John Vanderslice's latest album, The Emerald City, is a gorgeous glimpse into the mind of a great songwriter - a man attempting to discuss love, loss, and frustration with things outside of his control, both internally and externally. The record is both politically charged and characteristically subtle, bringing Vanderslice to the forefront of his genre. His deft perseverance towards intelligently curated lyrics coupled with an impressive array of acoustic instruments capture the mind and heart,......

One man’s hapless journey through life is documented in the new exhibit, Mike’s World, a performance and video installation at the Blanton Museum of Art. Tonight's edition of the monthly B Scene at the Blanton Museum of Art will offer a sneak peek at Mike’s World, which won't officially open until September 11. Short video performances shown on flat screens throughout the exhibit space will give viewers a focused look in to the life of......

Big Brother really will be watching soon enough. In one of the more disgusting turn of Pentagon-related paranoia events, the Department of Defense (under the auspice of the US command in Baghdad) announced yesterday that it will be putting out a contract on the media. Well, to be more precise, it will be spending $20 million to hire a public relations firm to monitor the media's coverage on the quagmire in Iraq. The AP reports......

A true benchmark of our time is the shortened distance that exists between real events in our world and their rebirth as silver screen dramas. An example of this is writer/director Peter Greengrass’ (The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Ultimatum) United 93, an accounting based on documented facts of what transpired aboard the fated aircraft on September 11, 2001. Playing out in real time, cross cutting between stories, we get a glimpse of the shock and......

Restaurant ReportAfter Saturday night, Mezzaluna will close its doors after 16 years of serving Austinites. The restaurant, which is located in the Warehouse District, hasn't been able to recover from September 11 and the technology bust, owner Reed Clemons said in the Statesman . Capitol Brasserie will replace Mezzaluna, serving French cuisine in November. We'd like ours snail-less, please. And now for the topic everyone loves to talk about, the smoking ban. As the......