Lucinda Williams and her big broken heart return to Austin next week as she kicks off her 2009 touring. A benchmark live performer, Williams never shies from the spare, sullen lullabies that made her an icon. more ›

Department of Eagles was started by Daniel Rossen and his college friend Fred Nicolaus before the former joined Grizzly Bear, and this collection of songs is as whole as any of GB's full-lengths, maybe more so. more ›

Some of the biggest artists playing at next week's Austin City Limits Music Festival will also be taping episodes of KLRU's Austin City Limits, the wide-acclaimed PBS show that begat it all. Unfortunately, the demand for space-available tickets is so intense that they're only announcing them via the radio. Fortunately, we've got the scoop on when and where you should be listening: below are the stations and times that you'll need to tune into... more ›

Let's get to it: ACL Fest organizers dropped the aftershow schedule yesterday, and it's fairly extensive. Stubb's, La Zona Rosa, The Parish, and Antone's will all host aftershows over the Thursday to Sunday that everyone is in town for the big event. Highlights include an intimate show from The White Stripes and Cold War Kids at Stubb's, an extra gig from Argentina's loungerific Gotan Project (also at Stubb's), appearances by Spoon, Common, and Queens... more ›

Fionn Regan The End of History (Lost Highway)The End of History signals the auspicious beginnings of this Irish singer/songwriter who strikes up comparisons to Ryan Adams, Neil Young and at times, Conor Oberst. The occasional female backing vocal, banjo and violin are spun around herculean, plucked acoustic numbers and personal tales beaming with imagery and intelligent melody. “Be Good Or Be Gone” and especially “Put a Penny in the Slot” showcase the authenticity of... more ›

After a month of guesswork, the ACL Fest lineup is here. And it's quite a good one. While the wild speculation of headliners like Neil Young and Stevie Wonder once again proved false, the key items one sees this year are depth and balance. Having spent yesterday looking over the roster, we have the following observations on the 2007 edition of ACL. The Good: A Great Top 10. Had you told us that we'd... more ›

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... more ›

Lucinda Williams West (Lost Highway) West finds (as is apparent just by a brief scan of the track titles) Williams in a thoughtful and tender place musically, as her private life and its rough patches sort of overwhelm her toe-tappin' hay-covered dance floor capabilities. The death of her mother and the end of a relationship both factor into the context of the album, but that doesn't stop big guitars and generous bass drum from... more ›

FRIDAY [24][music] Stereolab at La Zona Rosa (9pm) (link) [music] Car Stereo (Wars) Dance Party! at PLUSH, with album giveaways from The Cloud Room, DJ sets by Chris Rose and Adreon Henry. Check out their SXSW photo recap on their website. (Free, 10pm - 2am) (link) [opera/music] Austin Lyric Opera presents "Lights, Camera, Opera" -- opera-inspired film clips with live commentary, music by the White Ghost Shivers, the TX Rollergirls and more -- at Austin... more ›

· Laura Cantrell performs two nights of her signature blend of country and folk at the Cactus Cafe. Her third album, Humming By The Flowered Vine, finds the Nashville-born singer again exploring themes of heartache, unrequited love and bittersweet nostalgia. "Letters", her cover of an old Lucinda Williams song, is particularly touching. As is "Khaki & Corduroy", which recounts her experience moving to New York and trying to find her way - she further articulates... more ›

Spoon - Gimme Fiction We had already told you that Spoon was getting national attention (again), but it seems like everybody was excited about Gimme Fiction hitting stores today. If you order Spoon’s newest album online, you will get a free 4 song EP plus a chance to win an autographed 7” single of I Turn My Camera On. Waterloo Records also has the EP available while supplies last. The critics have nothing but good... more ›