Believe it or not, there's a bunch of activities going on around town this week other than SXSW. This week's IST List won't include our usual bevy of music and film events; for those, we recommend that you check out our Interactive Guide to SXSW Parties and the Other Side Guide, respectively. We'd also like to welcome LAist editor Tony Pierce and Gothamist arts editor Jen Carlson, both of whom will be joining us... more ›

For some of you, SXSW is an obsession. For others...not so much. While we're rather immersed in the whole SXSW experience at Austinist, we know that many of you just want to take in a free or cheap event or two during the festival to experience the thing. No problem. Here's a list of events featuring local merchants, community organizations, and radio stations that will allow you to casually dip a toe in the... more ›

Back in the late 80's a friend slipped Willie Nelson a copy of a song written by Texas songwriter Ned Sublette in the earl 80s. The song contained lyrics like "What did you think that all them saddles and boots was about?" and "Inside every cowboy there's a lady who'd love to slip out." Not quite, "Whiskey River," is it? Sublette said he always imagined Willie singing it, and this Valentine's Day he got... more ›