Regina Spektor got the disgruntled hip kid treatment when "Begin to Hope" came out in 2006. You know the treatment where people get angry when their band/musician becomes more accessible and garners more fans. You also might notice it happening when lyrics become less angry and more positive ("WTF, Ani DiFranco? You married A GUY and then wrote all these happy songs about babies and love?!? How. Dare. You.") These comments were echoed with the release of "Far" in 2009. We understand your nostalgia and the urge to cower from change when it comes to your beloved artists, but, truth is, Spektor still produces beautiful music and you can see it for yourself when it's performed live-in-a-way with the concert flm Regina Spektor: Live in London this Sunday at the Alamo Ritz. more ›

As illustrated by the back hatch of my Scion (aka the Japanese ambulance) I am a big fan of pithy expressionism. I leap and swing from motto to slogan to uber-encapsulated life wisdom as if playing some sort of philosophical hopscotch. If it fits on a bumper sticker and moves me, I will adopt the approach, if only briefly. Let’s call it stuck-in-traffic therapy—you’re sitting there, gridlock, and you let your eyes shop around for that which appeals: Wag More, Bark Less; Be the Change that You Want to See; Breathe; Namaste; If You Don’t Like My Driving Call 1-800-Eat-Shit. And then, of course, there are all those utterly unique rearranged Waterloo messages. (My son’s is a favorite, enigmatically proclaiming: This Whip Slays Dragsons on the back of an old SUV.) I also cull advice and inspiration from t-shirt slogans, though this is a bit more challenging. Self-trained to not look at boobs—though like the rest of y’all, I really am intrigued by the miraculous mounds of mammary magnificence—I miss out on a lot of cools text and graphics. I have even extended my never-lock-eyes-with-nipple-line rule to menfolk, wanting to be fair and all. So I must consciously remind myself that if a slogan is being sported, the wearer does want you to look. more ›

Sound is in love with Regina Spektor. There’s nothing it won’t let her do. She’s made her mouth into a synthesizer, morphed her lips into a kazoo-trumpet hybrid, made heartbeats and drumsticks their own instruments, rocked hard with an unamped electric guitar, and put a piano bridge in the middle of a punk song. At first, you might not recognize that adventurous spirit on Spektor’s most recent album, Far. Listen again. more ›

unattributed press photo Regina Spektor at Stubb’sTuesday, November 6thStubbs [map]$22.50 SOLD OUT, doors at 7[venue info][Regina Spektor Website][MySpace]Tonight, Russian import and all-around cutie Regina Spektor will deliver her charming sense of humor and attitudinous tunes to Stubb’s. And if it feels like she was just here, it’s because she pretty much was, with an evening position at the Austin City Limits Festival followed up by an intimate performance for her ACL show taping—both of these... more ›

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Special Announcement from KLRU: Arcade Fire Space Available tickets will be given away just after 10 a.m. today at KLRU-TV. First come first served. Two tickets per person until supplies run out. As always, these tickets don’t guarantee admission. The taping takes place on Friday at 8 p.m. Regina Spektor Space Available tickets will be given away at 12:15 (noonish) today at KLRU-TV. First come first served. Two tickets per person until supplies run... more ›

Some of the biggest artists playing at next week's Austin City Limits Music Festival will also be taping episodes of KLRU's Austin City Limits, the wide-acclaimed PBS show that begat it all. Unfortunately, the demand for space-available tickets is so intense that they're only announcing them via the radio. Fortunately, we've got the scoop on when and where you should be listening: below are the stations and times that you'll need to tune into... more ›

Let's get to it: ACL Fest organizers dropped the aftershow schedule yesterday, and it's fairly extensive. Stubb's, La Zona Rosa, The Parish, and Antone's will all host aftershows over the Thursday to Sunday that everyone is in town for the big event. Highlights include an intimate show from The White Stripes and Cold War Kids at Stubb's, an extra gig from Argentina's loungerific Gotan Project (also at Stubb's), appearances by Spoon, Common, and Queens... more ›

After a month of guesswork, the ACL Fest lineup is here. And it's quite a good one. While the wild speculation of headliners like Neil Young and Stevie Wonder once again proved false, the key items one sees this year are depth and balance. Having spent yesterday looking over the roster, we have the following observations on the 2007 edition of ACL. The Good: A Great Top 10. Had you told us that we'd... more ›

FRIDAY [10] music • Tilly and the Wall, The Tyde, Pony Up at Emo's music • The Places, 4 Hungry Tummies, Ralph White, Ryan Anderson at Emo's Lounge music • Jolie Holland w. Sonny Smith at The Parish Room music • The Alice Rose at Waterloo Records music • CREEPOUT Fest: Chumps, Bulemics, The Ends,The Wolves at Beerland music • Regina Spektor with Only Son at Antone's (Sold Out) music • The Black, Horse... more ›

She's arty, but her songs are as catchy as hell. She was an anti-folk regular on the New York club scene, but also hangs out with The Strokes. Tonight, Antone's hosts the entertaining contradicton that is Regina Spektor in a sold out show. Spektor's latest album Begin To Hope has received accolades from NPR, Pitchfork, The Onion, and Rolling Stone, so we suppose that just about everyone likes it. The disc is a blend of... more ›

- Wild Horses Couldn't Sell Those Cheap Seats: Charles Attal must be having some trouble filling those far corners of Zilker Park, because KGSR sent out an email this week offering four Rolling Stones tickets and four concert T-Shirts for $199. If you're keeping score, this is roughly half of the original $95 ticket cost. If you'd like to take advantage of the offer, head over here. - New Concerts Going On Sale his... more ›