The latest albums from Al Green, Erykah Badu, and the Roots have at least two things in common: They are good bets to make my 2008 best of lists and they are co-produced by Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson. The afro-rocking Roots drummer lays down furious fatback beats on their eighth, Rising Down (Def Jam), but the most eccentric member of the Philly ensemble is proving he's as great a force behind the boards as the drum kit. Not that it’s always been easy. In a Spin interview, ?uestlove says Al Green cussed him out during their recording session for Lay It Down (Blue Note), shouting, “Why are there motherfuckin’ computers everywhere? I’m gonna sing it the way I wanna sing it, goddamn it!” That Grandpa Simpson luddism is partly what makes Green’s vocals so divine. But ?uestlove, with help from the Dap-Kings Horns and guest spots from John Legend, Corrine Bailey Rae, and the criminally underrated Anthony Hamilton, adds just enough of a modern touch to keep things fresh. The LP, due May 27, is miles ahead of Green’s two previous Blue Note releases this decade and – dare I say it – comes awfully close to rivaling his classic 1970s Hi material.

In another step forward for mainstream recognition of Roller Derby, ESPN's SportsCenter handed Sunday's Outside the Lines segment over to the burgeoning sport. The piece featured interviews with women from Austin's own Lonestar Rollergirls, including Honey Homicide of the Rhinestone Cowgirls and Chola of the Putas del Fuego. But what's important was that it wasn't just about Austin. The package featured leagues from St. Paul, Phoenix, Cincinnati, and New Orleans (the more hardcore fans may notice former Chronicle intern and current Big Easy Rollergirls ref Meredith Barnhill, aka Vargas Grrl, at the 4.28 mark on the countdown). The biggest credit that the Lonestar Rollergirls and the Texas Rollergirls can get these days is that the sport has got so big that it's far beyond being "just an Austin thing."

Man, you know you're a real presidential candidate when you've got a reggae song (or two, or three) that's all about you. Check out Cocoa Tea's tribute to Barack Obama here.

Casting is now under way for a new Logo reality show, Drag Race, hosted by none other than the queen of fabulous, RuPaul. Press materials call for “talented and gorgeous drag queens and their best friend/stylist/drag slave from across the nation to compete in the ultimate first ever televised reality drag competition.” As a confirmed reality show hater, even I have to admit that I would tune into this show once it hits the small screen. The competition is open to any drag queen 21 years of age or older. Details on how to apply can be found at http://dragrace.popularproductions.net/.

According to bestselling author Christine Wicker, we've been lied to. For years we've been told about the boundless power of the "religious right" – a supposedly homogeneous group comprised of millions and millions of vociferous and devoted evangelical Christians. Think President George W. Bush, or James Dobson and his group Focus on the Family – evangelical Christians whose opinions are heard loudly on talk radio or in the press commenting on various social issues, like abortion or same-sex marriage. Indeed, we've been told, by evangelical groups, that their numbers are, frankly, staggering – that they make up some 25% of the population, more than 50 million Americans. If true, that would make the evangelical religious right a juggernaut. But, as it turns out, there are nowhere near that many evangelicals, Wicker, a former religion reporter for The Dallas Morning News, writes in her latest book, The Fall of the Evangelical Nation. Based on numbers provided by the churches themselves, Wicker estimates that they're probably closer to 7 percent of the population – and their numbers are actually in decline. The evangelicals simply aren't out there saving people in droves. And that changes everything. Wicker's book is an engrossing read, a fascinating exploration of how evangelical Christian beliefs have been hijacked by political voices – like, say, that of former Bush strategist Karl Rove – how the media allowed this to happen and, importantly, how evangelical adherence to the Bible as the inerrant word of God has pushed the faith into a corner, making it a branch of Christianity that is increasingly stuck in time, out-of-step with a changing world, and, it would seem, at least in its current form, slowly, but quite surely, fading.

Click through the gallery for shots from Thursday's Chaos in Tejas aftershow with Be Your Own Pet and the Phenomenauts' rockabilly lift-off Friday at Red 7.

Rep. Nathan Macias, R-Bulverde, is calling off his legal challenge to his primary loss, meaning Doug Miller is officially the Republican running in that seat. Macias has decided it would cost to much to continue the challenge; he's still complaining that there were mis-votes and double-votes, and still pointing fingers at Miller's sister-in-law, but those legal fees are just too much to handle. Macias took a 17 vote margin-of-error loss to Miller in the March primary, going down 14,667 (49.98%) to 14,684 (50.02%). What made this more surprising was that he'd picked up a series of heavy-hitter business (Texans for Fiscal Responsibility), anti-choice (Texas Right to Life, Texas Alliance for Life) and gun advocacy (National Rifle Association, Texas State Rifle Association) PAC endorsements. He ran a brutal "Miller is a really a tax-and-tax-and-tax Demmycrat" campaign. Plus, he got some whopping big contributions from Speaker Tom Craddick's Texas Builds Jobs and Opportunity PAC and GOP sugar daddy Jim Leininger. But somehow, that still wasn't enough to beat away a challenge from the Edwards Aquifer Authority Chairman and former mayor of New Braunfels. It's easy to imagine that Carter Casteel, the Republican incumbent that Macias forced out after a bitter primary in 2006, has been watching with interest. Especially since she only lost to Macias by 46 votes.

“I’ve never heard of anything like this,” was my mom’s reaction to the news that this week I was writing a recommended for the Candye Kane fundraiser at Antone’s next Thursday, May 29, and planning to attend the one for Van Wilks on June 8. Not that she hadn’t heard of benefits – we’d just completed one at Antone's for my brother Stephen – but rather that she was amazed at their proliferation. It feels true that Austin’s favorite pastime in the music community is supporting itself through benefits. In a town where most bands and musicians are struggling with outside jobs and their art to make a living, when someone needs help you can’t keep the players away with a stick. Or a bow. That’s how a 13-year-old fiddle whiz named Ruby Jane got my attention. Actually, her mother got my attention first by sending me an email about Ruby Jane. With that name filed away, I perked up at Stephen’s benefit when Ray Benson strolled in with a sassy young brunette brandishing a fiddle. “My problem is I can’t find enough places to play,” she’d complained to Ray earlier. Ray bade her to join him at the benefit, just for fun, much like she’s been at Asleep at the Wheel's gigs. Next thing you know, Ruby Jane’s onstage, accompanying Ray before an atypical Antone’s audience of benefit angels, playing and singing her teenage heart out on classic tunes such as “Mind Your Own Business.”

It's something I have been touting to my gay male friends for years, and they don't believe it: Lesbians like that male-on-male action.

Now, there is academic research backing it, and hottie Tristan Taormino's latest column covers it. Even Perez is touting it, there's truth in them thar hills. And the truth is, butt sex just ain't too graphic for even the butchest of lesbians. It's a funny mix, but yes, sometimes sexuality has the most interesting currents.