SXSW has announced the schedule of events for this year’s official showcases -- start here! Also, check out Greg Hewgill's site for (unofficial) Torrents featuring the various artists playing SXSW 2008 (as well as past years)....

This year's SXSW Music lineup seems to be taking shape a bit more quickly than last year, as bands have taken it upon themselves to announce showcases publicly before the official list release by SX organizers. This is a departure from prior years, but since festival officials aren't complaining, we assume they're happy to let the hype build as the acts trickle in. This week's top twelve additions:...

Photo by Aubrey Edwards The Octopus Project with Horse+Donkey and Cue at Emo’sFriday, November 16Emos (603 Red River St)Outside, Doors at 8 p.m., Show at 10 p.m., [info]The Octopus Project have recently been galloping across the country, showing off the material from their new album, Hello, Avalance, out on Peek-a-Boo records. Tonight, however, the gang's back in Austin to wrap up the tour with a hometown show at Emo's. The new album sounds a bit......

Asleep At Heaven’s Gate – Rogue Wave (Brushfire Records) The year 2006 was full of activity and turmoil for California’s Rogue Wave. There was some great news when founding member Zach Rogue had a baby daughter, but sadly, guitarist Gram LeBron’s father passed away and drummer Pat Spurgeon had a kidney transplant (and was understandably out of commission for a good amount of time.) Adding to the mayhem was the fact that Sub Pop was......

We entered the park around 1:10pm to the strains of a seriously thrashy number from Yo La Tengo. It was impressive to hear how determined YLT were to throw out some serious noise rock at such an early hour. Being a bit sunburned and rather low-energy, we listened rather than watched, grabbed a blissfully freezing cold beer, and headed over to grab a spot for The National. The National (1:30pm): What perfect music for......

We first fell in love with Yo La Tengo at 17. We were still stuck out in the sticks in high school, still reading Rolling Stone and still wearing those pink crackle-finish Vans. And Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out had just been released, and Rolling Stone recommended it for people who liked the Velvet Underground. We ordered the album from Hasting's, and when the album came in and we popped it into the Discman we......

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......

Just hours before venerable Hoboken indie rock institution Yo La Tengo descend upon The Parish on September 17th, they'll be all up in your Alamo as part of the Alamo's Cinema Under the Influence Series. In a dazzlingly cross-referency evening, Yo La Tengo will present Four Flies on Grey Velvet, the Dario Argento flick that most influenced them as a band. Also on the bill is Cockaboody, an animated film drawn by YLT drummer......

Straight out of the suburbs of Atlanta, the young men of Manchester Orchestra have quickly found a spot in the Georgia indie-rock circuit. Guitarist and lead vocalist Andy Hull homeschooled himself his senior year of high school to allow himself more time to focus on his work with Manchester Orchestra. The result of that focus is the band's first full-length. Peppered with references to Woody Allen, the album is full up with moody music that......

Mindful of the rain and lightning debacles that canceled both the Blonde Redhead and Yo La Tengo shows earlier this year, promoters have moved tonight's Travis gig to the drier confines of La Zona Rosa. All tickets purchased for the Stubb's show will be honored, and will-call tickets have all been moved to the new venue. Doors open at 7pm, and the show begins at 8. We doubt that Travis are afraid of 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......

The Austin City Limits Festival lineup is official, making this year's three day event a legitimate item of lust. In addition to the names you see there, the fest will include performances by Peter, Bjorn & John, Midlake, The National, Yo La Tengo, Sound Team, Pete Yorn, Ghostland Observatory, Joseph Arthur and many more. Right now, tickets are $145, and VIP passes are $1,700. VIP access, in case you're wondering if its worth the......

As promised, Austinist has followed the developments surrounding Yo La Tengo's show cancellation last Saturday at Stubb's. At this time, the band is not rescheduling the show that was scheduled for April 7. Ticket holders are encouraged to contact Front Gate tickets to inquire about refunds. Our contest winner is now the lucky owner of a pair of tickets to see Blonde Redhead and Annuals at Stubb's on May 2. The show the band......

Inclement and hardly seasonal weather drowned our hopes of seeing Yo La Tengo with Times New Viking at Stubb's this weekend, and though we were disappointed, we weren't really too anxious to be standing outside in the muck, either. Although there is no word currently on a reschedule date, we're keeping tabs on the situation and will update ticket holders (and our contest winner) as soon as we know anything official. In the meantime,......

Ira Kaplan, Georgia Hubley and James McNew, known throughout the world as Yo La Tengo, are one of the most beloved and respected groups in the history of indie music. Their music is timeless, atmospheric, and provocative. The best combo to ever blend innovative psychedelia and post-punk pop. Ira Kaplan is one of the all time guitar greats. He is easily up there with legends such as Kevin Shields, J. Mascis, Pete Townsend, and......

Note: Several weekend events will be added in the afternoon. THURSDAY [5] fashion/music/party • Car Stereo (Wars), Visuals by Super!Alright!, and 30-40% Everything at Strut (6-10pm) film • "Military Intelligence and You" at Alamo Drafthouse Lakecreek (7:30pm) art •Opening Reception for Aki Nagasaka's "Yellow Labyrinth" at Women and Their Work (6-8pm) books •Pam Oslie presents Love Colors at BookPeople (7:00pm) books •Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht presents "In 1926: Why and How?" at The Harry Ransom......

MONDAY [2] books •Peggy Collins presents Help Is Not a Four-Letter Word at BookPeople (7:00pm) comedy •22nd Annual Funniest Person in Austin Contest at Cap City Comedy Club (Check site for lineup) film •Serge Gainsbourg Birthday Feast at Alamo Downtown film •"El Duce Vita" with The Mentors at Alamo Downtown food •Central Market Cooking Class: Midnight in the Garden of Food and Evil at Central Market Cooking School, 4001 N Lamar ($40, 6:30-9pm) music......

Eric Woodruff, formerly of Delay, a space-rock outfit out of Washington, has been churning out material for his new project, Prosser. The final product is a pleasant miasma that's rather hard to classify simply as another offering from a singer-songwriter. He's Matthew Ryan without the gravel and Pinetop Seven without the pathos. Is it alt-country? Is it psych-something? No matter, it doesn't take abbreviated slang music terminology to enjoy the multi-instrumentalist's eponymous debut album.......

Seattle's public radio station, KEXP 90.3, has long been a bellwether of up-and-coming bands in the national indie-rock scene. This year, Austin groups took not one, but two spots in their Top 90.3 albums of 2006. Nestled in the top 20, our own beloved electronica exhibitionists Ghostland Observatory's Paparazzi Lightning took #16, while brooding psych-rockers The Black Angels' Passover took #6. Not only is this titillating news for the bands, outplacing indie legends like Yo......

Mixel Pixel Music For Plants (Kanine Records) Don't judge Mixel Pixel based on their hilariously bad website. Trudge through the mangled HTML and take a listen to "You're the Kind of Girl". A tit for tat dialogue between two disaffected hipsters, it could have easily been glib garbage, but instead, shambles about in hypnotic honesty, the negative image of Yo La Tengo's "Our Way To Fall". Sample back-and-forth: "I heard it all before/thought you......

Hang on to your wristbands, people, there's a lot going on this week in the world of legitimately released music! The Rapture Pieces of the People We Love (UMVD) The Rapture have finally caught up with their own hype following 2003's Echoes, working with producers Danger Mouse (Gorillaz/Gnarls Barkley), Paul Epworth (Bloc Party) and Ewan Pearson (UK DJ/Remixer) and delivering a disco, funk, punk and pop-influenced album worthy of all your parties, speedy drives......

MONDAY [11] film • AICN presents Calvaire at Alamo Drafthouse (7pm) ® film • El Mariachi at Rounders Pizzeria (8pm, Free) film • Dave Chappelle's Block Party at Café Mundi (8:30pm, Free) film • A Reasonable Guide to Horrible Noise at Alamo Drafthouse (9:45pm, $2) ® music • End of an Ear presents a listening party and midnight sale for TV On the Radio and Yo La Tengo, with DJs from The Rich Girls......

M O N D A Y [ 2 4 ] Happy United Nations Day! music · Coheed & Cambria, Dredg, mewithoutYou and Blood Brothers at Stubb's music · Elizabeth McQueen and Jason Roberts - of Asleep at the Wheel - hold court at Threadgill's (8pm) film · The Austin Film Festival at various venues around town (Through Thursday) books · Tram Nguyen discusses We Are All Suspects Now, her investigation into the "human cost of......

M O N D A Y [3] film · "Bamako Chic"'s creator Maureen Gosling, a former Austin resident, is back in town hosting a special fundraising screening of "Blossoms of Fire" - her 16mm documentary film about the people of Juchitán, Oaxaca, Mexico - at Austin Studios. (7pm, map) music · 54 Seconds play Lucky Lounge (10pm) in-store · Billy Joe Shaver at Waterloo Records (5pm) film · aGLIFF runs through Saturday - check their......

Wake up. Go to work. Go to bar. Go to rock show. Go to sleep. Repeat. If this is beginning to sound like your life, too, we encourage you to break the mold this weekend. Skip Bright Eyes on Saturday and head to Emo’s instead for a night of comedy and music with Eugene Mirman, Andy Blitz and Langhorne Slim. We have been fans of Mirman (who has opened for The Shins and toured......