Cover Story
Tiki, Texas Style
Sparks fly and lights flicker as a volcano rumbles. The scent of burning cinnamon fills the air. And then there is applause. It’s the moment at which a Rum Barrel – one of the signature “show drinks” at Tiki Tatsu-ya – has been delivered to an expectant and enthralled group, gathered under the watchful eye…
News
Council Set to Approve Outside Firm to Audit City Operations
Austin’s first citywide efficiency audit is poised to move forward July 30, when City Council is expected to approve the selection of an independent firm to evaluate operations across all city departments. Pennsylvania-based public policy consulting firm Public Works LLC submitted the winning proposal, one of 25 bids received to perform a comprehensive assessment of…
The Future of Dog’s Head Development Sits in the Hands of City Council
If you’re reading this on Thursday morning, July 23, a determined group of your neighbors are at City Hall, demanding that City Council kill or delay the Dog’s Head deal by rejecting the Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone which is a necessary part of the arrangement. And despite the concerns from the community, Council members are,…
Screwworm Cases Rise Across Texas
On June 3, the first case of the New World screwworm (NWS) was discovered in La Pryor, Texas, infecting a three-week-old calf. Since then, screwworm cases have continued to gradually rise. As of July 22, 42 reported cases in cows, sheep, goats, and dogs have expanded throughout New Mexico and Texas – 41 of those…
The Week’s Biggest News in Brief: July 16-22
Flooding in Central Texas: Ahead of last week’s persistent rainfall throughout the state, local leaders and Gov. Greg Abbott both issued disaster declarations, warning Texans of potential flooding throughout the state. As the water poured down, it became clear that the declarations were well-warranted, as flash flooding was seen across many parts of the Hill…
Music
Four Chronicle Music Writers Try Out New Local Acts at Hot Summer Nights
The Chronicle’s usual approach to Hot Summer Nights – our music writers can see whoever they please at the annual all-local music festival, but they can only write about acts they’ve never seen live before – is an exercise in discovery. Sure, sometimes there’s a veteran act we’ve long loved but somehow never caught onstage…
Music Notes
Kinky Curly Coily Festival Sunday 26, Pershing Hall Cha’keeta B’s family-friendly natural hair festival returns for its seventh edition. Former The Voice contestant Rose Short headlines, with a slew of local R&B and rap acts performing throughout the day. Paid guests can receive a free haircut and the first 50 attendees will receive a free…
Arts + Culture
Rock Stars and Scavengers Navigate Relationships in Mudlark’s Apocalypse
The Nightjars are onstage at Burning Man, playing what might be their final show, promoting what will certainly be their final album. The grown-up punks and nostalgia-educated indie rockers in the crowd may not know it yet, but Jenny Sweet and her bandmate-turned-husband, Max, are upending the band – and their marriage, and, by consequence, the…
The Jigglewatts Shimmy and Shake Through 20 Years of Tease
There have been many memorable and important moments for founding member Ruby Joule in the 20-year history of the Jigglewatts Burlesque Revue. There’s that first show at the Velvet Spade in 2006, when a quartet of performers on the set of Austin indie comedy horror Z: A Zombie Musical decided to show a live audience…
Screens
Her Private Hell Review: Lost in the Mist
When Nicolas Winding Refn is at his best, there’s no director like him. Quite literally. Films like Bronson, Only God Forgives, Drive, the Pusher trilogy, even Neon Demon, a magazine perfume insert come to life, there’s no point at which his work can be confused with any other director. The same cannot be said of…
Due West Review: A Very Modern Western
For all its ancient skylines and sun-battered roadside signs that haven’t seen a lick of paint since LBJ was in office, Due West is a film of modern West Texas. The kind of West Texas where, if you don’t know someone’s face, then you’ll know their car, because everyone’s keeping the same old beater on…
Rose of Nevada Review: At Sea With an Inescapable Past
Avant-garde filmmaker Mark Jenkin’s latest is a curio – strange and beguiling, a conversation piece – and a curiosity, its mysteries resisting clear resolution. The story of a ship that docks in a Cornish fishing village 30 years after it went missing, Rose of Nevada bobs between objet d’art and – due to its technical…
AFS Cinema to Add Third Screen
AFS Cinema, Austin’s two-screen arthouse theatre, is about to become Austin’s three-screen arthouse theatre. On Saturday, July 18, at a special screening of his Oscar-nominated film Boyhood, AFS founder and Artistic Director Richard Linklater publicly announced the launch of a $250,000 fundraising initiative to help cover costs. This will fund a new third screen that…
Columns
Mr. Smarty Pants Knows
Trying to determine if an image of a person is AI generated? According to Scientific American, look for subtle asymmetries and distinctive features. Protomes are sculpted heads and upper torsos of people or animals created in places like ancient Greece, Rome, and Persia. Some say David Bowie was deeply affected after visiting artists at the…
The Luv Doc: Show Your Scars
Hey Luv Doc, I come to you to ask what I feel is a worthwhile question that I cannot seem to answer at this point in my life. Is love worth it? For my entire life, I shied away from it because I saw how messed up my parents were, but more importantly, how they…
Day Trips: Alamo Beer Company, San Antonio
The Alamo Beer Company is once again supplying Hank Hill and the King of the Hill gang with their favorite beer. The craft brewery on the east side of downtown San Antonio was founded in 1997 by Eugene Simor. With the city’s support the brewery took on a blighted area of warehouses and turned it…
Qmmunity: A Fourth Street Crosswalk Farewell
Rest in prismatic peace: Austin’s rainbow crosswalk buffering the west side of Fourth’s gay strip has been removed. While not the only removed street decor – other washed-away icons include the East 11th Black Artists Matter mural and Guad’s all-caps TEXAS – it’s certainly the one causing the most kerfuffle. First given the official chopping block…
Spain Emerges From Unbearable World Cup Final as Worthy Champions
So there it was. The biggest, greatest, most significant sporting event in the history of human civilization (lede brought to you by FIFA’s hyperbole machine) has finally concluded after 39 days and 104 matches of World Cup men’s soccer across North America. Your new world champions: La Roja of Spain. Talk about deserving winners. In…
Opinion: Austin’s Safety Net on the Brink
In District 8, Barbara, 79, lives alone. When her air conditioner failed in the last heat wave, a nonprofit delivered a fan, preventing a medical emergency. In District 10, a senior with limited mobility sat waiting, too lightheaded to stand, until a volunteer arrived with a meal. In District 1, an unhoused mother diluted her…
The View From Inside a Medical Marijuana Production Facility
Remember the old days when the only way to get ahold of some green was with a medical marijuana card? This was before you could pick up a shiny package with a suspiciously high dosage from the same gas station where you get your $50 tank of gas and a king-size Reese’s. Much like coffee…
Feedback: July 24, 2026
Investment in Human Potential Dear Editor, At once, Mr. Bingamon’s coverage of Austin’s proposed $6.6 billion budget raises an important question: What does it mean for a community to invest in its people? [“What Austin Is Prioritizing in Its Proposed $6.6 Billion Budget,” News, July 17] When city leaders debate upon funding matters, they inevitably…
Fun + Games
Free Will Astrology
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Oak trees produce far more acorns than could ever grow into trees. Squirrels bury thousands and forget many of them, preparing the way for the next generation of forest. The trees succeed through strategic overproduction. I invite you to adopt their method, Leo. In the coming weeks, overproduce. Make more than…
