Before heading to your final party destination this Halloween night, stop by Domy Books to celebrate the timely opening of their latest exhibit, Monster Show 3. The mixed media group show is being billed as a "compendium of awesome monster drawings" and a similar show has run at Domy's Houston store for the past few years. Artists who have submitted their devilish doodles include Okay Mountain co-founder Sterling Allen, and queen of embroidery Jenny Hart. Cody Ledvina and Justin Goldwater, two artists who have recently had solo exhibits at the Domy gallery space, will be back with their best ghoulish depictions. ...

It's time to play the name game! The Friends of the Austin Public Library and the Monster Book Store, located at 5th and Mary in South Austin, are moving and looking for a new, snappier name. They want to tap the collective creativity of Austin. Suggestions will be accepted through February 14th. ...

Welcome to 'Keeping it Weird in Central Texas', a weekly look at urban legends, bizarre creature sightings, eerie encounters and other unexplained phenomena which have peppered the annals of Austin and Central Texas folklore....

We here at the Austinist Film Section believe that holidays should be extended for as long as possible, which is why we are just now bringing you all the news that is fit to be released regarding SXSW 08. Don't judge us. Everybody needs a little vacay now and then. That said, we are super pumped about the 2008 opening night film, 21 and the slew of other titles that have been released for this year's festival....

Tomorrow's screening of Real Genius with John Gries in attendance is totally sold out (*sad face*). But cheer up--you can still enter our contest for a chance to win a pair of tickets to the 9:45pm screening of Napoleon Dynamite AND a pair of pajamas autographed by Laslo Hollyfeld himself!...

Photo by Annie Gunn on flickr {{{Sunset}}} and Gulf of MexicoTuesday, December 11Beerland (711-1/2 Red River)[info] Bill Baird is starting from the ground up. After his previous band Sound Team imploded under the weight of diminished returns for their major label debut, Monster Movie, Baird has assembled a new band, and is recording anew at his Big Orange studio in East Austin. While the name of Baird’s projects are subject to change, from just Bill......

It's the your favorite bartender at Sao Paulo, or the girl in the cutoffs at El Chilito. It's the smokin' UPS guy, or one of the Lone Star Rollergirls. It's your local secret crush. It's hard to believe that it's been over sixteen years since Linklater's Slacker edified the collective and individual characters that make Austin, well, Austin. Although Liberty Lunch is long gone, the people that make our city great remain. And what......

Sound Team have been making intricate electro-pop for nearly five years but it was the release of their full-length Movie Monster in 2006 that garnered much deserved national recognition for the band. Produced by Michael McCarthy (and Sound Team) at their Big Orange Studio, the album has received heavy press coverage-- mostly positive but we could not get away without a mention of that Pitchfork review and bassist Bill Baird’s response. Good times. An appearance......

Tacks, the Boy Disaster's Daytrotter Session features four free songs, one of which is slated to appear on their forthcoming album. "Dying to Know" is one of the band's oldest songs, but one that needed some help before it became clear how to deal with that pesky bridge. Although the charm of the Daytrotter Session songs is their live and impromptu nature (complete with borrowed instruments and auxiliary musicians), we're anxious to hear this......

THURSDAY [11] Some of you have asked that we publish the Weekend IST List on Thursdays, in order to better help you plan your goings-on. We're happy to oblige. Starting today, we'll be including Friday-Sunday listings both on Thursday and Fridays. --Ed. Note party/fundraiser • Kickoff party for 2007 Hill Country Ride for AIDS at La Zona Rosa (7:30pm) party/theatre • Launch party for film/theatre magazine Caught in the Act at Molotov Lounge (7-10pm)......

Say what you will about the Austin music scene, if there's one thing we've got in spades, it's heart. And breakfast tacos. But that's another story altogether. Our bands can take any other city's bands on when it comes to sheer per capita productivity and playing out, never leaving their respective constituencies on the sidelines. And albums? Lordy, just walk into Waterloo Records and check out the local music section: 2006 was a banner......

We missed that whole “Black Friday” thing (post-traumatic stress symptoms related to a former life working retail), and the holidays are creeping up faster than a cheer-stealing Grinch in a dogsled. We’re sure that some of you, dear readers, find yourselves in a similar boat. But, before you start snapping up pre-packaged bath sets at Target, check out Austinist’s very special recommendations. We’ve sorted through some of the sparkliest surprises available locally and on the......

The first-ever Fun Fun Fun Fest is this Friday, December 1st, at Waterloo Park. Over two dozen great acts are on the bill, including Spoon, Peaches, The Black Angels, Prefuse 73, and DJ Mel. Tickets are $20, and can be purchased online. Circle Jerks perform on the Punk stage at 8:55pm. -- The Editors We’re excited to have you coming to Austin. You were here in March attending South By Southwest, right? I’ve been......

Jagshemash! Borat is a hit. It's getting rave reviews, grossing millions, and definitely the most quotable thing we've seen in ages. But Borat seems to have missed most of the -ist cities, and we were all wondering how the film would have been different if he'd made his way around the world on the -ist tour. In Shanghai, Borat would be observing Inane Learnings of Penis Photos for Make Benefit Glorious Flat World of......

In the mood for a vacation with some enhanced procreation? It isn't Vegas... Plastic trash in the Pacific just might affect the taste of that Nigiri. Next summer's unlikely blockbuster: Monkeys on a Boat. U might be Hauling your crap off the highway if you use a particular rented truck. Some people just want a dumb phone. Before you go out and buy that special edition Monster Manual, you should know that Dungeons and......

Thanks to everyone who came out to Friday's Halloween party at Beauty Bar, brought to you by Car Stereo (Wars), Austinist, and Team Fabrication. More shots after jump, plus a special mashup from the CS(W) below: Car Stereo (Wars) - Hip Hop Halloween Monster Mash-Up.mp3 Car Stereo (Wars) - Susperia Rework.mp3 All photos by Zach Ground......

FRIDAY [27] party/music/awesome • Car Stereo (Wars) and Austinist host a Halloween Bash with Clap!Clap!, carnie games, face painting, fortune tellers, free fangs, "killer" drink specials, a costume contest judged by the fashionistas of Team Fabrication, and more at Beauty Bar (10pm-2am, $3 with, 4 w/o costume) zombies • Zombie Flash Mob at City Hall fashion • Beauty Bar Blowout with complimentary 'dos by Birds Barbershop, makeup applications by MAC artists, DJ Robbie Hardkiss......

FRIDAY [20] dance • Requiem at Intel Shell (8pm, $20-$30) party/gay • Q Monthly Magazine release party at Oilcan Harry's (5-9pm) art • Chris Campbell: Surface/Depth Reception at Gallery 3 at the Co-Op (5-7pm) art • "The Stones": Art of Ronnie Wood Reception at ART on 5th (6-8pm) drag/party/various • International Drag King Extravaganza 8 at Venues Around Austin music • Oakley Hall, Brothers & Sisters, Li'l Cap'n Travis, Pink Nasty at Emo's music......

Good news everybody: there’s still time to stop by the barbershop and get yourself a shaggy haircut before tonight’s Art Brut / We Are Scientists show! Just kidding – we fucking love these guys. And if you caught either of them at their wildly successful South By Southwest appearances earlier this year, you know that they’re both dynamite live acts. Both bands play catchy, angular art-rock that’s impossible not to dance to, and tonight’s......

As MSTRKRFT, Canadian duo Jesse F. Keeler and Al-P first gained prominence back in late 2004 for their remix of The Panthers' “Thank Me With Your Hands," included in a Vice sampler disc. Since then, they've gone on to remix everyone from Bloc Party ("Two More Years") and Metric ("Monster Hospital") to Buck 65 ("Kennedy Killed The Hat") and The Gossip ("Listen Up"). “We like to make the songs we remix our own,” says......

If you don't speak Yiddish, or never watched SNL's Coffee Talk, then it may be helpful to know that a shonde is a term used to envelop the many dimensions of shame: pity, disgrace, embarassment, etc. The Shondes are a New York based quartet that proudly boasts that -according to orthodox belief or even conventional society- they are in fact a bunch of shondes. Standing up for human rights, giving voice to radical queer......

And in the spirit of slackerdom, today we’re just recommending every new release that doesn’t star a Wilson brother. *Clerks 2 Austinist review As is the case with most sequels, we’re not really sure why this one is necessary. But Joel Siegel walked out of a screening, so that’s just as good of a reason to see it as any. *Lady in the Water Judging by the past, there’s a really good chance this......

Austin's Sound Team just released their major-label debut, Movie Monster, a few weeks ago. We've been pretty impressed with it. Pitchfork, on the other hand, gave the album a less than stellar rating (3.7), though we're inclined to question the authority of any review mentioning the already-passé Snakes on a Plane reference. The above video is Sound Team's response: In retaliation of the 3.7 rating, the band-- or someone purporting to be them-- posted......

The Friends of the Austin Public Library are throwing a Mini-Monster book sale this weekend to benefit the library. It's all day Saturday and Sunday, with a special $10 per box of books sale on Sunday. We love books on sale almost as much as we love our local library and at $1 or $2 a book, we can't resist. [Friends of the Austin Public Library] [Austin Public Library] Mini-Monster Book and Media Sale......

...the 2006 ArtSpark Festival Let's hop in our magical Austinist Time Machine and go back 12 weeks. (Cue flashback music.) You're sitting in an "apricot flower colored" conference room. (Does that mean apricot colored...or something else?) You've just had a fun evening of "food and games." Someone hands you an envelope that contains the following "sparks": Mars, Nu Wave music, and internet dating, with topical support materials including cartoons, guitar tabs, articles, lyrics, and......

The following downloads are by artists playing various shows around town this week -- check the IST List for details. [mp3] Mono - Halcyon [mp3] Mono - The Flames Beyond the Cold Mountain [mp3] Mono - The Remains of the Day [mp3] Elefant - Lolita [mp3] Sound Team - Movie Monster [mp3] Pretty Girls Make Graves - The Nocturnal House [mp3] The Joggers - Since You're Already Up [mp3] Aberdeen City - Another Seven......

MONDAY [17][music] The High Flyers at Continental Club (10pm) (link) [lecture] Josh Rushing, future host of a show on Al Jazeera International and "accidental media star" in "Control Room," speaks at UT LBJ Auditorium (7pm) (link) [art] Opening Reception for Michael Schliefke's newest works, "What If We Could Get It All Back?" at bolm Studios (6pm-11pm) (link) [film] Oscar-Nominated Documentary shorts at Alamo Downtown (7pm) (link) [film] Anime Movie Monday at Ventana del Sol (7:30pm)......

FRIDAY [14] [music] The Arm CD Release, with Single Frame, Faceless Werewolves and Lomita at Emo's (link) [music] Sound Tribe Sector Nine with Govinda at Stubb's Austin (link) [music] Matt Nathanson at Waterloo Records (Free, 5pm) (link) [music] Til We're Blue or Destroy at Beerland (link) [music] The Weary Boys Release Show at Continental Club (12:15am) (link) [party] Car Stereo (Wars) at Plush (10pm-2am, $2 Lone Stars) (link) [music] Loxsly and The Lemurs at Blue......

We went to Art Outside this weekend a few times and had a fabulous time seeing so much creativity packed into a three-acre forest in the middle of the city. We dined on some delectable Jamaican jerk chicken, watched a show that included a Tesla coil and some pyrotechnics, played the largest string instrument we've ever seen (it stretched across the stream that runs through the forest), and learned how to do the Balinese......

The South by Southwest Film Festival recently released their complete lineup of this year's short films. All told, 130 - ranging from documentary and experimental to narrative shorts - are to be shown from March 10-18. We've gone through and selected a few that caught our attention (based solely on their descriptions): ANIMATED SHORTS A Painful Glimpse into my Writing Process (In Less than 60 Seconds) Dir: Chel White A darkly satirical tour de......