Fun Fun Fun Fest has quietly added a handful of huge draws to the lineup. Spoon, Cannibal Corpse and Black Lips have all signed on to perform. Cannibal Corpse is going to be out promoting their new record, Evisceration Plague, Black Lips might inspire another streaker (remember that?), and Spoon will be performing a sort of homecoming show. You might remember they played the very first Fun Fest 6 years ago (along with Peaches, Circle Jerks, Black Angels and others). There's no other upcoming gigs on the Spoon calendar, and their first gig of 2011, so if you're a completest, it's time to buy your tickets. There are still daily passes ($55), student discounts ($110) and regular three day passes available ($135).

Photo of the Black Lips by our own Pooneh Ghana. more ›

• Whole Foods will soon have more stores in Austin.
• There’s a heat advisory issued for Houston. That means it’s too bloody hot this week!
• Houston has a cool indie-county scene? Who knew?

Spoon have always been masterful artists in the recording studio. If there were ever a criticism of them, it usually hinged on the fact that their live show was very straightforward and businesslike - no gimmicks, no games, just the tunes. Somewhere during the extensive touring for 2007's Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, Spoon's current lineup moved their live show to a new plateau in the eyes of many longtime observers. Though they're only been touring for four months in support of new LP Transference, the set taped for PBS mainstay Austin City Limits in early July will likely prove to be a vital snapshot of a band at the height of their powers.

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New Release Tuesday is back, with more editor's picks on this week's most interesting and popular indie rock releases. There's a lot to look forward to this week at your favorite record store, including a vinyl reissue of Spoon's Kill the Moonlight, the Rangda album (another Drag City super group) and the Locust Peel Sessions CD / vinyl. Also, don't forget to go pick up your copy of Austin's own Woven Bones' In and Out and Back Again, which is officially available in stores today. All that being said, the one big, unavoidable and truly important release of this week is the new LCD Soundsystem. more ›

Tonight at 8 p.m. KUT will air a special live performance from Spoon on the air. The 80 minute show was recorded on the Austin City Limits soundstage. For all the details, go here. more ›

Today brought some big news from NPR - the public radio broadcaster will return to SXSW in 2010 for two stacked showcases for festival attendees that are sure to be a tough ticket. On Wednesday evening, March 17, NPR kicks off night one of SXSW music at Stubb's BBQ (just after the Austinist/WOXY/BMI party wraps up across the street!) with Austin's Spoon, followed by performances from modern soul legends Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Seattle's Visqueen, The Walkmen, and the Danger Mouse/Shins side project Broken Bells in their live debut. more ›

Photos by Steve Hopson. more ›

Spoon became indie rock heroes by making experimental music highly palatable. They are the underdogs who top the charts. And now, for their next trick, Spoon has pulled the tablecloth out from underneath dinner- not only without upsetting anything, but making the meal much meatier. On Transference, the horns are gone and the hooks have been sharpened. Spoon have narrowed the focus of their austere rock sensibility further than ever before, resulting in a stripping so bare that at times all you hear on the album is the tension between its instruments. The album delivers on both cerebral and gut-level fronts, ripping indie rock out of its wearying contexts with Britt Daniel’s signature snarl. Transference is an album about what isn’t there, throwing all the sonic weight behind what’s present. It’s built on a skeleton of rock riffs straight out of the early sixties and fed a strict rock diet of agnosticism, antagonism, and solitude. Although it’s easy to wax philosophical about what all this means, “all I know is all I know,” sings Daniel- and all we really know is that this is a huge album. more ›

As we mentioned earlier this week, Spoon definitely have their Springtime plates full with Transference media duties. The band will headline Stubb's during SXSW, but before that, they'll be doing a smattering of Austin performances that you'll have to plan in advance to attend. The Waterloo instore (which is rumored to be taking place in the parking lot) happens on January 25 at 4 p.m. Before that, they'll be at KGSR's studios to do a lounge performance for a live audience at noon. Tune in to KGSR next week at 8:20 a.m., 12:20 p.m. and 4:20 p.m. to get details on that -- or just register at KGSR.com to register. more ›

Spoon are hometown heroes in Austin, even if most of the band are now living in Oregon and Kansas. After headlining three nights there in July, Spoon will return to the main stage at Stubb's BBQ on Wednesday, March 17 to headline the NPR showcase at South By Southwest 2010. The concert will be streamed online on NPR's site and will also be simulcast on 90.5 KUT. more ›

• This is the 20th Anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the event that signaled the end of the Cold War. The “Wall of Change” project at UT marks this historic moment.
• President Obama to attend a memorial service at Fort Hood on Tuesday.
• The New York Times has a detailed story about the background of the Fort Hood shooter. It’s part of their larger package on the tragedy.

Since his 2000 debut, San Francisco-based singer/songwriter John Vanderslice has earned consistent critical praise for his work. His strong lyrical themes coupled with beautiful production aesthetics have found an audience both in the US and Europe, where Vanderslice is touring this fall. Vanderslice recently phoned us from California to discuss his latest work, 2009's Romanian Names, which he'll be showcasing at the ACL Festival next month.

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We hear quite of a bit of Doves influencing their sound, pared down just enough to firmly place the Mercers within the camp of sarcastic pop bands currently flashing chord progressions as juicy as their lyrics’ wit is dry. Austin seems to be an incubator for this "Wit Pop" (can we trademark that?) sound, hatching such masters of the style as Spoon and Okkervil River. more ›

Despite the unbearable heat, Spoon's mini-fest was a huge success over the weekend at Stubb's. Austinist contributing photographer Aasim Syed was there to capture everything. more ›

More than 25 years later, there's an arrest made for the murder of local musician Johnny Goudie's mother, Natalie Antonetti. more ›

The openers for this festival are a strange mix indeed, but all the better for breaking musical genre barriers. Be sure to check out at least one night; these are supposedly the last of Spoon's Austin shows for awhile. Don't get too distracted with the openers, though. There's also some amazing after shows, including The Low Lows, Nakia & His Southern Cousins, and The Black. more ›

Spoon’s music is all about propulsion, while the Low Lows focus on creating inescapable drag forces behind their melodies. But both bands seem thematically engaged on distilling the complexity of their musical ideas down into almost impossibly simplistic statements. In Spoon’s case, it’s Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga- pre-symbolic infant babble or chord structure? And on the other hand, with The Low Lows it’s a penchant for psychic denials so thinly veiled as to call attention to their transparency, which has vocalist Parker noon crooning heartbreakers like "There is no such thing as Sara Jane." more ›

There are few bands currently performing that can't shake Austin the way Spoon can't. Even though most of the band lives elsewhere, their presence lingers on the streets, in the record stores and in the bars. more ›

By now you've heard about the three-night-stand Spoon has at Stubb's in July. We're excited about it too; and we're presenting night three along with KVRX (that's July 11). The (somewhat) local heroes will be playing tunes from their rich catalog as well as songs from their forthcoming full-length and new EP Got Nuffin. more ›

For nearly a decade, John Vanderslice has consistently accomplished the difficult task of seamlessly, and seemingly carelessly, blending the streamlined, edgy production he terms "sloppy hi-fi" with complicated lyrics expressed by cryptic characters. more ›

On a night packed with the potential for multiple sonic eargasms (The Faint, My Bloody Valentine) the fact that Spoon sold out an intimate show at the Scoot weeks in advance should come as little surprise. These one-off, intimate Spoon sets feel like family reunions, bringing together the younger generation of Austin's cool-sters (relative babies in their bassinets from Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga) the middle aged yupsters (Kill the Moonlight) and the hipsteratti of 'ol timey pre-condo Austin (A Series of Sneaks). more ›

Mark your calendars and buy tickets early - this Spoon show at the Parish on October 13 will sell out fast. Those lucky enough to get tickets will cram into the small (but delightfully warm-sounding) room with a few hundred of their new best friends to support Texas Democrats and the campaign of Mark Thompson, Democratic candidate for the office of Railroad Commissioner. more ›

One of our favorite post-rock acts here in town, My Education, have a new album called Bad Vibrations. Until our review, get a sampling over at NPR Music, where the band is featured on Second Stage. more ›

More Wristbands Available Wednesday: At least a few of the coveted SXSW wristbands will be sold via the conventional route this year. The Austin Chronicle reports that 400+ wristbands priced at $165 will be on sale from 9:30am on Wednesday 3/12 at Waterloo Records. These wristbands do not require an local ID, so out-of-towners can finally get their show at wristbands not obtained through nefarious means. They also report that a second batch may be made available next week, so stay tuned for more information. more ›

Austin's Balmorhea released River's Arms last week, and kicked off their tour here in town. Their tour to support the record will follow the east coast, and land them back here in time for some SXSW gigs. Sample some of the instrumental band's lulling, hypnotic tunes c/o Western Vinyl, and check back here for a full-length review very soon. more ›

Brownout! kick off their tour this week but not before supplying the Beauty Bar with diverse concoctions comprised of Latin funk, Afro-beats, soul and R&B. Following their Tuesday night gig in Austin, the eight-piece plays one more show in the Lone Star State, at Zeppelin’s Pub in El Paso before leaving for California. more ›

There was no escaping the gravity of Austin in 2007. Three major festivals drew artists, labels, promoters and press from around the world. Critically and commercially, Spoon was an undeniably dominating force. Production power increased with the emergence of C3 Presents, a joint venture between heavyweights Charles Attal, Charlie Jones and Charlie Walker. Yet our unique universe still grows from within. Bands like Okkervil River and businesses like Transmission Entertainment continue to expand our horizons. My best of list is a celebration of what makes the Austin music scene independent and innovative. more ›

It's been a big year for local acts. Big name bands like Spoon, Iron & Wine and Okkervil River made a huge impact on the independent music scene world-wide, while up and coming acts like White Denim and Moth!Fight! captured our attention at the indie rock water cooler all year long. As rising hopes and swelling egos swept the town alongside buzz and bravado, we parted ways with bands like SOUND Team and Clap!Clap!. more ›

A sad week for LAist as they lose their trusted and amazing editor Tony Pierce to the LA Times, but what a blast his last week was. He shared his 25 Favorite CDs of 2007 and wrote a great review of just a good movie, No Country For Old Men. At UCLA, thousands of students celebrated the end of their quarter by running around campus in their undies (lots of photos in a two-part photo essay, one, two). That wasn't the only photo essay either: Joss Whedon/Mutant Enemy friends and Star Trek actors all joined in at the Writers Strike and KROQ's Almost Acoustic Christmas brought two nights of amazing bands that included Avenged Sevenfold, Linkin Park (Part I), Modest Mouse, Muse, Spoon and The Killers (Part II). Not only is L.A. a great music town, it has just been named the best city for bookish types. For those who are looking for something a little more active, American Gladiators are back (yes!) and if that's not enough, how about a Christmas gift of action and adventure? more ›

Image from Myspace; Photo by Colin Smith The Ponys + Chin Up Chin UpWednesday November 14The Mohawk (912 Red River)Doors at 9pm, Free![info] [The Ponys MySpace] [Chin Up Chin Up MySpace]Chicago's The Ponys traffic in post-punk and dark overtones, and have been tirelessly touring the club circuit for years. The band have recently opened for both Spoon and Bloc Party, but are now headlining their own fall trek through the South. Their latest work Turn... more ›