Cover Story
Austin Animal Center Strains to Maintain Its No-Kill Status
City shelter struggles with overcrowding and volunteer dissatisfaction
Kathy Bates, Marc Maron, and More Confirmed for Texas Film Hall of Fame Ceremony
We know the winners, now who’ll be running the show?
Historic Agreement Reached on Craft Beer-to-Go Bills
Texas Craft Brewers & Beer Alliance of Texas finally work together
SXSW Music Churns Out 8th Artist List
Ho99o9, Questlove, Nothing, and Get Up Kids join the action
Hacking Whiskey at Treaty Oak Distillery
What’s a brief moment of Brooklyn in a Hill Country paradise?
Celebrate National Drink Wine Day with The Bachelor
Plus roll-your-own sushi at Uchiko and other local food parties
Texas Governor Says Hospitality Industry Worthy of Appreciation
Of course, we knew this all along – but Abbott makes it official
City Council Supports High School Program to Aid “Bleeding Emergencies”
The dais endorses life-saving program Stop the Bleed
14 Romantic Restaurants for a Perfect Valentine’s Day Dinner
Luxury dining for the fancy, grand gesture-loving lovers
Crazy Sexy Cool Valentine’s Day Date Ideas
Staycations, cooking classes, and aphrodisiacs for brownie points
AISD Trustees: Slow Down on School Closures
Concerns raised over facilities plan timeline, community engagement
Second Arrest Made in Suspected Hate Crime
Quinn O’Connor has been charged with two counts of aggravated assault
Don’t Settle for Cheap Champagne on Valentine’s Day
Nothing sparks the romance like good Champagne
Texas Barbecue Icon Rick Schmidt Passes Away
Former Kreuz Market owner helped shape the Lockhart barbecue scene
Defend Our Hoodz Denies Responsibility for Vandalism at Austin Creative Alliance
Group “applauds the hood for defending itself from greedy sellouts”
Georgetown Man Charged in Attack on Gay Couple Downtown
Frank Macias being charged with two counts of aggravated assault
Gary Clark Jr. Packs Antone’s for Spotify Exclusive Event
Homegrown bluesman debuts This Land
Stacey Abrams, Beastie Boys to Speak at SXSW
Nile Rodgers, Gwyneth Paltrow and more join the roster
Vince Staples Pays Tribute to Mac Miller at Emo’s
Compton rapper prompts smiles and bouncing off walls
Fleetwood Mac Goes a New Way at Frank Erwin Center
Slow start aside, don’t dream it’s over
At the Crossroads: Joe Nick Patoski’s Austin to ATX
Book, launching Feb. 13, tracks Austin’s evolving character
Blanton’s Latest Exhibition Introduces Symbolism to All Audiences
No art degree needed
Fire Chief Goes Easy on Accused Harasser
Wrist-slap for captain’s rude, sexist “horseplay”
AISD Starts the Clock on School Closures
Board set to decide in June on campus consolidations
“Anti-Gentrification” Protesters Target Austin Creative Alliance
“Hoodz” vandalize Jim Hightower offices, next to ACA
Ben Kweller Stares Death in the Face
“Heart Attack Kid” practices optimism after near-fatal incident
Texas Secretary of State Defends Voter Purge Fiasco
Whitley ducks blame during contentious confirmation hearing
Micklethwait Craft Meats Opens Second Location in Smithville
BBQ giant opens first brick-and-mortar
I Want to Eat Your Pancreas
Bizarre title for a tender story of dealing with death
The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part
Everything is still pretty awesome as this sequel builds on the first film
Lords of Chaos
The true crime story that made black metal truly sinister
2019 Oscar-Nominated Short Films: Documentary
Tales of love and hate dominate these Oscar hopefuls
Skid Row Marathon
Homeless runner documentary goes from sleeping rough to pounding the pavement
Tito and the Birds
Brazilian animation goes for the throat of Late Capitalism
2019 Oscar-Nominated Short Films: Animation
The Academy’s five favorite animated shorts, plus two ringers
2019 Oscar-Nominated Short Films: Live Action
Childhood trauma dominates this year’s narrative short list
The Prodigy
Childhood possession horror leaves us in two minds
Texas Platters
Girl gang vocals by Charlie Faye, Akina Adderley, and BettySoo once again commit bubblegum retro-pop on second LP The Whole Shebang. “I Don’t Need No Baby” flips the Ronettes’ iconic “Be My Baby” by employing the same swaying beat on a punchy, newfound independence. “Stone Cold Fox” mixes group harmonies and honky-tonk, then suddenly drops…
The Vortex Repertory Company’s Heartland
Gabriel Jason Dean’s new drama makes a sensitive study of three people in two different countries and where they belong
Lifestyle Brand Collective Blue Supports Diverse Creators in Austin
Missfits Festival embodies their mission of putting community first
Texas Platters
As Y2K loomed, a whole seam of Scandinavian bands materialized – Turbonegro, the Hellacopters, Backyard Babies – who didn’t see much difference between heavy metal and the late-Sixties proto-punk power assault of the MC5. One just sped faster than the other, right? The Damn Times sounds like an American reaction to those acts, and a…
The Hideout Theatre’s Grand Misery
This improvised send-up of the musical Les Miz is as much fun as the real show is serious
Altamesa Maps Lone Star Existentialism on Sophomore Stunner Idol Frontier
Evan Charles and Sean Faires brave the myth of the Southwest
Texas Platters
Backgrounded by classical composition, diverse production credits (Neurosis, the Well), and the Melvins, Mark Deutrom makes multifarious solo albums. Even so, the Austin-based multi-instrumentalist coheres to singular sonic visions and his fourth LP pivots on a dark, psychedelic heaviness, like Seventies Pink Floyd following Syd Barrett into the abyss. Paced between amble and drift, “Somnambulist”…
“Future Artifacts of Sprawl and Sting” at Georgetown Public Library
Stuart Wallace blazes his way through a wasp factory of natural assemblage
Texas Platters
On Catpaws, local fivepiece A. Sinclair cranks up the guitar amps to full volume – finally. Recorded in short sessions over a year and a half with a rotating cast of backing musicians, the band’s third LP skitters with the same anxiety of earlier writing, but with a harder edge and newfound intensity. Here, Aaron…
Day Trips: Boerne Brews
Four places to sample craft beer in Boerne
Single Barrel Whiskey for the Right Price at Jack Allen’s Kitchen
High-quality, approachable whiskeys to get you out of your comfort zone
Texas Platters
Rob Baird’s steadily grown in confidence and craft over the past decade, and the songwriter’s fourth LP showcases his best songs yet. If past efforts floated stylistically in search of a sound, After All finally achieves its own fit for his sharp melodies and tense lyrics. The polish of the title track and standout single…
Soccer Watch
With the international break behind us, the U.S. soccer fan’s attention this week turns to preseason preparations for Major League Soccer, and for the second division USL Championship, both of which start play in early March. Locally, USL’s Austin Bold FC, kicking off their first season at their new stadium out at COTA, continues to…
Dell Medical School Team Unveils Plans to Reinvent Austin State Hospital
Rising from the ashes of the aging mental hospital
Texas Platters
Bruce Smith has his van fine-tuned and packed for delivery on third LP ‘Til the Wheels Fall Off, even if it’s not clear where he’s headed. The local songsmith ranges all over the map, from gritty highway burners (“30 Days”) to bouncing, Paul Simon lyric-twisters (“Amanda and the Commander (Dance While You Got the Chance)”…
Austin at Large: Put on Your Shrinking Caps
So why – let alone how – do we “need” to “reform” Texas property taxes?
With Little Enthusiasm, City OKs Opting Into Oak Hill Parkway Project
Plus more items from City Council’s first substantive meeting of the year
Texas Platters
More than a hint of James McMurtry’s hard narratives linger in Terry Klein’s sophomore offering, a complement to his slow, almost spoken delivery and the intensity of his character- and detail-driven tunes. Klein drops unexpected but spot-on phrases, setting up memorable choruses like on opener “Sagamore Bridge” or the tender “Every Other Sunday.” Jaimee Harris…
Public Notice: Good Change Is Good
Greg Casar is first out of the gate in City Council’s new year, with an ambitious affordable housing proposal aimed at cutting the Gordian Knot in which the Austin land development code debate is snarled. The Affordability Unlocked resolution, unveiled Monday night on the Council message board, and discussed at Tuesday’s work session, proposes to…
Austin’s Best Food and Drink Events This Week
Dinner parties, farmer’s markets, beer, wine, and more for the week of February 7, 2019
Texas Platters
Checking in after a knockout 2017 debut, cunning fivepiece Go Fever emerges on mellow synth-pop “Olivia.” Songwriter Acey Monaro’s huge, pleading chorus enters defiantly, setting up the album’s zoom-out from past prom rock efforts. The Aussie expat’s revealing, off-kilter phrasing drives “Feel So Much,” successfully straddling straightforward indie rock and propulsive New Wave sheen. Recorded…
Headlines
City’s First Scooter Fatality: A UT student who, while riding a Lime scooter, collided last week with an Uber driver, has died from his injuries, marking the first scooter-related death in Austin since the now-ubiquitous electric scooters hit streets in spring of last year. Cats Out of the Cafe: The Navasota property that was once…
Texas Platters
Still reeling from the divorce delved on 2017’s Your Husband, Ghost, Taylor Muse here captures a wayward batch of bleeding-heart tracks with players outside the band’s lineup. Amid trumpeted pop moments (“All Things New”), five tracks stick to the celebrated alt-rock locals’ illustriousness and hair-raising desperation (“Red Right Hand”). “The Alone, Together” spirals: “It’s in…
Quote of the Week
“You will no longer succeed in dehumanizing our community for your political gain. It’s over.” – Sam Smoot of Equality Texas, on the Texas House’s recently formed LGBTQ Caucus and the message it sends to anti-LGBTQ politicians. More online.
Qmmunity: On Hedwig, Hate Crimes, and Not Backing Down
Plus, Austin’s queerest pre-Valentine’s events
Texas Platters
After helping soundtrack Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman with 2017’s “Lion Eyes,” tender folk duo Mikaela Beth Kahn and Jordan James Burchill deliver effortlessly interlocking duets on a second EP. In polite synth, ethereal guitar, and light piano, the two singers craft scaled-back pop Americana with a comfortingly light touch. Sweet melodies don’t always fit the lyrical…
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Promotes Air Pollution
State regulator barely even tries to hold industry accountable, advocates say
Dear Glutton: How to Have a Romantic Low-Key Valentine’s Day in Austin
It’s the little things, not heart-shaped confetti, that count most
Faster Than Sound: Spider House Ballroom Will Cease Live Entertainment
Longtime local venue converts to arcade bar following co-owner misconduct allegations, code violations, and artist payment delays
Eastside Parents Want Bus Routes Back
Reduced service in Montopolis, Johnston Terrace bad for students, activists claim
The Common Law
Dogs and nuisance issues (poop, leashes, and noise)
Human Rights Campaign Calls Texas a “High Priority” for LGBTQ Equality
A long way to go, but public opinion trends toward legislative action
Texas Platters
Celestial synthesizers and reverb-wall guitars combust into black-hole distortion basslines attaining warp speed in “Give to Me Words,” opener on Jude Vol. 1. For its third long-player, the Bright Light Social Hour continues spinning on an axis of spiraling psychedelics and prog-rock maelstroms in line with previous release Space Is Still the Place in 2015.…
Council Calls for Audit of APD Rape Cases
Start-to-finish review responds to growing concern from advocates, survivors
Altamesa Album Review
Idol Frontier (Frontera Del Sueno)
Catholic Diocese Discloses Alleged Abusers
Bishop names 22 clergy “credibly accused” of sexual offenses with minors
Luv Doc: A Very Simple Formula
Your right to smell like ass extends right up to where someone else’s nose begins
Anime Beyond Miyazaki Arrives in Austin
Films like I Want to Eat Your Pancreas are changing American tastes for Japanese animation
Lege Lines: The Voters Speak, the Governor Listens
Abbott leaves the red-state red-meat back at the mansion
Mr. Smarty Pants Knows
The area code that covers the largest area in North America is 907. It covers all of Alaska, except for the small southeastern community of Hyder, which uses area code 250. The golden toad of Costa Rica, last sighted in 1989 and thought to be extinct, emerged only long enough to mate, a process which…
Concordia University Organizing Austin’s First Varsity E-Sports Program
School plan approves practice space and on-campus arena
“Affordability Unlocked” With More Density, Casar Hopes
Proposal aims to make the city’s money go farther by making projects larger
Behind the Wheel With Documentary The Gentleman Driver
The world of millionaire endurance racers in The Gentleman Driver
Pet Sematary Remake to Close SXSW Film
Midnighters, Festival Favorites, plus shorts all announced
