From the outset, Iron & Wine was painted into a corner. Sam Beam adopted that moniker and released The Creek Drank The Cradle in 2002, an album that prompted a wholesale renewal of interest in creaky, bedroom folk. But hushed acoustic music can only take you so far; Beam became the leader of a sound that seemed like a passing niche at best. However, as the decade’s unfolded, Beam has built Iron & Wine into a fascinating musical unit, capable of traveling wherever his restless creativity takes him. more ›

C3 has announced the after shows for this year's ACL Festival and the lineups are looking pretty good! Delta Spirit, Gary Clark Jr., Old Crow Medicine Show, Twin Shadow and Cut Copy, Death from Above 1979, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., Bright Eyes, are all listed, as well as a rare live performance by Iron and Wine and Jim James. See the whole list with details here. more ›

• Editorial from the Austin American-Statesman urges leaving Town Lake open as an adoption facility, to help Austin meet the goal of becoming a “no kill” city.
• Yes, the Texas quasi-holiday following Martin Luther King Jr. Day day…is Confederate Heroes' Day. You can’t make this stuff up.
• One of the advantages of living in the grooviest state-capital in the country is the old training films made by state agencies back in the day. One of the films spotlighted here has beautiful 1950’s cars, while another has a performance from an actor who would go on to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

• Houston Jazz takes on NYC…
• Listen to Iron and Wine play their unreleased new album (via NPR).
• Comedian Patton Oswalt was in Austin. Here are the pictures to prove it!

Austin Bat Cave, a non-profit writing and tutoring center for kids, recently hosted a Writing About Music workshop led by Austinist music writers. Students wrote reviews of several songs and performed interviews, with some students posing as musicians. We're so proud of the budding rock journalists that we decided to share some of the work from these little geniuses. Enjoy! more ›

In the six years since Iron & Wine's lo-fi debut album The Creek Drank the Cradle, things have changed. Listeners have witnessed Iron & Wine transform from the recording name of songwriter Samuel Beam into a multi-piece rock band with electric guitar, xylophones, world percussion and violin accompaniment. more ›

One of our favorite post-rock acts here in town, My Education, have a new album called Bad Vibrations. Until our review, get a sampling over at NPR Music, where the band is featured on Second Stage. more ›

It's been a big year for local acts. Big name bands like Spoon, Iron & Wine and Okkervil River made a huge impact on the independent music scene world-wide, while up and coming acts like White Denim and Moth!Fight! captured our attention at the indie rock water cooler all year long. As rising hopes and swelling egos swept the town alongside buzz and bravado, we parted ways with bands like SOUND Team and Clap!Clap!. more ›