Cover Story
The Color of Fire
The Austin Fire Department is making another attempt at staff diversity – will it do any better this time?
Nik Wallenda: Life on the Wire
In which we send an aerialist to talk to a stuntman. Whoa.
Upfront Aftermath: CBS & the CW
More peeks at what what’s coming to prime time
Spelling Bee Is On!
Registration open now!
This Week’s Waste of Time
A free alternative to Portal on your browser
MARK Skateboards: Release Party
Not just the same old grind
Know Your Enemy: Hamilton Comes to the Dell
Josh Hamilton overshadows the Colorado Springs Sky Sox
TDH: 5/19/11
With sign dispute, a real circus in Place 3
Rapture Schmapture
Party ’til you puke this weekend!
‘Austin Chronicle’ Uncovered 5-20
I Shutter To Think
Microbrewery Bill Moves Forward
Did Anheuser-Busch objections fall flat?
False Matters
What a bunch of goddam Dickheads
Wednesday Rewind
Black Joe Lewis’ Las Vegas hangover
Thursday Redistricting Hearing Canceled
Committee “just not ready to move forward”
When an Emergency Is Not an Emergency
Supreme Court rules against Fourth Amendment protection
TDH: 5/18/11
Shade soldiering on to run-off
Upfront Aftermath 2: 5/17/11
The word from ABC
Reefer Roundup: 5/17/11
Your drug war news
TDH: 5/17/11
Council health committee readies fluoride confab
Here’s a Brief Platter of Tasty Pop-Fiction Palaver
With a side of kaeng la-tey, farang
Senate Redistricting Passes
Watson gets ABIA back
One Year Out
Reflection on what QueerBomb and Pride could bring to each other
First Congressional Redistricting Map Released
Splits Travis four ways, but not exactly as Doggett predicted
Congressional Redistricting in Committee Thursday
Public will finally see map; will it split Travis four ways?
Upfront Aftermath: 5/17/11
TV Eye muses on announcements during Upfront Week
Signed, Sealed and Delivered
Stevie Wonder, Arcade Fire, and Kanye West headline ACL 2011
Forever Smokey
Smokey Robinson smokes the Paramount’s 95th Anniversary Gala
TDH: 5/16/11
City reaction to election night, aside from ‘We had an election?’
Wrestling in the Dark
WWE performs a house show at the Drum
Lawmakers Might Not Like Planned Parenthood, But Voters Do
The war on women’s health continues at the Capitol
Austin Rockin’ 5/16/11
Live music on Fox 7 leading up to Pachanga! this Saturday
What’s Bugging Amy Stewart?
The author delivers the goods on nature’s baddies
On the Road Again
Texas Monthly teams with Rolling Roadshow for summer series
‘And Now Here’s Ted With the Derby’
ABC Nightline at Texas Rollergirls tonight, plus new derby doc
Meet n’ Greet
We attend Pride and Queerbomb meetings! And tell you about it!
Hard Slog for Shade
Embattled incumbent looking to run-off
Winning Night for Riley
Place 1 incumbent talks on next term
Austin City Council: 100% Reporting
Tovo just shy of a majority
Tovo Victory Party … Almost
Challenger to Shade can’t quite get majority
Austin City Council: 76% Reporting
Tovo lead steady at 46%
Election Numbers Update: Tovo’s Lead Grows
Probably can’t hit 50% +1, though
The Scene at Scholz
Tovo, Morrison riding high
Early Thoughts on Early Voting
Some quick and dirty thoughts before heading out
Tovo Leads in Early Voting
1,350 vote Tovo lead in early totals
Roller Derby Update 5/14/11
Another double header weekend
It’s Election Day. Go Vote!
Three Austin City Council seats up for grabs
Who’s Your Dada?
An evening of avant-garde/experimental cinema at ASoF
Volunteers (and Smart Phones) Needed for Bicycle Study
Researchers want you to gather data for them
TDH: 5/13/11
Election night parties, turnout totals, and yours truly, televised
Mr. Smarty Pants Knows
Mayo on lobster, Faulkner on the Kentucky Derby, and more on more
Food-o-File
This week’s foodie news: subs, pies, wine, hot dogs, and more
Texas Platters
Robyn Ludwick Out of These Blues If “Hollywood” doesn’t grab the heart and squeeze it, Out of These Blues cozies up so quickly with “For You Baby” that the fire blazes, and “Steady” is a bottle of wine ready to complete seduction. Robyn Ludwick comes by this skill naturally – brothers Bruce and Charlie Robison…
One Dead in Officer-Involved Shooting
Gunman dies in South Austin
Don’t Roll Out the Barrel Just Yet
Microbrewers between a rock and a hard place at the Lege
Highbrow, Lowbrow?
Pub grub gone posh
National Treasure
Reflections on John Sayles’ America
Texas Platters
Eliza Gilkyson Roses at the End of Time (Red House) Much like Lucinda Williams, Eliza Gilkyson stands at a career peak where she doesn’t have to prove anything to anyone. That luxury allows her to indulge her deep love of storytelling in the folk tradition (Tony Gilkyson’s “Death in Arkansas”) while also singing wistful ballads…
Senate Budget Lesser of Two Evils
Reps from both chambers commence to thrash out final numbers
Planet K Disrupts Bee Cave’s Orbit
Judge denies temporary injunction against Planet K
Highbrow, Lowbrow?
Gas station gastronomy
Day Trips
Hueco Tanks State Historic Site is sacred ground to many Southwestern Native American tribes
Texas Platters
Owen Temple Mountain Home (El Paisano) In league with the members of the Band of Heathens and Adam Carroll, Owen Temple takes on the job of Texas troubadour with grave intent. Where his previous disc explored the darker side of the American dream, Mountain Home focuses on small Texas towns and the eccentrics inhabiting them.…
Bill of the Week
Legal landscape shifts in passage of ’emergency’ item
The Hightower Report
A Wall Street Apology?; and The Art of Tax-Dodging
Gay Place
Can’t we all just get along, li’l gaywads?
Texas Platters
Slowtrain Bound To Find You Out The 1970s roots revival in Austin continues apace with the debut LP from local quartet Slowtrain. Following the likes of Deadman, Uncle Lucius, the Happen-Ins, and the Band of Heathens, Slowtrain rolls best with a full head of steam, like the hard-pounded, harmonica-ripped blues-tumble of the title track or…
You Can Never Have Too Many Sonograms
Sonogram-before-abortion bill heads to governor’s desk
Bridesmaids
The “wedding industrial complex” is under siege in this funny new comedy written by Kristen Wiig.
The Cutup
Sandra Adair’s rhythm method
WWE ‘SmackDown’ World Tour
Check it out at the Erwin Center
Texas Platters
Novel idea: Steve Earle’s prose
Redistricting Map Draws Lawsuit
Houston rep questions state’s method of counting population
Forks Over Knives
This documentary presents evidence that a whole-foods diet can prevent the occurrence of cancer, heart disease, and Type 2 diabetes.
Comedy of Errors
Comedian Will Ferrell stars in the indie drama Everything Must Go, which opens this Friday. A week prior to the film’s release, Ferrell was in the Austin area for the Will Powered Golf Classic, the second annual tournament to benefit the charity Cancer for College, and took some time while here to promote the new…
Soccer Watch
New accusations of bribery in the selection of Qatar to host WC 2018, and more
Texas Platters
Moonlight Towers Day Is the New Night (Chicken Ranch) Simply put, there’s not a hair out of place on this album. No elongated creative indulgences, deliberate obtuseness, or cheap gimmicks – just nine rock-solid barroom pop salvation songs that bypass the moment in favor of something that will never go completely out of style. Alcohol-fueled…
Senate Approves Voter ID
Better hang on to that driver’s license
Everything Must Go
Will Ferrell stars in this offbeat drama that’s based on a Raymond Carver short story.
You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine
That frazzled local who looks like he just stepped out of American Pie is actually one of the hottest DJs and producers going
Off the Record
Seaholm Power Plant reboots, reuses, recycles
Texas Platters
Evil United Austin metal’s Mad Max, blood-and-guts screamer Jason McMaster, guns another righteously feral juggernaut in Evil United. Tight coils of 1980s thrash tree-ring fat tendrils of 1970s classicism, entwined in the frontman’s Mercyful Fate/Judas Priest vocal fusion. Born between here and the Alamo City, Evil United jackets a modern ferocity in old-school sonic separation,…
On the Campaign Trail: Shade Racks Up Most Cash
The pulse quickens in heated Place 3 race
Hesher
Joseph Gordon-Levitt is Hesher, the nihilistic antidote to a downbeat family in this drama that raises its middle finger toward nothing in particular.
Dance Music 101
Deep House “It’s not about hands in the air or jumping around. It’s something you hear in the hotel elevator or a small bar in San Francisco. It’s slower, with more live elements and a stronger jazz influence.” Chicago House “I group Chicago with jackin’ and disco house. It all started with a movement in…
Control Shift
Thoughts on adjusting to hard times from former opera director Kevin Patterson
Texas Platters
DJ Rapid Ric Whut It Dew: The Album (Dew Music Group) Even before he left Austin for Houston, DJ Rapid Ric and his Whut It Dew mixtapes served as some of the strongest links between the two cities’ hip-hop scenes. The producer’s first proper full-length took nearly an eon to put together – “Call Me,”…
True Legend
The great martial-arts choreographer Yuen Woo-ping directs this saga about the inventor of Drunken Fist fighting.
Arts Review
A Sixties beach proves a fitting and enjoyable setting for the Bard’s comedy
Ensemble VIII
Austin’s new professional chorus is the perfect size for singing early music
Texas Platters
Matt Smith’s World New Millennium 2011 If you loved the Monstas’ syncopation, Matt Smith’s World is the next stop in the rhythm universe. Smith’s New Orleans-cum-Texas vibe (“Walk the Talk”) is deliciously funky and soulful (“Hot Club of Brooklyn,” “Dance With Me”), especially when LZ Love joins him (“Struggle On”) or when it skews toward…
Headlines
� Vota! Vota! Vota! City of Austin voters on Saturday will decide three City Council races, with all three incumbents running for re-election. Council Members Laura Morrison and Chris Riley are expected to win in a walk, but Randi Shade’s heavily contested scramble could go to a June 18 run-off, most likely against challenger Kathie…
A Serbian Film
Notorious for its disturbing content, this film has been slightly edited for its American theatrical debut.
Arts Review
This collection of arcana from various fraternal orders is seriously impressive
Nik Wallenda: Blasting the Circus Into the Future
Daredevil scion Nik Wallenda wants to reinvent circus for a new generation
Texas Platters
Jeff & the Jumptones Jeff Hayes doesn’t aim to carve any new niches in the blues, except his own. With this self-titled CD, he and his Jumptones turn on the beat nonstop – classic, modern, and original. Such Hayes originals as “Tragedy” and “Juke Joint Jenny” neatly find their place with Freddie King’s “Sugar Sweet”…
City Hall Hustle: Trimming Tax Breaks and Tweaking Services
Council follows the money – what little there is
Arts Review
This new balletic adaptation boasted fantastic visuals but stodgy choreography
‘Postcards From America’
On an epic road trip, the legendary photo cooperative makes a stop at the Harry Ransom Center
Texas Platters
Ratliff Dean Only Memories The tough-walking bass of opener “Train Back to Texas” is honky-tonk code for “let’s dance.” Two-stepping is quite secondary to Ratliff Dean’s kicking around traditional back forty turf – women, work, wandering – all sung in a rich, manly baritone and backed with fiddle and fire (“Free Again,” “Since She’s Been…
Point Austin: What Do They Conserve?
The 82nd Legislature sets a new standard for official recklessness
New Kids on the Doc
How to be teenagers who make a short that screens at Cannes
TV Eye
Who is defining sexuality and sexual expression in TV and media?
Texas Platters
Churchwood (Saustex) There’s little traditional about Churchwood’s irreverent blues, thank heaven. It’s rude, literate, bilingual, unpredictable, and addictive. LeRoi Brothers’ Joe Doerr throws his Wolf growl into the gutbucket mix (“Pity the Noose”), matching Bill Anderson and Billy Steve Korpi’s mean guitars without compromise (“Supermonisticgnostiphistic,” “Vendidi Fumar,” “Car Crash”). Nothing safe here, just music for…
Quote of the Week
“Gut-punched.” – Austin Children’s Shelter CEO Kelly White describing how she felt after learning her nonprofit, among others, would receive zero funding from the city next year
The Stuff of ‘Legend’
Words from wushu master Yuen Woo-ping
30 Things
The highs, the lows, the lists
Leak No More: Paul Robbins on Austin Water
New report criticizes Austin Water’s conservation efforts
Restaurant Review
The new South location of this North Austin Indian food stalwart will outdo your expectations
Oops!
Due to a transcription error, Michael King’s May 6 “Point Austin” quoted Kathie Tovo’s campaign ad as saying that the City Council “is considering giving $4 million a year … to subsidize a racetrack.” In fact the ad says the council “may give $4 million ….” We regret the error; the story has been corrected…
Cap Metro: Between a Rock and a Union
Lege bill would put Cap Metro labor arrangement in union crosshairs
Early Not-Voting Turnout
Voters head to polls in tiny, tiny droves
The Race and Gender Breakdown
Current Austin Fire Department numbers show AFD still has a way to go before it truly reflects the demographics of the city it serves. Among the uniformed staff, only 52 are female, 144 are Hispanic, and 48 are African-American – down from 59 three years ago. The disparities go up in the higher ranks; of…
Event Menu
Delicious events for May 14-19
Texas Platters
Okkervil River I Am Very Far (Jagjaguwar) Welcome to Will Sheff’s double fantasy, a sprawling 2-LP opus complete with a stand-alone lyric book. Okkervil River’s seventh full-length was reportedly cut in short, chaotic sessions, at times featuring two of everything (drummers, bassists, pianists) and up to seven guitarists, with Sheff obsessively editing and overdubbing. Perhaps…
Davis vs. Rodriguez: Who Do You Trust?
Commissioner questions intent of land trust
Holly Scrap Recap
The finer points of scrap metal
After a Fashion
When Stephen is not getting his hair styled, he is watching TV
Garrison Brothers Distillery
Garrison Brothers pick up some impressive accolades for the new kid on the block
Texas Platters
Sarah Jarosz Follow Me Down (Sugar Hill) Sarah Jarosz in bloom is a thing of beauty. Her sophomore album opens with an invitation to follow her down to the cotton fields and beyond, and we will because Jarosz delivers on the promise of her stunning debut two years ago, Song Up in Her Head. The…
APD Quintana Firing Upheld
Arbitrator says APD’s charges against police officer were ‘true’
Res Publica
Citizens’ calendar, May 12-18
Luv Doc Recommends: A Behanding in Spokane
People are strongly attached to their appendages, both literally and figuratively. In the literal sense, it’s not easy to sever most appendages. You can’t just go off half-cocked (unless you’re Lorena Bobbitt) and in a fit of passion hack off an appendage – especially when there’s (literally) bone involved. To get through bone you need…
