The Bee Cave City Council has extended The Backyard's permit through November 15, in part because of significant work that has been done to the venue. Though more work needs to be done, Bee Cave City Administrator Frank Salvato says they're on track and "They've done more in the last 60 days than they did in the year before." Read more. more ›

A lot has happened to Arcade Fire in the nearly four years since their last appearance in Austin. The band achieved near ubiquity thanks to a certain film based on a children's book, they released another universally acclaimed record in The Suburbs, and caught a lot of flack for (rightfully) winning this year's Grammy for Album of the Year. At this point, it's safe to say that they are the biggest indie band in the world right now, and last night's performance at The Backyard reflected that. Without any pretensions or notions they were simply clocking in another performance, the band played with the enthusiastic intensity and energy that has come to define them over the years. They were nothing short of a spectacle onstage, and it was the kind of performance that would make anyone forget that they were in for a half hour wait to get out of the venue when the last notes had been played. more ›

It is no overstatement to say that The Arcade Fire are one of the two biggest indie-rock bands on the planet at the moment (in a comic coincidence, the other, Radiohead, seem to accidentally be competing with them for press this week.) On Sunday, The Arcade Fire won a surprising but well-deserved Grammy for Album Of The Year just three records into their career, and closed out the telecast to a viewing audience of 26 million people. Later in the week, they were confirmed (along with Eminem) as the headliners of Bonnaroo 2011 in Tennessee. And on Friday evening, they quietly announced a handful of North American tour dates featuring three stops in Texas.

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• Some Hispanic Americans hope law deters illegal immigration.
• Oil spill reaches Mississippi river.
• Lawsuits target AZ law amid calls for boycotts.

We've been keeping up with the Backyard and its transition from the old space to the new for a while. Today, we have news that the new space -- located at 13472 Bee Cave Parkway (off Highway 620) -- will open to the public in Spring 2010. more ›

Earlier this week, Direct Events announced their plans to re-open the legendary Backyard venue in a new location near Highway 71 and 620. The old location, opened in 1993, closed in 2008 due to the contentious continuation of development in surrounding areas. more ›

The Backyard, an award-winning open air venue in the furry bosom of the Hill Country is shutting its doors after 16 years of basking in the Texas sun. That may not seem like a long time, but it's been long enough for Willie Nelson to have played there over thirty times. more ›

As we count down to the final days of The Backyard, the historic venue brings us two days of Widespread Panic in October. Head for the hills! Well, not that type of panic. The legendary act from Athens will be inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame on September 20th and Austin fans will be treated to a double dose of their epic jam band concoctions on October 10th and 11th. more ›

As we get closer to the day The Backyard shuts its gates, what better way to commemorate the closing of a historic venue than by attending shows featuring the likes of Willie Nelson (October 26), Gipsy Kings (August 28), and yes, 311 and Snoop Dogg (this weekend). more ›

Today it was announced that Willie Nelson and "very special guests" will perform the venue's final celebration concert on Sunday, October 26, after sixteen years of operating near the intersection of FM-2244 and Highway 71. more ›

Direct Events and Backyard owner Tim O'Connor has announced the live oak amphitheater's final season, calling it quits after sixteen seasons in the hill country. more ›

Even those still rooting for under-underdog Ron Paul have something to look forward to: the ten-term Congressman is coming to UT Austin this Saturday for a massive rally at the Main Mall. "Although he is behind in delegate numbers and poll support, Ron Paul says he intends to continue the race as long as his supporters finance him," wrote Chris Robertson, Event Coordinator for this weekend's event. more ›

Meanwhile, both Obama and Clinton are pulling out all the stops to appeal to our state's Hispanic population, which account for as much as 25% of Texas' eligible voters, according to the Pew Hispanic Center. Obama today launched a Spanish radio ad (mp3) stressing his humble working-class roots. Each campaign is also spending upwards of $1 million on TV ads that began running this week. more ›

Classic Rock, Classic Country: As per usual, Willie Nelson will play two nights at The Backyard for both locals avoiding SXSW and tourists willing to skip one night of showcases to see Austin's most enduring music legend. Willie's shows are tentatively scheduled for 3/14 and 3/15, and will go on sale sometime in February. In another move designed to access some tourist dollars, Direct Events has announced a relatively intimate show with Van Morrison at the Austin Music Hall on Tuesday, March 11. Van the Man apparently hasn't heard about the looming recession, as tickets are priced from $102 to a whopping $257. more ›

Photo by Patrick Dentler Barack Obama "Texas Countdown to Change"Saturday, November 17The Backyard (13101 W Highway 71)$25 General, $15 Students, 3pm[info] | [tickets]Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama dazzled over 20,000 Austinites last February at his Auditorium Shores rally, and this weekend he aims to do the same. Tickets to this Saturday's "Texas Countdown to Change" rally at the Backyard are still available for $25, and even cheaper ($15) if you're a student. Still, if you... more ›

Flyer from BGirl City Championships Home Slice Pizza celebrates its second anniversary (happy birthday, guys!) with a giant Pizza Carnival—expect pizza tossing acrobats, pizza eating contests, "Great Calzoni the Slice Reader," and more, with proceeds going to benefit Young Texans Against Cancer The 6th annual East Austin Studio Tour returns, featuring more than 200 artists at over 100 studios—ride your bikes this year! VICE Magazine, Gomikitti, and Scion throw a killer free party at Antone's... more ›

Senator Barack Obama is coming back to Austin in November. This time around, you'll have to show a little monetary support if you'd like to hear what he has to say—judging from his rousing speech at Auditorium Shores last February, it'll probably be worth it. The charismatic statesman still trails behind Clinton in the national polls, but a recent survey indicates that "rock star" Obama has garnered the most positive press. Tickets are $25 for... more ›

Paul McCartney - Memory Almost Full The problem with rock legends, assuming they live past 30, is that they are held to such high standards. But for Sir Paul McCartney, age 65, such standards exist nowhere if not in his own driven psyche. In the past two years, he has released a politely (read: coolly) received acoustic album, Chaos And Creation In The Backyard, performed an extravagantly surreal rendition of "Yesterday" with Jay-Z at the... more ›

Friday, July 6artB Scene - Too Darn Hot! at Blanton Museum of Art, MLK at Congress ($5-$10) booksAlan Porter presents Before They Were Beatles, with Beatles cover band Daytripper at BookPeople (7:00pm) comedyJohn O’Connell with Jesse Pangelinian at Cap City Comedy Club comedyPunchline, open mic stand up comedy at ColdTowne Theater (10pm) comedyLovey and Lovey at ColdTowne Theater (8pm) comedyWeekly Improv Cage Match! at ColdTowne Theater (11:30) film"Bonnie & Clyde" and "White Heat" at The... more ›

FRIDAY [15] juneteenth/parade • Alvin Patterson Battle of the Bands and Drumline Competition at Congress Avenue (2pm) books • Lama Surya Das presents Buddha is as Buddha Does at BookPeople (7:00pm) comedy • Billy D Washington with Doug Mellard at Cap City Comedy Club comedy • Punchline, open mic stand up comedy at ColdTowne Theater (10pm) dance • Constellation, a site-specific dance work from Sally Jacques at Pickle & Thornberry Federal Courthouses (9pm) dance... more ›

It takes a special artist to bridge the gap between The White Stripes, My Morning Jacket, and Norah Jones, and apparently M. Ward is that man. Ward has opened for all of these acts in the past two years, and has somehow managed to appeal to all of their audiences. His wonderful album Post-War met with universal acclaim upon release, ending up on best of '06 lists from The Onion, Paste, The Guardian, and... more ›

Oh, Morrissey. Back in the summer of 1991, we drove up from San Antonio to (the former) City Coliseum to see your Kill Uncle tour, only to be met in the parking lot by some guy with a bullhorn saying the show was canceled due to "inadequate security." Unable to drink away our sorrows due to age, we settled for a truly inadequate substitute of seeing City Slickers and buying some licorice. After a... more ›

WEDNESDAY [9] books • Amy Guth presents Three Fallen Women at BookWoman (7:00pm) comedy • Jimmie Roulette at Cap City Comedy Club film • Texas Doc Tour: "Ten Under Ten 2007" at Alamo Downtown film • "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" with Golden Ticket Giveaway at Alamo Downtown film • Weird Wednesdays: "Cop Killers" at Alamo Downtown food • Angel Valley Organic Farm Farmstand at Asian American Cultural Center, 11713 Jollyville Road (10am-2pm) food... more ›

We know what you're thinking. Weren't The Shins just here last month at the same venue? And weren't they at Stubb's in September, and at ACL? The answers are yes, yes, and yes. But success means new fans, and the #2 Billboard debut of Wincing The Night Away has led to a headlining spot on the MTVu tour of college towns - thus, the Shins play Austin for the fourth time in a year... more ›

WEDNESDAY [7] music • The Shins, Viva Voce at The Backyard music • Love and Dancing, with Daetron Vargas, Disco Nihilist, Majora Y Minora, and John Gomi at The Peacock music • Spinto Band, Dios, The Changes at Emo's music • Invincible Czars, Bee vs Moth, Golden Arm Trio at Emo's Lounge music • Woodgrain Wednesday with Bavu Blakes, DJ Rapid Ric, D-Madness at The Parish Room music • Patty Griffin at Waterloo Records... more ›

Everyone and their mom's favorite neo-popsters, The Shins have had a banner year; their third LP, Wincing The Night Away, set some sort of ridiculous sales record for their label, their single "Phantom Limb" is all over everything, and most people don't even remember that god-awful movie Natalie Portman flogged them in. In short, nobody is pretending to not like them anymore, and so much the better. Tickets are still available for their gig at... more ›

Sub Pop indie heroes The Shins are coming back to Austin right before SXSW shenanigans kick off. The folksy foursome just released their latest album, Wincing the Night Away, last month, and have since garnered heaps of critical and general acclaim. Noticeably fuller in production quality, the record exudes the same spectral, sunshiny pop brilliance of their prior works. We're diggin' it. For those of you more hardcore enthusiasts, get in on the presale... more ›

Now that we're in mid-January, club bookings for winter and spring shows are beginning to emerge. While much internet browsing has already been done looking for the SXSW 2007 lineup, there are also plenty of great touring shows dropping in outside of those dates (thankfully). New shows from The Roots, Explosions In The Sky, Midlake, and a Willie Nelson/Merle Haggard double bill top the new additions, but there is plenty here for all musical... more ›

She's arty, but her songs are as catchy as hell. She was an anti-folk regular on the New York club scene, but also hangs out with The Strokes. Tonight, Antone's hosts the entertaining contradicton that is Regina Spektor in a sold out show. Spektor's latest album Begin To Hope has received accolades from NPR, Pitchfork, The Onion, and Rolling Stone, so we suppose that just about everyone likes it. The disc is a blend of... more ›

Today's big news is the FunFunFun festival, but there are also several new shows in this edition of the concert update. Kasabian, Ben Folds, Mates Of State, and others have all announced Austin shows, and there are tons more on tap for late fall. Have a look: October: 10/21 Pet Shop Boys (The Backyard) 10/21 Ladytron (Stubb's) 10/22 Rolling Stones (Zilker Park) 10/22 Method Man (Emo's) 10/23 Jenny Lewis + Watson Twins (Stubb's) 10/24... more ›