Baltimore duo Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally, who record as Beach House, have perfected a genre unto themselves which you might call “love songs for ghosts.” Songs drift by in a haze nudged along by dusty drum machine beats, Scally’s sleepy guitar figures, and Legrand’s glassy organ playing and hypnotic vocals, which could be described and melodramatic if they sounded like they were produced by a living person. ...

It's official! A California boy playing with matches started a 38,000 acre fire. Victoria's Secret in hot water over releasing scantily-clad dolls. Sex is a no-no in the cabins inside the new jumbo airliner, The Airbus A380. The State of Texas and Travis County are both suing the developer who polluted Hamilton Pool. Remember that military contractor that killed innocent people in Iraq, your government is reportedly granting them immunity. The House passes legislation......

The Midgetmen are at it again in their pursuit of good times, rock 'n’ roll, and beer. The lovable local pop-punk outfit is working on material for a third full-length record. As per bassist Marc Perlman, “The goal is to have something recorded for a late spring 2008 tour.” The band has quite a few new tracks in the works already and their latest show this Saturday at The Mohawk should offer a preview. And......

A couple days ago, NYC Mayor Bloomberg proclaimed that by October 2012, all yellow taxis in NYC will be hybrid. It's true that New York City has far more cabs than our city, but this idea sounds like something Austin would be the first to consider. After hearing of the NY decision, Austin councilmember Martinez told News8Austin that soon, our fair city may ask (require?) contractors, as well as city fleets, to move towards......

Architecture in Helsinki is an enterprising collective of musicians adept at relaying diverse and distinct sounds in unison, and they bring their eclectic catalogue (and promise of a new record) to Austin this March for the annual SXSW music festival. The band’s multi-instrumentation utilizes the usual goodness (guitars, drums, bass), along with synthesizers, horns, a variety of percussion, assorted audio samples; the list is long but it all adds to the band’s flair and......

Didn’t want to spend your hard-earned cash for ACL ducats this year? Or maybe you have to work, and can’t get away from that computer to which you’re chained. Whatever the case may be, if you aren’t heading down to Zilker Park this weekend, you can still catch several of the ACL performances broadcast live over the intranets. AT&T will be airing exclusive content at their Blue Room portal beginning tomorrow with the first......

A few titillating theatre pieces are going down in Austin right now, from dancing prancing ladies to pinko feminazi confessions. Curiouser and curiouser. But our list is topped by the New Plays/Fresh Voices performances running two weeks only at the Vortex. This and next weekend only, two new plays by two local playwrights will be on the boards. One of the works is the latest from local, award-winning playwright, poet, and performer Zell Miller,......

If you've lived in Austin for a while, you've surely heard the twang-pop of Dallas' Old 97's by now. While the group is currently on hiatus due to Rhett Miller's solo career, they were absolutely one of the best alt.country outfits of their era. The band eventually outgrew (or chose to downplay) most of their country influences, becoming more pop-rock oriented with each new album. By the time their last major label record "Satellite......

That bitch that cut you off almost swiping the side of your shiny car wasn't drunk. She was gossiping on her cell phone. But she might as well have been drunk. Check out some proposals for Austin's largest public art project and tell the developer what you think. Who knew that Disney World was such a dangerous place? A judge in Oklahoma, was insecure about his own sexual performance behind the bench. He was......

Most girls would rather go commando than be caught with their pants down wearing the type of lingerie that comes packed tight in the glossy pages of Victoria’s Secret or its cheap sister, Fredericks of Hollywood. Underwire bends, peepholes in thongs stretch, and after four washes, the piece is usually in a sad, fraying condition. Luckily, we have a solution that is close to perfection. Meet Dessous. To put it simply, it can be......

Another victim of the fires that ravaged KOOP's former residence was Sweatbox Studios, the "home to generations of punk and garage rock" and one of Austin's more historic recording spaces. Over at Emo's tonight they're hosting a benefit show with Poison 13, Knife in the Water, The Meat Purveyors, and Possessed by Paul James. (Friday, Emo's, 10pm) On Saturday, the Rhizome Collective hosts the first-ever Clay Hands, a new benefit series that hopes to "raise......

Congrats to Victoria Garza, winner of our OK Go ticket giveaway contest. Vicky scores a pair of tickets to tomorrow night's show at Stubb's, where OK Go will be playing along with The Redwalls and The Colour. Check back later this week for our interview with the band! If you didn't win this time, don't be discouraged - we're offering plenty of chances to win future tickets and other neat things.......

Hey Kids, from 3:30 pm until 5:30 pm today, the Victoria's Secret Pink line is throwing a little soiree at Coldstone Creamery on Guadalupe next to HEB. Elvis on Speed will be playing from 3:30-4:30, and Truepenny is on from 4:30-5:30. 1000 free gift bags will be given away to those who attend. Head on down, grab a cone, maybe some panties, and check out the sonic stylings of Truepenny, an Austinist favorite. You can......

Rep. Geanie Morrison (R-Victoria) has posted a new bill (HB 2997)that will broaden the scope of information available about patients. The bill will go before the House Public Committee Thursday, April 21, at 8:00 a.m. in capitol room E2.030. Morrison's bill would require abortion clinics to report detailed information about their patients, including their motivation for getting an abortion, their method of payment and the name of the doctor who referred them. Additionally, HB......