Image from SOS Alliance SOS Holiday Party & Silent AuctionFriday, December 7Mercury Hall (615 Cardinal Lane)$10 Suggested Donation, 7pm - Midnight[info]Tonight, the Save Our Springs Alliance will be hosting their annual Holiday Party and Silent Auction at Mercury Hall. In addition to food, drinks and great people, the event will showcase music by two environmentally-conscience local bands, Bill Oliver's Otter Space Band and The Bouldin Creek Bobkats. The Silent Auction features items from over 300......

If you're not headed to the real thing, there are quite a few Oktoberfest events around town this year. So, ready your stomach for schnitzel, brats, liters of beer, and old dudes in lederhosen and retire to one of the area's best pubs for some Austin-style Deutschamerikaner action. Gingerman 304 W 4th St. (512) 473-8801 [map] Eight Oktoberfest beers on draught throughout the month of October. Gingerman will be hosting an annual benefit for Blue......

Primizie Osteria (Italian) Location: 1000 E. 11th St., Ste. 150 [map] Phone: (512) 472-9299 Cost: Entrees $9-11 Atmosphere: Casually urban decor, concrete floors, wine bar. Counter ordering. Food: The new Primizie Osteria serves simple but elegant Italian at good prices in a comfortable, casual setting in semi-gentrified East Austin. Eastside denizens are lucky to have such a place close by for a spur of the moment relaxed dinner or a to-go run for a......

...there’s some kind of breakdown in logic going on here. As in, I made an effort to move here, whereas the people who claim to be native—well, they just fell out of their moms’ vaginas....

*Editors' Note: Clearly Austinist does not encourage anyone to get soused in front of their children, thereby damaging their fragile psyches. For those responsible enough to kick a couple back without ultimately taking the kids on a dangerous and terrifying road trip, we offer the following:* If your version of the three martini playdate is to sit and sip microbrew near a playscape in the heat, Austin options abound. Whether you are a stay at......

Now that we’re in the true heat of the summer, there’s no better place to be than on a bar patio with a light summery beer. We suggest you check these lighter local beers out the next time you’re at one of these fine establishments: Real Ale Fireman’s #4 Favorite place to drink it: Doc’s Motorworks on South Congress. Live Oak Hefeweizen Favorite place to drink it: The Draught House on Medical Parkway. Uncle Billy’s......

Our first experience with Independence Brewing Company came just a few short years ago when browsing the beer aisle at a nearby Austin grocer. Shuffling past the quick favorites (Lone Star) and growing tired of the old standbys (Shiner) we noticed the logo of a shaggy-haired kid jumping, cannonball-style, into a pool not unlike Barton Springs. With curious minds and ever-growing sobriety, we jumped in and discovered what has quickly become one of our......

Our first experience with Independence Brewing Company came just a few short years ago when browsing the beer aisle at a nearby Austin grocer. Shuffling past the quick favorites (Lone Star) and growing tired of the old stand-by's (Shiner) we came upon the logo of a shaggy-haired kid jumping, cannonball-style, into a pool not unlike our own Barton Springs. With curious mind and ever-growing soberness, we delved further to discover what has quickly become......

The June 2007 issue of Beer Advocate Magazine lists Austin as one of "Nine Great Beer Towns You Didn't Know Were Great Beer Towns" (pp. 22-29). The article lists Austin among other underappreciated beer towns such as Eugene, Oregon and Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic. We're personally honored and flattered to have been grouped in with these other great beer places, but we're not sure Austin is so deserving. Their list of establishments that justify......

*The views expressed in Foodie Friday are those of the author and do not represent Austinist (and quite often our readership) as a whole. Ahh, the subjective nature of tastebuds.* -The Editors (Playing the part of Foodie Column-IST this week is one of our newest food writers, Veronica Meewes, freshly returned from the greater Tri-state Metropolitan whatsit.) When I return to the Tri-state Area I called home for so many years, there are several......

(FIRST) THURSDAY [7] party • Official Space Launch Celebration at Salvage Vanguard Theater (9:30pm) music • Go Motion! at Beauty Bar music • The Dollyrots, Alright Tonight, The Sweethearts, Abby Birds at Emo's music • Vietnam and Greg Ashley, The Strange Attractors, The Golden Boys at Emo's music • Scott Miller, The Commonwealth, The Gougers at Stubb's music • An Evening with Old Crow Medicine Show at The Parish Room music • Locals @ La......

FRIDAY [1] party • Rare Magazine Summer Issue Launch Party at Mean Eyed Cat (5:30pm) bikes • Republic of Texas Biker Rally at All Over Austin dance/benefit • Project Transitions Hosts 12th Annual Texas Swing at Saengerrunde Hall and Scholz’s Beer Garten ($40, 8-Midnight) art • Opening Reception: Cantanker/us, the Cantanker Magazine staff show at Else Madsen Gallery, 411 Brazos, Suite 99 (7-11pm) art • The B Scene at The Blanton Museum of Art,......

WEDNESDAY [25] comedy • Tig Notaro and Steve Burr at Cap City Comedy Club books • BookPeople's First Annual Spelling Bee at BookPeople (7:00pm, 13 and under) books • Jacqueline Taylor presents Waiting for the Call: From Preacher's Daughter to Lesbian Mom at BookWoman (7:00pm) dance • Fetish and Other Dances, part of Refraction Arts' Fuse Box Festival at The Off Center (8pm) film • "The Life and Hard Times of Guy Terrifico" at Alamo......

With great weather, a social atmosphere, and big crowds, there were many good times to be had at last year's Texas Hill Country Wine and Food Festival Sunday Fair in Georgetown. Having braved the long drive, we found a huge, beautiful park filled with white tents full of salsa, BBQ, chocolate, tamales, and copious amounts of booze. This is probably one's best chance to experience the gluttony of the THCWFF at a moderate cost,......

FRIDAY [9] art • Grand Opening Party for DRAW, 150 artists strong at Gallery Lombardi (7pm - 10pm) comedy • Todd Barry, Matt Bearden at Emo's Lounge music • Deerhoof, Macromantics, Experimental Dental School at Emo's music • Primordial Undermind at End of an Ear (6pm, Free) music • The Everyday People CD Release Show with The Hero Factor, Live Oak Decline at The Parish Room music • Lucinda Williams, Heartless Bastards at Stubb's......

WEDNESDAY [31] dj • fStar, a biweekly project about "living, breathing, moving graffiti" coupled with a live soundtrack at Jo's on 2nd Street (8-10pm, Free) dj • Cut Club at The Mohawk music • The Lymbyc Systym, This Will Destroy You, Loren Dent at Emo's music • Live Oak Decline, Sounds Under Radar at Stubb's music • Brother Will, Carley Wolf, Stoney's Spoken Word (featuring the Golden Boys) at Beerland music • Militant Babies,......

Even though St. Genesius doesn't celebrate his feastday until August, it seems the Theatre Party stars must be in alignment or something because this weekend brings you not one, not two, but four -- you heard us -- four theatre party-benefit thingees. All from companies we love, so if you want to rub shoulders with some delightful, talented people, check out any of the following! Friday, 3/24 Rob Nash's Birthday Benefit for the Vortex.......

Attention, SXSWers: we'll cut through the fat — below the Expand-o-Tron lies a huge repository of restaurants that Austinist staffers love and endorse, all of which are near downtown. One of the greatest things about Austin is that you can find amazing food in any part of town. With that said, this list is not intended to be comprehensive. We limited the scope, geographically, from the river in the south, to about 38th St.......

Saturday was the third annual “Keep Austin Weird” 5k run. And we ran that trail to hell. It was our first timed run ever. Well, “run” may be a bit cavalier a word to describe our pace. You see, Austinist decided to get into this “health thing” last year, and we’ve been kicking up dust along Town Lake ever since. In our world, it’s all about the Yin & Yang, the attempt to balance......

For the 2,000 Austinites who attended System of a Down’s sold-out show at the Music Hall two weeks ago, Tuesday can’t get here soon enough. System of a Down’s first of two CD’s being released this year, Mezmerize, will be available this week. There’s good news for those of us who can’t wait that long, as Encore will be holding a CD release party on Monday, May 16th. The festivities begin at 10 p.m.,......