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.

…and tell them that I love them? Hmmm.

Five bone-rattling hours worth of the new Live After Death DVD encores with a 15-minute salutation titled “’ello Texas.” Shot at the Alamo, July 1983, during Iron Maiden’s Piece of Mind tour, the featurette cuts between band member interviews and a throttling performance at San Antonio’s hallowed HemisFair Arena, demolished in 1995. “The Trooper,” “Flight of Icarus, “22 Acacia Avenue,” and “Iron Maiden” all execute trademark tales of historical disembowelment with galloping gusto, but it was frontman Bruce Dickinson that caught my ear, saying that the then UK quintet survived outside traditional radio airplay and MTV. Not true. MTV’s skeleton in the closet belongs to Iron Maiden. Little more than six months separates the debut of MTV, summer 1981, and Maiden’s commercial breakthrough the following March, third LP Number of the Beast. Not only did the fledgling cable channel broadcast the group’s great Indian massacre “Run to the Hills” in regular rotation. I can personally attest that MTV’s summer nights 1982 dripped the sweat and blood of Iron Maiden. Once in bed, 9pm or so, my girlfriend’s parents never descended the stairs until morning. Late night, with a bad case of the munchies, me and my gal zoned out to the station’s overnight programming, which more often than not consisted of entire concerts whiling away the hours. Iron Maiden rammed it home round the clock.

Austin Energy has announced that they completed repairs at 2:30am on Saturday morning. In the 48 hours after the storm, there were 100 Austin Energy field personnel making repairs at 500 locations, and that doesn't include the contract arborists clearing downed trees and limbs. Any customers who are still experiencing outages should call 322-9100 to get assistance. For anyone still facing yard clear-up, visit the city's Solid Waste Services info page. In a nice note amidst all the debris, late Friday afternoon city manager Marc Ott sent an email out to city and Austin Energy staff (and cc'ed the local press):

You are all doing an outstanding job. I'm proud of you. Thank you for all your efforts. Marc

It's the little things that count. Check out our update photo gallery of storm damage by clicking on the image above.

Official estimates peg the Woodlands’ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in Houston at a capacity of 16,500, and at the Radiohead show Saturday night, they were all there with friends. The steeply pitched grass outfield was a sea of fans, many of whom had traveled long distances to see Britain’s best at the sold-out show, and after a short opening set by Liars, we were treated to the best concert money can buy.

It was a monumental experience exasperated by the energy-efficient tubular LED light show put on from the stage. If ever there were doubt that Radiohead could pull off their studio masterpieces live, it was shattered. Thom Yorke trotted in place like a wind-up drummer boy, elbows flailing, knees held high. BBC composer-in-residence and guitarist Johnny Greenwood spent as much time with his back to the audience, hunched over mammoth machinery, as he did grinning. And Ed O’Brien stood lanky over Yorke in jacket and tie. Big brother Colin Greenwood (bass) and Phil Selway (drums) might not have played front and center, but they were the ones that put the magic in the night.

The Austin Aztex host the DFW Tornados tonight, with first place in the PDL Mid-South, and in U.S. Open qualifying, on the line. A win would move the Aztex into first, ahead of the defending national champion Laredo Heat, who beat DFW last night in Laredo, 1-0. A supporters' group will meet behind the home bench, about 20 minutes before game time, to organize some cheers, chants, and songs.

7:30pm at Round Rock High's Dragon Stadium, just off I-35 and FM 620. $8, $5 for kids 12 and under.

There's been a smell of fresh sawdust and chainsaw fumes on the State Capitol grounds since Wednesday's storm. In the mercurial way of storms, trees that had survived the vicissitudes of Texas weather for decades, possibly over a century, were destroyed and had to be sliced up and taken away. "It was pretty awful," said Julia Fields, spokesperson for the State Preservation Board. Seven mature trees, mostly white oaks, were blown over or so severely damaged by the 60 to 75mph winds that they had to be cut down. "Obviously, the uprooted trees we will have to clear out, but we're consulting with the Forest Service to see what can be saved," added Fields. The process of clearing the larger slabs should take a couple of days. Smaller debris will be going in the chipper, and even though the gnarled boughs and uneven trunks of the capitol copse won't provide any long slices of lumber, that's a lot of timber going spare. So what does the board plan to do with it? Well, normally when they have to take a tree down from the grounds, it either goes for souvenirs in the Capitol Gift Shop or gavels for the next legislative session.