After eight years of having Texas be a no-contest state for all presidential hopefuls, this election year it could play kingmaker for one of the two Democratic candidates. The Ohio and Texas primaries on March 4 have already been dubbed Super Tuesday Two by many news outlets. Between the two states, close to 400 delegates are at stake. Texas with 126 and Ohio with 140 (not counting superdelegates). Austin accounts for 8 of the total Texas delegates....

Brownout! kick off their tour this week but not before supplying the Beauty Bar with diverse concoctions comprised of Latin funk, Afro-beats, soul and R&B. Following their Tuesday night gig in Austin, the eight-piece plays one more show in the Lone Star State, at Zeppelin’s Pub in El Paso before leaving for California....

On Wednesday at the Salvage Vanguard theatre, a character named Ethan Master of the Hawaiian Ukulele stripped down to his bathing suit, donned a hat and colorful lei, and then stood on his amp to proclaim, via song, “I heard noise-pop is in.” You know Ethan, you might be right. And leading the fray are none other than our own Peel, a magnanimously kick-ass band whose bits of unbridled feedback and synthesizer explosions are balanced with a collective appreciation for the types of melodies that make ears smile. With some out-of-town friends, Peel will play The Mohawk this Sunday as a fitting end to a great week of music. ...

After Alicia Silverstone's spicy commercial for PETA—where the Clueless star delivers a PSA in the nude, save for some strategically positioned limbs—was deemed unsuitable for broadcast in Houston, PETA took matters into its own hands. Their newest video takes the viral route, and features a so-called "lone Lettuce Lady" delivering a rather innuendo-heavy message directed to Governor Rick Perry: Luckily for the Lone Star State, the sexy Lettuce Lady created an easy plan to help......

Sylvia St. James leads the masses at the House Of Blues’ Gospel Brunch in California. The Sunday menu there features cornbread muffins, hickory smoked bacon and sausage links, and an omelet station, along with inspirational hymns, motivational music, and Miss Sylvia’s vocal prowess (and official title of “Chief Mistress of Ceremonies for House of Blues Entertainment.”) Us lucky Austinites get our chance to witness her magic on Saturday afternoon during the 2007 Austin City Limits......

Today, Governor Rick Perry officially recognized that when it comes to filmmaking, cash does indeed rule everything around us. After months of determined effort from the Texas Motion Picture Alliance, the Texas Film Commission, Rep. Dawnna Dukes and Sen. Bob Duell, Perry signed the dotted line on House Bill 1634, freeing up some $20 million in incentives to lure production crews--and the myriad jobs they generate--to the Lone Star State. The gaming industry also scores......

As that old state tourism advertisement used to say, "Everything's bigger in Texas." Assuming you're speaking in stereotyped generalities, this is mostly true. The state itself is big, first of all. That's verifiable (with maps). The same goes for lots of stuff inside the state, like ranches, state fairs, trucks, steaks, livestock shows - you can find some really big versions of these things in Texas. We even have the 10-gallon cowboy hat, which is......

As so many make the great migration to the gem of the Lone Star State to experience one of the most dense concentrations of beer, barbeque and amps, The Narrator make their jaunt south from Chicago, ready to play but more ready to have fun. Their album All That To The Wall comes out May 15th on Flameshovel Records. Is SXSW fun or business? I’ll say it’s business, but we’re going for fun. I’m......

*The views expressed in The Laurie Show are those of the author and do not represent Austinist as a whole.* -ed. note It's just a little over a week before the glorious chaos and insanity known as South By Southwest, and already my brain is about to explode because there's a lot to share with you kids. And that's a good thing. I've mentioned before that my column typically reflects ideas that inspire me......

SXSW Presents returns to KLRU TV tomorrow for its third season, with four brand new episodes slated to run through the end of February. The critically acclaimed series, hosted by SXSW Film Fest Producer Matt Dentler, showcases some today's finest examples of independent filmmaking, many of which have a local emphasis -- past epiodes have featured Viva Les Amis, 24 Hours on Craigslist, and Witches in Exile. BBQ: A Texas Love Story February 6th,......

Violinist Charles Yang. Photo by Eric Uhlir Three weeks ago, Austin's newest arts organization, strataTX, launched with a successful kickoff gala at the Design Center of Austin. The latest giving group of the Texas Cultural Trust, strataTX brings together enthusiastic young professionals of all industries and backgrounds to help sustain and expand the Lone Star State's arts community. StrataTX Launch Party Attendees. Photo by Eric Uhlir Amidst heavy fanfare, TCT Deputy Director Jennifer Wijangco......

As fall settles in and another calendar page gets turned, thoughts turn from bbq's and vacations to holidays and the realization that '06 is coming to an end. With all that going on, with change in the air, we wonder what is it that made that makes the -ists ponder? Phillyist is concerned that the war on Trans fats could affect it's beloved cheese steak sandwiches, something for which we should all be concerned.......

Generally, people don’t think “Democrat” when they think about Texas. It wasn’t always like that, though. The Lone Star State was decidedly “blue” for over a hundred years before the Republicans swept in during the last decade. As a consequence, the Democratic Party, trying to allocate resources wisely, doesn’t generally send a lot of clout or cash our way. The times they are a-changin', though. Howard Dean, head of the Democratic Party, came down......

Who’s afraid of Carolyn Bream? Not us. In fact, we’d say the economy-sized Texas Culinary Academy student – with her quirky schoolgirl ringlets and bright, funky wardrobe – is one of the least intimidating food people we’ve met. So who is afraid of Carolyn Bream? The competition. Bream is $15,000 closer to paying for her culinary education after winning the 2006 Stephan Pyles Celebrity Chef Challenge Scholarship. The annual competition, which comprises culinary students......

The Supreme Court shot down that pesky sodomy law, but the Lone Star State still enforces a prohibition on sex toys. Granted, you can get “educational models” and “personal massagers” at countless shops in Texas, but if you keep six or more joysticks around, you could be slapped with a stiff penalty for intent to distribute. Struck by the complete lunacy of the legislation on the sale of sex toys, filmmakers Laura Barton and......

Bob Hudgins is back home and he could not be happier. The native Texan (born in Witchita Falls) left his position as deputy director of the Illinois Film Office and headed back to the Lone Star State to take over as the head of the Texas Film Commission after his friend Tom Copeland retired from the post. Copeland, who left the Commission about six months ago, holds Hudgins in high regard and lobbied for......

If you drive a pick-em-up truck, you best watch your back. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, the top three makes of automobile stolen in 2005 were all pick-up trucks. We are not sure exactly what the allure to trucks is or if maybe they are just easier to steal or if they are so ubiquitous in the Lone Star State that crooks feel they can go less-noticed in a stolen one......

We hate to say it, but we're not normally the type to invest in artwork. Sure, we support the arts. We can talk the talk. We can throw around words like "modernist" and "Suprematist." But, when push comes to shove, sinking several hundred dollars into a painting that may or may not be worth the wall space it occupies in a few years isn't the kind of gamble we like to take. That being......

HB3, the controversial Education Funding Bill, has passed a second vote in the House by a margin of one vote; 73 to 72, though apparently there were a few shenanigans surrounding last night's count and verification. Some of the notable aspects of this bill are: The state sales tax could increase from 6.25 percent to 7.25 percent which would be the highest sales tax rate in the nation. -- Remember that local taxing agencies......