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The Thrilla in the Tortilla

We are just going to go ahead and admit it. When we first came up with the idea for a breakfast taco tournament, we were slightly dissuaded by all the research we would have to do. For months, we had to live and breathe breakfast tacos. We eschewed omelets and pancakes and poached eggs on…

by Brandon Watson

Theeb

A young Bedouin boy in 1916 has an adventure in the war-torn desert

by Marc Savlov

Playback: Re-HAAMing

HAAM needs you to re-up, Ian McLagan’s been gone a year, and Hotel Van Zandt playroom Geraldine’s restores our faith in hotels co-existing with live local music

by Kevin Curtin

Texas Platters

Prime movers in the vibrant Austin blues scene of the Eighties and Nineties, Kathy & the Kilowatts return with the previously unreleased results of a soured major label deal. The Big D of the title refers to drummer Doyle Bramhall Sr., whose shuffles and grooves add special flavor to singer and songwriter Kathy Murray’s rockin’…

by Jim Caligiuri

Texas Platters

Mother Superior of the South Austin hippie crowd returns with an affable set of folk and blues. Masterfully assisted by guitarist Rich Brotherton, the singer continues to mine simple emotions with a big voice and a pen that never met a cliche it didn’t find attractive. Gospel-flavored opener “Add It Up,” a solemn reading of…

by Jim Caligiuri

Soccer Watch

The MLS Cup final is this Sunday at 3pm – a Columbus-Portland matchup that few people would have predicted at the beginning of the season, or the beginning of the playoffs. Both teams advanced with gutty performances on the road last weekend, against the two teams with the best regular-season records in the league, the…

by Nick Barbaro

Texas Platters

A tranquil listen comparable to early Nanci Griffith, the eighth album from Sarah Pierce strikes pay dirt. Songs about her family’s heritage thread together subtlety in country trappings about a simpler life. Opener “Small Town” points the way, and she never looks back until proclaiming “I Don’t Give My Heart” to just anyone. She and…

by Jim Caligiuri

Quote of the Week

“In this situation I am going to err on the side of humanity.” – District 1 Council Member Ora Houston, on her vote against CM Don Zimmerman’s Public Safety Committee resolution opposing city assistance to Syrian refugees (the resolution failed)

by Chronicle Staff

Headlines

Construction on the bike-and-pedestrian bridge set to run alongside MoPac over Barton Creek is experiencing another round of delays this week – and could be shelved for the next month, or maybe more. On Monday, the Statesman reported that a “paperwork glitch” was to blame for the holdup, citing a spokesman for the Texas Department…

by Chronicle Staff

Neville the Dog Finds a Home

After a two-month struggle to exonerate Neville, the shelter dog that bit a boy on Sept. 22 and was to be euthanized, Austin Pets Alive! announced Tuesday that the lab mix has found a new home. Under the county’s conditions for Neville’s release, his new owners must 1) register Neville as a dangerous dog, 2)…

by Nina Hernandez

Mr. Smarty Pants Knows

The first book printed in English was The Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye, translated and printed by William Caxton (c. 1422-1491) at Bruges, 1474-75. In 1960, during a party celebrating his announcement as candidate for mayor of New York City, writer Norman Mailer stabbed his second wife, Adele, after she told him he wasn’t…

by Mr. Smarty Pants

Steampunk Doc Explores Vintage Tomorrows

It began with a dinner invite. Filmmaker Byrd McDonald knew nothing about steampunk, but after one meal, he was on a path to craft a documentary about the movement. He said, “More than anything I’ve ever made, this film came to me.” The invitation came courtesy of McDonald’s friend James Carrott: He was working on…

by Richard Whittaker

Texas Platters

As KGSR celebrates a quarter-century on-air, the local flagship frequency’s annual artifact of live recordings marks year 23, benefiting Austin’s SIMS Foundation and the Seton Fund. A host of artists make return appearances, but Broadcasts upholds its decades-long tradition of introducing the most promising international acts before they break (revisit Adele’s “Right as Rain” on…

by Doug Freeman

Texas Platters

Two potentially divergent influences define Austin native Eve Monsees. First, as has been documented profusely, her childhood comrade in guitar remains blues powerhouse Gary Clark Jr. More importantly, perhaps, her first gig involved Ramones covers by Nineties garage punks the Soulbenders. Both underline the soundtrack to her ripping out the heart of a Telecaster with…

by Tim Stegall

Texas Platters

Veterans of the experimental wars, Thor Harris, Jonathan Horne, and Randall Holt bring their sonic scars to bear on Honorary Bachelors of Arts. The download-only debut by the Austin super trio finds percussionist Harris (Swans, Shearwater) hopping from rhythm to rhythm like an amphibian, underscoring propulsive guitar chords from Horne (Plutonium Farmers), and cellist Holt’s…

by Michael Toland

Oops!

The print edition of last week’s “Public Notice” column mistakenly stated that “‘granny flats’ were already allowed in every residential zoning category throughout the city.” In fact, they were – and are – allowed only in SF-3, which is primarily in the central city. Council declined to act on a recommendation to expand that to…

by Chronicle Staff

Texas Platters

In a town saturated with marching guitars, the vibraphonic strains of this sideways power trio make for extra refreshing tonic. Benko’s craft mixture of cocktail jazz and indie pop stretches horizons even as it soothes the senses. The locals’ third overall effort and first since 2008 offers the most pristine summation of their charms yet.…

by Greg Beets

Texas Platters

Big Cat groups proven local talent, notably in veteran soulman Malford Milligan and guitarist Dave Sebree. Given the pairing, Big Cat should’ve unleashed a feral feline instead of a rather tame house kitty. Clocking in at close to an hour, the quintet churns out blues ballads that proclaim, “Nothing new here.” Even so, “From Now…

by Alejandra Ramirez

Texas Platters

Self-produced, The Principium introduces local rapper Malik on its opener, “Trying to make your dreams for real.” With that, 19-year-old Austin Community College MC Brian Baptiste becomes the future of Austin hip-hop. A fundamentally idealistic, sophisticated affair, The Principium demonstrates unusual self-trust, locking into a peculiar dream state with an Inception-like tunneling quality beginning on…

by Kahron Spearman

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