Given how nebulous the music world has become, it’s no wonder Matador Records honcho Gerard Cosloy attempted to provide a snapshot of the Red River scene before it got gobbled up by high-rises and noise ordinances. 2010 saw the release of Casual Victim Pile, a mixtape of notable noisy acts that practically live in those downtown bars. Besides inspiring a sequel, the CVP alums continue to make waves, and they’re celebrating Sunday night at Beerland with a show for Mr. Cosloy himself—packaged together as a hybrid Christmas/birthday bash for the label head, and it’s also a nice gift for the rest of us. more ›

Who and what: Sophomore Lounge records pointed us in the direction of a single they're putting out on July 25th featuring Austinite John Wesley Coleman III and the late Gary Stewart, whose song here, "Ramona," is taken from his 1988 album Brand New. Coleman's b-side is a reinterpretation of "Ramona" he recorded with Vinnie Kircher that they called "Oh Woman." more ›

If there’s a leader in our city’s chaotic Red River garage-punk scene, John Wesley Coleman would be your man. When he’s not fronting the Golden Boys, Coleman records and plays as a solo act, writes poetry and books, paints, does stand-up, and generally revels in the seedy side of society. He’s a high-wire powder keg of entertainment, and the perfect ambassador to this city’s darker cultural underbelly. You can catch him tonight at the Spiderhouse Ballroom (formerly U.S. Art Authority) as part of their weekly "Top of the Pops" concert series. more ›

A healthy dose of attitude is rolling through town, as a pair of onetime blog darlings crawl out of their respective garages to take the stage. Tonight at Emo’s, the Black Lips and the Vivian Girls bring the sneers, albeit in highly different ways. more ›

Don’t be fooled by their name, Those Darlins are a fierce four-piece: three rough-and-tumble ladies and one (lucky?) gent. Jessi (guitar), Kelley (bass) and Nikki (baritone ukulele), formed the group in 2006 after meeting at the Southern Girls Rock and Roll Camp in Tennessee, which Kelley founded. The three assumed "Darlin" as their surnames and have since been channeling outlaw stories that conjure comparisons to Wanda Jackson and The Carter Family, with a bit more edge. To fill out their production, Linwood Regensburg joins the ladies on drums. Together their jangly, whiskey-soaked waltzes chronicle straight-forward stories influenced by Appalachian country music. Songs like "Wild One," and “Snaggle Tooth Mama,” reflect their booze-fueled, hard-headed disposition. more ›

Bad Sports made a name for themselves as one of only two Denton based bands on the otherwise Austin-only garage rock compilation Casual Victim Pile. Their track "Can't Remember Your Name" from said compilation is a catchy and succinct bit of early Who-style anthemic rock. more ›

With each passing day it becomes ever more doubtful that Rolling Stone magazine will pay anyone - let alone me - to fly around the country to tag along with and write about a mediocre rock band while they traverse house parties willy-nilly and take acid. But that's okay. It means less paying gigs, but also fewer glossy, in-depth profiles of hacks like Lenny Kravitz or accounts of visiting the needle exchange with Staind. What you'll get here is a more down to earth account of five bands en route to Denton and Dallas. Hopefully the quality of these groups will offset the lack of rock and roll excess contained in the following account. more ›

Our new East Austin arthouse/bookstore neighbor, Domy Books, is linking up with Monofonus Press for an evening of the visual and written arts. As you may or may not know, Monofonus is a new-ish multimedia imprint with the big goal of pairing new writing, music and the visual arts into some pretty neat packages. Past releases in their “If” series have included the writing and music of Monofonus co-founder Morgan Coy and his band Over the Hill, and future projects will include releases by Diagonals, The Pillow Queens, and other music, visual art, fiction and more. more ›

FRIDAY [15] juneteenth/parade • Alvin Patterson Battle of the Bands and Drumline Competition at Congress Avenue (2pm) books • Lama Surya Das presents Buddha is as Buddha Does at BookPeople (7:00pm) comedy • Billy D Washington with Doug Mellard at Cap City Comedy Club comedy • Punchline, open mic stand up comedy at ColdTowne Theater (10pm) dance • Constellation, a site-specific dance work from Sally Jacques at Pickle & Thornberry Federal Courthouses (9pm) dance... more ›

You’ve got to possess a certain amount of bravado or at least a total lack of giving a shit about current trends to bust out the white denim and strut down the street, or Mohawk Friday night. And that’s exactly how the band must feel about their music, taking long strides with their heads held high. Because White Denim has created something that is uniquely alarming in all its post-whatever, garage-ish experimentation. My comrades... more ›

TUESDAY [6] film • AFS Essential: Last Life in the Universe at Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar books • The Utter Reading Series presents Irwin Tang (How I Became a Black Man) and Abraham Burickson at BookPeople (7:00pm) art • Show & Tell : A digital slide jam featuring Justin Goldwater, Andrew Long, Deborah Roberts and Michael Sieben at Women and Their Work (7-9pm) books • Well-Read Women Book Club discusses Becoming Myself by Willa... more ›