Local noise brokers Horse + Donkey dropped their eponymous full-length recently and this Saturday, The Hole In The Wall hosts an official CD release show to celebrate this fine collection of droning post-rock. Opener “At A Station” along with standouts “Dot Dot” and “Riddle” will be familiar to the band’s loyal fans from their live performances; the tracks blend surf rock and psychedelic guitars with wonderfully dark and echoing vocals to create a dreary haze of dissonance. It is often impossible to decipher the lyrics on Horse + Donkey but that only adds to the mystique of it all. “Things” seems to be about some impending doom, “Shoal Heirs” and “Amorous Mare” tell tales we’d love to hear with clarity, and good luck decoding the words and howls in “S.F. S.A.” or “Big End.”...

“Ever wanted to be a space ship pilot in an 8-bit Nintendo game?” With that subject title, the latest press release from local synth-pop outfit Built By Snow grabbed our attention well before we even ventured into deep space. The “rad dudes” rescue a princess in the brilliant video for “Underneath”, the first song on their debut EP Noise, eventually scoring cheeseburgers for their troubles. The video incorporates plenty of eye catching imagery and retro animation and the result is a hilarious conglomeration of pop culture influences....

There is absolutely no reason to stay in on Friday evening. Whether it's DJ Shadow at La Zona Rosa or Future Clouds and Radar at The Parish, downtown offers you a wide variety of music to kick off your weekend....

Former Dallas resident Nancy Rose McGowan, 26, was thrown in Travis County Jail yesterday after authorities discovered that she lacked a state board license and, more disconcertingly, any kind of formal education in pharmacy work whatsoever. McGowan had been working at the CVS Pharmacy at 4405 E. Riverside Drive for the past two months, and actively filled prescriptions using the names "Amber Mclendon" and "Amber Shcherbelis."...

One of our own here at Austinist has a book out, in case you didn't know, and we are not above a little shameless self-promotion. We promise, however, to not shove it up your eyelids like Stephen Colbert and I Am America (and so can you!). Craig McCullough, who posts as the ever-irreverent Truecraig, is the author of the similarly parenthesized title, I Am An Idiot (but there is nothing wrong with you). McCullough’s debut......

ACL Previews Interview: Ghostland Observatory Previews: The Broken West, Big Sam’s Funky Nation & Rose Hill Drive Previews: Billy Joe Shaver and Fionn Regan Previews: Brandon Rhyder and Ocote Soul Sounds Interview: The Broken West Previews: Sylvia St. James, Jeffrey Steele, and Amy Cook Interview: Bloc Party ACL Fest Updates: Google Mashup, Contests, Eco-Chic Previews: Augustana, Amos Lee Interview: Peter, Bjorn, and John ACL Band Clash, Round 3: Wilco Vs My Morning Jacket Travis......

In Texas, one arrest for possession of marijuana costs the taxpayer $2,000, takes the police officer off the street for about three hours, and fills a space in an already overcrowded jail system for at least one night. However, once House Bill 2391 goes into effect on September 1st, you'll no longer get immediately carted off to jail—it's now up to the officer's discretion to cite individuals found in possession of four ounces (a quarter-pound)......

A little over a week before the third season of Weeds is set to debut, Austin Police last Saturday raided a South Austin home where they discovered 185 marijuana plants, all apparently healthy. Arthur Bass and Oscar Borjon Lopez, both in their early fifties, were arrested and charged with possessing controlled substances. Also found in the house on Lunar Drive were cocaine and alprazolam, a prescription drug used to treat anxiety disorders and depression. No......

Instead of rambling on about today's unofficial marijuana holiday, we're just gonna recommend that you check out what our former co-editor, Matthew Odam, had to say in 2005 and 2006. And, miraculously, someone's posted the vintage propaganda flick, Reefer Madness, in its entirety.......

15. Mogwai - Mr. Beast (Matador) As ever, Mogwai manage to blend unadulterated post-rock weight to their shoegazer tendencies with tracks like "Glasgow Mega Snake" and "Folk Death 95," showcasing their ability to create anthems with no words. This is where Mr. Beast really shines, in between blistering chord progressions and gradual swings into corybantic climaxes. In some ways a throwback to earlier (and heavier) Mogwai material, Mr. Beast isn't merely a rock album.......

FRIDAY [20] dance • Requiem at Intel Shell (8pm, $20-$30) party/gay • Q Monthly Magazine release party at Oilcan Harry's (5-9pm) art • Chris Campbell: Surface/Depth Reception at Gallery 3 at the Co-Op (5-7pm) art • "The Stones": Art of Ronnie Wood Reception at ART on 5th (6-8pm) drag/party/various • International Drag King Extravaganza 8 at Venues Around Austin music • Oakley Hall, Brothers & Sisters, Li'l Cap'n Travis, Pink Nasty at Emo's music......

God, we're so sick of Snakes on a Plane that we want to kill anyone and everyone that makes a "something on a something" joke. But then we realized that there was no way we could ever win this fight, and, hell, if you can't beat them, we might as well join them. And with that, you have the theme of this weeks' Gothamist network post. Austinist makes it easy for us, with Candidate on......

Yes kiddies, it's time once again for the annual Eeyore's Birthday Party. What Lloyd Birdwell started as a small picnic for students at the University of Texas has today swelled to a major annual festival with live bands; food vendors; adult beverages; games and whatnot, such as egg tossing and costume contests. This fictional birthday party for our favorite depressed donkey is not about recreational drug use or the "hippie" subculture, it's about the......

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......

On Saturday, former US Congressman James Jarrell "Jake" Pickle died at the age of 91. His was a legacy of extraordinary accomplishments. Born and raised in West Texas, Pickle went on to attend UT Austin, where was a champion swimmer and senior-year student body president. After a stint in the US Navy during WWII, Pickle went on to serve in the House of Representatives for over three decades. When the Civil Rights Act of......

Austin has built its reputation of being a fun, liberal, artistic and open community in part due to activities such as this weekend’s annual Eeyore’s Birthday Party in Pease Park. About 40 years ago, University of Texas Delta Tau Delta fraternity member Lloyd Birdwell and some of his buddies started this fictional birthday party, partly as a spring rite of passage and partly out of the desire to throw a big ol’ party in......