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We thought it may not be fair to classify the sport of hockey simply as "violence," and then we saw this. Nevertheless, this ice sport where fighting is only sorta discouraged is the subject of tonight's Encyclopedia Show, the equally hilarious and mind-expanding reading series that makes learnin' fun. more ›

The Texas Stars have packed a lot of excitement into their first season at the Cedar Park Center: they earned a spot in the American Hockey League's Western Conference Finals, then fought the Hamilton Bulldogs through to a tie through six games of the seven-game series. The deciding game will be tonight at 6:30 pm in Canada, but the Stars have planned a watching party in their home building for the team's fans. more ›

On Friday night, Hockey performed with The Constellations and The Postelles over at Emo's. Our staff photographer Pooneh Ghana was there to catch all the action. more ›

The Austin Ice Bats, who entertained hockey fans in these parts for more than a decade, receive a well-deserved tribute in today's New York Times. more ›

As part of the AFS Essentials series on the films of superhuman director Michel Haneke, the Alamo Downtown will be running The Piano Teacher (or "La Pianiste", if you want to impress somebody impressionable) tonight. Do not let this film still of a scene of passion in a public restroom deceive you; this movie will not inspire you to do the popcorn trick on anybody, but rather to rush out and invest in a chastity... more ›

Spring is when we get busy here in the Ist-A-Verse. Very busy. But, after staying bundled-up indoors all winter, it's nice for us to be out, about, and collecting things to write about for you. Here's a glimpse at what's been keeping your favorite citybloggers busily away from home and out of bed. more ›

We don't remember much of SXSW but of what we can remember, we think we had a pretty kickass time. During the week of March 13th to the 17th, we were out surviving on what little we had time to consume (usually free, alcoholic or "containing artificial flavors"), catching every bit of sanctioned and unsanctioned SXSW goodness. While we were out on the streets and bars of Austin, we began to realize a lot... more ›

So, maybe you’re kind of a sports fan. Or maybe the word “fanatic” just doesn't quite capture how much you love sports. Maybe you don’t like missing really awesome games that you could be watching instead of, say, cleaning the lint trap in your dryer. But how do you know when you’re missing such a game? You can’t be scanning sports listings all day, scouring the internet for information about your favorite teams or... more ›

"What the Stones were; what the Dandy Warhols should have been."* Strong words, even in today's desensitized rock-critisphere, but Lions In The Street have already opened for Kings Of Leon, been shopped-and-dropped by major labels, and recorded their debut EP in a dingy basement with an 8-track and broken mics because they could hardly afford beer. What are you gonna tell them, be less rock and roll please? This is the kind of band SXSW exists for. (Said EP, Cat Got Your Tongue, is available as a free download on their website, so you downloaders aren't getting away with anything.) Besides that, it's obvious that frontman Chris Kinnon has plenty of love for the ATX: more ›

The first-ever Fun Fun Fun Fest is this Friday, December 1st, at Waterloo Park. Over two dozen great acts are on the bill, including Spoon, Peaches, The Black Angels, Prefuse 73, and DJ Mel. Tickets are $20, and can be purchased online. Circle Jerks perform on the Punk stage at 8:55pm. -- The Editors We’re excited to have you coming to Austin. You were here in March attending South By Southwest, right? I’ve been... more ›

If you vote for Rick Perry, and you’re not a Christian, you’re going to hell. At least according to the coiffed Governor of Texas. more ›

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Wonderfully effusive post-punk-'n-pop band The Lovely Feathers hail from Montreal, and this crew is nothing if not motley. The five-some consists of: a classically-trained concert pianist, a former hardcore grunge drummer, a scholarship-winning college hockey player with a rumored criminal record in New Hampshire, a med school dropout, and a self-described Ancient Greek Hermeneutician. Their debut album, Hind Hind Legs, was produced by the guys behind Stars, Broken Social Scene, and Metric -- they toured late last year, in fact, with the latter band, though we're sorry to say that we missed their opening set. Lucky for us (and you), they're coming back next Tuesday for a show at Emo's with Man Man and Evangelicals (whose new album, So Gone, we reviewed earlier this week). We've got a special prize package that includes a copy of Hind Hind Legs and a pair of spots on the guestlist for the show for one of our lucky readers. Fill out the form below, and stay tuned for our interview with the band, which we'll bring you next week. Congrats, Rabia! [mp3] The Lovely Feathers - "Rome is in the Valley"
[mp3] The Lovely Feathers - "Fudgcicle"
[mp3] The Lovely Feathers - "Photo Corners"
[mp3] The Lovely Feathers - "Pope John Paul" (last two from The Yellow Stereo) [The Lovely Feathers on Myspace]
[The Lovely Feathers Official Site] Evangelicals, The Lovely Feathers, and Man Man
Emo's
Tuesday, June 19th
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[The following is an editorial column by contributor Alison Coffey and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Austinist staff. --The Editors] more ›

• There's a serious crisis in Canada. Edmonton bars and pubs are having a hard time keeping their beer on tap and in stock. We guess hockey fans know how to drink beer.
• Tune up your cars and rev your engines. State Officials are planning to raise some speed limits to 80 mph, the highest in the country. We'd like to take this opportunity to let you know that slow drivers suck, too.
• How do you spell Hallelujah? How about S E A S O N I Q U E. Having only 4 periods a year sounds like it could be ideal for everyone.
• David Lee Roth is determined to reunite Van Halen. An act of desperation, perhaps? Did anyone hear his radio show before it was cancelled? We didn't think so.
• Trash is power and we aren't talking about Britney Spears. Landfills are converting their trash gas to useful gas- we know some guys who could sell their...
• Keeping track of MySpace-news is exhausting us, or just getting really old. A couple teenagers hacked into MySpace and threatened to make their how-to public information unless given some money. Kids are just so smart these days.
• We don't want to alarm you (again) but we need to call a super hero, like Super Ozone Action Man to defeat Global Warming Man. According to researchers, the warming of the atmposphere is changing the pattens of the Jet Stream.
• Michael Kitchens of Williamson County won't be able to father either of his children because he'll be spending his life in prison after getting his own daughter pregnant.
• Don't dive in head-first this weekend to any local watering holes (unless it's the saloon kind). Water levels are lower than normal. Happy Memorial Day weekend! more ›

Canada is the source of many of the things that make our lives worth living: hockey, beer, cheap pharmaceuticals, and good writing about unbalanced people. Indeed, for such a sparsely populated country, Canada is home to an inordinate number of our favorite writers: Atwood, Munro, Shields, Martel. So we had high expectations for one of its most recent literary exports, A Map of Glass by Jane Urquhart. more ›

• Remind us to make plans to spend next summer in Cabo! The recent legalization of drugs in Mexico is expected to increase tourism, especially by college students.
• Aside from the economic benefits of increased tourism, perhaps legalization could crack down (no pun intended) on the violence associated with drug trafficking.
• Women in Cyprus created the world's longest Bra Chain in an effort to increase breast cancer awareness.
• The Stars are out! Some teams in the the NHL playoffs have advanced to the next round, including the Colorado Avalanche, ousting the Stars in a 4-1 series win.
• The Astros are keen on keeping Roger Clemens with the team. Negotiations begin today with Houston, Boston, Texas and the Yankees all being very interested.
• Come over and play with my Wii. Nintendo's new gaming machine is going to have a new name- pronounced "we".
• The recent opening of Blanton Museum, and its proximity to the Texas State History Museum have created somewhat of a Museum District in Austin.
• Some Mexican immigrants are going to rally at the Capitol today at 3pm- but others aren't as interested. They're just here to collect money.
• We had a good time at Eeyore's this weekend. The Statesman caught some images of the tamer side of the birthday party. more ›

Anyone looking to start their weekend early can head over to the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar, which is hosting a bevy of special screenings for both discriminating and very-non-discriminating moviegoers. The Shaw Brothers retrospective continues with The Five Deadly Venoms, arguably the pinnacle of 1970s kung-fu mythology, and the legendary Lon Chaney gives a genuinely chilling performance as The Phantom Of The Opera, a silent classic with live creepy-organ-music courtesy of Austin composer Graham Reynolds (who also scored the forthcoming A Scanner Darkly, among others). more ›

The Austin Icebats will play their last game in the Travis County Expo Center this Saturday evening. Next season they will be moving to an upgraded Chaparral Ice. The move will mark a major turning point in Austin hockey, as the Icebats have called the Expo Center home for their entire 10 year history. Hopefully the team will go out with a bang, or at least a win. more ›

At a press conference held today, the Austin Icebats stated that they will be staying in Austin as they continue to look for a more permanent home. As you may recall, the team and the city of Cedar Park had an on-again, off-again relationship for a while. Now, they've apparently reached some form of agreement, and the Ice Bats have temporarily returned home while they look for a bigger place. more ›

• Cindy Sheehan was arrested at the Capitol (essentially for unlawful conduct) just before Bush's State of the Union Address last night.
• Ever wonder why the hell you've gotta sit in traffic sometimes? Maybe sometimes it's just a giant roll of steel. That's all.
• Domestic Partners - gay or straight - might soon be able to share benefits with Austin City Employees. Brewster McCracken wants to appeal the current prohibition of coverage for domestic partners.
• Need we remind you that we have a Minor League Hockey Team in town? And the Ice Bats are doing really well this season.
• It pays to be a juror in Texas now. We're crossing our fingers for Jury Duty; it's at least better than our day job.
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The Austin Ice Bats will host the National Hockey League's Stanley Cup at the Travis County Expo Center Saturday night. The Cup will be on display during the Ice Bats' game against Wichita, and fans may bring their cameras to take their picture with the Cup. The Cup will be available to the general public starting at 6:30pm. It's also Guaranty Win Night as the Ice Bats play the Wichita Thunder of the Northern... more ›

Halloween is just around the corner and Austin is full of ghoulishly fun activities. Among the nightmare factories and haunted houses is the one of a kind Haunted Trails out west at the Wildlife Basin Preserve on Highway 360. more ›

S A T U R D A Y music · Solomon & Tummler play their last show ever (members of Recover and Visitors), Mars Wars, Hockey Night, Pirates of Darkwater, LAX, plus DJ Shane at Emo's. 10pm [mp3s: Solomon & Tummler EP via MoreFizz] in-store · Sally Crewe & the Sudden Moves at End of an Ear 6pm [mp3: Sally Crewe - Drive it Like You Stole It] party · Swerve Coffee Lounge celebrates its... more ›

Independence Brewing, one of Austin's many fine local breweries, is having its inaugural Pub Crawl tonight. This event gives you the chance to join the brewers and other faithful beer enthusiasts as they make their way through four different bars that feature Independence beer. more ›

Contrary to popular belief, we here at the Austinist are not solely interested in going to exclusive parties, seeing the best live music Austin has to offer, and getting free drinks whenever possible. We also have been known to enjoy the basketball. All of you Austinites who have been living vicariously through the Mavericks, Spurs, and Rockets, your time has come. more ›