After the break-up of influential alt-country act Uncle Tupelo, Jay Farrar and Mike Heidorn formed Son Volt in 1994. Their debut record Trace was released in 1995 and featured the radio hit "Drown". After putting out two more albums in the late-'90s, the band faded away somewhat; Farrar worked on solo material for a few years before rejuvenating the Son Volt moniker with new members in 2005. This new look outfit dropped The Search in 2007 on Legacy Records while they also found time to cover The Beatles’ “Hello Goodbye” last July for a commercial on ESPN advertising David Beckham’s addition to the MLS roster. To some Son Volt will always play second fiddle to Wilco, a bit like Spectrum did to Spiritualized, or Kelly Rowland to Beyoncé even. However, Jay Farrar more than holds his own with his work; his lyricism is astute and his John Fogerty-esque vocals are a perfect fit for the band’s classic Americana concoctions....

This is what SXSW free day parties are all about. Twelve bands, two venues, and short sets so that you can see as much as you can stomach. Forcefield and Terrorbird are having their blow-out at Emo’s and Emo’s Jr. on the first day of SXSW, kicking things off with quite a bang. ...

In case you're still curious about where to vote on Tuesday, we've reprinted the official list from the Travis County Clerk web site as of Monday evening. For up-to-date information, you might want to double-check the Office of the Registrar's database To find out which precint you're in, use their handy Voter Verification form. From the Elections Divison: Registered voters can vote with a voter registration card, driver’s license or any official photo ID,......

Abel Morin, Jr. was convicted of raping a woman and her daughter (his neighbors) in 2006. A week ago today, he was in the midst of being transferred from Duval County to Jim Hogg County Jail when he came upon the unlocked door. He went on to hot-wire a U-Haul truck and used it to flee to San Diego (Texas) where his family lives; investigators found the truck near a creek in the town this weekend....

Tonight's massive Super Tuesday election returns should make for some top notch TV watching, but there's no reason why you should spend the evening yelling at political pundits by yourself. Whether you're a hardcore democrat or republican, plenty of your like-minded brethren are getting together around town to watch the returns and collectively celebrate (or commiserate). Besides the formal meetup spots, you'll probably stand a decent chance of catching some prime time coverage at Brown Bar and the Cloak Room....

On April 4, 1968, America's greatest civil rights leader was shot dead in Memphis, Tennessee. The following evening, one man bridged the gap between societal injustice and misery, just by being one of the world's most inspiring performer. ...

Image from MySpace Dinosaur Jr, Awesome Color, Grand ChampeenFriday December 7Emos (603 Red River St)Doors at 9, programme at 10[info] | [tickets]There are three kinds of Dinosaur Jr fan: the 80s scenesters with a Deep Wound cassette and fond memories of J Mascis & Co doing sloppy Peter Frampton covers at the Elks Lodge; children of the '90s who thought "Feel The Pain" was probably a Foo Fighters song; and kids who read Pitchfork often......

Lucero played to a packed and rowdy crowd at Emo's Wednesday night. Bobby Bare, Jr. and Whiskey & Co. opened up. Photos courtesy Keith Gaddis......

Emo’s presents a southern style country-rock bonanza tonight. The wonderfully named Whiskey & Co. kick things off at 10 p.m. with authentic country sounds and impressive song titles such as “Nightlife” and “Happy Hour”, streaming readily on their MySpace page. When we last spoke with one of Nashville’s favorite sons, Bobby Bare Jr., we learnt of the upcoming Bare Jr. reunion in November, as well as Bobby’s desire to possibly incorporate the banjo in his......

Last night, Austin Circle of Theaters ushered in a whole new batch of B. Iden Payne Award winners. The event took place on the lovely St. Ed's campus; MMNT artistic director Ev Lunning Jr. hosted, along with members of the Actor's Equity association. Local heroine Karen Kuykendall was this year's Outstanding Honoree; Austin Chronicle Arts Editor Robert Faires presented her award. It was an elegant and exciting evening, to be sure! We weren't shocked by......

Austin Police need your help in finding a teenager believed to have murdered a Southeast Austin man last Sunday. Edward Nicholas Tovar Jr., 17, stands 5'4" tall and weighs approximately 120 pounds. He goes by "Eddie" or "Chup," and sports a "Southside 44" tattoo on his neck. Anyone with helpful information should call (512) 477-3588.......

Old Pecan Street Festival, UT home game, Silicon Labs Marathon Relay, and Alzheimer’s Memory Walk are all in the downtown area this weekend. Watch for street closures! Sheryl Cole's Safe Surrender program will allow people with outstanding warrants to turn themselves in at area churches. APD is supporting Jennifer Kim's anti-panhandling ordinance; a public hearing on the ordinance is set for October 18. The US Supreme Court stopped the execution of Carlton Turner Jr., who......

So the 2007 Austin City Limits Music Festival has come and gone but you still haven’t had enough music. Thankfully, the 2007 Wall Of Sound Festival is just around the corner. Besides catching headliners such as Explosions In The Sky, Midlake, and Ghostland Observatory, be sure to check out Spectrum. The brainchild of Spacemen 3’s Sonic Boom (a.k.a. Peter Kember), the act will be performing new songs while Spacemen 3 era tracks are also promised.......

Once in a while, we like to take some time to introduce you to bands -- both local otherwise -- that we think you'd enjoy. Le Diamont Brut aims to showcase those MySpace gems we hope to see shine. Recommend your local suggestions by emailing music@austinist.com. THE UNFORTUNATE HEADS What’s the Deal: The Austin indie folk fivesome has just released their sophomore disc, Come Be Light. Featuring multi-instrumentation by the likes of banjo, keyboards, upright......

Researchers at the University of Texas have found that umpires are more likely to call strikes for pitchers of the same race or ethnicity, according to an article at LiveScience. The study analyzed every pitch from the 2004 through 2006 major league baseball seasons in an effort to determine whether racial discrimination figured into an umpire's decision to call a strike or a ball. “Umpires judge the performance of players every game, deciding whether......

And you thought you couldn't look any stupider on a tandem bike? It now costs two cents to make one cent. Does that make sense? A man upset with his property tax hike pays his $12,000 bill in change. Fox News is accused of altering Wikipedia articles. Raising a baby until the age of 17 will cost you $290,000 if you make around $75,000 a year. $198,000 if you make $45,000 a year. A......

Okay, as much as we love Beverly Hills Cop (and Family Guy), we've actually got a more important topic to cover here. The Austin Film Festival is continuing its popular Conversations in Film series this Sunday, August 5th, with a special session on Story and Structure: What to Think About Before You Write the Script. Leading this conversation is none other than Dan Petrie, Jr., who's worked on such top films as Turner and Hooch,......

The 81-year-old Austin Athletic Club is set to be demolished to make way for a skate park Dennis Wayne Harvey Jr., a carjacker who shot a woman in the chest last November while attempting to steal her car and subsequently forced another woman to drive him to Downtown Austin, was given a life sentence [Edited -- see comments] A toddler in Kyle was killed after being accidentally run over by his mother Austin's quirkiest......

Between claiming that we need more highways no matter how we pay for them and promoting Smithville as an affordable alternative to living in Austin (commute to Austin, Houston or San Antonio!), it was easy to miss the Statesman's publication of a new rant by developer Ed Wendler, Jr., in which Wendler points out that downtown condos are expensive and says that "Austin should abandon the idea that it is encouraging downtown living to......

Austinist co-sponsors an awesome boat party out on Lake Travis, with bands, DJs, swimming, and more. Tickets are still available, but get yours now before they sell out! Gallery Lombardi's latest ocean-themed exhibition, entitled "Radical Nautical," opens with a full evening of music, videos, and more Forklift Danceworks debuts their "revised and expanded" performance of their Elvis-inspired dance production, The King and I Austin Film Festival brings in veteran screenwriter Dan Petrie Jr. ("Beverly......

It must be the week of a major holiday, because there won't be a lot of new beautiful stuff on the walls at Waterloo or End of an Ear this week. If you're anxious for Kelly Rowlands' latest (Ms. Kelly), you're breathing a big sigh of relief right now, but H-town is about as close to home as it gets July 3 (please correct us if we're wrong). The new Madlib effort, Yesterday's New......

Despite the sprawl-loving Statesman's spin attempt, it is clear that the majority of Austin neighborhoods are embracing VMU zoning. Out of eighty neighborhoods given the choice to opt-out, forty-six did nothing, which apparently means the VMU zoning will be implemented as suggested by the city. Seven neighborhoods responded, but did not opt-out for any properties. It isn't clear whether they opted-in for additional properties, or just submitted applications saying that they agreed with the city's......

Thursday, June 21 comedy Christian Finnegan at Cap City Comedy Club music Emo’s 15th Anniversary Week with De La Soul, Word Association, Just Born, DJ Notion at Emo’s music Buddy Guy, The Greyhounds at Stubb’s music US Air Guitar Championships at The Parish Room music The Score at Beerland music Discovery School Fundraiser w/Gary Clark Jr., Johnny Moeller, Mike Barfield, Ephraim Owens & more at Continental Club music Doc Watson, Jack Lawrence, Richard Watson......

Albert Hammond Jr., that mop-topped guitar-wielding cuddlebear from the late, lamented NYC band The Strokes--wait, nevermind they're still around. But Al Hammond is still one of the only players to come out of the New York scene who evinces any prowess at his instrument, let alone cuts loose with razor-honed licks if and whenever he pleases. His three-piece band will play songs from his new Yours To Keep album Sunday at The Parish Room......

Texas state troopers at the Department of Public Safety (DPS) proudly announced yesterday that they managed to seize a record number of drugs in 2006. All told, an estimated $335.9 million worth of drugs were confiscated during routine traffic stops. Most of the loot, as you can see in the slideshow above, was as cleverly hidden as possible, often stashed in tar machines, wrapped around tires, or stored in the axles of pickup trucks.......

This is only the beginning of Wal-Mart's evil-ness. The real issue in the United States: lack of willpower. Where are those cookies? "Cult" might be a strong word for it, but... We believe it. Have you ever tried to feed the ducks at Town Lake? Ken Griffey, Jr. supports his fans, too...with a special kind of support... This article lists Dallas as one of the most courteous driving cities. Dallas. We now realize you......

THURSDAY [10] music • Learning Secrets with Ramesh (Voxtrot), Ben Craven + Co at Whisky Bar music • Rock of Ages Cover Show with Preserve the Sound (50s), Consider the Source (60s), Seaflea (70s), Promisebreakers (80s), Say Hello to the Angels (90s) at Emo's music • The Postmarks, Shuttle Debris, Raleign at Stubb's music • Future Clouds & Radar at Waterloo Records (5pm, Free) music • Moonhangers, Love Gone Cold, Salvia Family Band, Shot Gun......

You may not know this, but here at the Austinist theatre desk, we work our little fingers to the bone every weekend looking up all the fabulous theatre our fair city has to offer, compiling it into a list, and forwarding it to Austinist's esteemed editor for compilation into the Ist Lists. Sometimes our work is kinda cinchy...say, 15 lines or so. But other times it's a beast. Take this week, for example. This week......

Don't worry. You haven't lost your mind, and Austinist's famously solid and predictable servers haven't gone on the blink. Things are just a little wonky in the Austin theatre scene right now. All these fests -- which are wonderful, mind you -- are wreaking havoc with show schedules. Some productions are playing first at one fest, then at another...first at one location, then somewhere else just down the block.... It's enough to make a......

In response to yesterday's killings on the campus of Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, Virginia, The Univeristy of Texas will darken its tower starting tonight through Thursday, April 19. All flags on campus will also be lowered to half-staff through Sunday, April 22. In addition, UT Student Government is currently planning a candle-light vigil to take place on Monday, April 23. Although the time is yet to be determined, plan on it starting sometime......