Dallas native Ben Kweller is an interesting tangle of contradictions. He's 26, but his first major label album was released a decade ago. Kweller is an indie rock star, but lives in a Brooklyn brownstone with his longtime wife and young son. And his music is accessible and catchy, yet it hasn't quite found the large audience it deserves. Kweller returns to the Austin City Limits Festival for two shows this weekend to bounce......

Ola Podrida (Plug Research) David Wingo splits his time between Brooklyn and Austin composing the soundtrack to the Polaroid taking, scarf wearing community of slow-moving coffee sippers and film lovers. Literally. His work with director David Gordan Green (All the Real Girls, Snow Angels) has provided him with an outlet for his soft and subtle odes, but his new project under the name Ola Podrida offers a bit of a broader spectrum, at least......

Broadway casting group Telsey + Company (Wicked, Hairspray, Rent is looking for hot new male talent--aren't we all?--for an upcoming production entitled Cry Baby. Based on John Water's campy 1990 flick starring Johnny Depp, Ricki Lake, Iggy Pop, and Stephen Baldwin, Cry Baby told the classic tale of a gentle street thug who falls in love with a totally square chick, but then some bad stuff happens along the way that we can't remember.......

THE STOOGES - THE WEIRDNESS Within the first twenty seconds of The Weirdness, the first Stooges album in nearly 40 years, Iggy Pop sneers "rock critics wouldn't like this at all"; but the sentiment deserves to be far more generous than that. The first proper recording (following two quickie live albums) by every punk's favorite reunited oldies act, The Weirdness sounds less like the group's early-70s classics than it does the wet thwok of a......

Montreal's Besnard Lakes are not your typical Canadian outfit. When you think of an outfit fronted by a husband and wife duo, you probably think of sugary slop soaked with trite lyrics and knowing glances, but don't make that mistake when it comes to The Besnard Lakes Are the Dark Horse, the band's latest effort. Roy Orbison and Brian Wilson spring to mind as masters of falsetto harmony, and that comparison is legit, but......

This was not a very happy week for the -ist network as one of our own, Phillyist co-editor Star C. Foster, passed away early in the week. Her wit, intelligence, and good nature shone through the site, making Phillyist an immensely fun read. She was loved by many and will be missed by all. Phillyist paid tribute to her this week with a heartfelt letter to her and an obituary. And now, the awkward......

Jagshemash! Borat is a hit. It's getting rave reviews, grossing millions, and definitely the most quotable thing we've seen in ages. But Borat seems to have missed most of the -ist cities, and we were all wondering how the film would have been different if he'd made his way around the world on the -ist tour. In Shanghai, Borat would be observing Inane Learnings of Penis Photos for Make Benefit Glorious Flat World of......

Minty Fresh has given us such pop goodness as The Cardigans and Papas Fritas, and now we are looking to the future with Klee and The Prototypes. There's a lot to look foward to for Minty Fresh devotees, including a new Bettie Serveert release called Bare Stripped Naked, recent signees Suburban Kids With Biblical Names are working on a new album and preparing a tour, and Husky Rescue are touring, so catch their set......

There was a time, in the days before gentle, melodic, feeling-laden indie music, that rock n’ roll was all about being loud, ugly, and only a little bit talented. You remember: Iggy Pop didn’t have to be sensitive or good looking to pick up women, he just had to spit and snarl. Johnny Rotten didn’t even need the women; he just spit and snarled for the hell of it. And while there are surely those......

MONDAY [6] karaoke » Karaoke at Beerland (link) music » The Lay-Moes and Loy Bones at The Parlor (Free, 9pm) (myspace) film/comedy » Soul Cinema Mondays screens "Richard Pryor Live in Concert," the comedian at his finest. At the Drafthouse Downtown ($1, 7pm) (link) music/film » One of the most exhaustive music documentaries ever, "New York Dolls," the story of Arthur "Killer" Kane" reuniting with the legendary band, features interviews with Morrissey, Iggy Pop, Mick......

**Well, well...thanks for the head's up Jooley. Apparently KUT is carrying Iggy Pop and Tim Curry. But we are listening to "today's" Fresh Air on their website. Quite confusing indeed. This is a first. (The discrepancy of the programming, not us being wrong)** In case you have been buried underneath a sound-proofed rock and had not heard, today is the final day of the KUT fall pledge drive, so call in or go online......