When Say Anything was just starting out, frontman Max Bemis was a huge fan of Saves the Day. When Say Anything became a phenomenon among fans of emotionally charged punk, Say Anything secured an opening slot on a Saves the Day tour. But Bemis had to cancel when he checked into a Houston clinic citing psychological issues. Now that Say Anything has signed with J Records, an offshoot of Sony, Bemis and Saves the Day frontman Chris Conley are close friends, and Saves the Day is now opening for Saves the Day on a national tour for the second time. It’s no wonder that the two songwriters have such close ties - the cathartic sincerity of Saves the Day’s music has become a cornerstone for much of today’s popular music. Say Anything adds to that sound a menacing anger and incisive criticism that have deconstructed the holier-than-thou attitudes of elitist punk fans. more ›

Max Bemis is the man behind California pop outfit Say Anything. Bemis started the band in 2001, self-releasing Baseball that year followed by …Is a Real Boy on Doghouse Records in 2004. The latter was Bemis’ attempt to ease out of the pop-punk category towards what he calls “respectable music” per the band’s website. In fact, he went through quite a contemplative stage as he prepared the album -- “I thought often about what the point of my life was. Was I doomed to remain yet another earnest, upper-middle class bred whine-rocker? After all, hidden deep in the recesses of my mind, I had hidden the notion that I could do something incredible and different, that I could be somebody like Warhol, or Jesus. I had to write an album that was revolutionary in its content and presentation. Finally, one night, it hit me. That was what my record had to be about: the artistic struggle, the fact that every creative person has this sick ambition to affect some sort of change in society with their art, to be more than just a guy in a band or a poet or a sculptor. I couldn’t decide if this ambition was a good or bad thing but I decided to parody that overzealous drive in human beings by crafting a truly over the top musical about...myself.” more ›

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 ›

WEDNESDAY [16] music • Locals at La Zona Rosa Showcase with Zookeeper, The Laughing, A Pocketful of Deng at La Zona Rosa (Free with RSVP at Do512) books • The Intimacies Group with Guest Rick Lannoye discuss "Sex Drive" at BookPeople (7:00pm) film • "Willy Wonka" Chocolate Feast at Alamo Downtown film • Open Screen Night at Alamo Downtown film • Weird Wednesday: "Daydream" at Alamo Downtown food • (The Original) Willy Wonka Chocolate... more ›

MONDAY [14] comedy • Funniest Person in Austin Semifinals at Cap City Comedy Club film • "Willy Wonka" with Golden Ticket Giveaway at Alamo Downtown film • Music Monday: "Tim Buckley: My Fleeting House" at Alamo Downtown music • King Kong, Awesome Cool Dudes, Lalaland at Emo's music • Movie Mondays with "Style Wars" at Beauty Bar... more ›

We'll be mostly offline through the rest of this week to spend the holidays with our families. Happy Thanksgiving, Austinites! WEDNESDAY [22] film • "School House Rock" Sing&Learn-Along at Alamo Downtown (7pm, $10) film • The Syrian Bride at Congregation Beth Israel (7pm) film • Be Here to Love Me at Beerland (7pm, Free) film • A Woman Is a Woman at Spider House (8pm,Free) film • Moulin Rouge at Rounders Pizzeria (8pm,Free) film... more ›

MONDAY [20] film • Cine Las Americas presents Letters from the Other Side at Carver Museum (6:30pm, Free) film • Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple at Alamo Downtown (7pm) film • Mouchette at Texas Union (7:30pm) film • "City of Men," Episodes 5 & 6 at Spider House (8pm, Free) film • Hedwig and the Angry Inch at Rounders Pizzeria (8pm, Free) film • Who Killed the Electric Car at Café... more ›

TUESDAY [18] [books/crafts] Craftster.org founder Leah Kramer at Work*Shop (7:30pm) (link) [books] Larry Dierker presents My Team: Choosing My Dream Team from My Forty Years in Baseball at BookPeople (7pm) (link) [music] Invincible Czars, Stolen Babies, Giant Squid at Emo's (link) [music] Shane Bartell at Waterloo Records (5pm) (link) [music] Ben Lee, Say Anything, Dashboard Confessional at The Paramount Theatre (7pm) (link) [music] Bettysoo at Cactus Cafe (Free) (link) [film] AFS Essential: Sex & Lucia... more ›

MONDAY [17] [books] Michael Putegnat presents Laguna at BookPeople (7pm) (link) [music] Riverboat Gamblers, Only Crime, Complete Control, Los Dryheavers at Emo's (link) [music] English Beat at Stubb's (link) [music] The return of Dale Watson & his Lone Stars at Continental Club (10pm) (link) [music] Porter Davis at Cactus Cafe (link) [travel] Austin Travel Circle Meeting at Austin International Youth Hostel (Free, 7pm) (link) [film] Peter Whitehead's Daddy at Alamo Downtown (7pm) (link) [film] Hail,... more ›

*Odam doing "Candy and Flowers?" Neh. Carly broke the internet at her house, so I am just posting it for her. As always, the views expressed in this column are those of the author's and do not represent Austinist as a whole.* -The Editors Valentine’s Day — it’s the holiday we (and by “we,” I mean “my single friends and I”) all love to hate. But, not everything about the bonanza of paper hearts... more ›

AngryRobot was kind enough to point out that the SXSW Music roster has now grown to over 1,200 bands. We're no longer able to keep track of who's new and who's already been listed, but festival organizers will have notified all qualifying bands by sometime tomorrow. Check out our list after the expandotron, or for much prettier versions we invite you to surf over to AngryRobot's: SXSW 2006 Band List, Parsed v4.0 Meanwhile, stay... more ›

South By Southwest released another round of additions to the roster of bands scheduled to perform at this year's music festival (March 15th-19th), bringing the current total to nearly 1150. Notable bands recently added as of January 29th include Morrissey, Camera Obscura, Captain, Boy Hits Car, Billy Bragg, Bedtime for Toys, Division of Laura Lee, and SF's Hudson Bell. The full roster appears after the jump, or you check out much prettier versions at... more ›

The roster of bands scheduled to perform at this year's South by Southwest Music Festival has grown to over one thousand, with several hundred still unannounced. If you're not on this, don't fret -- just yet. SXSW coordinators are promising to contact all selected bands by February 7. Meanwhile: The housing market during the festival is looking rather healthy. SXSW is still looking for volunteers Registration rates are at their penultimate price points before... more ›

SXSW.com released an updated lineup for this year's SXSW Music Festival earlier today, and it's one hell of a list. The SXSW committee hastens to note that "This is a partial list of performers confirmed to appear at the 2006 SXSW Music Festival. This list is current as of 1/13/06. All of this information is subject to change." International acts include: Masahiro Nitta, DMBQ, Ellegarden, Tsu Shi Ma Mi Re, PE'Z, The Emeralds (Japan)... more ›