On Nov. 7, District Judge George Hanks Jr. stopped Patrick Murphy’s execution, scheduled for Nov. 13, over the same issue that derailed his lethal injection last spring: access to a Buddhist spiritual advisor to chant with him in his final moments.

Nuts and bolt tight but loose enough, Tokyo sorcerers Kikagaku Moyo snapped together their prefab labyrinth of viscera and spirit Thursday night outside at Barracuda for the beginning of Levitation weekend 2019.

More than a year after eighth gas huffer Electric Messiah escaped captivity, Oakland metal trio High on Fire finally began live dates in support of it. After a handful of scattered warm-ups, including Psycho Las Vegas, the band erupted back to life Thursday outside at Mohawk on the kick-off of Levitation 2019 and the first official date of the tour.

In one night – Thursday – multiple seasons unfolded outdoors at Stubb’s: delicate, explorative keyboard landscapes by nascent careerist Vagabon; sometimes sultry, always danceable post-folk from Devendra Banhart; and headliner Angel Olsen’s opulent, moody turn.

Updated Friday, November 8, 2pm: On Friday, new photos were sent on behalf of both Spoetzl and Del Papa Distributing and David Graham, brand manager at Karbach Brewing Co., wrote the following in an email sent to the Chronicle:

JNL Barbecue, a new barbecue trailer located at the new Buzz Mill Shady location, will present to the world Ben and Sarah Lambert’s vision of what Texas’ tradition of barbecue can be.

Gov. Greg Abbott announced Thursday, Nov. 7, a plan to designate a five-acre tract of state-owned land near Montopolis Drive and U.S. 183 as a space for people experiencing homelessness to camp – despite national and local experts explicitly recommending against this strategy.

This time last year, we told you about the fine art school founded by Jennifer Balkan, Denise Fulton, Karen Offutt, and Karen Maness, and how it was starting up within that Eastside hotbed of creative industry called Canopy.

To paraphrase a Seventies feminist anthem: Stefanie Mannaerts is woman, hear her roar. Brutus’ singer also wails on drums as the atomic Belgium trio makes its Austin debut this weekend. Their Levitation set ignites Empire’s sold-out Sargent House showcase Friday, then Sunday they open a killer trifecta with Cave In and Helms Alee at the Parish.