“Only the mediocre are always at their best, someone said, which could be why Austin is so damn proud of itself.” - Michael Corcoran Truer words have never been more self-indicting. In Michael Cocoran’s April 6th fuck-off note to Austin, “Mediocre, Texas”, he riffs about the city as the apotheosis of half-assery: we have no zoo, no major sports teams, no Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, no great museums, and our greatest musicians are dead. more ›

The Statesman's Michael Corcoran is circulating an interesting rumor this morning: rock god Robert Plant is currently hanging out in town...on the arm of Austin-based singer-songwriter and Grammy winner Patty Griffin. We should clarify that this is a rumor, but since a well-known local music writer is the source, it seems worthy of mention. This wouldn't be a total shock since Griffin has been playing in Plant's Band Of Joy project for over a year - but what is shocking is the idea that some of you might bump into the Led Zeppelin icon at Central Market or your local coffee shop this week. more ›

Starting next fall, Stubb's is to undergo a massive renovation project that will nearly double the venue's overall capacity. Michael Corcoran writes in today's Statesman that the club's five co-owners, including local music mogul Charles Attal, plan to personally finance the estimated $5 million cost of upgrades. more ›

Statesman jack of all trades Michael Corcoran has probably been here longer than most of you, and many of us. The writer moved to Austin in 1984, and over the years has seen the city change drastically. Sure, we can all sit around and talk about how much better Austin used to be, as Corcoran admits in one of his latest blog posts, but being overly-nostalgic about the past and overly-critical about the present can become a little tiresome, even for the most elite of folks. So Corcoran decided to look at what makes Austin better today than it was 20 years ago. Check out a couple of his examples below and check out his full list here. more ›

: : FRIDAY : : [music] Veruca Salt, The Lovemakers and Porcelain @ La Zona Rosa [birthdayparty] Austin Metrobloggers turn one, 5:30pm @ Casino El Camino [music] South San Gabriel, The Glass Family and My Education @ Emo's [film/comedy] The Sinus Show presents "The Lost Boys," 7pm & 9:45pm @ the Drafthouse Downtown also Saturday [music] Blue October w/ Wideawake and iSOLA @ Stubb's [booksigning] Michael Corcoran signs "All Over the Map", with a... more ›

It turns out that the destruction and devastation wrought by Katrina may be a boon for the Austin music scene. Through a great article by Michael Corcoran in today’s Statesman, we have come to learn that a slew of New Orleans’ musicians have relocated to Austin, some permanently. And several of the bands and artists have already lined-up gigs. The Iguanas will be playing the Continental Club on Monday nights; Big Sam from the Dirty Dozen Brass Band has joined the Topaz lineup; Cyril Neville and a host of other New Orleans’ players will be playing every Tuesday at the Cedar Street Courtyard; and Basin Street Records has temporarily re-located to Austin. So, while the hurricane has brought us only sad news for the most part, this story should fill the hearts of all Austin music lovers. We will now have a stronger scene, spiced up considerably with the music of our neighbors, and these displaced musicians will have somewhere to share their art and fantastic energy. And, as we all know, New Orleans has always had a better music scene than us, anyways, at least as far as blues, roots, jazz, funk and hip-hop go. So get out and support these cats and welcome them with open arms. more ›