It was a rough long weekend. If you're looking for a distraction from the drought, fires, or just the return to work, the hodge-podge group of bands playing at Hole in the Wall might serve up the respite you need. Local favorites Leatherbag and Wiretree are joined by Brooklyn's JP and the Gilberts at tonight's show. more ›

Clyde and Clem’s Whiskey Business bring backyard bluegrass in all it’s raucous glory to Hole in The Wall tonight. The local six-piece brew a melting pot production with their twangy, boot-stomping orchestrations fused with a melodramatic, banter-fueled stage show that plays on hillbilly stereotypes. Their witty take on low-brow humor and songs about truck month, Sarah Palin, and of course whiskey will have you hootin’ along to their engaging, energetic show. more ›

Jonathan Richman is taking residency in Austin for the next few days playing tonight and tomorrow at Hole in The Wall, then moving over to South Congress for early shows at The Continental Club Friday and Saturday. This gives you plenty of opportunities to catch the eclectic singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. For those of you who don’t know, Richman has been crafting music since the mid-1960’s, when he was couch surfing at The Velvet Underground’s manager’s NYC digs and trying to break into the music biz. more ›

The North Vs. South Music Festival represents a certain aesthetic in rock & roll, a theme of sorts. Organized by Austin-via-Kansas City bandleader Mike McCoy (Cher U.K., the Service Industry) and Minneapolis musician Baby Grant Johnson (the Bitter Spills, solo), the festival brings together bands from all three of those cities, plus a few guests from other towns along the axis. The fest celebrates that style of rock that stems from energy overload applied to straightforward melodies - think power pop and roots rock shot through with enough atomic power to turn them Godzilla sized, then performed as if it was the last gig on earth. more ›

Here's a sure-fire way to dirty up your Monday night: Black Nasty, certainly a contender for the title of Most Offensive MC Ever of All Time, is performing at the Hole in the Wall tonight. Nasty’s lyrics range from disgusting and hilarious to downright awful and reprehensible, and cover the full spectrum of violent, scatological, and misogynistic subject matter. What’s more, seeing him spit live is a decidedly irony-free experience that’s guaranteed to make for a strange, uncomfortable evening. If nothing else, this is your opportunity to see someone who is genuinely pushing the envelope of political incorrectness as far as he can possibly reach. more ›

Check out the Rocketboys' Daytrotter Session available online now. The band performed four songs: three from 20,000 Ghost and one from Sing, Bird, Sing. more ›

As we reported last week, Austin lost a friend and significant talent in Jon Pettis last week. Pettis suffered smoke inhalation and died at his home in northeast Austin after a faulty power strip started a fire. In the wake of his death, his bandmates (also his roommates) and his fiance have been left devastated -- not just by the terrible loss of a friend -- but by the complete destruction of all of their belongings. more ›

After leaving The Laughing to pursue his own project, Abram Shook took his music in a different direction but kept his original intentions while switching focus. more ›

How about a little recap of Austin pop history this Wednesday? Back in the early '90s, Ethan Azarian led local band The Orange Mothers through four albums of sweetly reminiscent pop before folding; Austin label i eat records did us a favor a few years back by releasing a greatest hits, and then released Azarian's solo effort Cross'n Over. more ›

Hungry to share your most provocative Austin food photos? Send them here. Make sure to include your name, where the photo was taken and a complete description of the food. more ›

Before viral marketing, writing songs for toothpaste commercials or hassling people via MySpace to check out your songs was commonplace, the best way to get the music out there was to either hand out LPs on the street or start gigging. Sometimes the old-fashioned way is still the best, and for three promising but slightly under-the-radar bands, this Thursday night could be the perfect way to get the word out. more ›

Well, there isn’t really much that’s sour about this Austin pop group. They’re pretty much all sugar, although sometimes it can be a little bittersweet. The group – Jared Boulanger, Chris Page, Brandi Dipietro and Travis Hackett – formed just this year and has recently released The Meat of the Fruit, their first 7-song album. more ›

The concept of the residency, so successful sometimes, so listless if you don’t get it right. Progress Coffee (500 San Marcos, Studio 105, 78702) presents its own version with a very simple mission statement -- “1 month, 2 bands, 3 bucks.” In June, Nic Armstrong (IV Thieves) headlines the residency with Shapes Have Fangs and Loxsly alternating as the opening bands. Shapes Have Fangs kick things off on this Friday (and on the 27th of this month) while Loxsly does the honors on the 20th. Each Friday, the music starts at 9 p.m. and lasts until midnight. July’s line-up boasts three excellent acts (in some combination) as well -- Brazos, {{{ SUNSET }}}, and Canopy. That’s equates roughly to 6 bands for $6 multiplied by 4 times a month minus 1 band each Friday over 2 months = badass. Or something awesome like that. And while you’re at it, why not grub a Fruit Cup or PB+J Panini -- Progress Coffee Menu. more ›

Photos courtesy Nash Cook. more ›

What would you get if you snatched up Bob Dylan while he was sitting backstage at the Newport Folk Festival in 1963, strapped him to the rather large hood of a Chevrolet K20 pickup and drove through the deserts and ranches of the Southwest finally making your way across to the southern states and stopping for an extra long time in Tennessee? What if he soaked it all up and adopted a little more of the sounds, culture and twang? Well, he’d be a lot like Randy ‘Bag’ Reynolds and company. Saturday night at Hole in the Wall you’ll be able to make your own assessment when locals Leatherbag make their way to the stage sometime around midnight. Between tunes of cello, slide guitar and smokey vocals and others full of fuzzy guitar and brash rock and roll sounds, there exists a captivating balance of sentiment and flat-out fun. more ›

Image courtesy of Nacional RecordsThe first annual Ground Zero Texas fest kicks off their weekend schedule of events on Thursday, with the opening ceremony at Sound On Sound Records at 6 p.m. (featuring a performance by the official GZT mascot NOBUNNY), followed by opening night action at Beerland with music from The Spits, The Wax Museums, and The Hibachi Stranglers. Denton’s The Reds will also re-unite and rock this special evening. The plethora of local... more ›

Image from Scion's websiteSo you’re all set for an afternoon with the family and/or friends, tons of food on the horizon, be it Turkey or Tofurkey. Still, you need to scratch that live music itch before heading home. Well, fear not oh lovely residents of Austin, the city has a solid night of gigs on the 21st in store for the common layperson. If you’re not already planning on hitting up the Benko and The... more ›

* The IST List will be updated this afternoon to reflect additional events -- The Editors F R I D A Y [3] » [music] Quien es, Boom!, Brothers and Sisters CD release, Lomita, and David Longoria (of the Black) at Beerland » [music] The Early Tapes, Peel and The Happy Familes at Stubb's » [music] Driver Friendly and The Arm at Red Eyed Fly » [music] Rockland Eagles, Yuppie Pricks, Pink Swords, and The... more ›

T U E S D A Y [31] » [music] Ghetto Princess, Secular End, The Total Foxes, Tomorrow's Too Late at Emo's » [comedy] Live Comedy Happy Hour at Beerland (8pm) » [karaoke] Karaoke Explosion at The Peacock » [books] Galt Niederhoffer presents Taxonomy of Barnacles at Bookpeople (7pm) » [politics] Austin League of Women Voters puts on the State of the City dinner with Mayor Will Wynn as the evening's speaker at the Austin... more ›