SXSW Music kicks off on Wednesday the 12th, as always with the Annual Austin Music Awards at Austin Music Hall, but it has become clear over the last few years that the music really starts the night before. Just thinking back to last year, we remember walking up and down Red River, watching bands like Golden Bear, White Denim and Broken Teeth at venues such as Beauty Bar, Emo’s and Red 7, and congratulating ourselves for getting started early....

The 6th annual Indie Music Video Festival rolls into town tonight at the downtown Alamo Drafthouse....

Image from Electric Six’s MySpace, by Alicia Gbur Electric Six, The Willowz, & We Are The FuryThursday, November 29Emos (603 Red River St)$10 | Doors 9 p.m.[info] | [tickets] | [Electric Six MySpace] | [The Willowz MySpace] | [We Are The Fury MySpace]After moseying around in the Motor City in the late 90’s as The Wildbunch, Detroit’s dance-rock outfit Electric Six released their breakthrough single “Danger! High Voltage” in 2001 under their current moniker. The......

José González In Our Nature (Mute) Last year, González talked to us about the never-ending tour schedule, the slow process of songwriting, and how his next record --well, this record-- would focus on the guitar. His first full-length, Veneer, wooed us back in 2003, and though Gonzalez has been touring fairly relentlessly in support of it, he has found time to put together this work, a ten song album that sounds quite similar to......

Once the camera crews, exuberant (and nostalgia seeking) fans, and Illuminati-crying conspiracy theorists had retreated to their respective rocks last week, former President Clinton decided to do some shopping at BookPeople. In town to raise money for Hillary's campaign at the home of long time Clinton family friend Roy Spence of GSD&M, Bill made a stop at BookPeople where he signed over a thousand copies of his new book, Giving: How Each of Us Can......

Yellow Tape Construction Company, the masters of self-promotion that they are, have so much weird, entertaining content on their website...it's a more than a little addicting. Our recent favorite, by far, is a funky video of Yellow Taper Doug Rutherford doing some, er, Yellowtape-ish things with a balloon and a scarf and his face. Just...yeah. Check it out. We imagine the highly anticipated YTCC production, But, I Could Do That, opening tonight and running this......

We've gotten our hands on a bunch of tickets, guestlist spots, and assorted swag for several excellent parties happening during SXSW, and over the course of today we'll be giving these away. Check back every hour for the newest giveaway contest -- each will only run until the next one is posted, so your chances at winning are pretty damn good. Congrats to the winner of our last contest, who'll be announced at the end......

Leeds's latest import ¡Forward, Russia! churns out quirky pop-rock riddled with start-stop guitar riffs, crunching bass lines, and irregular tempos. Add their habit of using numbers to name songs, and you've got your next favorite post-rock act. The band builds its sound on a platform of eccentricity, but infectious melodies and plentiful harmonies are abound in their energetic anthems, allowing the multi-layered noise to flourish. When it all clicks, ¡Forward, Russia! appeases fans of......

It was probably inevitable. When Franz Ferdinand and the Killers whetted the kids’ appetites for catchy, electro-dance pop, we should have known that a slew of imitators armed with keyboards and laptops would follow. It hasn’t been all bad, but sometimes we just have to ask oursevlves, “Why?” Such is the case with We Are Pilots, the new release from Shiny Toy Guns. The would-be buzz band of the season shows some potential on......

There's an odd little lot of theatre opening this weekend. From screwball comedy to political puppeteering, you've got more than enough to choose from. We particularly like the looks of The Assumption, brought to you by the good folks at Refraction Arts. With a comedy-fusion format that includes Japanese hillbillies and a little Hamlet thrown in for good measure, this show sounds like too good a time to pass up. Plus the performance includes......

GoogTube! GoogTube! GoogTube! Here's what's new at the record store: Annuals Be He Me (Ace Fu) Because of (or in despite of) their popularity with the blogging set, Annuals' highly anticipated album, Be He Me, is sure to be a hit this week. For fans of Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene, and yes, even Animal Collective, Annuals add a bit of punch to the whole "we're pretending to be lo-fi but really we spent......

Theatre fans aren’t hurtin’ for stuff to do this week. So let the good times roll, people. Let ‘em roll theatre-style. Put your hands together for our Austinist Pick of the Week, Free Night of Theatre! Not just one, but like a bazillion completely free shows in Austin, and across the nation. (That’s right, jetsetter – even if you’re out of town, it’s no worries, because the metro area you’re closest to is probably......

Ever known someone who economizes their words, and yet (or perhaps because of this) frequently spouts beautiful, eloquent gems of truth? We happen to be very close with someone just like that, and here's what he had to say about Yellow Tape Construction Company's latest production: "If it were a spoken language, they'd have a thousand words for play." This is so true that coming up with a written, non-redundant way to describe and......

We’ve already brought to your attention most of this week’s theatre and dance openings, but here’s a quick refresher, just in case you haven’t been paying attention: We Are Normal, Cha Cha Chaaa: a new dance epic from the Yellow Tape Construction Co featuring Cari P from Fancy Feast and Belaire. Read our preview, or check out our photos. At Home With Dick 2: the Dick Price musical. All singing, all dancing, Alzheimer’s. Check......

FRIDAY [6] agliff/party • here! presents the aGLIFF member mingle at Rain (9pm) theatre • "Psycho Beach Party" at Arts on Real (8pm, $30) theatre • "At Home With Dick 2" at Dick's Apartment (3309 Grooms) (8pm, $10-$25) ® theatre • "Stillborn" at Hyde Park Theatre (8pm, $15) theatre • Zell Miller III: "Mix Tape, Theatre Style" at Off Center (8pm, $10) theatre • "Bitten: A Zombie Rock Odyssey" at Dougherty Arts Center (8pm,......

Dancers perform in Yellow Tape Construction's newest show, We Are Normal, Cha Cha Chaaa. It opens Friday, October 6th. Expand for more pictures.......

Think you're normal? Think the production company that brought you this summer's funnest show, I Love My Dead Gay Son: The Musical! is normal? They think they are! So much so that they've titled their latest show, a dance epic, We Are Normal, Cha Cha Chaaa. Hm. We have our doubts about that. However, we don't doubt this dance performance -- including live accompaniment by Cari P (from not one but two local indie-pop......

Good news everybody: there’s still time to stop by the barbershop and get yourself a shaggy haircut before tonight’s Art Brut / We Are Scientists show! Just kidding – we fucking love these guys. And if you caught either of them at their wildly successful South By Southwest appearances earlier this year, you know that they’re both dynamite live acts. Both bands play catchy, angular art-rock that’s impossible not to dance to, and tonight’s......

MONDAY [25] music • Art Brut, We Are Scientists, Spinto Band at Emo's ® music • The Audrey Hepburn Heroine at Hole in the Wall (10pm) music • Tony Joe White at Waterloo Records music • Open Stage Hosted by Abi Tapia & Graham Weber at Cactus Café (7:30pm Signup) music • The Doug Moreland Show at Continental Club art • Show & Tell Part III, A Digital Slide Jam at Women & Their......

Because most performance companies create their budgets on a fall-to-spring season, September and October generally see hordes of productions by our local theatre-makers chompin’ at the bit after a summer of relative tranquility. With the B. Iden Payne nominations and Austinist’s own Best Theatre in Austin picks officially announced, it’s time to leave 05/06 behind us, and head charging off into new theatrical waters. (Or something.) This week’s Austinist Pick of the Week is......

If you lost your ACL pass and – even after countless screaming matches with Front Gate Ticket employees and hours of scouring Craig’s List for scalpers – you’ve been left sans plans for the festival weekend (or maybe you’re just afraid of tourists/loathe sunshine/whatever), we’ve got an alternative suggestion. An air conditioned alternative suggestion. Go see a play. That’s right, don’t be a pussy about it. It’s just theatre. You might even like it......

Welcome to a deliberately antagonistic This Week in Theatre, inspired by St. Nicholas – Hyde Park Theatre's one-man show about a theatre critic who hangs out with vampires. Not so subtle, and starring HPT’s Artistic Tour de Force, Ken Webster – a man who’s reportedly tumultuous relationship with local critics befits his role in said production. (Not that we’ve ever had any run-ins with Ken. Ever. Not even one time.) We say this to......

Alright. Gloves off. We’ve been snarked on in the past for flippantly referring to productions at the Vortex as “naked theatre”. Taking that into consideration, we’d like to bring to your attention some “adults only” (read: probably naked) theatre opening this weekend. Bell(e): The Museum of Suicide Machinery is a “mesh of performance art, visual installation, experimental theatre, and sound montage” from Austin’s purveyors of the out-there-experimental, Ethos. Anne Marie Gordon designs the scenery......

As Elvis Costello might say, we just don't know where to begin. Even if you are skipping ACL, the fall is turning into a music wonderland. Acts of every genre and size are booking Austin's clubs up like there's no tomorrow, leaving music lovers with many questions on how to spend both time and cash this fall. Trust us, you can't see it all, so pick your favorites and buy tickets in advance to......

We’re not exactly inundated with new shows opening this weekend, but there’s a couple of notable events to keep the proverbial party hoppin’ and your metaphorical booty shakin’. Shakin’ modern dance style, that is. Werd. Big ups to our Austinist Pick of the Week, Calyx Dance Co’s Danscopia. These kids are fresh meat in Austin’s growing modern dance scene, but the initial buzz is good. Our girlfriend caught the second half of the company’s......

All hail the last minute edition of This Week in Theatre! Cutting right to the chase, our Austinist Pick of the Week is, not surprisingly, Sodomy & Pedicures: A Pinko Feminazi Confesses. We interviewed the show’s creator, Jessica Hedrick, and she’s hilarious. Read it for yourself if you don’t believe us. Then read the comments – you’ll notice endorsements from local theatre big wigs galore. Directed by Rude Mech Sarah Richardson, and assisted by......

While August continues to look farily quiet for roadshows, September and October are just blowing up. Many indie stalwarts have recently scheduled appearances for fall semester, so start saving up some coin. Among the highlights: Sufjan Stevens, The Decemberists, M. Ward, Jose Gonzales, and Ladytron. Unless you've been under a rock this week, you already know that loud dinosaurs The Rolling Stones are also planning a visit; that said, no ticket info has become......

There's something for everyone this week in the Austinist concert update. Hip-hop and DJ culture from Cut Chemist and Jurassic 5, 80's college rock from The English Beat and The Church, and, well, 90's college rock from Rollins Band and Eels. There's also a healthy dose of sleaze with the Peaches and Eagles of Death Metal Bill, and some classic punk from X. On with the shows: Newly announced: 7/08 Cut Chemist @ Waterloo......

LAist is flashing a sad peace out to their editor Carolyn Kellogg with one hand and bumping knuckles with their new head typist L.A. blogger king Tony Pierce with the other. Where do ist editors go when they hang up the 'editorial we'? They take on MySpace, apparently. At least Ben Brown does. Austinist reminds us of the just rewards of less savory careers this week and then they witness the Arctic Monkeys and We......

There was a pretty interesting group out last night to bear witness to Arctic Monkeys and We Are Scientists at Stubb’s. Moms and their kids, shuttled in from the suburbs, were taking in the sounds alongside preppy potheads (we saw the dugout guys, you’re not slick. And un-tuck your shirt, you’re at a show). Apparently and unfortunately, blue hair-dye is still popular with some young ladies. Faux English soccer hooligans, well-tanned and not the......