Pubic Notice

Oh, baby! You already know how we feel about the SIMS Foundation, right? How it pleases us? How the group provides low-cost mental health and substance abuse counseling to Austin musicians and their families, right? That we get all hot and bothered and totally turned on just thinking about it, right? Well, it's time for their annual sexy, sexy fundraiser, and we are asking you to consider joining them for supper this Friday, Aug. 12. No, there's no set time, and there's no set menu, and there's really not even a specific place we are trying to get you to. See, it's time for the SIMS Supper Benefit, which takes place at a number of restaurants in town. Restaurants will be donating proceeds from lunch and dinner to SIMS, and in keeping with the SIMS theme -- that being music, o'course -- most will be featuring live music (at dinner time). Here's the list and the lineups:

Artz Rib House, Nancy Scott; Babe's Bar & Grill El Michael & His Luggage, King Soul; Curra's Grill, Danny Santos y los Bluegrass Vatos; El Mercado (S. First); El Sol y La Luna; Gilligan's, Deb Yager & the Boys; Mars; Maria's Taco Express; Shady Grove, Peter Keane, Adam Carroll, Loose Diamonds; Texicalli Grille, Walt Lewis Band; Threadgill's; Threadgill's WHQ, Jeff Klein; Vinnie's Ten-O-Three; Waterloo Brewing Co., Troy Dillinger.

After supper, at 10pm, the Back Room will host the latest in the Day in the Life SIMS Benefit Concerts featuring Poor Man's Habit, Octane, and Broken Teeth. 804-1008. There's nothing sexier than the right brain/left brain merger -- when practicality meets frivolity, when politic becomes frolic. We love high concept, performance art, street theatre demonstrations. And this particular demonstration encompasses both implied meanings of the word in that it is A) a bunch of people participating in voicing public opinion and B) it actually demonstrates: shows and illustrates an idea by offering sound reasoning and evidence. This weekend, Saturday, Aug. 12, 8:30am, a whole bunch of people and their automobiles (about 80 cars) will converge on E. Seventh between Congress and Brazos. The cars will span four lanes, each with a lone driver. Then the drivers will "shed" their cars and stand in one area to show how little space they take relative to that of their four-wheeled beast. This wacky Wasted Space Demonstration comes courtesy of the folks at Light Rail Now!, and advocacy group for, you guessed it: light rail. Folks wanting to participate in this most visual of events should probably call first, as this doesn't seem to be one of those just-show-up deals ô la Critical Mass. This event must be tightly coordinated to be effective, so if you can't call ahead, at least go to watch and find more about this interesting new org. www.lightrailnow. org or 454-9841. Last week we told you about the sexy Independent Media Center and their lip-smacking coverage of the Republican National Convention in Philly. Preliminary reports from IMC state that more than 430 people were arrested for performing nonviolent acts of civil disobedience. But there's more to the story. Much more. Check out their Web site. And for the real poop about what happened inside the belly of the GOP beast, check out Lou DuBose's piece in this week's Chronicle Politics section. www.indymedia.org or 476-3713. We go all excited when we saw that this event had to do with the ID. We embrace our superego, mind our ego, and give in to that ol' id when ever we can. Oh, not that id? I.D.? As in Eye Deeeee? As in Identification? Oh.

The KidCare ID free photo and fingerprinting session happens this Saturday, Aug. 12, 10am-5pm at Genie & Associates Realtors, 12593 Research, #100. The event will feature all sorts of kid-friendly fun like drinks and cookies, face painting, a coloring contest, and an appearance by Giggles the Clown. 249-0049.

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That's It! Yesss! Don't Stop!!!!!

You know what gets us hot? Knowing that people are looking out for each other. So you know we like Access Austin Arts, the nonprofit that looks out for the interests of artists with disabilities. Next week is their fundraiser, Thursday, Aug. 17, 6-10pm at the Mercury Hall, Cardinal @ S. First. Imagine Art is a silent auction, raffle, poetry reading, live music mingling event all rolled into one. Just go, baby, and don't stop. 448-1840 or 247-5981.