Cover Story
Nathaniel and Li’l Nate
The two lives and untimely death of Nathaniel Sanders II
GPX3
The Gay Pride game plan with the Gay Place!
This Week’s Waste of Time
Another free online game, another child in peril
Crunch Time for the Aztex
The Austin Aztex host Charleston, start play in the U.S. Open Cup
Aztex Stadium/Aztex Station at Highland Mall
A fanciful site plan for an ailing mall
Young, Thin, and Naked
What is the modern, young, thin male supposed to wear when he can’t afford Prada?
MP3: Followed By Static “AADC”
Howls and hollers from Red River
At Least Five Things You Should Know About, I Mean, If You Were Counting
The bimonthly literary/art/performative series Five Things happens Friday at the Art Authority
Video: Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears “I’m Broke”
Still telling ’em what his name is.
Special Summer?
Gov. Perry and Speaker Straus play down the need for a speedy special session (note the speedy bit)
Something in the Air
Local music, reincarnated
Blessed Are the Faithful
The Del-Lords, revisited
Gov. Hang ‘Em High?
Perry reaches a killing milestone
Honoring Dr. George Tiller
Women’s health providers and advocates plan a vigil for Tiller
Cumbia de la Pachanga!
Nine hours at Fiesta Garden’s Latino Music Festival on Saturday turns into a rock en Español empanada
Sine Done
The Senate adjourns, the interim begins, but the threat of a special session becomes very real
Sine Not Dead Yet
House leaves but Senate struggling with their final decision
Rangers Surprise Fans With Good Pitching
The ’09 Rangers are looking good … so far
Off the Record – 33 RPM
D-Madness leaves Austin with a bang and roaming the Flatlanders’ Hills and Valleys
The Bad Precedents
The skinny on the best band in the Texas state legislature
This Is the Music From a Film About a Man and a Fish
Austin Public Library screens films scored by Balkan composer Goran Bregovic
Kuempel Visits Senate
Seguin rep out of hospital
Sunsetting the Session
As sine die approaches, House faces stark choices over Sunset safety net bill, CHIP, and special sessions
‘Trinidad’ Premieres on TV
PJ Raval and Jay Hodges’ documentary will air on Showtime this June.
Wolf Pack
Howlin’ Wolf, in tribute and spirit
Keller Safe From Impeachment…For Now
Lon Burnam pulls impeachment resolution, but says he’ll file again in 2011 if necessary
See You June 2?
Spitballing the odds and causes of a special session after the the House midnight meltdown
Don’t Shoot the Messenger
The list of bills that House members are deliberately trying to kill off
The Sunset Shuffle
Legislature moves the massive Health and Human Services review back two years
Carona Says Filibuster About Process, Not Vengeance
Watson blasts local-option opponents as “bumper-sticker arguments”
Emergency Resuscitation
CHIP expansion makes a last-minute recovery
Carona Says He’ll Filibuster TxDOT Sunset Bill
Senator angered by removal of local-option gas tax
The Official Beer of the 81st Legislature
Actually, the Republicans probably wouldn’t vote for it
11th Hour Meltdown
Senate blows up as House refuses to completely suspend 24-hour posting rule
Laugh, and the House Laughs With You
Zombie TVs and stolen hats hit State Reps’ collective funny bone
TV Recycling a No-Braaaaainer
Video: Texas Campaign for the Environment wake the dead over recycling bill
I’ve Got a Papercut
The pristine art of Papercut
Budget: Signed, Sealed, Deliverable
Texas House passed SB 1 142-2, now it heads to the governor
If You Can’t Perform For Your Fans, Just Shoot ‘Em!
Two members of L.G. All Starz shoot fans outside Spiros after showing up late for the gig
The Lineup
Recommended music for the week of May 29-June 4
Fight Over Highway Taxes on South Steps
Anti-taxers/anti-tollers don’t even want a vote on it
Germane in the Membrane
How many of the vehicle bills now with the House will crash and burn
CHIP Back on the Chopping Block
Children’s medical insurance expansion goes back to the Senate as vehicle bill fails muster
Day Trips
T.J. Mabrey is dedicated to bringing an appreciation of art to Lampasas
Lazy, Hazy Daze of Summer Reading
The corruption of our food supply, described in language any parent can understand
Budget Nears Passage
Amidst all the chubbing on the House floor, the state budget for the 2010-11 biennium quietly made its next big step to being passed. The House wanted $177.4 billion for the biennium, while the Senate was looking for $182.2 billion. After a month of backroom negotiations in conference committee with members of both chambers, the…
Up
Pixar tops itself with its new animated film that offers so much more than its promotional promise of a fantastical movie about a house that flies on balloon power.
Gay Place
Gay Standard Time and getting pumped for Pride
Lazy, Hazy Daze of Summer Reading
This modest, self-published cookbook preserves a lifetime of recipes
Arts Review
A racing pace and broad acting don’t always serve Noël Coward’s urbane comedy
Who Really Wants Voter ID?
Really, House Republicans probably could have gotten voter ID if they really wanted it. Dallas’ Rafael Anchía – the Democrats’ point man in efforts to kill voter ID – actually submitted a substitute bill on Friday (in the form of a floor amendment) that would have essentially kept all of the ID requirements of Senate…
Tyson
Mike Tyson tells his life story in his own words in this documentary by longtime friend James Toback.
Event Menu
This week’s local food events
Lazy, Hazy Daze of Summer Reading
An opulently illustrated, annotated glimpse into the Darwin family’s diet
Arts Review
Beth Burns’ play has the seed of a unique love story, but it still needs developing
Fruits of Their Labor
How labor-related bills have fared this session
Outrage
The objective of this documentary by Kirby Dick is to out closeted gay and lesbian policymakers, whose hypocrisy harms the GLBT community.
Food-o-File
Jeffrey’s revitalizes its classics, and El Chile continues to expand
Lazy, Hazy Daze of Summer Reading
Exploring cacao’s powerful role and significance in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica
Arts Review
Repetition isn’t always good or funny, but in this show, it can change your point of view
House Shoots Down Medical Accuracy
Failed amendments to Senate Bill 283 would have – God forbid – mandated that sex ed be medically accurate
NadaMoo!
NadaMoo! is Austin’s own vegan ice-cream alternative
Lazy, Hazy Daze of Summer Reading
Learn to impress family and friends with your kitchen crafts
Oops!
In the May 15 Screens article “The Medium Mash,” about the MALI Women’s Film & Performance Arts Festival, we printed the wrong title for the 87 Dance Productions’ film that will be shown at the festival. The film’s correct title is “Folding Over Twice.” The Chronicle regrets the error. In last week’s “Film News,” the…
Reproductive Health
Funding for reproductive health is intact – as is an increased allotment to Alternatives to Abortion
Pachanga!
Cinco de Mayo month Part III – the hombres: from Jovita’s Mayo Pardo to Ruben Ramos’ Mexican Revolution, Del Castillo, Joel Guzman, y más
Liquid Assets
Cuervo Silver does a credible job of nipping at the heels of the big boys
Lazy, Hazy Daze of Summer Reading
Dunlop offers tantalizing insight into the culinary soul of the real China
Page Two: Return to Forever
From creationism to red-baiting, the right kicks it old school
Brack Tract Plan
UT has big plans for its West Austin property
The Common Law
Deferred Adjudication – How Long Will It Stay on My Record?
Texas Platters
Fireants Thirteen-plus minutes turns out to be more than enough time for the Fireants to swarm Austin. The local quintet’s four-song debut boasts such easy chemistry of Southwestern sound and song, such integration of instrumentation, that the brief EP indeed leaves one hungry for more. Opener “Emily D.,” undercut somewhat by frontman Ian Stewart’s vocals,…
Lazy, Hazy Daze of Summer Reading
Restoring the culinary legacy of America’s most food-oriented city
Playing Through
If words were fastballs, Austin Chronicle spelling bee champ Geoff Thevenot was Hank Aaron
Developing Stories: May’s Plan-a-Thon
Public meetings on Downtown plans produce mixed – or uncertain – results
Mr. Smarty Pants Knows
Underwear ringtones, YouTube footage explosions, and more
Texas Platters
Floramay Holliday Dreams (Roseneath Records) For her third LP in a 15-year career, Austin’s Floramay Holliday might be expected to high-step it a little more, but Dreams errs on the side of caution. That’s not saying she doesn’t get her licks in. It’s just that the gumption of “Things You Do” and “Coffee” are the…
Lazy, Hazy Daze of Summer Reading
Absorb one page of this book a day, and soon you’ll be quite the wine expert
Point Austin: In Memoriam
How can we best honor those who have died in our names?
Texas vs. Planet
If Texas were a country, it would be one of the Top 10 polluting nations in the world – that’s the damning message highlighted in a new Greenpeace report released May 27. Texas emitted more global warming pollution per capita from 1960 to 2005 than 178 countries, including China. Greenpeace argues that because Texas and…
The Hightower Report
Take the Tax Money and Run; and The Supreme Court Scorecard
Lazy, Hazy Daze of Summer Reading
A confessional about life, love, discovery, and the powerful draw of culture
City Hall Hustle: Taking Out the Trash
Delayed ‘Master Plan’ for Solid Waste Department is tip of the landfill
Beleaguered PARD Considers Dousing Trail of Lights
What are the holidays without that special twinkle at Zilker?
What Comes ‘Up’ …
Director Pete Docter on the intersection of uplift and melancholy
Texas Platters
Dustin Welch Whiskey Priest Unlike Colin Gilmore and Justin Townes Earle, sons of famous songsmiths that developed their own sounds, there’s more than a bit of his father, Kevin, in Dustin Welch’s music. Anthemic or brooding, his songs share the same keen eye for detail, riding on the borders of country and getting to the…
Texas Platters
Power Squid P.S. I ♥ U Rattletrap garage snort from this long-spurting local trio achieves a lo-fi Melvins lumber on opener “Square,” big, phat, classic, though perhaps more to the Big Business side of things. Keyboards lighting “Hurricane” give it a Pong flavor – perfected on organ beat “Simplex Confusion” – while “Dumpster of Plenty”…
Headlines
• Puerto Ricans on Tuesday celebrated President Barack Obama’s nomination of one of their own – Sonia Sotomayor – to the Supreme Court; if confirmed, Sotomayor would become the first Hispanic justice on the court. • Could the festive Trail of Lights be canceled, be scaled back, or start charging for admission? With all city…
TXI Mines Another Headache for Webberville
Residents don’t want a gravel mine in the neighborhood
Batter Up
Richard Linklater’s ‘Inning by Inning: A Portrait of a Coach’ debuts on DVD
Texas Platters
Monahans Dim the Aurora (Misra) No strangers to roads less traveled, the Monahans’ sophomore outing could be the soundtrack for a trip to the center of the Permian Basin. It’s an expansive work of heated, highway contemplation and weathered longing that, in the anthemic streak of “It’s Enough to Leave You …” and “I Run…
Off the Record
A fond send-off for D-Madness, stuffing the piñata for the second annual Pachanga Latino Music Festival, Hayes Carll helps rebuild the Crystal Beach, and roaming the Flatladers’ Hills and Valleys
Naked City
News briefs from Austin, the region, elsewhere
U.S. House Investigates Local Lab
Whistleblower Robert Van Boven has finally gotten some attention in high places
The Game-Changers
The 2009 class of the Austin Arts Hall of Fame
Texas Platters
The Able Sea This local trio’s eponymous debut opens with “Western Dreams,” eyes almost closed, psych organ rolling over Alex Thompson’s daydream vocals. It sets a tone early: The Able Sea is all about keeping things hypnotic, no buildup, just one long thread of melody that stays calm and blue. A distinct 1960s influence, a…
Texas Platters
Superheavygoatass Nemesis (Arclight) Malaysian bootleg graphics match the early-Dumpster production values of this Room 710 mainstay’s third LP, which actually imbues Nemesis with a perfect haze through which the local dirty Southern metal quartet’s crosscurrents thrive. Frontman/guitarist Russell Abbott’s vocal on “Ice” won’t kill off Chris Cornell, but his canyon croon gets the grandeur across.…
Res Publica
Citizens’ calendar, May 28-June 4
‘In the Can With Martha Kelly’
Kelly’s homegrown talk show, whether online or live, is refreshingly candid and funny
Lazy, Hazy Daze of Summer Reading
Photos likely to induce hunger and a deep appreciation for Texas barbecue
Texas Platters
Street Light Suzie Red River Revival DNA testing will prove Shooter Jennings the hard rock to Waylon Jennings’ rolling baritone, but better test Wiley Ross just in case. Snarling out front of this Red River trio, his indestructible whiskey grit begins with the cocaine binge of “D Song” and pauses not a single red second…
Chubbing Republicans Over the Head
Nine minutes and 30 seconds. That’s how long House members spent discussing each bill on the Local and Consent Calendar over the weekend. These bills normally go through on the nod, but Democrats were asking in-depth questions, using up every one of those 570 seconds on more than 200 items to block the contentious “hard…
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
In this comedy sequel, the CG action moves to Washington, D.C., as the Smithsonian’s exhibits are put into storage during a renovation.
The Latino Comedy Project
The LCP gets its first nod from Emmy for an ad campaign it did for MTV Tr3s
Texas Platters
Girlie Action If the topic has been Latino music – and it has – then Myrna Cabello’s Letting Go comes at the right time. Her sultry vocals pepper her originals with salty blues rock (“Drunk”), spicy bilingual offerings (“Un Dia,” “River”), and tasty balladry (“Answers”). Better yet is Cabello’s all-star support, including Ponty Bone, Reese…
After a Fashion
Stephen goes to Galveston only to be pwned by a bicycle
Senate Bills in Flames
Chubs and piggybacks.
Dance Flick
The next generation of the Wayans clan delivers one more spoof – this time of dance movies.
Freakshow-a-Go-Go
Austin Drag Collective goes beyond drag in this eclectic spectacle of performance
Lazy, Hazy Daze of Summer Reading
Sheehan knows how to weave a good story while still being brutally honest about himself
The General Specific
AFS Essential Cinema: Love on the Largest Continent: Ten Asian Films
LegeLines
• Sine die ahoy! The session ends on June 1, meaning hangovers will hit legislators and staffers hard on June 2. • Mixed results for enviro bills: Senate Bill 546, forcing utilities to double investments in efficiency programs, will go to the governor, but SB 545 (promoting solar energy) and SB 16 (omnibus clean-air bill)…
The Brothers Bloom
Adrien Brody and Mark Ruffalo are cast as the best con men in the world whose current swindle involves an eccentric heiress (Rachel Weisz) in this sophomore effort by the writer/director of Brick.
The Treasure in Other People’s Trash
Your loss is Davy Rothbart’s gain
Lazy, Hazy Daze of Summer Reading
Almost 400 pages about milk? Yes, indeed, and it’s all fascinating.
TV Eye
Jay just won’t stay away
TAKS Scores
Pearce’s best chance of survival lies with the Legislature
Drag Me to Hell
Sam Raimi makes a triumphant return to the “splatstick” horror genre he more or less invented with The Evil Dead and its two sequels.
Luv Doc Recommends: Pachanga Latino Music Festival
Good move Pachanga! What better place to have a Latin-party music festival than in a place called Fiesta Gardens? Waterloo Park is nice and all, but it’s a little Limey sounding and ultimately doesn’t have the zest of “fiesta,” does it? The “gardens” thing is also a bit confusing. What’s with the pidgin? Would it…
