Thomas Dolby has been busy: his latest album, Map of the Floating City and its accompanying game, FloatingCity.com have inspired a new tour which will kick off at this year's SXSW Festival. On March 16 (no word on venue yet), Dolby will roll into town to perform, but he'll have a unique contraption in tow: his time capsule. Fans at the show will have an opportunity to “make their own fully produced and effected digital 30-second video clip”, a message to the future, which will be uploaded to Dolby's YouTube channel. Prizes will be given for the clips with the most views. The capsule itself is a "chrome- and brass-plated road trailer that seats three. With handcrafted leather and wood fittings, and complex electrical wiring that could have been designed by Nikola Tesla, it resembles a Jules Verne/HG Wells-inspired time-travel machine." Inside, however, it's nothing but modern technology, hosting a "high-tech" video recording suite. The clips will be combined at the end of the tour to create an over-arching montage of messages to the future. Sounds fun, and as Dolby says, "Our species may not be around on this planet much longer, so you might as well leave a welcome message for the next guys!” Read more here. more ›

Over the past six weeks, Austinist's music writers have spoken with dozens of bands playing this year's SXSW festival. In case you're just now joining us, here's a link-filled list of all Austinist SX07 band interviews: Albert Hammond, Jr. Alexi Murdoch Annuals Aqueduct Architecture in Helsinki Car Stereo (Wars) Evangelicals Girl In A Coma Girl Talk I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter Ladyhawk Lions in the Street... more ›

We were so excited when Thomas Dolby graced our city with his presence last year, and when the prospect of an interview with the pioneer came our way last week, we literally planned our weekend around it. Now, the thrill has gone and we’re left with some wonderfully insightful responses from the master himself. Enjoy. And then jam out that Grammys performance again. Are you working on new studio material? When can we expect... more ›

Please excuse the abbreviated NRT this week: we'll see you next week with a biggie size. Naturally, the indie world is buzzing with talk about Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!'s latest, Some Loud Thunder, and all we can think of is how those poor kids have a lose-lose situation on their hands. They enjoyed a couple years worth of undeniable popularity and interest surrounding an album that, as it was sold by the thousands... more ›

WEDNESDAY [6] film • Amélie at Rounders Pizzeria (8pm,Free) city • Austin Community Cultural Planning Project Arts & Culture Round Table discussion at One Texas Center (505 Barton Springs Rd, RSVP, 7-9pm) music • Pirates vs. Ninjas, Jolly Garogers at Beerland (dress as a pirate or ninja and get in free) music • 101X Homegrown w/ Visitors, Driver F at Flamingo Cantina -1 music • Cut Club with free Mickey's at The Mohawk (10pm)... more ›

Though not a household name, Thomas Dolby was nevertheless among the vanguard of the early 80s synth movement. Born Thomas Morgan Robertson, Dolby acquired his nickname from his love of studio experimentation with keyboards and electro-noises. His resume includes cameos on numerous albums, such as Def Leppard's Pyromania and Foreigner's 4, and live appearances with the likes of David Bowie and Roger Waters--plus there was that infamous performance at the 1985 Grammy's with Herbie... more ›

MONDAY [4] film •The Royal Tenenbaums at Austin Java (9pm, Free) film •Fuck: A Documentary at Alamo Downtown (7pm) film •The Conformist at Texas Union (7:30pm) film •Blue at Rounders Pizzeria (8pm, Free) film •The Da Vinci Code at Café Mundi (8pm, Free) film •Sound Unbound 2: Modern American Composers at Alamo Downtown (9:45pm, $2) music •Bound Stems, Rahim, The Shells, Quiet Company, Bello Ragazzo at Emo's music •Moonlight Towers, The Alice Rose at... 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 ›

Heading to End of an Ear or Waterloo? Here's what you can look for this week on the new release wall. Adem: Love & Other Planets (Domino) Adem's work with Fridge doesn't give any indication of his capabilities as a folk / pop singer-songwriter, but the distinction between the styles is indicative of his talent. The album's subtle yet sonic layers combined with Adem's fragile, persistant voice create a soundscape to match the themes... more ›