Also this weekend, the Zachary Scott Theatre Center kicks off its 75th Anniversary Season with George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess. This special production is inspired by the city of New Orleans as well as the music of Ray Charles, Nina Simone, and Louis Armstrong, among others. The show runs for two weeks at the Austin Music Hall and you can purchase tickets here....

Jennifer Nicely cites many of country's solid gold heroes as her influences, but she has publicly professed her love for female jazz vocalists including Nina Simone and Billie Holiday. The influences show: her voice has the rich tone of a seasoned lounge singer who's spent too many nights singing her heart out for the indifferent audience, and her music relies on the steady walking beats that have characterized so much produced in the wake of......

Blitzen Trapper Wild Mountain Nation (Lidkercow Ltd.) Folksy but freakish Portlanders Blitzen Trapper have yet to be scooped up by Zach Braff, but that's probably only because they're still on the fringes of too weird. Yet, between soothing and familiar odes to old Grateful Dead tunes and powerful plays towards anti-genre adorableness, the odd sextet manage to capture the listener's attention while totally defying their own. Eccentric, playful and genuine songs fuse 70's goofball......

TUESDAY [30] [music] "German with a laptop" Jan Jelinek does a solo show at Flamingo Cantina -- check out what Tiny Mix Tapes has to say! (Thanks, Margaret!) (link) [music] Scion returns to Austin with Tony Touch, DJ Hier, DJ Kwestion and DJ Mel at The Parish Room (Free, RSVP required) (link) [music] Youngmond Grand and Solace Bros at Club DeVille (link) [books] Mark Falkin presents Days of Grace at BookPeople (7pm) (link) [film] Out......

John Lennon still gives Jesus a run for his money. According to a volunteer at the University Baptist Church last Friday, only one or two religious services have similarly packed the pews. By the time Austinist arrived, music worshippers were lined up around the block to catch a live performance of the Beatles' White Album of 1968, whose songs around 30 local vocalists and musicians had been invited to cover. The seating was shoulder-to-shoulder, with......

MONDAY [22] [film] Letters from the Other Side at Congregational Church of Austin (7pm, Free) [link] [film] Hands on a Hard Body at Austin Java (8pm, Free) [link] [film] Jarhead at Cafe Mundi (8pm, Free) [link] [film] True Stories at Rounders Pizzeria (8pm, Free) [link] [film] Salt of the Earth at MonkeyWrench Books (8pm, $5) [link] [film] Anime Monday at Ventana del Sol (7:30pm) [link] [tv] 24 Season Finale at Alamo Downtown (7pm, Free) [link]......

Truecraig had some thoughts on the shot heard round the world in his column. Mr. Hollywood Jason Patric dropped his suit against the ever-aggressive Austin Police Department. Austin ranks as the second-best city outside of Hollywood in which to make a movie. We checked out the Zuraach Collective and took some photos. AM Syndicate, Nina Simone, Talking Heads...take a listen in AV Bits. It was a busy news week in the Kingdom of George.......

[mp3] The Hold Steady - "Your Little Hoodrat Friend" [mp3] The Hold Steady - "The Swish" [link] The Plastic Constellations - "Iron City Jungles" [mp3] Baby Dee - "Endless Night" [mp3] Baby Dee - "Love's Small Song" [mp3] Baby Dee - "Lilacs" [mp3] Shearwater - "I Can't Wait" [mp3] Shearwater - "Whipping Boy" [full EP] Weird Weeds - "This Is Not What You Want (EP)" [mov] Nina Simone - "I Want A Little Sugar In......

A collection of emotionally-charged, jazz-influenced piano ballads, the debut LP by local band Hurts to Purr heralds the ascension of the trio to the upper echelons of Austin's music scene. Lead singer Liz Pappademas’ Norah Jones-meets-Nina Simone voice and soulful lyrics lend the self-titled album a surprisingly naked sincerity, refined to an impressive level of clarity by bassist Tom Benton and drummer Jeremy Bruch’s adept accompaniments. Coupled with a stellar production job that manages......