Cover Story
Municipal Death Match!
With five council seats open, mayor and Place 1 look like the headliners
Ian McEwan Appears at UT (and in the Pages of ‘The New Yorker’)
The sprawling profile is a good way get excited about the Booker Prize-winning author’s upcoming reading
‘Docubloggers’ Documents Texas’ Film Industry Woes
KLRU asks “If There is a Future for the Texas Film Industry?” We’re going with a cautious but hopeful yes.
This Spring, It’s All about ‘Septembers’
Mayor Will Wynn announces the 2009 selection for the annual Mayor’s Book Club
Pigs Are Flying: State Judicial Conduct Commission Taking Action Against Keller
The Judicial Conduct Commission takes action on Keller complaint
Capital Punishment: Battle on the Bank II
Lonestar Rollergirls will host two-day banked-track tourney in June
Cornyn Keeping Tainted Money
Texas Senator “presumes innocence” of accused fraudster Stanford
The Player’s Ball
Big Boi, Bun B, Dead Prez, and more
Rodriguez Says “No” to Ab-Only Sex Ed
Austin Rep. Eddie Rodriguez wants to end ab-only sex ed in Texas
Aztex Countdown; Dynamo, Too
Just 10 days until the Austin Aztex preseason opener against the New England Revolution
Talking SXSW Blues
With Bloodshot Records’ Nan Warshaw
Some Chairs Are More Equal Than Others
Floor fight over House Committees raises the specter of Tom Craddick over Speaker Straus
APD, Cap Metro, AISD Warn About Railroad Crossings
Perfectly set press conference shows how not to behave near the tracks
Sticking It to the Social Networks
SXSW filmmaker Tommy Pallotta on why he said sayonara to Facebook
My Breakfast With Marc
Getting to know the city manager
Wristbands! Wristbands!
SXSW wristbands about to go on sale
“Buddy, Can You Spare $50?”
GOP passes the hat for anti-stimulus radio ad
TXRG Goes Nonprofit
Flat-track derby league to ‘focus on training rather than worrying about bottom-line profits’
Gamecocks and Fan Dances
Ex-video game CEO comes to the rescue of Burlesque for Peace
Hey Boys, This Beau’s for You
Beau Breedlove poses for Unzipped.
Midnight Madness
Fantastic Fest and SXSW partner up for midnight movies
Maldonado: School Time for Lawmakers
Round Rock Dem files first bills as sole author
Burnam Calls for Impeachment of Killer Keller
State Rep. Lon Burnam wants the Texas House to impeach Court of Criminal Appeals Presiding Judge Sharon “Killer” Keller
Burnam Supports Brewers
Fort Worth representative explains HB 1062
Say What?
Archie Bell sheds light on his lyrics
Christian Champions the Chickens
Legislator from Center files bill to bust cockfighting rings
No Headline
SXSW drops the deets on purchasing a wristband
The February Blues
What’s a sports fan to do during the lean days of February?
Free Speech … Even for Jerks
Professor silences student over anti-gay marriage speech.
Oprah REALNESS!
RuPaul’s Drag Race episode 3 recap and comments.
Scott Blackwood Adapts to Chicago
Austin’s loss is Chicago’s gain as the award-winning writer moves on to Chicago with a new novel set in the Deep Eddy neighborhood.
Dissecting Mercer’s Anti-Evolution Editorial
Because shooting fish in a barrel is fun!
Libertarians: DC Dems and GOP “Socialists”
LPT Chair Patrick Dixon slams Republicans (yet again) as not real conservatives
One, Two, Three, Fortissimo!
The Eggmen coo-coo-ca-choo with McCallum High School
Mike Levy, We Hardly Knew Ye
Outspoken Austinite passes on mayoral run
Happy VD from El and Ru
Don’t Go Breaking My Heart on Valentine’s Day.
Boot Camp Challenge: Week Four
The dog days of boot camp
Win a Kegerator From Saint Arnold!
Houston brewery sponsors Austin contest
Wildflower Commons
The Politics of Postponement
Legeland Goes Tweet
Capitol coverage to go (mostly typo-free)
Bob Byington New to New York, Old Hat in Austin
Austinite Bob Byington premieres ‘Harmony and Me’ at Lincoln Center’s New Directors/New Films showcase
Austin Twestival!
Chrontourage helping to raise money for Charity:Water
Inside the House of Straus
More footage from inside the speaker’s office
Planview Peanut Plant Ordered Shut
State health inspectors have ordered shut a PCA subsidiary in the panhandle
Valentine’s Pairs
The Chronicle finds out what Austin pastry chef couples are creating for each other
Judges
Rebecca Beegle’s stories have appeared in Hobart, 5_Trope, Elimae, The Austin Chronicle, and the forthcoming A Best of Fence: The First Nine Years (Fence Books). Her plays include Have You Ever Been Assassinated?, Don’t Drown, and American Women and Their Hatchets. Rebecca holds a Master of Fine Arts in writing from the School of the…
deEP end
The winter chill emitted from the Eastern Sea’s eponymous debut makes for a perfect seasonal soundtrack. The five-song collection plays out like a series of frozen snapshots from Garden State, painted with Matthew Hines’ poignant imagery, and a bell/whistle ornamentation that suggests Sufjan Stevens. Perhaps the only misstep is the jarring guitars on “The Floor,”…
Headlines
• At a special City Council meeting Wednesday, the city proposed $20 million in departmental and staff spending cuts in response to a revenue shortfall of the same amount. See “Naked City.” • The council faces a contentious meeting today, Thursday, Feb. 12, with presentations and zoning requests on controversial items: the Lady Bird Lake…
Push
This sci-fi actioner about warring clairvoyants is generically incomprehensible with cyberpunk overtones.
The Hightower Report
The Upside to Downsizing; and Home Depot Exec Blows a Gasket
‘Fayette’
First-Place Winner
Texas Platters
Rick Reed Dreamz/Blue Polz Experimental vet Rick Reed’s latest vinyl fever dream filters color and drone, as per usual. Reed’s got a soundtrack mind, and both sides convey that, even if they sound pretty much the same.
Res Publica
Thursday12 AFRICAN AMERICAN FAMILY SUPPORT CONFERENCE aims to help parents and health professionals utilize health-care tools. But there’s also a youth panel and other events for the whole family. Go online for a complete list of keynotes, workshops, and exhibits. Thu.-Fri., Feb. 12-13. 8am-4:30pm. Omni Southpark, 4140 Governor’s Row. Free. www.ctaafsc.org. FREEDOM TO MARRY DAY…
Academy Award-Nominated Animated Shorts 2009
The Academy gets animated.
Got Philosophy?
AFS Documentary Tour presents Examined Life
‘May the Passenger Pigeon Sing Thee to Thy Rest’
Second-Place Winner
Texas Platters
Diagonals Valley of the Cyclops (Monofonus Press) Stoned, organ-ground local psych pop with a sense of humor. The boys of Diagonals take clowns, wizards, and Neil Diamond to task on their debut platter of geek love, and while the title track is the centerpiece, slowly unfurling waves of reverb, their pop is also well-executed.
TFN Looks at the Lege Demagogues
New Texas Freedom Network report on the Lege and the religious right
Friday the 13th
The latest coming of Our Man in the Hockey Mask was filmed in Austin.
Great Escapes
AFS Essential Cinema: Children of Abraham/Ibrahim 3: Films of the Middle East & North Africa
‘Speechless’
Third-Place Winner
Texas Platters
Handbrake Brillo’s Aftermath Tempo-phrenic guitar rock comes slouching out of Denton, with former/current members of the Baptist Generals, White Drugs, and Tank Tank. Finely muscled and brooding, Handbrake recalls Lungfish in places, but the vocals are a tad whiny. Brillo would work better all instrumental.
Straus Offers Welcome to His House
Nosy reporters snoop around the speaker’s apartment
The International
This conspiracy thriller starring Clive Owen and Naomi Watts never gets past second gear.
Film News
Is the Texas film scene resuscitating itself?
Off the Record
Marcia Ball turns 60 in style, Bill Baird finds himself in song, and more confirmations for the Austin Music Awards and SXSW 09
The New Wildcatters
Solar bills are back by popular demand
Billu Barber
New Bollywood film.
Food-o-File
Local restaurants offer recession-friendly options
Texas Platters
Willie Nelson & Asleep at the Wheel Willie and the Wheel (Bismeaux) These days Willie Nelson will duet with anyone who can roll a joint properly or promises to patronize his Carl’s Corner. The local country icon’s long-awaited Western swing collaboration with Austin’s Asleep at the Wheel is a different tale altogether. Atlantic Records titan…
Texas Platters
Reverse X Rays Situation Island Blasts of sax, squirrelly guitar lines, thick bass, and spastic drumming stuffed into four short tracks make for a fair debut EP of nervous instrumental yin/yang, but a couple more tracks would’ve been nice. “Buffalo Machine” is the ripcord-pulling gem here.
Gambling Debate Returns to Capitol
With every legislative session comes a study on the economic benefits of slot machines at race tracks
Restaurant Review
Cover 3 has good intentions but isn’t playing by the rules
Texas Platters
Nakia Water to Wine The debut full-length from Nakia proves the Appalachian-born belter one of Austin’s most talented singers. Booming, deeply soulful, and accented with the occasional twang, his pipes propel an impressive set of Allmans-inspired Southern gospel-rock. Nakia has a penchant for big ballads with a flair for flourish, the self-penned title track crescendoing…
Texas Platters
Low Red Center (Instincto) Minimal is the mantra for Low Red Center. This beat-assisted self-titled LP screams 1970s New Wave, with repetitive female vocals conjuring Cabaret Voltaire and Xex. That mantra insures tempos rarely change from song to song, but there are some standouts, including “Sun Outside,” where B-52’s meet Björk inside a broken drum…
Craddick’s Computer Files Wiped Clean
With Craddick gone, who needs Milton Rister?
Liquid Assets
Sip myriad Washington wines at next week’s Taste Washington! event
Texas Platters
Gurf Morlix Last Exit to Happyland (Rootball) Gurf Morlix’s fifth recording fits neatly on the shelf with his others, Last Exit to Happyland akin to journeying into the past and rediscovering all that made you you. Still best known as the sideman’s sideman, Morlix’s repute as a producer remains equally stellar (Lucinda Williams, Ray Wylie…
PACs to Flack
The city PACs work the background of the campaigns
City Counseling
Have we got plans for you
Homeward Bound
Ben Kweller ties his Horse to Austin’s hitching post
Texas Platters
Ruthie Foster The Truth According to Ruthie Foster (Blue Corn Music) Hosannas heaped on Ruthie Foster’s magnificent vocals are well-earned, which explains why the local cottage industry seems in no hurry to be pigeonholed as a singer-songwriter. Foster owes a good deal of her country blues goodness to her accompanying musicians – including Robben Ford,…
Day Trips
Just Oxtails Soul Food on Houston’s south side has turned Southern cooking into an art form
Cybersecurity: Making the Code Unbreakable
Cyber wars bigger than Star Wars
Garth Fagan Dance
The man who choreographed The Lion King comes to Austin with dances full of surprises
Record Review
Ben Kweller Changing Horses
Texas Platters
Pat Green What I’m For (BNA) It’s still a rude shock to see Pat Green, who started out independent and Texas proud, fully absorbed by Nashville. On What I’m For, the country rocker’s eighth disc, Green landed producer Dann Huff (Rascal Flatts, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood), no doubt hoping for some platinum magic. Unlike Cannonball,…
Gay Place
Now is a good time to bone up on the rights we do have
BFI Waste Flows Downhill
New flow numbers on BFI site may help opposition
Blanton Museum of Art
An immersive new work of art turns the Blanton’s white atrium into a cool pool of blue
TV Eye
Buffy creator Joss Whedon returns to TV with more tough-girl action on Dollhouse
Texas Platters
Sumner Erickson Me, Guitar and a Mic Vol. 1 “All I want to do is sing, sing my song,” croons Sumner Erickson on “Dreams.” The younger brother of Texas psych legend Roky Erickson was a master tuba player with the Pittsburgh Symphony but in recent years has turned his local efforts to rocking with the…
Oops!
In last week’s cover story on Cactus Cafe proprietor Griff Luneburg, “Blood on the Tracks” (Feb. 6), the local music scene veteran who Lyle Lovett said “is the Cactus Cafe” was the victim of numerous misspellings of his surname. Even then, Luneburg sent us a gracious thank you note. The Chronicle seriously regrets the errors.
Cole’s Posthumous Exoneration Is First for Texas
In clearing Timothy Cole’s name, Travis Co. judge does what Lubbock officials refused to do
Rude Mechs
Grrl Action is getting its very own space next to the Off Center: The Off Shoot
Arts Review
A new tween musical tackles middle school anxieties with personality and quirky humor
Texas Platters
Pompeii Nothing Happens for a Reason (Eyeball) Pompeii’s sophomore LP opens with the instrumental “Where We’re Going, We Don’t Need Roads,” which may be true given the quartet’s soaring pop ambitions. Like fellow locals AM Syndicate and Low Line Caller, Pompeii swirls with mellow but anthemic bursts, glistening guitars intricately woven with strings. “False Alarm”…
Page Two: First Do No Harm
Our Constitution allows elected officials to follow principled beliefs while limiting the power of demagoguery
Alleged Bike Thief Nabbed
Police believe they’ve landed a big one in bike fancier James Clayton
Letters at 3AM
I am not my thoughts; I am not my feelings
Arts Review
Of the play’s three stories about people dying, only one comes to life in this show
Texas Platters
Mistress Stephanie & Her Melodic Cat Take That! (Pressing Records) Stephanie Stephens (the Mistress) and Adam Sultan (Her Melodic Cat) have great chemistry live, their sexualized push-and-pull recalling The Rocky Horror Picture Show in the Weimar Republic. On its debut LP, the local pair replicates that pleather-clad schadenfreude with mixed results. Humor and sarcasm make…
Playing Through
There have been many great stoner moments in the history of sports
After a Fashion
Stephen has his hard hat; now all he needs is an Indian, a cowboy, an Army guy, and a motorcycle cop
Arts Review
An inspiring celebration of Mendelssohn’s 200th birthday by the string quartet at UT
Texas Platters
Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys The Tiffany Transcriptions (Collectors’ Choice Music) In 1975, Waylon Jennings sang, “Bob Wills is still the king.” Digging through this 10-CD box set makes plain what provoked that sentiment. The Kosse, Texas-born Wills (1905-1975) didn’t invent Western swing, but he took it to places no one could’ve imagined. The…
Point Austin: Welcome to Hard Times
Ausitn Interfaith’s summit addresses economic plans, current crisis
Chocolate
This spicy Thai actioner comes from the director of Ong Bak.
The Common Law
Employer Identification Number for My New Business?
17th Annual ‘Austin Chronicle’ Short Story Contest
From 500 hopefuls to five winning short stories
Texas Platters
The Sour Notes Received in Bitterness In one year, Jared Boulanger’s Sour Notes formed, released 2008’s inspired The Meat of the Fruit EP, toured, recorded this first LP, and then went back into his home studio for more recording. We should all be so productive. The Austin via Houston quartet’s Received in Bitterness isn’t perfect…
City Hall Hustle: Choose Your Narrative
Are we flying boldly forward or going back to the future?
He’s Just Not That Into You
A Baltimore-set romantic comedy roundelay based on a bestselling self-help book.
Mr. Smarty Pants Knows
Queen Elizabeth’s YouTube channel, the truth behind daylight saving time, and more
Winners
First Place: “Fayette” Burke Nixon was born in Houston and graduated from UT-Austin. He and his wife currently live in Oxford, Miss. Second Place: “May the Passenger Pigeon Sing Thee to Thy Rest” Perry Tyson Midkiff II has a handsome dog called Wallace. When he is down, he reads Jim Harrison. When not selling tacos…
Texas Platters
The Open Casket Worst Case Scenario (Mortville Records) In these troubled times, any band capable of waxing a cohesive 12-pack of slobber punk broadsides in just six hours warrants further investigation. Enter the Open Casket, a thrift-driven local trio led by onetime Motard Toby Marsh alongside brothers Chris and Mike Dempsey on bass and drums,…
Naked City
News briefs from Austin, the state, and beyond
The Pink Panther 2
Steve Martin returns as the bumbling Inspector Clouseau, but no Beyoncé in sight. Smart girl.
Balanced House, Balanced Committees
So how equitable was the equitable split Straus promised?
Luv Doc Recommends: Burlesque for Peace’s Valentine’s Day Extravaganza
Saturday is Valentine’s Day. No shit. Surely you would like to strangle the knucklehead who scheduled this holiday on a night that is already overrun by grandstanding douche bags, but stay your hand. Your anger will miss its mark. To get to the “heart” of the problem, you would ultimately have to choke either a…
