A regular fixture on Austin's stages, Jeff Tweedy and Wilco certainly appeal to a broad cross-section of our city's music fans due to their sonic juxtapositions of alt.country, folk, and noisy Neil Young/Sonic Youth guitar rock. The group turned down their amps on last year's Sky Blue Sky, which found a pensive Tweedy retreating into gentle folk tunes after a series of critically lauded experimental albums like Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and A Ghost Is Born. The new record was more of a polarizer: in a "year in music" wrap-up on KUT last year, KUT DJ David Brown named it one of his Top 5 of the year, while Austin American-Statesman music writer Joe Gross called it one of the year's biggest disappointments. ...

The week after SXSW is tough. Everyone is behind on their work and buried in email and errands, all of the out-of-town visitors have headed back to cold climes, and nobody has it in them to head out for a show just yet. To combat the post-SX gloom, we've compiled a list of major concerts coming to Austin in the next 90 days. This is by no means comprehensive (check Showlist Austin for that), but merely a warning about great upcoming events that will likely sell out - indeed, two already have. So peruse the list, hit the appropriate ticket outlet (or Craigslist for Feist or The Cure), and get ready to continue to rock....

Deer Tick, or John McCauley, has fast made name for himself with a series of self-released records as well as 2007’s War Elephant on Jana Hunter’s Feow! Records. McCauley was raised in Providence, Rhode Island where he decided on a career in music at an early age, recording and even touring by the time he was in high school. McCauley’s voice demands attention, his songwriting shines through, and his work falls somewhere between Bright Eyes and Wilco. And he turned 21 last year. We caught up with McCauley recently to understand what exactly makes Deer Tick tick....

Between now and January, New Release Tuesday will focus on 2007 reflections and music news related to both this year's releases and 2008's potential. The standard NRT posts will resume in 2008. As 2007 winds down, most of the Internet begins to consider their favorite releases of the last twelve months. Austinist is no different: our top albums of 2007 (a collective list based on all the writers' top picks) is in the works.......

MAJOR MAJOR What’s the Deal: They’re a local grand, alterna-pop group that has come from out of nowhere with a sound that’s just quirky enough for indie rock fans and also highly marketable. Their upcoming debut album, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, recorded and produced by local Lars Goransson arrives soon, and if they play their cards right the group will be set for certain heat-seeker status. Don’t hold it against them that the title is so......

Zookeeper Becoming All Things (Belle City Pop) Chris Simpson (formerly Gloria Record, Mineral), has completed his first full-length under the moniker Zookeeper, and old pal Brian Malone has released it on his Belle City Pop record label. The album careens between honky tonk dissonance and dissolving harmony ("Trumpets" sounds like the closing tune in your favorite dive bar) against whimsical banjo, organ and horns. Simpson's voice plays well with the Wilco-ish (Being There era)......

UPDATE: NME is also reporting that Muse will play at Stubb's on Sunday night, we'll have details as they emerge. A lot of this might be old news for ticket holders who have been scurrying around trying to figure out how they're going to be compensated for their White Stripes @ Stubb's tickets, but it's true: Muse's performance has been moved up, and they will now occupy the White Stripes' slot, while the rest......

Some of the biggest artists playing at next week's Austin City Limits Music Festival will also be taping episodes of KLRU's Austin City Limits, the wide-acclaimed PBS show that begat it all. Unfortunately, the demand for space-available tickets is so intense that they're only announcing them via the radio. Fortunately, we've got the scoop on when and where you should be listening: below are the stations and times that you'll need to tune into......

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......

Every fall, Austin looks forward to ACL Fest, and each year, there's always a point where two of your favorite bands are playing on different sides of the park at the exact same time. ACL Band Clash is a weekly series in which Austinist scribes Paige Maguire and Tom Thornton examine the worst ACL scheduling clashes, and try to provide good advice on finding a resolution. Well, good advice might be a stretch, but......

Pseudosix Pseudosix (Sonic Boom) Pseudosix began as Tim Perry's solo project, but quickly became a group effort with Emil Amos (Grails, Dolorean), Joe Kelly, and a handful of other local, talented friends. The band has written and recorded with pals from Joggers, Decemberists and The Standard in their relatively short existence, but the impetus has been barreling towards this release since back in the day when Perry wrestled with the nerve to perform live,......

There's always been something undeniable about a quality West Coast power-pop record. From the mainstream success of Tom Petty's Full Moon Fever to the more obscure gems of The Posies and Jellyfish, the records in this oeuvre feel instantly memorable, lighter than air, and modestly perfect. Such sounds are likely what inspires The Broken West, a Los Angeles-based band that channels these sounds and those of Big Star and early Wilco on their debut......

So which influential band would you die for? Tonight offers a mouth-watering choice of Hoot Nights for two legendary bands. Stubb’s Inside hosts acts such as The Christophers, Robbie and the Robots, and The Wailing Walls covering the plethora of material put out by Oklahoma’s eccentric pop outfit, The Flaming Lips. A complete line-up can be found on do512. We’re leaning towards a similar event at Emo’s Lounge with alt-country legends Wilco being the......

Let's get to it: ACL Fest organizers dropped the aftershow schedule yesterday, and it's fairly extensive. Stubb's, La Zona Rosa, The Parish, and Antone's will all host aftershows over the Thursday to Sunday that everyone is in town for the big event. Highlights include an intimate show from The White Stripes and Cold War Kids at Stubb's, an extra gig from Argentina's loungerific Gotan Project (also at Stubb's), appearances by Spoon, Common, and Queens......

It's tough to believe that Spoon have been playing in Austin for almost thirteen years. Few who saw them gig during their early, Pixies-inspired days would've predicted that in 2007, Spoon would have one of the most bulletproof catalogs in indie rock. Their entire tenure with Merge Records has been stellar, showcasing a band who found confidence in independence and the concept of a slow but deliberate artistic and commercial build. Britt Daniel hasn't......

This morning marks the release of the ACL 2007 schedule grid. This is probably the most stressful day of the year for the avid ACL festivalgoer, as hopes of seeing every act one likes are dashed when seeing how many of your favorite bands are playing at the exact same time. It's impossible to program such a big festival without a couple of conflicts, but three stand out to us this year as particularly......

Wilco Sky Blue Sky (Nonesuch) Recorded in Wilco's own Chicago studio, the album was recorded by TJ Doherty (the Hold Steady, Sonic Youth) and mixed by Jim Scott (the Rolling Stones, the Dixie Chicks), Sky Blue Sky finds Tweedy & Co. leaning closer to the down-home gritty side of their sound, all while bending glass with avant-jazz guitar hero Nels Cline. Full of guitars and electricity, songs like "Impossible Germany" highlight the relationship between......

After a month of guesswork, the ACL Fest lineup is here. And it's quite a good one. While the wild speculation of headliners like Neil Young and Stevie Wonder once again proved false, the key items one sees this year are depth and balance. Having spent yesterday looking over the roster, we have the following observations on the 2007 edition of ACL. The Good: A Great Top 10. Had you told us that we'd......

There are times when it is difficult to look at a band without thinking of what might have been, and Son Volt is undoubtedly one of them. When the wildly influential alt.country group Uncle Tupelo disbanded into two camps, Son Volt was one resulting act. The other was Wilco. In 1995, the Jay Farrar-led Son Volt released their debut album Trace, one of the best albums of the 1990's bar none. At the time,......

We first ran into The Small Stakes at The Flatstock Poster Show during SXSW 2006. The three-day concert poster convention features works by today's premiere screenprinters and artists. Sifting through the field of amazing choices, we kept finding ourselves returning to The Small Stakes before making our final purchases. We grabbed up a number of their posters that day; now, their business card is the only one we still have. Behind The Small Stakes......

The Autumn Defense, led by Wilco band mates John Stirratt and Pat Sansone, have been creating folk-pop indulgent in melody and texture since the turn of the century. We’re not sure if it’s just the name, but the soft sprawls of multi-instrumental nonchalance do evoke a seasonal flair, and should be appropriate tonight for our town’s indecisive winter, or spring, or whatever. The band is supporting their self-titled release on Stirratt’s Broadmoor Records, and......

Jeff Tweedy is truly a legend in his own time. Occupying the same enviable status as musical luminaries like Thom Yorke and Will Oldham, Tweedy is both prolific and sought after by fans, critics, and fellow musicians alike. It seems the man, with his smoke-addled voice and beat poetry-inspired lyrics, can do no wrong, even as his music has gotten more confounding and restless in recent years. After founding Uncle Tupelo, the seminal alt-country......

If you're still hunting for prime seats at either of Jeff Tweedy's performances at Hogg Auditorium, you're in luck: the UT Performing Arts Center has just released a handful of really good seats for both days. We did a quick search online a few minutes ago and came up with a pair of orchestra section spots, two rows from the front stage, for the previously sold out Wednesday show. Not too shabby. Get yourselves over......

Jeff Tweedy is one of the most influential songwriters in America. He has jumped from co-founding Uncle Tupelo with Jay Farrar and helping create the alt.country movement of the 90's to multiple incarnations of Wilco, leaving both some amazing work and a lot of disgruntled collaborators in his wake. In retrospect, Tweedy's decisions seem more than justified by the merit of the music he produces. Each Wilco project seems to build on the one......

Nestled between two other fantastic shows in January—Ghostland Observatory on the 19th, and Lindsey Buckingham on the 25th—UT Performing Arts Center's Hogg Auditorium will play host to Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy on Tuesday, January 23rd. Tickets, $25, will go on sale this Thursday at noon. Check UT PAC's website for more details later this afternoon. [UT Performing Arts Center] Jeff Tweedy Tuesday, January 23rd UT PAC Hogg Auditorium......

Ohio's The Black Keys have been practicing their minimalist-blues ethos for over five years now, and have carved their own niche in indie rock. The band combines the two-man band approach of The White Stripes, riffage worthy of Jimmy Page, and blues stomps patterned after Howlin' Wolf and vintage Chess artists. The trick here is that it comes off in a way that somehow appeals to fans of both Pavement and Stevie Ray Vaughan,......

Vote y'all. Then go buy records. Here's what's new today: Pavement Wowee Zowee: Sordid Sentinels Edition (Matador) Pavement's 1995 masterpiece came on the heels of Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, a decidedly more radio-friendly album. Pavement fans who dropped the needle on "We Dance" expecting some sort of answer to "Silence Kit" or 120 Minutes darling "Cut Your Hair" were probably surprised, but not disappointed (in time). Malkmus took a certain pride in alienating critics,......

Wilco’s not trying to break your heart by skipping Austin on this tour, they’re just trying to focus on some of the towns they rarely get a chance to visit. Fortunately for us, one of those towns is our neighbor to the south, San Antonio. So, why not jump in the car and head down to Sunset Station in the Alamo City tomorrow night to check out one of America’s finest bands? Hell, grab some......

Fans of the indie-rock will find much to like in the latest concert update. Flying V lovers My Morning Jacket, the willfully obtuse Fiery Furnaces, and alt.country godfather Jay Farrar have each been added to Austin's fall music schedule. As we've mentioned, the sheer volume of shows is unprecedented, so get out and enjoy the fact that every band you like is coming to town in the next two months. Thanks as always to......

You’ve probably heard it through the grapevine that Brothers and Sisters is making quite an impression here in A-town. It seems that everywhere we turn, their name pops up in reference to a buzz they’ve produced in our local scene, so strong it threatens to drown out all indie-rock competition in a five hundred mile radius. We say kudos. With an influx of great bands like them, our scene’s standards have been raised ever......