Best known as the frontman of alt-country group Richmond Fontaine, Willy Vlautin is now also an author. His debut novel, The Motel Life, takes the same bleak, resigned-to-fate look on life that fuels his music. The story centers around the relationship of brothers Frank and Jerry Lee, who flee town after one of them accidentally kills a boy in a drunken hit-and-run accident. They find a strange kind of freedom in their ensuing travels; it's......

Ian Moore made the move from Austin to Seattle a couple of years ago, and his development from an exciting blues guitarist to equally stirring singer-songwriter has been an intriguing journey for his fans. His latest release, To Be Loved, out now on Justice Records, is a wonderful collection of pop tunes with just a touch of blues, suitable for any city. Besides his many albums, Moore has opened in the past for The......

The 2007 Austin City Limits Music Festival is only a week away, and sure you’ve got your 3-day pass worth who knows what, your personal schedule, and the promise of a wide variety of music. Well, do not let your passion for music or your stamina for festivals run out during ACL fest -- We are proudly co-sponsoring this year’s Wall Of Sound Festival in Fort Worth on the 22nd of September. That’s right, the......

*The views expressed in The Laurie Show are those of the author and do not represent Austinist as a whole.* -ed. note Hello again, music lover! The Laurie Show on KUT 90.5 will be in full swing tonight, featuring great music by local (and formally local) artists whose CDs I now have in my grimy paws. Glee! Plus, I can guarantee you that once again, your live music calendar is going to be rather......

The Austin Chronicle is offering up tickets to a series of free day shows this year, over at the newly-created SXSW Live space inside the Austin Convention Center. A limited number of space-available passes will be distributed at Cheapo Discs next Wednesday, March 14th, from 2-5pm. Badges and wristbands are not required. The lineup: Thursday, Mar 15 The Lone Star Lounge 2pm Tracy Lawrence 5pm Razorlight 7pm Marc Broussard 9pm Brandi Carlile The Bat......

FRIDAY [15] ballet • Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker at Bass Concert Hall (Check website for details) music • Baby Robots, Horse + Donkey, Foot Foot, DJ Blip at Emo's Lounge music • Moonlight Towers, The Fall Collection, Buttercup at Emo's music • Mice & Rifles CD Release, Texas Sapphires, Adam White (The Personals) at Stubb's music • Crawling with Kings, Ian Moore, Lossy Coils, Future Clouds in Radar at The Parish Room music • Papa......

MONDAY [11] film • Danielson: A Family Movie at Alamo Downtown (9:45pm, $2) film • Third Coast Night: Iraq in Fragments at Alamo Downtown (7pm) film • "City of Men" at Spiderhouse (8pm, Free) film • White at Rounders Pizzeria (8pm, Free) film • Nacho Libre at Café Mundi (8pm, Free) film • The Life Aquatic at Austin Java (9pm, Free) shopping/art/holidays • Blue Genie Art Bazaar at Blue Genie HQ (10am-10pm/Midnight) music •......

Josh Davis (aka DJ Shadow): began reinventing trip-hop while still in his teens, has amassed the largest collection of vinyl hip-hop in the universe, is buddies with Thom Yorke, and is coming to Austin this Sunday. Stubb's will host the genre-annihilating wunderkind in what is sure to be one of the more eclectic performances of the year. A master of production and musical collage, DJ Shadow has impressed his way into collaborations with the......

FRIDAY [25] food • Hatch Chile Festival at Central Market North Lamar (8am-9pm) shopping • Flipnotics Clothespad celebrates its 14th anniversary by hosting a big sidewalk sale, with $10 "Stuff a Bag" vintage threads for the ladies and 20% everything else (8am-9pm) books • Robin Meyers presents Why the Christian Right is Wrong: A Minister's Manifesto for Taking Back Your Faith, Your Flag, Your Future at BookPeople (7pm) music • Gorilla Biscuits, Terror, Comeback......

TUESDAY [22] music • Girl in a Coma, The Randies, Rainman Suite at Flamingo Cantina ($7, 8:30pm) ® music • Caroline Casey and Meshbanes at Hole in the Wall (10pm) ® music • Beerfest Week! Birthday bash with Jimmy Deveney Allstars, Heather Rae & the Moonshine Boys, Long Shadows at Beerland comedy • Howard Kremer with Skyler Stone at Cap City Comedy Club (Through 26th) film • Best of Blanks on a Blank Filmmaking......

AngryRobot was kind enough to point out that the SXSW Music roster has now grown to over 1,200 bands. We're no longer able to keep track of who's new and who's already been listed, but festival organizers will have notified all qualifying bands by sometime tomorrow. Check out our list after the expandotron, or for much prettier versions we invite you to surf over to AngryRobot's: SXSW 2006 Band List, Parsed v4.0 Meanwhile, stay......

South By Southwest released another round of additions to the roster of bands scheduled to perform at this year's music festival (March 15th-19th), bringing the current total to nearly 1150. Notable bands recently added as of January 29th include Morrissey, Camera Obscura, Captain, Boy Hits Car, Billy Bragg, Bedtime for Toys, Division of Laura Lee, and SF's Hudson Bell. The full roster appears after the jump, or you check out much prettier versions at......

The roster of bands scheduled to perform at this year's South by Southwest Music Festival has grown to over one thousand, with several hundred still unannounced. If you're not on this, don't fret -- just yet. SXSW coordinators are promising to contact all selected bands by February 7. Meanwhile: The housing market during the festival is looking rather healthy. SXSW is still looking for volunteers Registration rates are at their penultimate price points before......

SXSW.com released an updated lineup for this year's SXSW Music Festival earlier today, and it's one hell of a list. The SXSW committee hastens to note that "This is a partial list of performers confirmed to appear at the 2006 SXSW Music Festival. This list is current as of 1/13/06. All of this information is subject to change." International acts include: Masahiro Nitta, DMBQ, Ellegarden, Tsu Shi Ma Mi Re, PE'Z, The Emeralds (Japan)......

: : FRIDAY : : [film] New Movies @ Your Local Theaters! [music] Ethereal Planes Indian, 7pm @ End of an Ear - FREE! [music] Ghostland Observatory, The Veldt, Haunting Oboe Music and Low Line Caller @ Flamingo Cantina [music] Orange Mothers and The Damnations @ Continental Club [music] Glen Phillips, 8pm & 10:30pm @ Cactus CafeŽ - $16 [art] Reception for Sydney Yeager's "Billow & Fold," 6-8pm @ d berman Gallery [theatre] "Xmas......

M O N D A Y [5] music · MF Doom, Count Bass D, John Robinson at La Zona Rosa music · Saves the Day, Senses Fall, Emmanuel, Early November at Emo's film · "Shaun Of The Dead" spinoffs at The Drafthouse Downtown (7pm) [link] T U E S D A Y [6] music · Red Leaves at CRL Art Gallery film · AFS screens "The Singing Blacksmith" at The Drafthouse Downtown (7pm) [link]......

: : FRIDAY : : [music] Nic Armstrong and the Thieves & Ian Moore @ The Parish, 9:30pm [in-store] Happy Families @ End of an Ear, 6pm [comedy] The Sinus Show's "Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park" @ Alamo Drafthouse Downtown, 7pm & 9:45 also Saturday [theatre] The Vortex Repertory presents "La Femme: The BareBones New Works Festival," 8pm [comedy] The Austin Improv Co-op presents "The Womb of the Pagan" and "Hoover's Blanket"......

Did we forget anything? Let us know. M O N D A Y music · American Analog Set at Club DeVille. Free! Two sets, 8pm and 9:30pm [mp3: American Analog Set - New Equation (Live)] film · KOOP Radio's Monthly Movie Night screening of "Soy Cuba" at MonkeyWrench Books. Suggested donation of $5 8pm film · Martin Sheen narrates "James Dean: Forever Young", a documentary on the original hipster at the Drafthouse South Lamar. 7pm......