Image via Big Hassle PR The Straylight Run w/ The Color FredMonday, December 3The Parish Room (214 East Sixth Street)$15, Doors at 7pm[info] | [tickets]Formed from the ashes of Taking Back Sunday, the Long Island group Straylight Run plays a blend of indie rock and chamber pop. Formed in 2003 by ex-TBS members Shaun Cooper and John Nolan, the duo left behind most of their emo influences when switching groups and recruited both Will Noon... more ›

If you comb through news aggregate websites every morning waiting for your coffee to kick in like I do, you may have come across an odd little story about the recent demise of OiNK, an invite-only torrent site that put links to thousands of music files at one’s fingertips. It was a sprawling, cluttered site that demanded small download-to-upload ratios (1:1 was emphasized) and gave special privileges to users who donated to the site’s administrator,... more ›

Could there be a better emblem of corporate "zaniness" than the Segway? You know, the two-wheeled "personal transporter" device that, while marketed as a solution to traffic congestion, is in fact a really annoying adult toy that gets in everyone's way? To filmmakers Hunter Weeks and Josh Caldwell, however, the Segway scooter embodies the American Dream. Or something like that, because they decided, after purchasing a Segway "on impulse" (note: the things cost 5 grand... more ›

While SFist cringed at the fatal dose of crime littering the Bay Area, it found solace in Hillary Clinton's San Francisco campaign headquarters opening, which featured loads of exposed mammary glands. In other news, SF Taxi Commission ruled that Satan's cab must keep its (in)famous medallion number, 666; and in an un-fashion-forward frenzy, San Francisco Fashion Week (chortle) bars bloggers from covering and getting smashed at their shows and parties, respectively. Also, they found a... more ›

Anna Nicole Smith (born Vickie Lynn Hogan), a gold-digger without equal and Marilyn Monroe impersonator on steroids, went to that big dollar-shaped swimming pool in the sky today after passing out in a hotel room. We here at the Austinist will always remember the garrulous blond bombshell for her tireless pursuit of all things hedonistic and selfish in the face of killjoys who would cluck their tongues at her simply showing a wrinkled multi-millionaire out... more ›

Do you live in Austin? Of course you do. Are you in a band? Of course you are, you live in Austin. Well, we here at the Austinist, renowned bastion of local music support, are introducing a new column on the last Friday of every month to broadcast your band's aural accomplishments to the rest of the community. So, if your band, or a friend's band, or your professor's band, or your ex's band,... more ›

Sunday. Usually, a quiet, contemplative day in the Blogosphere. But not here in the Ist-a-Verse. Nonono! Just look below and see all of the wild and crazy stuff our staffs are up to. In Austin, bands are beginning to confirm for SXSW and the rumor mill is up and running. Good thing, too, because we all know how much Austinites love live performances. Austin also found itself in the national spotlight, with Longhorn Legend... more ›

This one's the last one for this week. We'll finish up next week with the last two propositions. Remember, you can vote early through November 3. Proposition Five in ballot lingo:“The issuance of $55,000,000 in tax supported General Obligation Bonds and Notes for constructing, renovating, improving, and equipping affordable housing facilities for low income persons and families, and acquiring land and interests in land and property necessary to do so, and funding affordable housing... more ›

Want to stop a drug dealer? Tell his Mom...or his Grandma. Ain't nothing for breakfast like some Krispy Kreme doughnuts and cigarettes. Looks like Philadelphia is following in Austin's smoking-ban footsteps. Terrell Owens tried to kill himself by way of pain medication. The Cowboys wide receiver is well-known for his "publicity-seeking antics". Barbie and Ken have nothing on Turleen and Jer Wayne. We're pretty sure the man who sprayed the stinky man next to... more ›

Publicity shot from Loaded Gun Theory and The Unbearables' Bitten! A Zombie Rock Odyssey, opening this Friday at the Dougherty Arts Center. Prepare yourself as Zombies appear in a small Texas town. Is it divine intervention, a government plot, or something more sinister? Is true love giving your Zombie boyfriend the first bite? Find out and rock out with Will, Amelia, Dallas, and Flora as they attempt to single handedly thwart the Zombie Menace!... more ›

Here we go again. Another Texas Longhorn football player has been busted with the sticky icky and a weapon. Just months after running back sensation Ramonce Taylor was arrested, authorities arrested starting cornerback Tarell Brown early this morning on weed and weapons charges. UT alum and standout linebacker from a year ago, Aaron Harris, was also arrested. Mack Brown has been informed of the arrests but has yet to release a statement. The timing of... more ›

The Rocket's 2006 debut with the Astros yesterday ended in a 4-2 loss against the Minnesota Twins with Francisco Liriano stealing Clemens' Thunder. Nudist resorts are seeing an increase in popularity. We imagine that laser-hair-removal is really popular at some of these places. And naked karaoke? Need we say more? Saddam Hussein went on a hunger strike. The martyr ended it after missing one meal. A man in Idaho was offended that his local... more ›

The Austin Police Department has not been having the best year (or few). They have been under increased public scrutiny for not being effective at self-policing and for their alleged use of excessive force, most recently against Ramon Hernandez. The officer, caught on videotape beating the handcuffed suspect, was acquitted and suspended for 70 days. Well, the APD's public relations took another turn for the worse over the weekend. Maybe you have seen the new... more ›

We're sure it's already marked on your calendars, so it probably isn't necessary to remind you that today heralds International Respect For Chickens Day. In keeping with the other causes being celebrated this month at Austinist, we would like to shed some light on this little-known holiday and illuminate some of the more charismatic chickens that have graced our time. Numbering somewhere near 24 million and counting, chickens are by far the most populous... more ›

In a largely under-reported undertaking, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE – what a freakin’ scary acronym) has been rounding up undocumented workers around town. While a large raid was reported in Hutto last week, the operations in Austin have yet to draw any mainstream attention. In a departure from their normal habit of hitting large construction or industrial sites, ICE seems to be targeting smaller operations such as local dry cleaners, Home Depot, HEB,... more ›

Continuing her rampage against government-affiliated organizations deemed corrupt, State Comptroller and indepedent gubernatorial candidate Carole Keeton Strayhorn directed her latest assault against Texas lobbying firm Cassidy & Associates. The private firm, which deals with members of Congress, the White House, and a smattering of other higher-ups in Washington, previously held a lucrative $15,000/mo agreement with Texas, in exchange for which it was expected to obtain a maximum of federal funding for various state-funded programs.... more ›

Rejoice! This day is finally here! The day we have all been breathlessly waiting for since, oh, around the time we now call “The Dance of Psychosis That Is Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes’s Great Love Affair” began. Not that we buy into media hype, of course. Because their love is REAL and PURE and MAGNIFICENT, not to mention sanctioned by the upper echelons of Zorbit IV-OA. Or something. Come on! Spielberg! Cruise! Aliens!... more ›

Every now and then a local band gets some big-time national publicity: Fastball, Los Lonely Boys, Bob Schneider, to name a few from the past decade. You can now add Spoon to that list. The minimalist rock band from the River City has its latest release, "Gimme Fiction," covered in next week's issue of Time Magazine (5/16). The magazine admits that while the songwriting and sound are not wholly unique, the band does what... more ›

Austin has built its reputation of being a fun, liberal, artistic and open community in part due to activities such as this weekend’s annual Eeyore’s Birthday Party in Pease Park. About 40 years ago, University of Texas Delta Tau Delta fraternity member Lloyd Birdwell and some of his buddies started this fictional birthday party, partly as a spring rite of passage and partly out of the desire to throw a big ol’ party in... more ›