Sick pleasure alert! Those goony GOPers are at it again, and Austinist is in the thick of it with a enough snark to choke…well…an elephant. This time around, we're camped out on the back patio at The Dog and Duck Pub, so if you wanna come out and pound a few pints, we'd be happy to see ya.
The fun starts at 6:30PM. If you make it out to the D'n'D, just look for our laptops and hunker down. The secret password is "GINGRICH/PAUL 2012!!!"
more ›

Sick pleasure alert! Those goony GOPers are at it again, and Austinist is in the thick of it with a enough snark to choke…well…an elephant. This time around, we're camped out on the back patio at The Dog and Duck Pub, so if you wanna come out and pound a few pints, we'd be happy to see ya. The fun starts at 6:30PM. If you make it out to the D'n'D, just look for our laptops and hunker down. The secret password is "GINGRICH/PAUL 2012!!!" more ›

Calloo, callay - another primary debate. We're live blogging these televised gifts that keep on giving tonight from an undisclosed location. Tonight, the bullpucky is hitting the fan at Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina where the eight GOP candidates will be orally sparring over foreign policy. So, yeah-Jon Hunstman aside-this oughtta be awesome. Let's get to it. more ›

The discordant, bare, but still surprisingly melodic self-title album from Anika is what you'd call an experience - the odd parts pull you in, and the melodies hold you close. more ›

Howdy y'all! Katie Friel and Elizabeth Nowrouz are joining me at Scholz Beer Garden to dork out on the Republican debate. After a few technical issues, we're up and running just as the candidates are starting… more ›

Within indie rock's current landscape, San Francisco psych-magpies Sleepy Sun are an anomaly. more ›

Just before Wild Beasts played "The Devil's Crayon," the sole song in their set from debut album Limbo, Panto, front man Hayden Thorpe introduced the song by saying, "This song brings us back to our younger selves." This sentiment, expressed only a mere three years after Limbo, Panto's release, serves as a testament to how much Wild Beasts have grown as a band. more ›

It's freaking insane to think that Aqua Teen Hunger Force has been rotting our brains for almost a decade, delighting us with a reliable array of nonsense, random-ass characters, and jokes that only the initiated (or high as hell) would understand. The show predates Adult Swim itself, and, really, we're not sure what exactly a live version would entail, but we do know the two dudes heading up the performance are Dana Snyder, who is responsible for the incessantly self-centered and generally dickheaded Master Shake, and Dave Willis, who voices the innocent and oft-tortured Meatwad, as well as everyone's favorite animated New Jersey-ite, Giants fan, and possessor of exceptional shoulder hair, Carl Brutananadilewski. Snyder and Willis also have their hands in another inexplicably confounding Adult Swim show, Squidbillies, with Willis doing the writing and Snyder voicing the Grandma squid. Thinking too hard about the phrase "voicing the Grandma squid" probably will get you close to understanding the type of surreal, whacked out stuff that's sure to show up at the Paramount this Saturday. more ›

To be sure, there is a plethora of useful information that you can find on the world wide web, but that is not what the insane minds at Everything is Terrible are interested in. Every day, after combing through the catacombs of the VHS bins, infomercial archives and whatever other bizarre video clips that they can get their hands on, they post an original piece that they have hand-selected for your lame-brained enjoyment. And now, for en encore performance, they are bringing their road show back to the Alamo Drafthouse for two nights only. more ›

n a top 40 world, Austin is a proudly NPR town, so tonight should be a special treat for many of us who enjoy the popular radio show “This American Life.” Tonight only you can catch a live HD simulcast of the show at movie theaters around town. Glass will be there hosting the show, and contributors will include regulars like Starlee Kine, sex columnist Dan Savage, and the hilarious Mike Birbiglia, among others. more ›

Listening to a live disc is often like hearing a football game on the radio. It’s really just a tease. You can hear the sounds and reactions and at times hear the enthusiasm of the crowd, but you can never get the full effect. more ›

It's no secret that we in Austinist really crush on Balmorhea. Perhaps it's our gloriously out-of-the closet predilection for hooky, pop-sensible instrumental music. Perhaps it's the great art direction and atmosphere they conjure. Hell, perhaps it's the wonderful folks in the saddle. more ›

Future Clouds and Radar are so into it. It's not difficult to tell when a band is phoning it in, but with these guys there's never any danger. They're filled with the incredible shining power of music, and they're looking for mountaintops to shout it off of. As such, their albums reflect this. more ›

You should be able to follow your nose to the Brightblack Morning Light show this evening at Mohawk. Although it is - of course - illegal to smoke weed in public, we can guarantee you that more than a handful of beans will be baked. BML's music, like so many of their predecessors' tunes, really does lend itself to the consumption of drugs. T more ›

When Z-Trip released Uneasy Listening along with DJ P in 1999, a “blend” was still very much Stephanie Mills over “Impeach The President” - that is to say: DJs mixed acapellas and beats from rap, r+b, soul, and funk records at will. It was, and still is, a defining trait of a great hip-hop DJ. What Z-Trip brought to the table, though, was Pharcyde’s “Passin’ Me By” over Pat Benatar's “Love is a Battlefield.” more ›

Canada, the Austin of North America, let loose its reigning metaphorical exporters at the Mohawk last night for a solid crowd enjoying an unusually crisp September night outdoors. They got everyone hot and bothered, opening with a new song called "Black Swan," as the vocals soared above 17 layers of sound, pleasing fans of a band whose lyrics demand audibility. more ›

If we read one more article about how My Education sounds a bit like a certain currently famous Austin instrumental four piece but-seriously-they're-really-good-too we're going to throw up in our mouths. They don't. Yes, you are correct in assessing that they both play music that lacks vocals - which are simply another instrument, not the defining taxonomic characteristic by which we categorize bands - but they are distinct entities making distinct music. more ›

Ladytron, touring behind their latest album Velocifero, brought a slightly new lineup to Stubb's on Friday night. The backing band may have changed a bit but they delivered the solid electronica-infused rock that has made them a critical darling. Datarock opened with a sweaty set of friendly Norwegian dance rock. more ›

Clinic, wrapped in their customary cloak of anonymity, play to the crowd at Emo's on Friday night. Their set was prefaced by an a capella rendition of "You'll Never Walk Alone," performed by recent tourmate, Jonathan Meiburg of Shearwater. As for the proper set, it was a doozy, starting with Do It! (their latest), and then a short break before a mind-blowing "Archive Set" including popular favorites from Winchester Cathedral, Visitations and more. more ›

Tonight at the City Council Chambers, Austin's Live Music Task Force will meet to discuss sound issues -- and you're invited. more ›

Colin Meloy stopped by La Zona Rosa on Monday night to play some intimate acoustic jams as part of his solo tour. Despite a head cold the Decemberist's lead singer/songwriter played a full set from both the band's catalog and his own, with a few covers (including Sam Cook) thrown in for good measure. Sipping on a glass of Cabernet (probably not the best thing for a cold) Meloy bantered cheerfully with the crowd, who supported him with sympathetic "awwwws" on cue and when he had to stop a couple of the songs due to fits of coughing or lyrical amnesia (its a good thing so many of his fans know the songs by heart, saving the final "Mariner's Revenge" with their sing-a-long). All in all the night proved that a supportive fan base can rescue a ship (or show) on the rocks and help a favorite artist deliver on the promise of the ticket price: a good time and a good show. more ›

What Made Milwaukee Famous played at Emo's on Friday night to celebrate their CD release. Black Before Red, Loxsly and Lemurs opened the show. more ›

Justice made a pre SXSW stop at Stubb's on a freezing cold Monday night, playing tracks off their bass resistant, a-typical French house album "†" to a sold out crowd intent on keeping warm by living the dream: D.A.N.C.E. more ›

Photos courtesy Nash Cook. more ›

Psychedelic music came of age in Austin in the 60’s thanks in large to The 13th Floor Elevators and the emergence of The Vulcan Gas Company as a community and a venue to support the genre. (Check out this site for a history.) The Vulcan Gas Company (316 Congress Ave.) shut its doors in the 70’s but lately there has been a renewed interest in the era in part due to Scott Conn’s Dirt Road To Psychedelia documentary. The Black Angels must also be blamed thanked for this rejuvenation; the local outfit has paved the way for a new generation of psychedelic acts with their impressive 2006 release, Passover. A full-length follow-up is expected this May. more ›

We would like to take a moment to thank this week's advertisers on Austinist. more ›

We would like to take a moment to thank this week's advertisers on Austinist. more ›

When the debate is done, each of us will take time to reflect on the solemn decision that lies before us... more ›

The Mohawk presents a solid double bill of local pop this evening. The Lemurs have been writing new material over the last few months and a handful of those songs will be included in their set tonight. The band enjoyed a stellar 2007 -- highlights included licensing their music to NBC show Las Vegas (as well as an Australian indie flick called Newcastle) and touring with Canadian act Stars. This past Sunday, ME Television telecast a 2nd ME Live! featuring The Lemurs' shimmering melodies in concert at a recent La Zona Rosa gig. more ›

We would like to take a moment to thank this week's advertisers on Austinist. more ›