Austin News, Events, Restaurants, Music

How Three Austin Songwriters Found Family in Next of Kin

TODAY'S EVENTS

Florist, Allegra Krieger

Antone's Nightclub

Theresa Chen Septet
at Monks Jazz Club

Hailee Catalano: By Heart: Recipes to Hold Near and Dear at First Light Books

MUSIC | MOVIES | ARTS | COMMUNITY

Final Round of Best of Austin Voting Now Open

Meet Mary Lou Gibson, Journalist and Austin’s Voice of Saints

PHOTO GALLERIES

Austin Psych Fest 2025

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The Handyband Collective Cleans Up the Sound of Home Maintenance

A Plea: Don’t Robinhood My H-E-B

CURRENT ISSUE

May 9, 2025
Vol. 44, No. 36

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THE LATEST

Austin FC Skid Continues With Loss to FC Cincinnati Brandon Vázquez scores lone goal against former home club

TV Legend David E. Kelley to Receive ATX TV Festival's First Showrunner Award Plus indie TV gets the spotlight at this year's fest

Mangy Puppy Dodges Euthanasia, Travels to Austin, Loves Cheese Austin Pets Alive brought him from South Texas partner shelter

Treat the Maternal Figure in Your Life to These Mother’s Day Events Treat Mom to a stellar time at these local celebrations

New Music Venue ConcertDome Combines Candlelight Concerts With the Sphere A string quartet performs in immersive space starting May 9

NEWS

Surveying the Litany of Anti-Queer Bills Moving Through the Texas Legislature

The wave includes reboots of drag, book, and bathroom bans

by Brant Bingamon

Bill Would Ban Teaching DEI Topics in Many College Classrooms

Proposal targets lessons on systemic racism

by Lucciana Choueiry

Mangy Puppy Dodges Euthanasia, Travels to Austin, Loves Cheese Austin Pets Alive brought him from South Texas partner shelter

Two Years After Voters Approved Austin Police Oversight Act, the Measure Remains Unfulfilled Report details progress and shortfalls of implementation

Austin Elders: Meet Mary Lou Gibson, Journalist and Austin’s Voice of Saints A woman of hundreds of articles and few words

Surveying the Litany of Anti-Queer Bills Moving Through the Texas Legislature The wave includes reboots of drag, book, and bathroom bans

Headlines / Quote of the Week

FOOD

First Look: 1972 Pub

New women’s sports bar sets up shop in central ATX

by Haris Qureshi

Field Guide Festival Returns With Huge Portions and Huge Passion

Food fest celebrates local chefs and farmers

by Taylor Tobin

Restaurant Review: Micklethwait Craft Meats’ Freshly Opened Brick-and-Mortar Food truck’s long-awaited Springdale shop keeps up the standard of excellence

Strip Mall Spotlight: North Park Shopping Center Mangonadas, taquerias, supermercados, and more on North Lamar

First Look: Traphouse Caribbean Popular Downtown eatery stakes claim as nightlife staple

Wheatsville Launches Fundraising Campaign to Open New North Austin Locations Co-op’s Guadalupe store closes in 2026

Weekend Wine: J. Lohr’s Riverstone Chardonnay Exceptional wine from the Arroyo Seco

MUSIC

How Three Austin Songwriters Found Family in Next of Kin

On debut EP Homemaker, Lili Hickman, Madison Baker, and Caelin reach queer country transcendence

by Doug Freeman

The Handyband Collective Cleans Up the Sound of Home Maintenance

Group of musicians takes odd jobs to the next level

by Caroline Drew

The Handyband Collective Cleans Up the Sound of Home Maintenance Group of musicians takes odd jobs to the next level

Album Review: Emerging Indie Act West 22nd Has Nowhere to Be Cross-genre debut album embraces heartache, desire, and nostalgia

How Three Austin Songwriters Found Family in Next of Kin On debut EP Homemaker, Lili Hickman, Madison Baker, and Caelin reach queer country transcendence

Lucy Dacus, a Gary Floyd Retrospective, an EXTC, and More Crucial Concerts Sounds all over town and all over the musical spectrum

New Music Venue ConcertDome Combines Candlelight Concerts With the Sphere A string quartet performs in immersive space starting May 9

SCREENS

TV Legend David E. Kelley to Receive ATX TV Festival's First Showrunner Award

Plus indie TV gets the spotlight at this year's fest

by Richard Whittaker

Latest Film Reviews

Fight or Flight, and Magic Farm

SHOWTIMES >

TV Legend David E. Kelley to Receive ATX TV Festival's First Showrunner Award Plus indie TV gets the spotlight at this year's fest

“Economic Censorship”: The Devastation of the NEA Grants Cut Grows After Trump administration rule change, fears mount for future of arts

Arts Groups Lose Promised Grant Money in Friday Night NEA Massacre Leading Austin cultural institutions face slashed finances

ATX TV Festival Hits the Road With Max's Duster Plus The Gilded Age panel and the Ted Lasso crew

Updated: SXSW Announces Penske EVP as New Festival Head Jenny Connelly replaces ousted longtime head Hugh Forrest

ARTS & CULTURE

Jamal Hussain Strings Nature, Tech, and Spirit Together With Light

New Media artist unpacks upcoming Dougherty exhibit

by Caroline Drew

Theatre Review: Raw Anger in Search of Revenge in FEAST.

Veteran actor Katherine Catmull chews through Megan Gogerty’s vengeful script

by Cat McCarrey

Theatre Review: Raw Anger in Search of Revenge in FEAST. Veteran actor Katherine Catmull chews through Megan Gogerty’s vengeful script

Trivia, Traitors, and Torches in This Week’s Recommended Events Venture forth on the weekdays

Jamal Hussain Strings Nature, Tech, and Spirit Together With Light New Media artist unpacks upcoming Dougherty exhibit

“Economic Censorship”: The Devastation of the NEA Grants Cut Grows After Trump administration rule change, fears mount for future of arts

With Debut Novel The Slip, Lucas Schaefer Pens an Austin Epic Local author writes of self-discovery in a changing city

COLUMNS

The Austin Chronic: Proposed Bill Would Mark “A Step in the Right Direction” for Medical Marijuana in Texas

On the table: easing of operational pains for dispensaries and allowing for THC inhalers, but critics still see much room for improvement

by Kevin Curtin

The Endless Soul Searching of Ageless Singer Tomar Williams

Tomar and the FCs frontman shares scores of stories ahead of the band's third album release

by Raoul Hernandez

Qmmunity: Thee Gay Agenda Holds Court

Get your gavel for new variety show Justice Is Served

by James Scott

Day Trips: Lake Mineral Wells State Park & Trailway, Mineral Wells

North Texas state park is an outdoor enthusiast’s paradise

by Gerald E. McLeod