Cover Story
The Kaleidoscopic Hues of Austin’s Queer Comedy Gems
You don’t need a treasure map to find precious queer comedy gems in Austin, but these funny folks are a great place to start on your hunt for bejeweled jokes and jests. Whether you’re a stand-up fiend, a showcase stalwart, or an improv impresario, the queer comics of our fair burg boast brilliance brighter than…
News
Rebuilt MLK Boulevard Bridge Fully Operational After Two Years of Construction
Most Austinites would say that the ongoing expansion of I-35 has only made their daily commutes more troublesome. And that will likely be the case for years to come. However, progress is being made, as the rebuilt Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard bridge over I-35 is now fully operational, Texas Department of Transportation spokesperson Bradley…
State Takeover Looms Over AISD as School Year Kicks Off
It’s Austin ISD’s first week of school. But what the new school year could bring is still uncertain in the wake of the 2026 accountability scores released last week, district leaders say. On Friday, Aug. 14, the Texas Education Agency publicly released A-F accountability ratings for all Texas public school districts and campuses, but AISD…
Marking Queer History on Austin’s Fourth Street
Last month, the rainbow crosswalks on Fourth were washed away – a move that followed several other Texan cities losing their colorful murals and street art thanks to a directive by Gov. Greg Abbott. Heartbreak spread throughout the local queer community and inspired a vigil held on July 21. But just under the radar for…
Who’s Running for City Council This Fall?
There is plenty at stake in this year’s midterm elections. And while it’s easy to remain fixated on some of the major offices that could flip blue, Austinites must also keep a close eye on the five City Council seats that are up for the taking this fall. With the Aug. 17 filing deadline closed,…
The Week’s Biggest News in Brief: Aug. 13-19
Minnesota Sues Abbott: Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison filed suit against Gov. Greg Abbott and Cameron County Sheriff Manuel Trevino in an attempt to force the extradition of Christian Castro, an ICE agent who is accused of shooting and injuring Julio Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan man in Minneapolis, earlier this year. Castro…
Music
Call It Chicano
“We called it Chicano,” Ruben Ramos told me in East Austin nearly 30 years ago, describing his Latinx serenades. “It’s a mixture of everything: salsa, a little bit of rhythm and blues. Everything.” Now 86, the Grammy winner closes Los Días de Calor with “Yo Soy Chicano,” which reiterates, “Soy Chicano, si señor. Soy Chicano,…
Ruthie Foster Finds Freedom on Just Say Yes
Released by Elvis’ original Memphis label and produced with the help of a rising Nashville power couple, Ruthie Foster’s Just Say Yes draws on tradition, using lessons from the past to look toward the future. Out Aug. 28, the singer-songwriter’s 12th LP, and second since leaving longtime label Blue Corn, follows up on her 2024…
Elias Haslanger Charts the Musical Legacy of Jazz Greats
When you stick to tradition in jazz, it can be a trap. If your style is hard bop, bebop, and/or swing, the way can become narrow, the options thin, and the next thing you know you’re playing like it’s 1963 all over again. To carve your own trail from the rock of (over)reverence, self-expression beyond…
Music Notes
Raq baby Saturday 22, Brushy Street Commons Some might’ve discovered Raq baby last year after hearing “Stick Up,” which features him rapping over an officially cleared sample of Childish Gambino’s “3005.” After performing during this year’s South by Southwest, the Chicago-born, Atlanta-based artist returns to town with July release Still Spillin in tow. OTC Crewfest…
Arts + Culture
Tangling Intimacy, Migration, and Representation
Boundaries are tricky. The line between a customer service interaction and a little flirting can be hard to find. What about if you’re being paid to be the face of a famous novelist – one whose own face you’ve never seen? Who are you if the line between you and her grows foggy? Hilal Isler’s…
Screens
The Magic Faraway Tree Review: The Family That Adventures Together…
Kids on both sides of the pond already went nuts for the Paddington pictures and Wonka, both sourced from beloved British children’s books. With The Magic Faraway Tree, writer and performer Simon Farnaby (The Mighty Boosh, Ghosts) tries his hand at a third British children’s lit classic. Based on an Enid Blyton series first launched…
Insidious: Out of the Further Review: Time to Close the Door
Imagine a Halloween haunted house. The first year you go, everything is new and exciting and every scare is fresh. The second year is fun in a different way, as you kind of know what’s going to happen but this time you can look for what’s new and appreciate the experience a little more. Now…
Columns
Davy Arnaud Has Brought the “Standard” Back to Austin FC
When Austin FC traded midfielder Dani Pereira to Montreal last month, the list of inaugural ATXFC roster members still with the club shrank to just three: goalkeeper Brad Stuver and wing backs Žan Kolmanič and Jon Gallagher. At least, that covers the players. But if we’re to include all the Austin FC OGs, Davy Arnaud’s…
The Common Law
My neighbor’s contractor did $4,000 worth of damage to my fence and won’t pay. Do I need a lawyer to sue? Not necessarily. Texas law makes it possible to pursue a claim like this without hiring an attorney. Cases like yours belong in justice court, often still referred to informally as “small claims court.” Justice…
The Luv Doc: Unkempt Feet
Dear Luv Doc, Met a great guy about two months ago. We hit it off on all levels: Similar ages, temperaments, political sensibilities, sense of humor. There is just one catch, and it’s a big one for me: hygiene. Specifically foot hygiene. A few weeks ago I learned that he had never been to Barton…
Day Trips: St. James AMEC Culture Crossing, San Antonio
The St. James AMEC Culture Crossing celebrates a community in San Antonio with a unique monument full of joy and beauty. Presence of the Past by artist Gordon Huether brings back the first African Methodist Episcopal Church in San Antonio using laser-cut white steel panels in designs inspired by African American freedom quilts. The memorial…
Qmmunity: Austin Pride Weekend
Welcome to Austin Pride Weekend, Reader. You’re sort of spoiled for choices from this Thursday onward into next week, no matter if you’re a nightlife lover or delight in daytime dalliances. Maybe you’re thinking this is the year you join the big ol’ official parade! Since no LGBTQ person ever walks alone, check your favorite…
Cannabis Consumption Methods and Cozy Comedy
Hemp businesses around town have pulled their flower supply off the shelf and there’s not a preroll to be found as of the end of July. Multiple cannabinoids have been banned statewide, including Delta-8, Delta-10, THCA, and THCP. Delta-9 is the last man standing, remaining legal as long as it is under 0.3% by dry…
Mr. Smarty Pants Knows
The gunfight at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona, on October 26, 1881, didn’t actually take place at the O.K. Corral. It took place in an alley behind Fly’s Photography Studio. The expression “thin as a rail” doesn’t refer to railroad tracks. It refers to a marsh bird. Ambergris is a solid, waxy, flammable substance…
Feedback: August 21, 2026
Don’t Shoot the Messenger Dear Editor, Add my vote to Mr. Cheeseman’s [“Come Clean on Calendar,” Feedback, Aug. 14]. Print the address and at least the date/time of the event. I see you have managed to continue printing the addresses for restaurant reviews. I have read your paper version, and I am unlikely to prioritize going online to…
Fun + Games
Free Will Astrology
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In traditional textile making, the selvage is the strong edge that holds the fabric together and keeps it from unraveling. It’s braided more tightly than the rest so it can do its guarding work. I think that’s a helpful metaphor for your life in the coming weeks, Leo. Your main weave…
