Started in 2009 by fellow classmates to honor the memory of Sergio Machado, a Southwestern University graduate and musician who was killed by a drunk driver in his home country of Mozambique, the Oh Snap! Festival has quickly evolved into one of the biggest showcases for local talent the city has to offer. All proceeds from the festival will go towards Southwestern's Sergio Machado Memorial Scholarship, which helps bring international students to Southwestern. more ›

While Chaos in Tejas draws in crowds looking for trouble, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit will be slinging songs about heartbreak for those trying to keep themselves out of it. The singer/songwriter’s sensibilities are rooted in Americana and laced with dark, dismal lyrics that cut to the core. Jason Isbell’s blues-drenched, alt-country spins stories of whiskey nights, dive bars, desperation and doomed love affairs. Songs like “Cigarettes and Wine" outline anecdotes filled with regret and misery, wherein lies a bittersweet comfort - the haunting awareness of the human condition that brings the down-and-out together with songs of sorrow. more ›

The electronic dance band L.A.X. has been spreading synth beats and love all our its native roots lately. They've covered the Austin trifecta of acronyms—SXSW, ACL and FFF. For something that started as a electro duo performing at house parties, L.A.X. has come a long way and deserves this current burst of limelight. The celebration of their success continues tonight at the Parish with an EP release for A, another installment in a trilogy of single-letter album names. more ›

Photos courtesy Chad Wadsworth. more ›

It’s looking downright dreary outside here in Austin, so we see no reason not to take the cue from Norwegian singer-songwriter Sondre Lerche to get winsomely sunny. Pairing Sondre Lerche’s bucolic sound with the warm glow of the Parish’s candelabras may be just the ticket to carry you through the bleak midweek- and a free one at that. Enter your information below for the chance to win a pair of tickets to Sondre Lerche, playing with JBM tonight. more ›

Photos courtesy Chad Wadsworth. more ›

Get your rest after SXSW, kiddos, you'll need it for Ted Leo & the Pharmacists at the Parish on March 31. Tickets go on sale this Saturday. Fill out the form below for your chance to win: more ›

The Community Art Makers crew responsible for creating (then burning) the fabulous Resolution Clock at the 2009 First Night Austin are at it again. This time, they've been picked to build the temple for this year's Burning Man. During the festival, event participants will cover the wooden surfaces of the structure with writing, remembrances, wishes, and resolutions. Until now, the temple has always been made by California artists, so the Austin based Community Art Makers are going to have to bring it big - Texas style. The massive, modular structure is being constructed by hand and by ShopBot in Austin and will soon be trucked out to the desert where it will be assembled. There will be to be a benefit show at the Parish tomorrow night to help fund this major community art effort. Gypsy cabaret rockers WinoVino will headline the show, with sideshow oddities That Damned Band supporting. Barebones Orchestra, with their rock and roll horn section, will open. Tickets will be sold at the door and cost $10 for general admission and $7 for those who come in costume - think your best Gadjo Disko gear. more ›

We're giving you a few chances to win free tickets to the show and now we're throwing in an added bonus: select contest winners will get free tickets and posters signed by the band. Not just any poster, though - we'll be giving away screenprints of our original artwork created by Justin Cox (seen above). For your chance to win follow the jump. We'll be announcing winners next week! more ›

This might come as a surprise, but them Philly peeps known as Dr. Dog aren't spring chickens. Pushing a solid decade (!), you're probably reviewing the mind-tapes in your noggin' remembering all the times you heard-in the background at a dimly lit party or the wine headachy morning of a one-night stand-the scratchy tenor of lead singer and the laid-back psych-homage of the backing band on past albums like Easy Beat or We All Belong. more ›

As usual, there’s a fortitude of great music to catch this weekend. But tonight’s lineup at the Parish has got us itching for the work week to end. Three promising acts — Ume, Corto Maltese and White Denim — are teaming up to bring some local flavor to music overloaded souls. more ›

It's no secret that we in Austinist really crush on Balmorhea. Perhaps it's our gloriously out-of-the closet predilection for hooky, pop-sensible instrumental music. Perhaps it's the great art direction and atmosphere they conjure. Hell, perhaps it's the wonderful folks in the saddle. more ›

Back away from the leftovers and get your yayas on over to the Parish Room for an evening of music headlined by Little Joy. The band is a side project for Strokes drummer Fabrizio Moretti who is joined in this endeavor by Los Hermanos singer/guitarist Rodrigo Amarante, and Bikini Shapiro. more ›

There is no better way to kickoff Thanksgiving week than to fill up your belly over at the Empty Bowl Project Sunday afternoon and then head on over to The Parish to catch a once-in-a-lifetime chance to hear the African Children’s Choir sing in Austin. more ›

Moretti's Little Joy, with Los Hermanos singer/guitarist Rodrigo Amarante, is the love child of the pair's fast friendship, which came to pass at a Portuguese festival in Lisbon a year ago. more ›

Robert Pollard will forever be remembered as the drunkenly brilliant (or brilliantly drunk) frontman and insanely prolific songwriter for Guided By Voices. more ›

The aftershows are intended as a showcase for artists who may be missed or overlooked during the glutted day schedule, and present another opportunity for fans to see a favorite artist without the usual festival distractions. more ›

We’ve always thought of Houston’s Devin The Dude in the same mode as DJ Quik, probably because we first heard him back in high school in California and the specific register of his nasally drawl, set against a Dre beat, reminded us a lot of Quik, who was killing it on local radio at the time. Though they’re pretty drastically different figures, Devin, like Quik, keys off of whatever-party-is-happening-at-that-exact-moment, and fleshes it out from there. more ›

If you don’t think girls can rock as hard as boys then maybe you should go all the way back to the 1970s and start with the feminist folk scene and trace that all the way back stopping on artists like Joan Baez, Joan Jett, the Go-Go’s, Karen O and Beth Ditto. You should also check out Girls Rock Camp Austin, and if you’re a girl between the ages of 10 and 17, you can take part. However, it may be a little too late to sign up this year because the first session (July 7 - 11) is just ending and the second session (July 21 - 25) begins so soon. But don't fret, you can witness the fruits of their rock and roll labor at the showcase at the Parish Saturday at noon and Saturday, July 26 (for the second session) and watch the girls perform the songs they created in camp. more ›

Renowned for excellent sound quality and a feeling of coziness that belies its substantial size, The Parish Room has been Sixth Street's favorite little concert hall for quite a while now, and this Friday they'll be hosting yet another quality show: four of Austin's most interesting and diverse pop acts. Headlining is the clap-happy and catchy Built by Snow, a band who often channel an updated version of cultural phenomenon Weezer in their tunes--they will soon be heading into the studio to record their second CD, and this show is sure to provide some pleasant previews of the new material. more ›

Is it us, or does it seem like this is going to be a really hot summer in Austin? It's hot outside, dude. Really hot. We advise staying out of the sun as much as possible for the sake of your health as well as for the sake of your overall comfort. As for the evenings, well, by all means, go outdoors, it's nice and cool. Here are this weekend's recommended activities once you get there: more ›

Benevento/Russo Duo, believe it or not, are made up of two people. They hail from the north. And they can fill a room with noise. But don't you even dare compare them to The White Stripes, because they would probably punch you in the face. Because first of all, Joe Russo's drums serve as a powerful and unrelenting backdrop of technical precision, and, secondly, Marco Benevento's emphatic and and purposeful keyboard--yes, keyboard--stuffs the foreground. And if that isn't enough to distance them from what is perhaps music's most famous duo, with Benevento and Russo, don't expect to find any vocals lying around, and don't expect to see any shortage of energy, as the band pack as much action into two people as possible. And that action you'll be able to find this Saturday night at The Parish Room. more ›

It's always great catching a band at their CD Release show, because you know they're going to be fired up and ready to bring it. And such is the state of this Thursday at The Parish Room, where Austin-proud The Boxing Lesson will be dropping their new disc, Wild Streaks & Windy Days, an unabashedly Pink Floyd-esque collection of psychedelic rock. With songs like "Muerta" and "Back from the Dead," they establish an eerily sinister tone that's ably coupled with songs nodding to their forebears, such as "Dark Side of the Moog." more ›