Zookeeper is the perfect nom d’arte for Chris Simpson. Technically Zookeeper is a band, a group effort, but Simpson is the one constant. He acts as frontman and ringleader for a pack of ragamuffin rockers associated with projects like Bishop Allen, Zykos, The Glass Family, 1986 and Sad Accordions. And Simpson knows how to write songs that capitalize on this unique amalgamation of talent. Zookeeper is more into performing than practicing, which makes each show a distinct and fantastic musical circus....

TUESDAY [27] film •AFS Essential Series "Climates" at Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar books •Laura Van Prooyen presents Inblot and Altar at BookWoman (7:00pm) books •Robert Utley presents Lone Star Lawmen at BookPeople (7:00pm) film •"8-Bit": a film about art & video games at Alamo Drafthouse Downtown film •"Where's the Beef?" best commercials of the 80s at Alamo Drafthouse Downtown music •Yellow Fever, Basic, Popup at Emo's music •O'2L at Stubb's music •Dale Watson at......

TUESDAY [27] books • Jason Dorsey presents My Reality Check Bounced at BookPeople (7:00pm) books • Aaron Allston presents Star Wars: Legacy of the Force at Dragon's Lair Comics (5:00pm) film • TMNT 2: Secret of the Ooze Pizza Party at Alamo Drafthouse Downtown film • AFS Essential: Satin Rouge at Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar music • Brothers and Sisters, The Broken West, The Glass Family at Emo's (Free) music • Scion Live Metro......

THURSDAY [21] fashion • Dirty Librarian Chains Trunk Show with DJ Chicken George and Daetron Vargas at FactoryPeople (5-8pm) film • The Christmas Pop! Sing-Along at Alamo Downtown (7pm, $10) film • La Femme Nikita at Rounders Pizzeria (8pm, Free) film • old Joy at Alamo Downtown (9:45pm) film • Terror Thursday: Blood Beach at Alamo Downtown (11:55pm, Free) music • Ugly Beats, Bellfuries, The Deadly Companions at Emo's music • "A Parish Christmas," featuring......

TUESDAY [26] political-rockstars • Howard Dean speaks at Scholz Garden (5pm-6:30pm, $50/$20) pol/booze • "Drinking Liberally" weekly meetup for liberal and progressives at Dog & Duck Pub (6:30pm) books • Drew Banks presents Able Was I at BookPeople (7pm) music • The Queers, Hard Ons, Toys That Kill, Signal Lost at Emo's music • "Cool Brittania," By Wayne (Calla) and ex-Yuppie Pricks -- Brit Pop, Rock, Punk, Psych, Metal, and Prog from 60s-90s at......

MONDAY 24[music] TV On the Radio, Celebration, The Cocker Spaniels at Emo's (info) [film] Save Our Springs Alliance presents "Driving Sprawl," A 20-minute documentary about Advanced Micro Devices planned move to the Barton Springs watershed. at Ruta Maya (8pm) (info) [music] Josh Rouse at Cactus Café ($22, Through Tuesday) (info) [film/drinking] FuseBox Happy Hour/Nerve.com Screening at Blue Theater (6pm, $5, FREE beer and wine) (info) [books] Anthony Horowitz presents Ark Angel : An Alex Rider......

F R I D A Y [17] [DJs/party] Caps and Jones at Barcelona (link) [music] Zykos, The Black, Evangelicals, and Michael Kingcaid at Emo's (link) [film] John S. Rad's "Dangerous Men" at Drafthouse Village (9:45pm) (link) [books] Anthropologist Jenny White presents her first novel, The Sultan's Seal at Bookpeople (Free, 7pm) (link) [party] Freescale Marathon kick off party at Runtex Riverside (Free, 5-7pm) (link) [music] Zookeeper, Sad Accordions, Alex Dupree & The Trapdoor Plan, Meryll......

F R I D A Y [ 2 0 ] [music] Attack Formation at The Parlor [music] Faceless Werewolves, For Those Who Know, The Ugly Beats, Tran Tram play the Benefit for Austin GI Rights at Emo's [music] Just Guns CD release show with northKorean, Stories From the Frontier, Sad Accordions, and Infant of Prague at Beerland (7pm) [theatre] "Two Into War" at the Play! Theatre ($5-$20, 8pm) (link) [theatre] "House and Garden" at Austin......

Would you be surprised to know that Waco, Texas is home to a bunch of great bands? If so, you might be even more surprised to find out that there are so many great bands based out of or from Waco, that they've formed the Waco Co-op, "a collective of musicians who desire to create meaningful and creative music in the context of [their] relationship to each other." The co-op counts popular Austin groups......

: : FRIDAY : : [music] Moretempo, 10pm-2am @ Copa - $5 [theatre] "Inside a Broken Clock: A Tom Waits Peepshow" @ Arts on Real (Through Saturday) [film] New Movies! @ your local theater [music] The Sad Accordions with Jim Yoshii Pileup, 10pm @ the Ritz [lecture] Gallery Tour of the Ansel Adams exhibit @ The Harry Ransom Center, 6pm - FREE! [art] Jerry Uelsmann and wife Maggie Taylor present their latest works, 6-9pm@......

M O N D A Y [ 1 7 ] music · Elizabeth McQueen (of Asleep At the Wheel) and Jason Roberts begin their new Monday night residency at Threadgills - they're sharing a band and splitting the night. (8pm-10pm) music · Ethan Azarian at Waterloo Records (5pm) music · The Sad Accordions with Just Guns at Emo's music · The Drafthouse Downtown screens "Rock & Roll Invaders: The AM Radio DJs" - a documentary......