On Friday evening the beloved Walkmen performed to a very crowded Stubb's amphitheater. Our photographer Chad Wadsworth snapped some nice photographs of Hamilton Leithauser and company. more ›

Is it too soon for another love letter to Austin? I hope not because I swear I could write odes of adoration to this city every single day. Actually, that’s what I do for my day job, but those are more like flirty little notes highlighting cool people and places here. In my travels to collect fodder for my writing, I come across lots of stuff that doesn’t fit into my work blog. Nor does much of this flotsam and jetsam merit full-on commentary elsewhere— rather, it just speaks for itself in happy little bursts. Today I’d like to pay homage to all these little flourishes that help to keep Austin genuinely weird, in defiance of that unwritten rule that says the minute you label something it stops being that thing. (To spell it out, I’m as tired as everyone else of the slogan about keeping it weird, but I’m thrilled that Austin-- despite the pricey lofts, chi-chi boutiques, and influx of Californians-- has remained utterly kooky.) more ›

Psychedelic music came of age in Austin in the 60’s thanks in large to The 13th Floor Elevators and the emergence of The Vulcan Gas Company as a community and a venue to support the genre. (Check out this site for a history.) The Vulcan Gas Company (316 Congress Ave.) shut its doors in the 70’s but lately there has been a renewed interest in the era in part due to Scott Conn’s Dirt Road To Psychedelia documentary. The Black Angels must also be blamed thanked for this rejuvenation; the local outfit has paved the way for a new generation of psychedelic acts with their impressive 2006 release, Passover. A full-length follow-up is expected this May. more ›