Austin woke up to the new year with tragic news. The murder of Esme Barrera has shaken every corner of this town, and that’s a testament to her character. She was a bright light in the scene, and a number of locals are looking to honor her memory in the best way possible: through music. Tonight at the Scoot Inn, Follow That Bird headlines a packed bill for a benefit show with all proceeds going to Barrera’s family. more ›

Ruta Maya used to be the hippy-iest of hippy coffee shops, reveling in its far South Austin zipcode by booking a bunch of reggae acts on a regular basis. Lately, it’s upped its venue cred by jumping onto the Casual Victim Pile dogpile, creating a real DIY space to go along with its couches, art displays, and comfortably caffeinated clientele. They’ll get an earful with tonight’s bill, headlined by local stalwarts Kingdom of Suicide Lovers. more ›

After much anticipation, hand wringing, rumors and truisms, the date has finally come for the three-night stand at Beerland celebrating the release of Matador’s Casual Victim Pile compilation. This trio of evenings will feature almost all of the bands on the comp performing live, save for just a few. more ›

Famous not only for his likeability but booking skills, Syed and co. have put together a formidable bill for this Saturday’s Annual Holiday Party at United States Art Authority. In this intimate venue will perform featured post-rockers Windsor for the Derby will post-rock out alongside local legends … And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, so come out and your ears could be ringing joyfully like sleigh bells come Sunday morning. Also slated are retro folk-rock darlings The Black, Voxtrot’s Jason Chronis leading his pop project JC and Co, International Waters, and Kingdom of Suicide Lovers. Yep, feels like Christmas. more ›

Happy birthday, Austinist photographer and notable Austinite Aasim Syed! No longer content with a round of birthday drinks or a nice dinner at Bagpipes, Mr. Syed is instead having his own mini-festival at the Mohawk this Saturday. more ›