On the eve of ACL Fest, we're gonna turn off our laptops, put on our drinking shoes, and head over to the Mohawk, because Austinist is hosting Local Music is Sexy IV. An annual tradition since its inception in 2005 (back when the 'hawk was the Velvet Spade, and folks were still arguing over the smoking ban), Local Music is Sexy showcases a bunch of promising young Austin bands and DJs that we're most excited......

TUESDAY [25] [music] Launch Party for KAART Marketing with Peel and Pong, "hosted beverages," food, and good friends of Austinist at Velvet Spade (10pm, Free) LINK [film] AFS Essential: Irreversible at Alamo Downtown (7pm) LINK [film] The Women at Paramount Theatre (7pm) LINK [film] Lost Boys at Rounders Pizzeria (8pm, Free) LINK [film] Adam's Rib at Paramount Theatre (9:40pm) LINK [film] Harold & Maude at Alamo Downtown (9:45pm) LINK [music] Tosca String Quartet and Glover......

MONDAY [24] [film] The Pop Films of Peter Whitehead Series at Alamo Downtown (7pm) LINK [film] The Pink Panther at Paramount Theatre (7pm) LINK [film] Nightwatch at Rounders Pizzeria (8pm, Free) LINK [film] Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind at Austin Java (8pm, Free) LINK [film] KOOP Monthly Benefit Screening: Granito de Arena at Monkeywrench Books (8pm, $5) LINK [film] The Big Lebowski at Café Mundi (8:30pm, Free) LINK [film] The Party at Paramount Theatre......

FRIDAY [19] [music] Cross Canadian Ragweed w/ Micky & the Motorcars at Stubb's (link) [music] Clint Small Jr. Middle School's Phat Cats Jazz Ensemble at Waterloo Records (Free, 6pm) (link) [music] Moth Fight! at End of an Ear (Free, 7pm) (link) [music] Faceless Werewolves, Hotrails, Tokyo Nites at Beerland (link) [music] Dynah CD release at Red Eyed Fly (link) [music] Wilco Hoot Night with "many, many Austin bands" at Trophy's (link) [music] Pudge Zeppelin with......

If you're still choked up over Marisa dying or forgot to pre-order tickets to The Da Vinci Code, consider drunk-dancing your sorrows away tonight at the Velvet Spade, where NYC mas fuego DJ Tim Sweeney will be spinning with DJ Jeff of Houston's Boys+Girls Club. Sweeney's the wiz kid behind NYC radio show beats in space, the mix disc of DFA Record's Compilation #2, and the soundtrack for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. He also......

FRIDAY [12] [art] The Furman Collective presents "Taking Back the West" at Bolm Studios (Opening 7-11pm, Through Sunday) (link) [music] Paul Green School of Rock - Austin Presents Funk and Reggae at RedRum ($10, 7pm) (link) [music] Blood on the Wall, Psychic Ills, My Education, Ume at Emo's (link) [music] Zykos, Quien Es Boom!, The Lemurs at The Parish Room (link) [music] Alejandro Escovedo at Waterloo (Free, 5pm) (link) [music] Steve Arceri CD release at......

MONDAY [8] [music] Art Brut, Birdmonster, The Robocop Kraus at Emo's (link) [music] She Wants Revenge and OKGO at Stubb's (link) [music] The Lashes at Waterloo (Free, 5pm) (link) [film] Amelie (with FREE crème brulee) at Alamo Downtown (7pm) (link) [film] L.A. Confidential at Austin Java (8pm, FREE) (link) [film] Anime Monday at Ventana del Sol (7:30pm, FREE) (link) [film] Wet Hot American Summer at Rounders Pizzeria (6pm, FREE) (link) [film] School of Rock at......

And a very happy 4/20 to all of you, indeed. For those of you who are out-of-the-know (or too "square") to know what we are talking about, today is the day when stoners of the world unite to celebrate the unofficial marijuana holiday. Urban myths abound about why marijuana smokers refer to 4:20 as the international pot-smoking hour. Some believe the number relates to the California police code for a marijuana bust; others say......

FRIDAY [7] [music] Cruiserweight, Driver Friendly, Kissinger, Radio Pioneer at Emo's (link) [music] Low at The Parish (link) [music] The Mercers at Stubb's (link) [music] Mr. & Mrs. Mays, Faceless Werewolves and Pocket Symphonies at Hole in the Wall ($3) (link) [music] Dark Star Orchestra at La Zona Rosa (Through Sat) (link) [art] A slew of public art makers and thinkers get together to discuss "Public Art: The Good, the Bad, and the Temporary" at......

At the Velvet Spade, tonight, the Manhattan/New Jersey duo Metro Area (Morgan Geist and Darshan Jesrani) off Environ Records will be spinning their tastes and directions. We’re guessing that this will be something of a house-like set, but one never knows for sure. These fellows have and use many influences in their own music production, so we expect good things. What we do know for sure is that DJ Mel will be opening up......

We are not profiling Healthy White Baby because they have a name that would shock moms everywhere, but you’ve got to admit it’s pretty catchy (a reference to Raising Arizona, so relax) . And it’s not because they’re from Chicago, but that definitely makes them amazingly cool. Our friend that runs a rock magazine has been expounding on Healthy White Baby’s genius for quite some time now. We finally got around to listening to them......

This Friday at the Velvet Spade, quite possibly the greatest literary rock star on the planet returns for a one-off reunion show with his Neal Pollack Invasion. Pollack, author of the seminal piece of satirical literary journalism, the Neal Pollack Anthology of American Literature (an Austinist favorite), left our fare shores last year to move to the moral abyss that is Hollywood. But he is back this week to help celebrate the launch of......

Alright. It’s a bit late for you to be trying to get reasonable entrance into anything now. So, unless you’re willing to pony-up some serious duckets for a wristband/badge/handgun, you’re going to need an alternate plan to view/hear live music. For free. Throw free booze or maybe even some free food on there too. Fuck it! It's the SxSW 2006 Free-Day-Party-type Party Time. But you have to understand that the free day/night venues/parties must......

F R I D A Y [ 2 0 ] [music] Attack Formation at The Parlor [music] Faceless Werewolves, For Those Who Know, The Ugly Beats, Tran Tram play the Benefit for Austin GI Rights at Emo's [music] Just Guns CD release show with northKorean, Stories From the Frontier, Sad Accordions, and Infant of Prague at Beerland (7pm) [theatre] "Two Into War" at the Play! Theatre ($5-$20, 8pm) (link) [theatre] "House and Garden" at Austin......

F R I D A Y [ 13 ] [party] Box Magazine, purveyors of tastefully-obscured softcore porn, are throwing another swank launch party to celebrate the release of Issue 2 - this time at The Peacock. DJs, "debaucherous times," and a special performance by Skinny Boy Burlesque. [music] Heard on Veronica Mars Featuring David Garza, Fire Marshals of Bethlehem, Daylight Titans, and Rite Flyers at Stubb's BBQ [in-store] AUX CD Release Show at End of......

Before venturing out this weekend, head over to FactoryPeople, where they're clearancing their winter apparel through the end of the month. Clothing from Nice Collective, Development, Evisu and dozens of other designers are discounted anywhere from 35-75% off, and try your luck with their $30 bins scattered throughout the store - you never know what you'll find. Friday, Misprint Magazine is hosting a party to celebrate the release of their latest issue - "the get......

M O N D A Y [ 9 ] [film/music] End of an Ear Presents "Shield Around the K," which "profiles the birth and growth of influential Olympia-based punk rock DIY record label K Records," at The Drafthouse Downtown (9:45pm) [info] [film] Super Happy Fun Monkeybash DX Gaiden (Vol. 2) at The Drafthouse Downtown (7pm) [info] [art] Check out the new gallery exhibit, Liz Ward's Aqueous, at Women and Their Work (All Day) [info] [music]......

[festival/music/art] First Night at Congress Avenue (All Ages, 2pm, Free/$10) [info] [tickets] [music] Nic Armstrong and the Thieves, Moonlight Towers and DJ Polecat at Club de Ville (21+, $5, Call 512-457-0900) [fabulous] Studio 54 Par-tay! at Rain (21+, Call 512-494-1150) [info] [music] White Ghost Shivers and The Small Stars at Blue Genie Art Industries (21+, 9pm, $37) [info] [tickets] [music] Flametrick Subs with Satan's Cheerleaders, Slick 57 and Basin Street at Emo's (All Ages,......

M O N D A Y [12] [music] UT Ethnomusicology Dept Ensembles at Momo's (8pm) [music] David Newbould at Flipnotics (8pm) [music] Singer-Songwriter Night at Longbranch Inn [music] Elizabeth McQueen at Theadgill's (8pm) [music] Listening party for Ludacris' new album, Disturbing Tha Peace at Nasty's (8pm) [music/shopping] Armadillo Christmas Bazaar with the Eggmen at Austin Music Hall (Check website for dates/hours) [party] Friends of the Spade Christmas Party at Velvet Spade (11pm) [film/food] "Narnia"......

Imagine, if you will: buckets overflowing with mint-flavored Trojan Condoms, the ever-suave northKOREAN duo spinning everything from I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness and Caribou to Out Hud and Quasimoto, hundreds of sweaty, sexy Austinites and festival attendees and an assortment of ACL bands lounging about – this was the spectacle that was Austinist’s Local Music is Sexy party at the Velvet Spade, which we hyped for ages and, thank god, for good......

We'd like to say thanks to everyone who came out to our Local Music Is Sexy party last night and made it a mind numbingly huge success. We love all of you, and hope you had as good a time as we did. We'd also like to thank Trojan Condoms for their support (and the 4000+ free condoms!), Sumo for the beanbag chairs, The Daily Juice, Music Lab, DJ Shane, Peel, The Interest Kills, The......

Accuweather reports that we're not going to have rain tomorrow night, so the Local Music Is Sexy party will proceed as planned! We will see you at The Velvet Spade, tomorrow night!......

T - 1 days Until We Party Hard? This is your friendly reminder that Austinist, with the gracious and sexy help of Trojan Brand Condoms, will be throwing a big bash this Saturday night at the Velvet Spade. We know you have short attention spans. Hey, who doesn't nowadays?! So you'll be seeing this pleasant little reminder every day until it gets down to T- 0. Our HQ is filled, literally filled, with Trojan......

[In which we use the word fuck no less than three times. Well, four.] A few months ago, at a house party in Hyde Park thrown by local label Christmas Mountain Records, we found ourselves lounging idly with our mates on a plushly upholstered sofa, near the stage setup of a living room so sardine-packed with Austin hipsters that, in the dimmed lighting and from our low vantage point, all one could make out......

Today we bring you the fourth band in our "Local Music is Sexy" Austinist + Trojan rock show/dance-party, happening this Saturday at the Velvet Spade: In the Discerning Confectioner's Cookbook for Delectable Indie Pop, the recipe for Austin's Belaire might read something like this: combine one part Parisian lounge act, two parts low-key drum backings, a drizzle of guitar intonations, and a generous dollop of ever-so-refined synth grooves, and flambé! In their case, the......

Excuse our brief but unforgivable hiatus from telling you all about the awesome bands playing at Austinist and Trojan Condom's Local Music is Sexy party - happening this Saturday night at the Velvet Spade - we've been hankering down in our subterranean bunker, devouring Bret Easton Ellis' Lunar Park (which we'll both rant and rave about next week) and doing whatever we can to stave off these newfound feelings of paranoia. But that's all......

As this weekend draws increasingly nearer, we've found ourselves becoming giddy with anticipation over all the awesome bands we're going to see and the parties we're going to attend - we're most excited, of course, about our "Local Music is Sexy" rock show + dance party going down at the Velvet Spade this Saturday (no cover! giveaways! hot Austin musicians!). With all our careful planning and preparations these past few weeks, the conditions for......