LA's Midnight Movies contented themselves with deadpan post-punk minimalism on their early singles, but Nights pulls the curtains wide open to present widescreen Technicolor rock action. The record opens and closes with a histrionic cover of the Moody Blues' renaissance-fair chestnut "Nights In White Satin" (the second version is sung in French). Complete with time changes, backup singers on the chorus, and woodwind interlude, the tune does the original justice while proving the band can afford to drop serious cash for studio time....

Austin's own Weird Weeds spent seven months in the studio working on their latest full-length, I Miss This, and by their own admission, the effort asserted towards this record is by far the most intense in their history. One listen demonstrates their devout attention to detail in regards to both production and songwriting amply. "Red" oozes thick guitar dirges, sweetly tempered percussion and odes to Indian sitar harmonies (and carefully executed dissonance) with equal precision....

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. ...

Taking their name from a Jack Kerouac poem, Rail Road Earth combines elements of bluegrass, rock and roll, jazz, and Celtic music with extensive forays into improvisation. Fans of Astral Weeks era Van Morrison and No Depression Americana will be delightfully pleased when the band takes the stage at ACL on Saturday afternoon at the WaMu Stage. Rail Road Earth Sparta, NJ Latest Release: Elko Hotel Double Live Saturday the 15th, 3:15 p.m., WaMu Stage......

The Glass Family is a talented indie-rock band from Austin that caters to fans of melodious, riff-friendly pop soundscapes. Although possibly a little under-rated as compared with (the hype associated with) other local outfits, their solid debut effort on i eat records, Sleep Inside This Wheel is chock full of multi-instrumental, well orchestrated pop-rock that does us just fine. Michael Winningham shared his thoughts with us recently. Share a story about a visit to......

FRIDAY [15] music • Ghostland Observatory and Thee Emergency at The Mohawk (912 Red River) ® party • Earthdance at NiaSpace (7:30pm-10pm, $15) party • Eastside City Limits party with Pink Nasty, Tnlons Fort, I Kill Cars, Missing Tapes, Brothesr and Sisters, Til We're Blue or Destroy, The Black at Red Scoot Inn and Old Austin Daze Compound (9pm-4am, FREE) ® party • Teleport Door presents the Pop Yo Colla' party with DJs Daniel......

Well, I can't quite believe I'm finished. Last night I posted the few remaining previews, which means that for the second year in a row, I have previewed each and every act performing at the Austin City Limits Festival. I couldn't have done it without help though, so once again, I would like to thank John, JD, Jeff, Chris and Becky, who each contributed guest previews to help me finish my project. I would......

Maybe you’ve heard, but there is a festival going on this weekend. Well, what would an Austin City Limits Festival be without some excellent Austin City Limits television show tapings? The scheduled tapings are as follows: Calexico- Wednesday at 8 p.m. Van Morrison – Thursday at 8 p.m. Sufjan Stevens followed by the Raconteurs - Sunday at 8 p.m. Cat Power – Monday the 18th at 8 p.m. Damian Marley – Tuesday the19th at 9......

Maybe you’ve heard, but there is a festival going on this weekend. Well, what would an Austin City Limits Festival be without some excellent Austin City Limits television show tapings? The scheduled tapings are as follows: Calexico- Wednesday at 8 p.m. Van Morrison – Thursday at 8 p.m. Sufjan Stevens followed by the Raconteurs - Sunday at 8 p.m. Cat Power – Monday the 18th at 8 p.m. Damian Marley – Tuesday the19th at 9......

Maybe you’ve heard, but there is a festival going on this weekend. Well, what would an Austin City Limits Festival be without some excellent Austin City Limits television show tapings? The scheduled tapings are as follows: Calexico- Wednesday at 8 p.m. Van Morrison – Thursday at 8 p.m. Sufjan Stevens followed by the Raconteurs - Sunday at 8 p.m. Cat Power – Monday the 18th at 8 p.m. Damian Marley – Tuesday the19th at 9......

Friday Highlights: Stars, Gnarls Barkley, Van Morrison, Cat Power, Ted Leo [link] Saturday Highlights: The Shins, Nada Surf, Feist, Iron & Wine, The Long Winters [link] Sunday Highlights: The Stills, Flaming Lips, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, New Pornographers [link] [ACL Lineup] [ACL Single Day Passes]......

We just read a leaked report of the ACL Fest Lineup, to be officially announced on Thursday. The report comes from Dallas Observer entertainment guru Robert Wilonsky. As we said, this is just a leaked report and therefore considered a rumor, but this source is about as good as they get. Of course, we hope there are a few more of our favorites coming but won't hold our breath. Have a look for yourself......