After Van Halen, Bruce Springsteen, Radiohead, and Jay-Z all elected to skip Austin on their spring US tours, it's not unreasonable to feel that our music-loving town seems to be off the radar of the arena pop and rock circuit. This despite a perfectly functional (if rather dated) basketball arena smack in the center in town. Thankfully, the Louis Vuitton Don Kanye West agrees with you, and has elected to show Austin some big-production love with a date here at The Frank Erwin Center in late April....

This Canadian trio have made what might one of the most perfect records of 2008 with Come Into My House, and album inspired equally by Janet Jackson, Sufjan Stevens and Arthur Russell. Utilizing charmingly off-kilter vocal harmonies, thick bass lines and brash instrumentation (not to mention the bassoon solos, esoteric time signatures, and Cher-inspired warble-effect vocals), No Kids have crafted one of the most interesting albums we've heard in a long while. The band earned a grant from the Canadian government to work on the record, and brought in an additional 9 musicians to bring the cinematic landscapes they hear in their minds to life. Although tracks like "The Beaches are Closed" smack of '90s R&B (think Usher reminiscing about a girl who dressed sexy at a party, forcing him to sing to a rain-soaked window to his own reflection later that night), it doesn't at all stink of irony. Gorgeous strings layered over the crackling drum machine and the sweet harmonies sing praises to a genre often deemed joke-worthy, demonstrating the elegance inherent therein. "Bluster in the Air" employs a muted horn section ripped straight from a smoky jazz bar, "I Love the Weekend" is a love letter to Brazilian pop and jazz master Dom Um Romão, and "Neighbor's Party" kind of reminds us of Sufjan, but in the way that Sufjan reminds us of the Cure's unabashed pop musings, such as "Close to Me." There's really not enough time to fully describe what to expect out of this one, you'll have to try it for yourself. ...

Brownout! kick off their tour this week but not before supplying the Beauty Bar with diverse concoctions comprised of Latin funk, Afro-beats, soul and R&B. Following their Tuesday night gig in Austin, the eight-piece plays one more show in the Lone Star State, at Zeppelin’s Pub in El Paso before leaving for California....

Free Week hits its stride on Saturday with three separate shows at Emo’s Lounge, Emo’s inside stage, and the outside stage as well. ...

The Blanton Museum's B Scene events happen once a month and celebrate the arts by combining music, drinks and socializing to rejuvenate the sometimes stuffy fine art scene. Their unique approach to reaching out to the public this way includes showcasing local musicians and DJs, and each B Scene event offers a different genre representation from Austin's diverse musical culture. ...

Ladies: If you're wondering where the nice guys have gone, you might want this perspective from an ex-nice guy. One of our nation's most beloved spousal abusers has passed away at 76. Oh, he was also a R&B hit maker ... no, it's not Robert Blake. Armando Walle is in Austin today to show the people of Texas that change is needed in Houston. We're not sure we want to see that PowerPoint. The......

Album cover of McLemore Avenue, Booker T. & The MG’s The hilarious kids of ColdTowne bring their audience-driven film/music/improv spectacle, 3, 2, 1 Kill!, to the new downtown Drafthouse digs Austin Music Commission hosts a very important town hall meeting tonight at Momo's on the resurrected sound ordinance proposal, which could dramatically transform our city's live music landscape -- and not in a good way Stitch, Austin's ultimate gathering of D-I-Y fashion and design, takes......

The Wonderful Harmonizers came together in Huntsville, TX, in 1959--that's nearly 50 years of singing gospel music together. Perhaps most impressive, though, is the fact that they still sound great, playing tight Ray Charles-style gospel R&B with just a touch of Texas swing. They're playing fairly early in the afternoon on Friday, so you have even more reason to beat the crowd and arrive early. The Wonderful Harmonizers Huntsville, TX Latest Release: I'm Lookin', 2000......

Some 300 competitors in 75 teams are set to converge upon Austin next week for the 2007 National Poetry Slam, a five-day competition that will feature some of the country's most talented slam artistry. NPS officially runs from August 7 through August 11th, but event organizers are hosting a series of preview events starting today to showcase some of what you can expect to see at the performances. "We're fortunate to be able to again......

She may hail from Memphis, but Amy Lavere's music is eerily evocative of Austin. A bright, talented upright bass player with a knack for digestible songwriting, she crafts sleek ditties that glide along like the margarita-soaked Sundays we know all too well. Archer Records, her alma mater, got a handful when they signed up this one. There's elements of self-aware sarcasm and a easygoing resignation, insulated by smooth C&W rhythms and her lounge-y coo. One......

Police in Maryland unearthed the bodies of at least three aborted infants One of Michael Vick's cohorts gives up, pleads guilty to dogfighting conspiracy charges R&B performer Usher gets cold feet, breaks off wedding with his pregnant fiance The one thing that scares Republicans more than sunlight, garlic cloves, and holy water? YouTube. A Houston-based auto shop may have plans to bring back the DeLorean......

Each week, Austinist's staff takes some time to introduce you to the bands playing at this year's Austin City Limits festival. Some you know, some not so much, but they're all going to be here, so stay tuned. --Paige Maguire, Music Editor The Gospel Silvertones specialize in soothing R&B and soul fit to kick off most mornings -- the band plays regularly at some of Austin’s favorite breakfast and brunch spots on weekends. They recently......

Taylor Mills Lullagoodbye (Aquapulse) There’s a new safe word being grunted out of S&M dungeons everywhere, and it is Lullagoodbye. It means slow down, ease up and take fewer risks. Although the album mostly lies within the boundaries of uninspired adult contemporary, at times her voice is filled with smooth, sometimes-sultry melody and a graceful piano whispers like a bedtime story. Then, there’s the added bonus of looking at her staggeringly attractive mug on every......

Merry Christmas kiddos, just about all you have to look forward to this week record shopping is a stocking-ready collection of reissues and collections. Oh, and Ghostface. Ghostface Killah More Fish (Def Jam) Wu Tang member and Staten Island resident Ghostface has indeed delivered more fish. In a manner somewhat reminiscent of the good old days (now nearly ten years ago, making Ghost a near AARP card holder among rappers), More Fish provides the......

Okay, kids, here’s the scoop. There once was a rock band from England. They had a drummer who liked to dress up as a Nazi for kicks, an under-appreciated bassist who was the silent backbone of the band, a lead singer who fancied himself an actor – and wasn’t bad, so long as his character was deaf, dumb and blind – and a hyperactive guitarist who was once a suspected of involvement in a......

I can't believe that one week from today, it will all be over - and I'll be waking up and getting ready to fly home to Nashville. But I guess I should just focus on getting through the next four days... and it's going to be hard, because something tells me I'm going to distracted to the point of being completely useless this week at work. Anyway, here's your Monday morning dose of ACL......

Gay and Lesbian Pride Month continues this weekend with the Texas Pride Festival at Waterloo Park. The annual outdoor celebration brings together a bevy of artists, performers, local merchants and restaurants for an all-day celebration. The schedule of bands appears below: Noon: Manager's Choice 1pm: Lisa Richards ~ 2006 Kerrville New Folk Finalist 2pm: Lisa Rogers/Purly Gates ~ 2006 Kerrville New Folk Finalist 3pm: Flamin' Desire 4pm: Kit Holmes 5pm: Omar Lopez ~ 2006......

As the white lights slowly went dim and faded to black, the electric hum started and the machinery began to engage itself. Gears walking over gears, the machinery slowly coming to life, cold steel kissing cold steel in an emotionless dirge hell-bent on a single purpose. Forward. Gears and moving parts steadily gained momentum and speed, churning faster and faster, burning fuel and giving off heat, the lifeless metal creature at once began to......

Close listeners coming into musical consciousness in the 1980s were faced with a paradox: while past recordings that had slipped into obscurity had become available once again, the sonic quality and production values that had marked the great age of vinyl had been swept aside by record companies in order to reissue as many albums as possible. From 1997, with the long-awaited remasterings of jazz masterpieces by Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock, many notable record......

We love listening to Austin’s very own Gourds. Surely you’ve already picked up your copy of the Gourds’ newest record, “Heavy Ornamentals” by now. If not, what are you waiting for? It has been out for a whole week already. (Watch for our review sometime later this week.) What? You don't know about the Gourds? Well then it's high time you climb out from the cave in which you apparently live to check out......

* new! and improved! * : : FRIDAY : : [music] Book of Shadows & Devil Bat, 6pm @ End of an Ear - Free! [charity/music] Benefit for the victims of Hurricane Katrina with Attic Ted, The Vivian Girls, 8pm @ Monkeywrench Books [music] Zykos, Phosphorescent, Canoe, 9pm @ Emo's OUTSIDE - Free! [music] Voxtrot, Loxsly, Belaire, 9pm @ Emo's INSIDE - Free [charity/music] Crescent City Soul and R&B 45's by Waxploitation! DJs, 6-8pm......