A true legend will grace our town with his presence this evening when Andy Rourke (The Smiths) takes over the DJ booth at Emo's Lounge. We caught up with Rourke briefly yesterday over the phone prior to his DJ set in Hollywood and quizzed him on a number of things, including what we might expect to hear tonight. Rourke, who's been DJing for over five years now and also has a show on XFM Manchester, promises "a bit of everything" -- Rolling Stones, Devo, The Clash, New Young Pony Club, The Who, and Arctic Monkeys to name just a few. He also had some words of praise for the MGMT singles, specifically "Electric Feel" and "Time To Pretend" -- although "the album was a little bit of a letdown." He believes that the Arctic Monkeys are one U.K. act that could have the longevity that The Smiths have enjoyed. ("They seem to get better with age.") And what of Johnny Marr’s decision to join Modest Mouse in 2006? Rourke thinks that Modest Mouse was lacking an edge and that Marr really brought a lot to the table and colored their sound. Reflecting on a show he attended a few years ago, he said, "I was amazed by how many young kids were there."...

Photo by Bret Brookshire, courtesy Hyde Park Theatre Thom Pain (based on nothing)Through 12/22, Th/Fr/Sa at 8pmHyde Park Theatre (511 W. 43rd. Street)Reservations: 479-PLAY[info]Every so often when doing a review, we’ve gotta own up to something from our past. In this case, it’s that we used to be in a cult. In our defense, it was a good cult. Back in college we were part of the American Forensic Association*—"forensic" meaning “having to do with......

It's hard to explain in 2007 what it feels like for music to be both uniting and important. Having spent nearly three years of the '90s living in London, it's with honest nostalgia and wonder that we examine Rhino's The Brit Box. The set's mission is rather broad: it attempts to examine the whole of UK indie rock from 1985-1999 and devotes a disc each to '80s indie, shoegaze, Britpop, and the late '90s. One......

Stockholm's Shout Out Louds released their sophomore album Our Ill Wills in September. The band channels sounds familiar to all fans of 80's college rock, throwing together a contrast of bright, melodic indie-pop music and sad, direct lyrical imagery. This juxtaposition of the upfront drums and chime-filled guitar lines with tales of lost love and sadness isn't miles away from the poppier material of The Smiths and The Cure, and makes for hugely enjoyable......

Since their inception in 2001, Portland's The Decemberists have channeled a unique and wide-ranging set of influences (be it R.E.M., Irish folkfore, or Russian literature) into classic indie-pop that has found a large and fervent fanbase. The group's 2006 major label debut The Crane Wife both amazed and shocked music critics, who loved the material but could hardly believe the band's audacity, as two 11-plus minute epics were featured on the disc. The bold......

They're all over the place these days. The deck at Spiderhouse: on the cover Austin Music Magazine. Eating a taco at El Chilito, on the cover of The Chronicle. Pick up a copy of XL at Jo's on 2nd: there are their sweet faces yet again. The handsome Austin quintet Voxtrot, it seems, are kind of a big deal. We already knew they've been loved up by bloggers the world over, but magazine covers?......

Taylor Mills Lullagoodbye (Aquapulse) There’s a new safe word being grunted out of S&M dungeons everywhere, and it is Lullagoodbye. It means slow down, ease up and take fewer risks. Although the album mostly lies within the boundaries of uninspired adult contemporary, at times her voice is filled with smooth, sometimes-sultry melody and a graceful piano whispers like a bedtime story. Then, there’s the added bonus of looking at her staggeringly attractive mug on every......

Using a complex web of theorems, Swiss mathematicians have recently proven that Morrissey is "98% fucking awesome". And to celebrate this finding, Alamo Music Mondays presents These Things Take Time, a controversial 2002 documentary chronicling the rise and fall of Moz's legendary band The Smiths. Produced by David Nolan (the UK television producer who brought us the recent Music Mondays favorite I Swear I Was There), the film features rare performance and interview footage, as......

MONDAY [30] food • Central Market Cooking School with Chef Aimee Olson: Spectacular Sponge Cakes at Central Market Cooking School, 4001 N Lamar ($45, 6:30-9pm) books • Dirty Found: Live! with Found Magazine Creative Directors Jason Bitner and Arthur Jones at Alamo Downtown (7:00pm) film • "Dirty Found" at Alamo Drafthouse Downtown film • Music Mondays: "The Smiths: These Things Take Time" at Alamo Drafthouse Downtown music • Music Industry Boot Camp, presented by......

The Shins - Wincing The Night Away There are few tried-and-true elements of pop songwriting, but you can always count on the pairing of a winning melody with a morbid (but sweetly sung) lyrical sentiment to prick up the ears. While The Smiths will forever hold the blue ribbon for said convention (“Girlfriend In A Coma,” aww!), The Shins' James Mercer seems up to the task of carrying the torch into the new millennium. As......

There’s always a group of youth, every three years or so, who is “on the cusp of DOING something!” Something amazing. Massive in potential scope! Probably artistic and important! Maybe even important on a national if not international scale!...

Runners' High Documentary Feature Competition Screening Info: 2:30pm October 21st at Hideout Regional Premiere. The Toronto Star says, "It's pure inspiration every step of the way." The SF Bay Guardian raves, "Inspirational Sports Movies are hard to beat and this one is particularly potent." When teenagers from one of the nation’s toughest neighborhoods in Oakland, California sign up to train for a marathon, they begin the journey of a lifetime. Runners High is an......

When most people think of lemurs, cuddly ring-tailed animals usually come to mind, and not, say, an enterprising Austin band as equally fitting on a bill with The Smiths as with Bloc Party. The word lemur actually means "spirit of the night," and like a spirit in the night, local favs The Lemurs are going to sneak their infectious melodies into your brain this Saturday at Emo's to celebrate their CD release. Drawing on......

Ty Chandler is a man with a mission, and this mission is to get his favorite bands (many of them Austin bands) listened to and appreciated. Because it seems like every other person in Austin is in a band (or writing a screenplay, but that's another story) and because the booking in town is so competitive (largely due to the questionable amibtion of one powerful booking agent), his mission has been a difficult one.......

: : FRIDAY : : [art] Coy Poage and William K. Stidham Art Exhibit benefiting the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition of Austin, 7pm-10pm @ Barocca Studios - $15 donation [music] Mae Shi @ Elysium [film] New Films! @ Your Local Theaters [music] Andy Rourke of The Smiths @ The Parish [music] Loxsly, 8pm @ Red Fez [music] AM Syndicate with Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, Cue and Dear Nora, 8pm @ Beerland [books] Douglas......

M O N D A Y [ 1 7 ] music · Elizabeth McQueen (of Asleep At the Wheel) and Jason Roberts begin their new Monday night residency at Threadgills - they're sharing a band and splitting the night. (8pm-10pm) music · Ethan Azarian at Waterloo Records (5pm) music · The Sad Accordions with Just Guns at Emo's music · The Drafthouse Downtown screens "Rock & Roll Invaders: The AM Radio DJs" - a documentary......

In recent years the UK has supplied an otherwise apathetic American audience with sensational rock bands, of such intensity that one might pronounce this decade the renaissance of New Wave Britrock. Or not. These virile ejaculations so recently spewed forth from the fertile loins of the Queen's Land include The Kaiser Chiefs, Bloc Party, and the Futureheads. Among those whom we adore, consider British Sea Power: a troupe of five young lads from Brighton, England.......

What with the resurgence of 80's Zeitgeist influencing nearly everything from fashion to music to politics nowadays, it was only a matter of time before someone brought the retro badassness to Austin. Last night the gregarious folks over at Teleportdoor kicked off the premiere of Holy Trinity, a monthly party showcasing the hugely influential repertoire of the 80's English New Wave Synthpop triumvirate: The Smiths, Depeche Mode, and The Cure, and the bands that subsequently......

Starting this Wednesday, April 6th, there's a new monthly party in town at the Karma Lounge (119 W. 8th St.). The first Wednesday of every month shall henceforth be known as Holy Trinity Night, an aptly named event where local DJs will join together to play sweet music by or inspired by The Smiths, The Cure, and Depeche Mode. Does life get any better than that? No, no it doesn't. (We don't know what......