A regular fixture on Austin's stages, Jeff Tweedy and Wilco certainly appeal to a broad cross-section of our city's music fans due to their sonic juxtapositions of alt.country, folk, and noisy Neil Young/Sonic Youth guitar rock. The group turned down their amps on last year's Sky Blue Sky, which found a pensive Tweedy retreating into gentle folk tunes after a series of critically lauded experimental albums like Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and A Ghost Is Born. The new record was more of a polarizer: in a "year in music" wrap-up on KUT last year, KUT DJ David Brown named it one of his Top 5 of the year, while Austin American-Statesman music writer Joe Gross called it one of the year's biggest disappointments. ...

The question of what Jack White would sound liked backed by an entire band and not just the no-frills beats of his supposed sibling/actual ex-wife Meg White was answered when Mr. White, solo artist Brendan Benson, Jack Lawrence and Patrick Keeler formed The Raconteurs in 2005 and released their hooky debut Broken Boy Soldiers in 2006. Since then, the band has toured everywhere, released their sophomore album Consoler of the Lonely at the tail end of March, and are on the docket to play the Austin City Limits Festival again this September. ...

The canceled Cat Power show that was scheduled for last Sunday, April 20 has been rescheduled for October 11, 2008. The venue (Stubb's) remains the same, we'll have more on opening acts, backing bands, etc. as information becomes available. ...

Earlier this year, Austin bar the Mohawk earned the "Best Bar in America" title from Esquire readers. Now, on the cusp of the summer tour circuits, Rolling Stone has declared Stubb's BBQ "Best Rock Club" in America. ...

Panic at the Disco brought their advertising laden tour to Stubb's on Saturday night. ...

We're sorry to report that the Cat Power show scheduled for Sunday evening at Stubb's has been postponed due to "damaged vocal chords." ...

This weekend culminates on April 20th, 4:20 even, and it’s no surprise than many of Austin’s inhabitants aim to celebrate this cultural holiday in fine fashion come Sunday. But before we get to that lofty milestone, local lawyer and musician Charlie Roadman hosts the Third Annual Marijuana Law for Musicians seminar on Friday at The Mohawk. The presentation is free and starts at 7 p.m. Come find out what you can get away with in Travis County and also sign up for a chance to win two free Radiohead tickets for their show in Dallas on May 18th....

Let's not mince words: when Cat Power comes to town, it's pretty much mandated by law that you attend. This is because not only will you be able to witness one of the most shockingly talented vocalists in the world, but you also may learn a thing or two. For those who don't remember, let's do a brief recap of what we learned last time the timeless (and timelessly eccentric) soulstress was in town: that Chan Marshall, the woman behind the voice, is on steroids, that she was born deaf, that she wants to shoot her monitors, that she likes to apologize to the crowd, that steroids make you angry (and that's why they make you stronger), and on and on she went with her pearls of wisdom. Pretty much, she's a spectacularly unpredictable bounty of non-sequiturs and stunning musicianship....

The week after SXSW is tough. Everyone is behind on their work and buried in email and errands, all of the out-of-town visitors have headed back to cold climes, and nobody has it in them to head out for a show just yet. To combat the post-SX gloom, we've compiled a list of major concerts coming to Austin in the next 90 days. This is by no means comprehensive (check Showlist Austin for that), but merely a warning about great upcoming events that will likely sell out - indeed, two already have. So peruse the list, hit the appropriate ticket outlet (or Craigslist for Feist or The Cure), and get ready to continue to rock....

Justice made a pre SXSW stop at Stubb's on a freezing cold Monday night, playing tracks off their bass resistant, a-typical French house album "†" to a sold out crowd intent on keeping warm by living the dream: D.A.N.C.E. If you can't view the Flash slideshow above, an alternate version appears after the jump.......

They Might Be Giants have been making music as a band since 1982. Their odd but endearing mix of accordian, saxophone, and guitars coupled with witty lyrics earned them a huge college radio following from the mid-80's on. Songs like "Don't Let's Start" and "Birdhouse In Your Soul" even became hits, and the duo toured and recorded ad infinitum. A second chapter of their story is quite unusual: TMBG are now famous in children's circles. In 2002, the group released "No!", a kids record they had recorded years earlier for fun. The record was a surprise smash, leading to deals with both Disney for a series of children's music CD's and Simon and Schuster for the CD + book Bed, Bed, Bed (which also features a pre-Juno Kimya Dawson). Having conquered the grownups and the kids, They Might Be Giants have also become in-demand composers for TV, doing the themes for "Malcolm In The Middle", "The Daily Show", and even some Dunkin' Donuts ads. We're unsure when the group sleeps, because they seem to be awfully prolific. ...

Built to Spill’s Doug Martsch speaks on evil record companies, Phil Collins, the ugly faces of politicians, shitty guitar solos, future collaboration with Modest Mouse, and old reggae guys getting high. Alright, so Built to Spill is one of the greatest, most influential, and most acclaimed bands of the past fifteen years. There's really no way around it. And for those of you who are a little late to the love-in, here's a very small sample of some of the things that have been said about them:         "A band whose talent and proficiency at times seem[s] boundless." --Pitchfork Media         "Flawless." --Trigger Magazine         "In short, he's a talent more people ought to know about." --Rolling Stone, on Doug Martsch         "Better than getting laid, finding God and winning the lotto combined." --San Francisco Weekly, just last week when discussing their live performance...

Let's not mince words: when Cat Power comes to town, it's pretty much mandated by law that you attend. This is because not only will you be able to witness one of the most shockingly talented vocalists in the world, but you also may learn a thing or two. For those who don't remember, let's do a brief recap of what we learned last time the timeless (and timelessly eccentric) soulstress was in town: that Chan Marshall, the woman behind the voice, is on steroids, that she was born deaf, that she wants to shoot her monitors, that she likes to apologize to the crowd, that she was born deaf, that steroids make you angry (and that's why they make you stronger), and on and on she went with her pearls of wisdom. Pretty much, she's a spectacularly unpredictable bounty of non-sequiturs and stunning musicianship....

The Black and White Years are not merely a group of affable gents - as Austinist discovered in a recent interview - they're also way into creating compelling pop morsels that eschew immediate categorization and confound otherwise severely judgmental blog-journalists....

With the geographic world continuing to shrink in the 21st century and the increased ease of travel and communication opening new doors every day, today’s musical landscape is constantly evolving. Instruments from other cultures have always been utilized in western music, but of late, world styles are making major dents in the indie scene. Be it Vampire Weekend’s African accentuation, M.I.A.’s Bollywood beats, or Beirut evoking adventures in far off lands, we have been privy to some choice innovations in this decade. New York based Gogol Bordello’s brand of “Gypsy Punk” (falling in the geographic vicinity of Beirut’s concoctions) has been garnering momentum with the release of 2005’s Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike and last year’s Super Taranta!...

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals bring a barrage of blues, folk, and soul infused rock ditties to Stubb’s tonight. A native of Vermont, Potter studied theater at St. Lawrence University in New York and also met future band member Matt Burr (drums) at the institution. Scott Tournet (guitar) joined shortly after. Potter’s friend from high school, Courtright Beard was initially a part of the outfit as well but was eventually replaced by Bryan Dondero on bass. The act's name is inspired by their penchance for late night practice sessions....

This year's SXSW Music lineup seems to be taking shape a bit more quickly than last year, as bands have taken it upon themselves to announce showcases publicly before the official list release by SX organizers. This is a departure from prior years, but since festival officials aren't complaining, we assume they're happy to let the hype build as the acts trickle in. This week's top twelve additions:...

Local outfit Color & Light returns to saturate Stubb’s on Saturday with a ready supply of the soaring melodies and sizzling guitars that pace their inspirational crescendos....

Because we're all hoping they'll finally find their audience (aside from our moms) and land a record deal, The Black Crowes have announced their 2008 tour, which includes a stop at SXSW 2008. They will headline at Stubb's, no less. Keep your fingers crossed for them, folks. In other news, we've received word on a handful of local bands that have been accepted by SXSW, including (but not limited to) The Lemurs, Peel, Weird Weeds, Car Stereo (Wars) and almost local rapper Bun B of UGK (Houston). We'll be updating with local additions as often as we can, so stay tuned!...

The first big non-SXSW show announcement of 2008 is here, and guess what: it's a massive dance party. Straight out of Paris, the electronic duo known as Justice will kick off their US tour at Stubb's on Monday, March 3rd. This is actually a small venue for the band - just a week after the Austin date, they'll headline Madison Square Garden. If you've not already heard Justice, start with Daft Punk or MSTRKRFT as sonic reference points, then add some scruffy beards and leather jackets. Justice also revel in the rock 'n' roll imagery, so their live show features a huge backlit cross (pictured at right) and stacks upon stacks of Marshall guitar amps to blow everyone right out of the venue. The band are touring in support of 2007 album †, which spawned the hit single "D.A.N.C.E." and was quite the critical darling as well. Their set at Coachella '07 was widely praised as a festival highlight, so this March gig should be something special....

Besides the wonderful events highlighted by the flyers above, there are a few other shows on New Year's Eve in Austin worth noting: - New Monsoon @ Club 115 - South Austin Jug Band & Dertybird @ Stubb's - Bob Schneider & Two Guy Trio @ Antone's - Dale Watson & Jon Dee Graham @ The Continental Club - The Flametrick Subs & Scott H. Biram @ Emo's Outside - Reckless Kelly @ La......

All too fitting still from movie: A Christmas Story It could be that it’s the holidays. Could be that I'm simply tragically lazy and just now got to putting this final piece together. Could be lots of things. Anyone else wondering why there are so few posts going up on Austinist the last couple of days? Last week? You wondering? We're all drunk and/or in jail. 'Tis the season, and such. So, while you wait......

Tonight at Stubb's, two bands will be on their best behavior, seeing many of us out to our respective destinations for the holidays in what might be our last show until - gasp - late next week! Come get a live music fix before making nice with random relatives over deviled eggs and cider in your Mee-Maw's living room. You'll want to equip your noggin with some infectious tunes to hum before you subject yourself to the familio-political rigors of the holiday season....

Zookeeper is the perfect nom d’arte for Chris Simpson. Technically Zookeeper is a band, a group effort, but Simpson is the one constant. He acts as frontman and ringleader for a pack of ragamuffin rockers associated with projects like Bishop Allen, Zykos, The Glass Family, 1986 and Sad Accordions. And Simpson knows how to write songs that capitalize on this unique amalgamation of talent. Zookeeper is more into performing than practicing, which makes each show a distinct and fantastic musical circus....

(Okay, what I’m about to tell you may not be true. So don’t hold me to it. And anyway, the point of its telling isn’t veracity, but rather the very real fact that it was [justly or un] canonized by bar employees, show goers, and the rest of the whiskey-breath'd throngs of Sixth Street and Red River, circa three or four years ago.)...

Photos from last night's performances by The Swell Season and The Frames at Stubb's. Photos by Romain Nayalkar. Photos may not be used without prior permission. Please email Romain for questions or comments. If you can't view the Flash slideshow above, an alternate version appears after the jump.......

You may have already purchased tickets, or you might have been our lucky winner last week (Dax Riggs post-show included), but what you didn't know at the time was that local heartthrobs the Lemurs would be opening. The Lemurs are an impenetrable Austin mainstay, and they have been very busy these last couple months. They headlined our Local Music Is Sexy IV party ACL weekend, then went on tour, then said goodbye to their long......

No one whips up a tear-jerking, emotionally-stirring acoustic song quite like Rocky Votolato. Whether he’s grieving in a melodic whisper or belting out a gruff, Americana chorus, Votolato always shoots his arrows swift and straight, landing with a ‘thud’ just to the left of your sternum. So, make sure and wear your armor to Stubb's Saturday night. It’s a skill the Seattle-based musician developed through his decade-long stint as frontman for the indie group Waxwing......

Think male/female indie harmonies, and what comes to mind? Mates of State? Well, try letting your lips get comfortable with Arthur & Yu. They are the childhood nicknames of Seattle multi-instrumentalists Grant Olsen (Arthur) and Sonya Westcott (Yu), and their debut, In Camera, is an organic, acoustic folk delight. Flute sounds, wood blocks, glockenspiel and plenty of tambourine along with conventional rock elements create a sound that’s minimal yet layered. In Camera is not only......