday night (Halloween night), but aren't feeling the social vibe, then we suggest taking a peek at one of the films below so you can successfully avoid trick-or-treaters, and enjoy the spirit of the holiday. more ›

If you're like a good deal of us you may not have any kind of clue what you'll be doing for Halloween this year. Or, maybe it is just us. Regardless, over the the next few days we'd like to provide you with a hefty dose of options for you to partake around town that combines the wonderful world of film with a thematic relation to our country's greatest holiday that we don't get off from work. more ›

• Dallas Police Dept. tackles teen prostitution by looking for teen runaways. The result: "guilty pleas from over 90 percent of the pimps arrested."
• Yikes! Paul Saucido, host of ME TV’s show “Sonido Boombox” has been arrested on charges of sexual assault.
• Yikes! San Antonio teacher charged with sexual assault, after he allegedly created a “secret society” and used the Bible to convince underage girls to have sex with him.

Monster-themed dance parties, a boat party, and, of course, zombies: Halloween in Austin offers something for just about everyone. Check out our roundup below, and shoot us an email if there's something we've missed. more ›

Fall is here and we know you're still struggling to decide between renting that sexy witch costume or using last year's sexy black cat costume. Consider a more creative option, and head over to Mixx on Saturday night for Electric Promotions and Twogroove's Mixx Make: Pre-Halloween Craftacular. The productive party will feature opportunities to make masks with help from the WonderCraft, using among other things, decorations from Sublime Stitching. Costumes of some sort are encouraged, and photographer Trevor Ray Thompson will be there with a photo-booth to document everyone's haunting garb. If you show up hungry, consider entering the gummy bat and worm eating contest - the winner will take home VIP passes to Flip Scene's Halloween Bash at the Mohawk. more ›

We recently enjoyed another ACL Fest and this year’s Fun Fun Fun Fest is a few days away but there is another music festival in Tejas this weekend -- the 2008 SPI Music Fest kicks off in South Padre today, with performances by the likes of Willie Nelson, Ghostland Observatory, Blue Öyster Cult, Alejandro Escovedo and Grupo Fantasma included at this imminent three day party. However, if you have no intention of leaving Austin, fret not, for our city is a nice little oasis of music this weekend as well -- carefully examine the “Halloween Special” Austinist Weekend Music Preview Slideshow above for details on many events in town over the course of Halloween weekend. Follow the jump to learn more about some of our choice picks but before you do, fill out the form below for a chance to win two tickets to see The Australian Pink Floyd Show at Austin Music Hall on Friday night. more ›

• Situation in Congo seriously scary.
• Austin Police encourage Halloween revelers to be careful.
• Halloween events in Austin.

Before heading to your final party destination this Halloween night, stop by Domy Books to celebrate the timely opening of their latest exhibit, Monster Show 3. The mixed media group show is being billed as a "compendium of awesome monster drawings" and a similar show has run at Domy's Houston store for the past few years. Artists who have submitted their devilish doodles include Okay Mountain co-founder Sterling Allen, and queen of embroidery Jenny Hart. Cody Ledvina and Justin Goldwater, two artists who have recently had solo exhibits at the Domy gallery space, will be back with their best ghoulish depictions. more ›

On Halloween night, at the Rhizome Collective, the barrier between our world and the spirit world will evaporate for one unforgettable evening. Why not break some other barriers, while we’re at it? Disko de los Muertos, a rockin’ amalgam of Middle-Eastern disco, techno, and punk, doesn’t stop at an all-night dance and costume party. more ›

This Canadian trio have made what might one of the most perfect records of 2008 with Come Into My House, and album inspired equally by Janet Jackson, Sufjan Stevens and Arthur Russell. Utilizing charmingly off-kilter vocal harmonies, thick bass lines and brash instrumentation (not to mention the bassoon solos, esoteric time signatures, and Cher-inspired warble-effect vocals), No Kids have crafted one of the most interesting albums we've heard in a long while. The band earned a grant from the Canadian government to work on the record, and brought in an additional 9 musicians to bring the cinematic landscapes they hear in their minds to life. Although tracks like "The Beaches are Closed" smack of '90s R&B (think Usher reminiscing about a girl who dressed sexy at a party, forcing him to sing to a rain-soaked window to his own reflection later that night), it doesn't at all stink of irony. Gorgeous strings layered over the crackling drum machine and the sweet harmonies sing praises to a genre often deemed joke-worthy, demonstrating the elegance inherent therein. "Bluster in the Air" employs a muted horn section ripped straight from a smoky jazz bar, "I Love the Weekend" is a love letter to Brazilian pop and jazz master Dom Um Romão, and "Neighbor's Party" kind of reminds us of Sufjan, but in the way that Sufjan reminds us of the Cure's unabashed pop musings, such as "Close to Me." There's really not enough time to fully describe what to expect out of this one, you'll have to try it for yourself. more ›

The Invincible Czars have long had a knack for blending rock with various genres to create entertaining concoctions and unexpected inventions. From ska to metal, from jazz to country, a Czars live show twists and turns through a variety of rhythms and tempos, all while demonstrating their astute musicianship. more ›

This is a good example of poor judgment.The students of Penn State University should have taken a note from their counterparts at Tarleton State University when picking out this year's Halloween costumes. Even more idiotic than their costume idea was their decision to post the resulting pictures on Facebook. Photos of two Penn State students donning Virginia Tech t-shirts, covered with bullet holes and fake blood, were put up on Facebook and quickly spread over... more ›

We received several great responses to last week's Overheard in Austin. Did you hear something that tops our quotes from this week? Send them to overheard@austinist.com and we'll publish the best ones. Girl talking to her friend downtown:I mean, he has a nice body. He’s big but he’s not fat. He just has some atoms around his stomach that are farther apart. A 10-year-old, perched atop the jungle gym, holding forth about Halloween:Halloween? Nowadays it's... more ›

Image from MySpace by Aubrey EdwardsMOTH! FIGHT! What’s the Deal: These local musicians with a appreciation for all things Victorian mix keys, samples, autoharp, guitar, banjo, violin, sleigh bells, trumpet and several voices to create a sound that changes abruptly from the melodic to the cacophonous, and all the while keeps eyes and ears perked toward their performance. Every member plays at least two or three instruments. Their music is a cascading, clamourous, curious sound... more ›

Flyer distributed by Pangaea AustinFor better or worse, Austin's new safari-themed nightclub in the Warehouse District will host its (doubtlessly) over-the-top grand opening next Friday, November 16. Pangaea, a so-called "ultra-lounge," takes over the former Alamo Drafthouse space. It was originally scheduled to open on Halloween, but evidently the tribal accoutrements didn't show up in time. Here's what you guys had to say when we first posted about it: "I think they want to go... more ›

Londonist: Photo by ChloeLondonist got the big scoop of the week with what may be the first images of notorious street artist Banksy in action. They also got on a runaway train without an operator provoking a response from the transport authorities. Elsewhere, London's answer to Central Station is about to open for business, and Londonist got a sneak preview. Meanwhile, spooky goings-on beneath London Bridge, where a cache of skeletons provided an apt story... more ›

What did you dress up as for Halloween? 911 Dispatcher that fielded the first calls about the North Carolina beach house fire is now receiving death threats (w/ creepy audio). Want to beat cancer? No red meat. No wine. Eat less. The Canadian dollar is worth more than the American dollar. Double, oh no way. UK comes out with invisible tank (w/pictures). Dog The Bounty Hunter gets yanked from A&E due to Dog's racist... more ›

Have a happy and safe Halloween! If you're headed to Sixth Street, leave your light saber/fake gun/billy club at home. Williamson County won't kick privately-run immigration detention center out of Taylor now that they aren't liable for it. Some Texas prosecutors will wait for the Supreme Court's decision next year before asking judges to set execution dates. After a soldier died in a Ft. Hood training exercise, his supervising officer is facing court martial.... more ›

Galactic brings its annual Halloween bash back to Stubb’s this Wednesday for a grand ole time powered by the band’s funk, jazz and hip hop medleys. Since vocalist Theryl “Houseman” DeClouet left the New Orleans outfit a few years ago, Galactic have largely returned to their days of extensive instrumental jam sessions while also continuing to receive vocal support from the likes of Lyrics Born and Gift Of Gab from Blackalicious. This year’s Galactic... more ›

Highlights for this week: The Royal Family bids adieu to the east side with a giant Halloween bash, featuring DJ sets by Stay Gold, a costume contest, and a whopping 75% off the entire store inventory The Blanton Museum of Art opens up afterhours on Friday for its monthly B scene, with art from the American West and music by the Unfortunate Heads and DJ Spooky Texas Fun Fun Fun Fest takes over Waterloo Park... more ›