Let's begin our weekend preview with a curious gig at the Central Presbyterian Church tonight: Linen Closet, Lost River/Old River, and John Vinyard are all performing, starting at 8pm. We're talking about quiet, expansive music played in an intimate setting, and all for the suggested donation of $5. more ›

This Friday at 7pm, Shangri-La will ask Lamebook.com fans to donate a suggested measly $5, drink free beer, and rock out with Neiliyo and a Learning Secrets DJ set. more ›

Sleigh Bells, the Brooklyn noise pop duo of Derek Miller and Alexis Krauss, is bringing the distorted, over-amplified "Treats" back to Austin as the outside stage headliners of Learning Secrets & Guerilla Suit's Unofficial ACL Afterparty Experiment at Beauty Bar on Saturday night. Derek spoke with Austinist through email this past week and passed on insights as to how their music is created, produced and performed. more ›

We’ve been fans of Learning Secrets for quite a while now. Besides constantly hosting bumping residencies around town (currently every Friday at Red Fez), LS regularly brings in revered DJs and the like. This Thursday, at Republic Live, LS presents Erol Alkan, disc jockey, producer, musician, and all-around bad-ass purveyor of pulsating beats galore. Somewhat of a legend, at least in the U.K., Alkan was an integral part of the fabled Trash events in London, and has worked with acts such as The Long Blondes and Boyz Noize. He has also remixed material by a whole slew of luminaries including Franz Ferdinand, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Hot Chip, Justice, and Klaxons. A rather impressive resume, if you ask us. Don’t miss out on this inevitable dance party -- get your tickets here. And check out this hilarious promo video by the LS team. more ›

Diligently peddling wares from bands like Grupo Fantasma, Ume, and Ocote Soul Sounds during the daytime shift, local PR firm Learning Secrets continues to make a name for itself, all the while acquiring a healthy reputation. But the LS crew doesn’t stop at 5 p.m. They curate regular late night shindigs in town and are veritable purveyors of sweaty dance-floor mayhem. The event planners extraordinaire recently hosted quite a party to close out day one of the Austin City Limits Music Festival. A typically robust Voxtrot effort and some choice Loyauté Soundsystem selections had Beauty Bar bumping all night long and the tangible energy in the club definitely helped revive our tired legs. We’re pleased to hear that a pre-Fun Fest bash is currently being planned, especially since early reports cite a DJ set by Yeasayer inside plus performances by Best Fwends, Total Michael, and Josh Mills’ (Clap!Clap!) new project Missions in the Beauty Bar parking lot. more ›

When day one of the 2009 Austin City Limits Music Festival is done and dusted, wind down amidst the comforts of the Prototype Vintage Design furnished Beauty Bar. Yes, the sophisticated folks from the popular South Congress store are decking out the 7th St. hotspot on Friday night and it should make for a cozy and easy-on-the-eyes setting for you to share your Zilker Park stories. Your ears are probably going to be pleased as well -- Learning Secrets has assembled quite a line-up for this special evening. DJ sets from the LS duo of Ian Orth and Thomas-Austin and the not-so-secret crew known as Loyauté Soundsystem will follow performances by local bands Survive and Voxtrot. It should have you dancing your fatigue away well into Saturday’s a.m. hours. Check out LS’ video announcement here; RSVP here for $5 entry. more ›

Local event planning and PR entity Learning Secrets has secured Barcelona, located on Sixth Street between Brazos St. and San Jacinto Blvd., as the home for its latest residency series. The DJ crew at LS is still furnishing the beats regularly at Lanai but the plan is to bring in guest performers for the Barcelona events. The Wurst Music Co.’s My Cousin Roy was the featured artist when the new residency kicked off a couple of weeks ago. more ›

Local entity Learning Secrets’ hands sure are in a lot of pies. Besides doing PR for a number of bands like Grupo Fantasma and Ume and events ranging from Fun Fun Fun Fest to The DJ Melee, the head honchos, Ian Orth and Jeramy Neugent constantly DJ at choice venues around town. Of late, Learning Secrets has piloted the beats at the Blanton Museum of Art’s B scene at the beginning of this month, the Glass Candy show last weekend at The Mohawk, and of course, their own shindig at Beauty Bar in April. more ›

This is one of those weekends when Austinites are truly spoiled with choices in terms of picking that perfect show to attend -- keep checking the site for our previews of choice concerts in town -- there are a few additional events that the Austinist Weekend Music Preview just cannot ignore. more ›

Scion’s free-with-RSVP events have fast become a mainstay of Austin’s nightlife. A DJ set by The Juan MacLean (a.k.a. John MacLean) is the feature attraction at this Thursday’s shindig at Beauty Bar. MacLean was a founding member of Six Finger Satellite -- (future DFA Records co-founder) James Murphy joined the team in the late 90’s to produce the band’s Law of Ruins album. After the initial demise of Six Finger Satellite, MacLean took some time off for personal development. He was eventually coaxed back into music by Murphy; MacLean’s debut solo album Less Than Human arrived in 2005. (Last year, Six Finger Satellite announced plans to reunite, sans MacLean.) more ›

Learning Secrets has been keeping busy. Founder Ian Orth reported big plans for the entity when we caught up with him in April, Learning Secrets then teamed up with Transmission Entertainment to bring us Riton in July, and we are eagerly awaiting details on their massive five year anniversary celebration coming in January of 2009. more ›

Brothers Benjamin Curtis and Brandon Curtis, along with Josh Garza, formed The Secret Machines in Dallas at the turn of the century after stints in a few bands such as UFOFU and Captain Audio. The trio relocated to New York, but Benjamin Curtis left the band last year to pursue his School of Seven Bells project. more ›

When we caught up with Ian Orth in April, we discovered that he had big plans going forward for his Learning Secrets entity. True to his word, Orth and Learning Secrets deliver a blockbuster party this Saturday in conjunction with Transmission Entertainment at The Mohawk. Besides having a stint at the DJ booth himself this evening, Orth also welcomes fellow local DJ Abominatron to take a stab at the beats. But the ace up the sleeve is British DJ and producer Riton (pronounced Ree-ton) who has wrought dance parties all across the globe and collaborated with artists such as Erol Alkan and Soulwax. more ›

After celebrating its four year anniversary in January, the regular dance party in town known as Learning Secrets presents its latest edition this weekend. Originally started by DJ and promoter Ian Orth during his stint at the Rutgers’ college radio station 88.7 FM WRSU (where he booked acts such as Yeah Yeah Yeahs and The Rapture for events on campus), Learning Secrets has evolved from a weekly shindig at the Whisky Bar on 5th St. into a conglomeration of sorts. Orth is working to expand the party into an entity -- “The biggest change and step forward has been turning Learning Secrets into a boutique PR firm with my best friend Jeramy Neugent who recently moved back to Austin from L.A. where he was the tour publicist for everybody from Animal Collective to Marissa Nadler to Federico Aubele to Fela Kuti. Our platform is to work with the music we love and firmly believe can make some sort of positive cultural impact on our society, and get those bands the exposure they deserve.” more ›

FRIDAY: Mohawk: Cracker / Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit Club Deville: Robbers on High Street, Great Northern - FREE! Sponsored by The Onion/Sweet Leaf Tea Beauty Bar: DJ Tim Sweeney (DFA records), Learning Secrets, Farah SATURDAY: Red 7: The Paper Chase, Stinking Lizaveta, Death Is Not A Joyride Club Deville: Mates of State, Small Sins, Immaculate Machine Mohawk: Murder City Devils, Those Peabodys Beauty Bar: Bus Driver, Daedelus, Antimc (DJs Mel and Klassen)... more ›

Learning Secrets, the eclectic electro-family responsible for Thursday nights at Whisky Bar, will be tearing up the Beauty Bar tonight with Philly's dave p and Brooklyn's JDH, along with Austin's own Ian Orth. Indie remixes, 75 degree October nights, and open-minded dancefloor antics for only $3 at the door? That only happens in Austin, people. For real. [Learning Secrets Myspace] [JDH Myspace] [dave p Myspace] Death to Disco...This is Disco! Saturday, October 6th Beauty Bar... more ›

*The views expressed in The Laurie Show are those of the author and do not represent Austinist as a whole.* -ed. note Once again, I am plagued with the thought of: "Why is everything happening this weekend?! WHY, I ask you?!" Literally, it's packed with such a wide variety of live musical entertainment that your brain will explode. It can be a good dilemma to have, though. I'll try to summarize as best I... more ›

Thursday, June 28 artOpening Reception for Whitney Lee: Power Craft at Women and Their Work, 1710 Lavaca Street (6-8pm) artOpen House Work Viewing at Atelier 3-D, 2209 Pasadena Drive (4-10pm) artArtistic License: Josefina Guilisasti at The Blanton Museum of Art, MLK at Congress Ave (Free, 6-8pm) booksAmanda Eyre Ward presents Forgive Me at BookPeople (7:00pm) comedyPat Dixon with Brendon Walsh at Cap City Comedy Club comedyParallelogramophonograph with special guests Look Cookie at ColdTowne Theater (8pm)... more ›

WEDNESDAY [30] booze • "Sir Chris" and "Lord Gates" from Car Stereo Wars and Learning Secrets guest bartend at The Mohawk (5-8pm) music • Locals @ La Zona Showcase Two wih AM Syndicate, The Drawing Board, Jets Under Fire at La Zona Rosa music • Hawnay Troof, Best Fwends, The Carrots at Emo's music • Pompeii, Ryan Lindsey, Gazelles, The Heirs at Emo's music • Tribute to Sublime with Badfish, Indofin, Under the Gun at... more ›

THURSDAY [17] theatre • Rubber Repertory presents A Thought in Three Parts at The Vortex (8pm) art • Opening Reception: Denise Prince Martin: Things I Never Told You at Women and Their Work, 1710 Lavaca Street (6-8pm, the artist will discuss her work at 6:30pm) art • Downtown Art Night at Participating Galleries (6-9pm) art • Artist Talk: Ann Connor at Flatbed Press, 2830 E. MLK (6pm) art • Art Fix: Printmaking at The... more ›

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... more ›

THURSDAY [12] music • The Carrots, The Interest Kills (LAST SHOW) at The Mohawk music • ME TV's monthly Austin Music Foundation benefit series, "Emerging Artists," with The Dedringers, Nakia and His at Antone's (8pm, $5) music • Alex Dupree and the Trapdoor Band, Jeff Klein, The Normans at Emo's music • Twilight Broadcast CD Release Show with Loss Rayne, Goldcure at Stubb's music • DJ Omari's Soul Party, with the Rock and Roll... more ›

THURSDAY [29] theatre •Yellow Tape Construction Company presents I Am Not Tartuffe at play! Theatre (8pm) theatre •The City Theatre Company presents The Boys Next Door at The City Theatre (8pm) theatre •Ohio Trip, a "slide show adventure" by Elizabeth Cobbe at Women & Their Work Gallery (7:30pm) theatre •The Vortex presents Hamlet at The Vortex (8pm) theatre •Hyde Park Theatre presents Zell Miller III's My Child, My Child, My Alien Child at Hyde... more ›

THURSDAY [1] party • Learning Secrets hosts Optimo's JD Twitch (Glasgow, UK) at Whisky Bar (10pm-2am, $5) art • Public Tour: The Geometry of Hope: Montevideo in the 1930s at The Blanton (7:00 - 8:00 PM) art • Curator's Tour: The Geometry of Hope at The Blanton (12:30-1pm) art • Texas Biennial Opening Reception at Dougherty Arts Center (7-10pm) art • Art Fix: Enjoy an introduction to Latin American wines with Seth Pollard, Central... more ›

Last week's Chronicle has an excellent article by Marc Savlov about a handful of local DJs that we've long adored: the kids of Car Stereo (Wars) and Learning Secrets, plus Prince Klassen, DJ Mel, and KidIndie. What's going on with the Austin DJ and club scene that, seemingly overnight, it's transformed into something akin to the Please Kill Me-era East Village NYC art-punk scene of three decades past? Reinvention, that's what. ["Planet Funk Meets Planet... more ›

The first-ever Fun Fun Fun Fest is this Friday, December 1st, at Waterloo Park. Over two dozen great acts are on the bill, including Spoon, Peaches, The Black Angels, Prefuse 73, and DJ Mel. Tickets are now $25, and can be purchased at the gate. Learning Secrets perform in the Dance Party Tent at 4:30pm. -- The Editors Bonus: Download Ian's new winter mix, featuring Sebastian, The Rapture, Jurgen Paape, James Figurine and more. [mp3]... more ›

Those of you too scared to brave the lines at the Onion launch party at Emo's or too broke to make the Dave Brubeck show at the Paramount would do well to consider heading over to Whisky Bar tonight for Learning Secrets' weekly residency. Whitey, who'll be playing at Fun Fun Fun Fest tomorrow, had his Fort Worth show cancelled at the last minute. Instead, he'll be spinning with Houston's Ceeplus and the House of... more ›

Note: Today's the last day of our two week long ticket giveaway, and the festival's nearly a week away! This winter, Alamo Drafthouse and some of the folks at Emo's are teaming up to throw an enormous single-day music festival at Waterloo Park. Sponsored by yours truly, METV, 101x, The Onion, AT&T, Mickey's, and Waterloo Records, the FunFunFun Fest features three stages of nonstop indie rock, punk, and electronic bands, including several bigger acts... more ›

This winter, Alamo Drafthouse and some of the folks at Emo's are teaming up to throw an enormous single-day music festival at Waterloo Park. Sponsored by yours truly, METV, 101x, The Onion, AT&T, Mickey's, and Waterloo Records, the FunFunFun Fest features three stages of nonstop indie rock, punk, and electronic bands, including several bigger acts like Peaches, Spoon, Prefuse 73 and Circle Jerks. From November 8 to November 22, we're giving away a pair... more ›

This winter, Alamo Drafthouse and some of the folks at Emo's are teaming up to throw an enormous single-day music festival at Waterloo Park. Sponsored by yours truly, METV, 101x, The Onion, AT&T, Mickey's, and Waterloo Records, the FunFunFun Fest features three stages of nonstop indie rock, punk, and electronic bands, including several bigger acts like Peaches, Spoon, Prefuse 73 and Circle Jerks. From November 8 to November 22, we're giving away a pair... more ›