The Starlight Mints might occasionally be dismissed as an oddity, but the Oklahoma band’s albums reveal an invigorating, stimulating product. The band sways between Beatles-esque pop and Flaming Lips like eccentricity without missing a beat, all while adding their unique flair and assorted instrumentation and orchestration to the tunes. Allan Vest’s vocal chops combine effortlessly with the wide range of sounds and “Eyes Of The Night” could should win over most skeptics. Their live shows... more ›

The long spring has been wonderful. But now it's getting warmer, things are getting slower, and Austin is quieting down a bit for the summer. Not as much as in past years, we admit, but at least crazy Longhorn alum won't be overtaking I-35 for football games. And with a quiet summer music schedule, we're looking forward to delving in to the local scene. We here at Austinist will be your guide, so keep... more ›

Come 12:01am on Monday morning, downtown Austin will be a madhouse of drunken revelers and even drunker artsy types. You could opt to shell out plenty of dough to get into the swanky parties, but why bother? You probably won't remember it the next day. Below are our top choices for fun things to do this New Year's Eve, all with reasonably-priced cover charges and, more importantly, within stumbling distance of one another. Get there... more ›

Well, it certainly feels like winter. This marks a usually slow time on the roadshow scene, as bands head home for the holidays and clubs close up shop. Not so fast, though: December is still unusually active this year on the Austin music calendar, so have a look below and see which acts you should bundle up and head out to. December: 12/01 FunFunFun: Spoon, Peaches, Prefuse 73 + more (Waterloo Park) 12/01 Dressy... more ›

THURSDAY [20] [film] Tom Waits: Big Time at Alamo Downtown (7pm) (link) [food] Austin Farmers Market at Plaza Saltillo (5th and Comal) (4-7pm) (link) [music] Starlight Mints, Midlake, Ryan Lindsey (inside), Dillinger Escape Plan, World Inferno Friendship Society, Dysrhythmia, Made Out of Babies, Le Meu Le Purr (outside) at Emo's (link) [music] Cue, Saxon Shore, Denison Witmer at the Parish Room (link) [music] Ministry and the Revolting Cocks at La Zona Rosa (link) [music] Chip... more ›

There's another one of those bipolar indoor-outdoor shows at Emo’s tomorrow night: sweet-as-candy indie pop inside, lurching packs of stoned werewolves outside. Oh, decisions, decisions... Inside Fresh off their gig opening for The Flaming Lips in Europe, Dentonites Midlake put on a little rock and roll program for us plain ol’ 'mericans. The Starlights Mints open with heaping fistfuls of sophisticated chamber-pop; Mints pal and multi-instrumentalist Ryan Lindsey opens for them. We don’t know... 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 ›

Our ears are still ringing and our calves are still aching, but it has been a few weeks since the binge fest that was SXSW left our fine city. That means it’s about time for another music festival. Wall of Sound, an indie rock extravaganza with a pleasantly heavy emphasis on Texas bands, is taking place Saturday and Sunday in Ft. Worth. Yeah, it’s a bit of a hike, and they take the Lone... more ›

Nestled snugly between SXSW and Coachella is Wall Of Sound, a two-day festival at the Ridglea Theatre in Fort Worth. Its goal (stolen from their Myspace profile) is to "shed new light and exposure for emerging local and regional unsigned bands by giving them the opportunity to be showcased along with higher profile national artists on the same stage," and in the process bringing a "respected independent music and arts culture to the city... more ›