Mel Brooks strings together one liners the way that Pete Doherty strings together lines. And that's no joke. The famed writer and director from Brooklyn presents as a classic comedic triple threat: brash, brilliant and more than a little Jew-y. (Mel, it's good to be the king!) If you're a fan, you'll want to free up your Wednesday evenings for the next month or so, because Texas Hillel, located just off the UT campus, is......

Depressing storylines and bleak overtones mark Chris Garneau’s debut, Music For Tourists. Out now on Absolutely Kosher Records, the album wallows through pensive keys and gentle strings while keeping the volume down and the mood low. Garneau’s soft vocals appropriately garnish the hurt all along and should make for a perfect hump day reflection tonight at Emo’s Lounge. Psychedelic pop from All In The Golden Afternoon kicks off the show while The Places occupy......

THURSDAY NIGHT! It was one year ago (with some down-rounding) that we first started darkening the patio of Beauty Bar. Back then they didn’t have the credit card machine working just yet, but their cheap Lone Star & whiskey specials kept things kosher on the cash front. It’s been a pretty wild year for them ever since, what with the arrival of those blessed credit card machines (there’s no money quite like fake money)......

Hey Parents! Be sure to bring your little nuggets to Ruta Maya this Saturday afternoon for your monthly installation of Austin Rock N Romp. As you may already be aware, Rock N Romp creates a family friendly environment where hip parents can expose their children to the beauty of local live music while they themselves are able to enjoy the bands minus the ear-splitting amps or $100 babysitting bill. This month’s lineup includes fabulous......

As 2006 ends and 2007 begins, the -ists look back not at the past week, but at the past year. So here it is, your Best of 2006 Spectacular. And from all of us at the -ists, happy New Year! Austinist was all about controversy as new construction to increase urban density ran rampant in 2006, as did threats to the city's image from gigantic corporations looking to set up shop in town, leading......

Mixel Pixel Music For Plants (Kanine Records) Don't judge Mixel Pixel based on their hilariously bad website. Trudge through the mangled HTML and take a listen to "You're the Kind of Girl". A tit for tat dialogue between two disaffected hipsters, it could have easily been glib garbage, but instead, shambles about in hypnotic honesty, the negative image of Yo La Tengo's "Our Way To Fall". Sample back-and-forth: "I heard it all before/thought you......

From the “Get The Pork Out Of Here” Files, one of this weekend’s best culinary bets comes from the good people at Congregation Agudas Achim who are rolling out their 2nd Annual Kosher Chili Cookoff on the grounds of the Dell Jewish Community Center at 7300 Hart Lane this Sunday from 12:30-4pm. It’s too late to register to compete, but you can still show up and eat. Make reservations online, or call (512) 735-8400.......

Historic Black’s Barbecue in Lockhart has one damn fine chopped beef sandwich. Oilier than Samantha’s brother-in-law on Sixteen Candles, it’s one of the guiltiest modern pleasures available. White bread, red meat, brown sauce. This sandwich has no redeeming value other than the fact that it is unabashedly delicious. Every word in this paragraph is true: Torn Ranch Green Tea Chocolate is literally the best chocolate money can buy. It’s mellow and smooth like green......

Last-minute logistical considerations have forced us to move our private afterparty to a different space. Things are going as planned, but unfortunately we're not able to accomodate nearly as many people as we initially anticipated -- as such, we'll be sending out final announcements today and tomorrow to those who RSVPed. But don't lose hope if you're not on the final list! We'll have a very small set of extra spots saved for the first......