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Forklift Danceworks marks the upcoming anniversary of Elvis’ death with an homage to the King that includes singing, dancing, and guest Elvis cameos from Jim Swift, Sara Hickman, John Kelso, and Mayor Will Wynn Austinist sponsors a big bash at Beauty Bar with the Turbonego cover band Apocalypse Dudes, DJ Jester the Filipino Fist, and Ernest Gonzales 1906 hosts the opening reception for "SeeSaw," their first-ever photography show, featuring landscapes, portraiture, digitally-manipulated images, and... more ›

Tonight at Emo's Lounge be sure to check out a show with some heavy-hitting sponsors (Filter , Both Sides of the Mouth, and Zune) behind it in order to put some great music in front of you. Straight outta Compton (well, LA at least) is Great Northern, a band that's been making waves of late. Listen closely to their instantly appealing pop and you'll hear the burnt edges and dark undertones. Your head will... more ›

Austinist co-sponsors an awesome boat party out on Lake Travis, with bands, DJs, swimming, and more. Tickets are still available, but get yours now before they sell out! Gallery Lombardi's latest ocean-themed exhibition, entitled "Radical Nautical," opens with a full evening of music, videos, and more Forklift Danceworks debuts their "revised and expanded" performance of their Elvis-inspired dance production, The King and I Austin Film Festival brings in veteran screenwriter Dan Petrie Jr. ("Beverly... more ›

Don't forget about Low Line Caller's Residency show at the Mohawk this evening. The Mohawk Residency series continues to bring fantastic local bands together on alternating Tuesdays for your almost mid-week pleasure, and tonight is a good one, considering Shapes Have Fangswill open with their Shins-ish arrangements, and Marc Ferrino of Black Before Red will add his vocal prowess to their usually instrumental set. While we're pondering the ramifications of mathematical entities having the ability... more ›

KVRX continues to go from strength to strength in the oft-shifting landscape of independent music. The student radio station for UT at Austin broadcasts on 91.7 FM (at certain times) while also streaming online at all times. KVRX’s mantra of “None of the Hits, All of the Time” has always held a soft spot in our hearts and their Local Live broadcast every Sunday night at 10pm usually showcases a quality act in its rawest... more ›

The following article and interview is by guest contributor Lisa Kaselak, who will be curating a short film series at the Fuse Box Festival tomorrow evening. Check the IST list for details. -- Ed. Note I first met Ron Berry last year, after I finished a short documentary piece and some accompanying prints and was looking for a community space to house the whole exhibit – not necessarily an easy task since this work was... more ›

As we mentioned earlier today, we're very excited about the return of the Cine Las Americas International Film Festival, for which we're media sponsors this year. Today we're giving away a pair of tickets to tonight's opening night screening of Francisco Vargas Quevedo’s award-winning drama, El Violín. Another lucky winner will score a CinePass, which will grant him/her access to all festival screenings, plus the parties. You can enter your name for both contests by filling out this form: Congrats, VK and SG! [Festival Website]
[Venue Guide]
[Buy Tickets / Passes] Cine Las Americas International Film Festival
April 19th-26th more ›

As the oldest and biggest GLBT film fest in the Southwest, the Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival (aGLIFF) has been responsible for screening hundreds of independent films, many which would have otherwise stood little chance of seeing the light of day in Central Texas. As we've mentioned in the past, aGLIFF does much more than the annual fall fest; throughout the year, they sponsor and host a variety of one-off screenings, community outreach/education... more ›

Guster are probably the most popular band you've never heard of. Birthed from the frigid loins of Boston's vibrant college rock scene, Guster match glistening pops hooks to intelligent, quirky lyrics in kind of a Violent Femmes-meets-Barenaked Ladies-but-not-really-meant-for-for-your-parents way. And boy, don't they look good in red! Their self-released debut sold 40,000 copies, which means it earned more than the cost of your parents' house, and they manage to sell out theaters despite the fact that their biggest media score was that news story about them getting stiffed for heckling the corporate sponsors at a 2000 music festival. Interest piqued? We have tickets! more ›

The following is a letter written by Le and Thomas Popov, owners of South Congress boutique FactoryPeople. As life-long independent music lovers and long-time Austinites (at least one of has lived here since 1989), we have come to love mid-March when the SXSW Music Festival brings Austin to life. After the events of this year's fest, it’s unlikely we’ll ever feel the same affection for SXSW. On Thursday, March 15th, an inspector of the City... more ›

Austinist and Gothamist's second annual SXSW day party (co-hosted this year with Gorilla Vs Bear) was a resounding success, drawing a capacity crowd by the early afternoon. Austin Mayor Will Wynn made a surprise visit during Earl Greyhound's set, articulating the importance of cornerstone venues like The Mohawk on our city's live music scene and suggesting that Austin musicians need better access to healthcare. His speech garnered tremendous applause from the audience, which consisted... more ›

Last week we brought you Unlock Austin’s Red River Pass. This week, Unlock Austin brings us its first “Lose Your Resolution” Party featuring IV Thieves, White Ghost Shivers, and Seth Walker. The schedule includes a fashion show, with outfits designed by the participating bands to be modeled by none other than former Mayoral candidate and always entertaining Leslie Cochran. The event is co-sponsored by Soundcheck Magazine, Austin Music Foundation, and Steaz. A true believer in... more ›

Violinist Charles Yang. Photo by Eric Uhlir Three weeks ago, Austin's newest arts organization, strataTX, launched with a successful kickoff gala at the Design Center of Austin. The latest giving group of the Texas Cultural Trust, strataTX brings together enthusiastic young professionals of all industries and backgrounds to help sustain and expand the Lone Star State's arts community. StrataTX Launch Party Attendees. Photo by Eric Uhlir Amidst heavy fanfare, TCT Deputy Director Jennifer Wijangco... more ›

Cine Las Americas is hosting a special screening of the critically acclaimed Letters from the Other Side. The documentary on Mexican immigration was directed by Austinite Heather Courtney. The free screening at the George Washington Carver Museum is open to the public and will feature a Q&A with women featured in the film, with a reception to follow. Beyond just a screening, the evening is a celebration of sorts, as the women from the... more ›

Apart from their annual two-week-long fall spectacle, The Austin Gay & Lesbian International Film Festival (aGLIFF) also sponsors various projects and programs throughout the year, all aimed towards fostering the talents of our city's budding young filmmakers of the GLBT persuasion. This year, they've teamed up with Public Access Community Television (PACT) to create the My Gay Movie 2007 Challenge: novice filmmakers are encouraged to create 10-minute shorts with a "queer sensibility"; the best submissions... more ›

Some people think that being a professional musician is the best job in the world, and most of the time musicians probably think so, too... until they sprain a wrist or their kid gets the flu and they wind up paying $4,932 out-of-pocket. Live music being sort of a freelance occupation, it doesn't attract many healthcare providers willing to carry the extraordinary financial burden of unregulated US healthcare. Enter the Health Alliance for Austin... more ›

Austin's favorite Mom & Pop shop, Whip In, sponsors a Tunes and Brews Benefit the first Sunday of every month at The Continental Club. Beer of the Month is served, music is played, and all the proceeds go to The Groundwork Music Project. more ›

Tomas from The Interest Kills would like to remind you that the first time we tried this Local Music is Sexy thing, we had Trojan on board, which meant that we had more mint-flavored (or were they scented?) condoms than we, or anyone who attended, knew what to do with. What surprises are in store for this year's show is anyone's guess. With new sponsors comes new possibilities. Another shot of The Interest Kills... more ›

Tomorrow night, The Streets take to the stage at La Zona Rosa. Mike Skinner's third album, The Hardest Way to Make An Easy Living, has drawn many favorable reviews ("twice as good as any album about the price of celebrity has a right to be" -- Guardian UK). Be sure to arrive in time to check out opener Lady Sovereign, easily one of the most entertaining acts we caught at SXSW. If you haven't... more ›

Every single Monday night, music fanatics converge upon the Alamo Drafthouse Downtown to attend Music Mondays, a brilliant series of engaging, informative and sometimes peculiar films about music. It’s an awfully cool series, and while we’ve always assumed that these sort of things magically organize themselves, that turns out not to be the case at all. Music Mondays is actually the invention of writer / music lover / dedicated film junkie Kier-La Janisse. Recently,... more ›

Thank Andy Gately for the three-hour assault on conservative values that is the first-annual Austin Underground Film Festival (tonight, 7pm, Drafthouse South Lamar). Andy’s a veteran of Troma Films, Cahiers du Cinemart, and all sorts of interesting projects, including something called the Holocaust Film Sourcebook. He graciously answered a few questions about his latest venture. Thanks for talking to us! Thanks for the chance. And for not being owned by Rupert Murdoch. How did... more ›

Tomorrow night over at the Beauty Bar, Austinist has teamed up with our friends over at Car Stereo (Wars) and Learning Secrets to bring you the official Listening Party for the new record by superstar UK rapper The Streets. The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living (VICE) follows up the adorably adroit Mike Skinner's hugely successful first two albums, Original Pirate Material and A Grand Don't Come for Free, both which shocked us with their disarmingly honest glimpses into the rather mundane life of a gritty, "street-level" Londoner. more ›

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... more ›

Come kick off the weekend right with an Earth Day pre-party and benefit at The Nest @ Big Red Sun tonight. The event, presented by TEMPO, LLC and the AVEDA Experience Center of Barton Creek, and in cooperation with a slew of sponsors, will feature a vegetarian happy hour, live percussion, nature-inspired art, global dj sets, and more. down 2 earth Tonight, 6pm-10pm The Nest @ Big Red Sun [map] $5... more ›

• Scientists assigned a new genus to this creature they recently discovered in the ocean. We're thinking it would taste good with some garlic butter. ***Don't be fooled, a tabloid posting says that some NASA Scientists are calling it an alien life form.
• Tragically, 5 UT students were killed in a car accident this weekend on their way to a medical school convention in St. Louis. None of them were wearing their seat belts.
• A woman was attacked and sexually assaulted and left with serious injuries in the Bull Creek Greenbelt.
• Freescale announced that it is dropping its sponsorship of the Freescale Marathon. It will, of course, continue to be an important running event, but it will now be known as the Austin Marathon with several different corporate sponsors.
• The death of Milosevic has brought on a critical eye to the hotel jail in which Mr. Milosevic spent his final years. Though tests show that he died of a heart-attack, a foreign drug has been found in his body leading to speculations of poisoning.
• American's debate over abortion is getting hotter.
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FRIDAY [3] [music] Ariel Pink, Belong, Weird Weeds and Ralph White at Emo's (Inside) (link) [music] What Made Milwaukee Famous, Deathray Davis, AUX at Emo's (Outside) (link) [music] Slightly Stoopid, The Expendables and Bedouin Soundclash at Stubb's (link) [music] Bucketheard and Kid Beyond at La Zona Rosa (link) [music] Dirty Hearts at End of an Ear (Free, 6pm) (link) [DJ] Whee!Explode! By Learning Secrets and DJ Ian Orth at The Peacock (10pm-2am) (link) [fashion] ATX... more ›

There's no point in sugar coating this one. The lineup is just too damn good. Austinist has always respected and enjoyed the vinyl work of local designer/turntablist/artist DJ Starsign. But to combine his talents with that of Greg Most from the infamously soulful 45 kings: Waxploitation? And on top of that, Deejay Jennifer (who we are currently unfamiliar with, but wil be soon, we're sure) will also be in attendance? Well, that's just... we... more ›

The sixth annual Weblog Awards, more affectionately referred to as the "Bloggies™," are now accepting nominations for your favorite blogs. From now through Tuesday, January 10, 2005, anyone with a unique email address can submit their recommendations for such esteemed categories as "Best Craft Weblog," "Best Latin American Weblog" and "Best Teen Blog." more ›

Photo of William K. Stidham's "Into the Wild Blue Yonder" more ›