Cover Story
At the Capitol, Texas Tries to Catch Up With Cannabis
From medical use to decriminalization to legalization, marijuana seems to have bipartisan support, so what’s taking so long?
Ballet Austin’s Night of Community
When a ballet’s dress rehearsal becomes the main act
So, What Did the Council Actually Say About Rewriting the Land Code?
City Hall releases “policy guidance” memo for the land code revision
Pup Stage Dives for Social Diversity
Torontonians employ their punk platform for good
House of Hummingbird Opening Austin Asian American Film Festival
Movies from first time filmmakers flourish in headline slots
Finding Jewels With Richard Linklater
Director’s AFS series celebrating 80s cinema returns tonight
Puns Very Intended at the O. Henry Pun-Off
The annual world championship encourages groans
ATX Television Fest Heads to Yellowstone
Paramount Network show to headline Friday night programming
In Memoriam: Rodolfo Mendez
Remembering the founder of Ballet East Dance Theatre
2019 Arts Hall of Famers Announced
Bravo, Harden, Kinney, and Sawyer to be inducted this year
Williamson County Residents Organize to Remove Confederate Monument
Meanwhile the Texas Legislature tries to block monument removals
Capital City Men’s Chorus Celebrates 30 Years
Spring show illuminates untold stories of forgotten LGBTQ icons
Valinda Bolton Kicks Off
Former state rep says she’ll bring experience to Commissioners Court
A Singer Called Chunky, a Song Called Freedom
Doc on the musician/activist screens free at Cine Las Americas
Riding With Joe Carnahan and Latinx Superhero El Chicano
The action innovator on film, politics, the Coens, Blumhouse and more
The Cupcake Bar to Help Bring Feminine Hygiene Products to Those in Need
Period Austin teams up for custom desserts
Texas Senate Passes Forced Abortion Counseling Bill
SB 2234: A “dangerous expansion of state power”
Pocket Sounds’ Instant “Radio Song”
AM pop stunner highlights Mr. Pink cassingle series
Oscar-Winning Screenwriter Revisits Milk With Austin Screening
Dustin Lance Black on the pendulum of progress
Long Shot
Timely political rom-com finds new common ground for opposites attracting each other
The River and the Wall
More than a nature hike, this border wall documentary replaces rhetoric with reality
Hail Satan?
The Satanic Temple’s idiosyncratic quest to remind America about freedom of religion
Rafiki
Kenyan LGBTQ drama is a miracle solely for existing, yet also a vibrant, colorful romance
The Intruder
Is going Full-On Quaid a thing? Maybe so, as the veteran goes bugnuts melodrama in the “crazy neighbor” thriller
Red Joan
Based-on-true-life spy drama can keep its secrets to itself
Texas Platters
Sine’s debut album dons black bondage gear. Polished perfect as pleather, opener “Communion” sears with the cyberpunk heat of Max Martin’s work for Taylor Swift’s “…Ready for It?” Reared on Love & Rockets, Sine’s founder, drummer, singer, and synther Rona Rougeheart skews toward Depeche Mode, Garbage, and Lords of Acid’s toxic supervixen ode “The Most…
Student Settles With Scottish Rite Dormitory
Private dorm had been accused of discriminatory behavior against queer resident
Day Trips: “Greetings From …” Murals
Outdoor paintings worthy of a selfie stick
Texas Platters
Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein create a haunting, eerie work of expansive machine tension for the directorial debut of “post-black” artist Rashid Johnson. The producers of Netflix’s Stranger Things theme and the score for Darren Aronofsky’s VR series Spheres, the pair now debut their first feature-length film score for HBO with an adaptation of Richard…
Tax Caps Roll Through Texas House
House approves Senate Bill 2, a revenue cap plan opposed vociferously by local mayors, county judges, and other elected officials
Soccer Watch
The offensive breakthrough I hinted at last week finally came for Austin Bold FC, who doubled their season output with three first-half goals against Real Monarchs Friday night (two by André Lima), then hung on for a 3-2 win after playing the entire second half with 10 men. They’re on the road this week, then…
Getting Your Head Around (and Hands on) the Art of Abraham Cruzvillegas
Conceptual artist brings “Hi, how are you, Gonzo?” to the Contemporary Austin
Texas Platters
Now that he’s cashed in chicken shit bingo at Big T Roadhouse in San Antonio for Hernando’s Hideaway in Memphis, longtime Austinite Dale Watson wants us to call him Lucky. So be it. For his latest fast-acting batch of straight-to-the-point pickings, the Ameripolitan extraordinaire and his tight-knit Lone Stars holed up in Sam Phillips Recording…
Gun Advocate Wants Apology From Texas Speaker of the House
Chris McNutt showed up at Dennis Bonnen’s house but doesn’t think he was being intimidating
New Documentary Shows the Beauty of the Border, and the Perils of a Barrier
The River and the Wall captures a wilderness without divisions
Texas Platters
Pinkville’s cover art and opening title track augur the Vietnam War, but this is an arresting South Louisiana apocalypse. Bayou brooder turned Austinite, Rod Melancon’s intense drawl and yawp paints literary psych-ward sketches of dank truck stops, sketchy pills, broken backs, and Iraq War veterans. It’s musically pitched to Gurf Morlix’s Gulf Coast (“Corpus Christi…
House Democrats Introduce Bill to Protect Transgender Texans
HB 1513 would expand scope of James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Act
Rancho Alegre Fights to Be the Cadillac of Conjunto Festivals
The music fest returns the native Texas genre Downtown where it once flourished
Luv Doc: Stolen Wedding
Imitation is also the most sincere form of ridicule
What Time Is It in Texas?
Texas House wants to let voters decide whether to keep daylight saving time
Austin’s Best Food and Drink Events This Week
Dinner parties, farmers’ markets, beer, wine, and more for the week of May 2, 2019
Mr. Smarty Pants Knows
Songwriter Bruce Hornsby’s sons both made NCAA championship events in their respective sports. Keith Hornsby played basketball for LSU, and his twin brother Russell ran on the track team for the University of Oregon. All white-sand beaches basically consist of parrotfish poop. Brevard, North Carolina, is known for its naturalized population of white squirrels. Every…
Open Carry for School Marshals?
Senate wants to let school districts decide if marshals can open-carry guns on campus
Faster Than Sound: A Festival Blooms in the Desert
Amid concern over a new C3 festival, homegrown Marfa Myths strives to grow with the Texas city
Commissioners Court to Decide Next Step in Proposed Public Defender’s Office
May 7 vote scheduled to approve grant proposal to fund new indigent defense office
The Peached Tortilla’s Cookbook Can Make You a Dinner Party Star
Explore Asian comfort food from Tokyo to Texas
The Common Law
Challenge your ever-increasing property taxes
Austin at Large: Mapping the Transition Zones
Ever so slowly, City Hall learns to govern without consensus
Qmmunity
Plus new music from Krudxs Cubensi and a Cinco de Mayo drag brunch
ScriptWorks’ Out of Ink 2019: Artificially Intelligent
The 10-minute plays in this year’s edition of the annual showcase venture outside the comfort zone
Dear Texas Lawmakers, Stop Spelling Marijuana With an “H”
Or how about you just call it cannabis?
North Austin Mosque Targeted Again
Attempted arson latest in vandalisms attacking North Austin Muslim Community Center
Celebrate Community and Connection in Austin During Ramadan
Soujouk, samosas, and dinner with Rep. Ilhan Omar and Mayor Steve Adler
Federal Judge to Texas: No, You Can’t Bar Government Contractors From Boycotting Israel
A federal judge issued an injunction last week preventing the state from enforcing its law barring government contractors from boycotting Israel. U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman issued the ruling on April 25 in a lawsuit brought by the Council on American-Islamic Relations on behalf of Bahai Amawi, a speech pathologist working for Pflugerville ISD on…
Empty Metal Rewrites the Rules of Filmmaking
Cine Las Americas film blends entertainment and the avant-garde
Is a New Austin Land Development Code Done Yet?
Council: Stick a pin in that!
Headlines
Cracking Some Code: There’s no regular City Council meeting this week (next is May 9), but today’s special called meeting (May 2) will continue the discussion on revision of the land use code and “take possible action” to direct staff in that direction. For more, see “Council: Stick a Pin in That,” May 3. The…
Inside the 2019 Cine Las Americas Schedule
Talking different kinds of borders with Executive Director Jean Anne Lauer
One in a Crowd: “The Rink”
Get groovy on wheels by crowdfunding this horror short
Austin Opera’s La Bohème
The beauty of the music and stagecraft in this production teaches us something about love and art
Texas Platters
Darkness defines doom metal, and in the case of Austin power trio the Well, the word “death” co-brands its third album. Behind selections including “Raven,” “Endless Night,” and of course “Death Song,” Death and Consolation employs the Tony Iommi trick of tuning down to C, which ensures that very lick evokes a homicidal Giganotosaurus. Combined…
Dimension Sculpture Park
Springdale Road is increasingly strung with gems, and this is the newest one
Texas Platters
Nominally retired from the road to collect his rightful Vegas residency payday, George Strait, 66, continues to churn out reliably mediocre albums guaranteed to top the country charts. At some point, the King’s neo-trad country became an easy safety net bringing up the rear of the genre rather than trying to improve it. Zero surprise,…
Who’s Running for What in Texas So Far
Yellow Dog 2020: Local Dem primary dance card filling up
Public Notice: What Happens Next?
Public process will be key to whether code rewrite succeeds
Texas Platters
Under the alias Bayonne, local cottage industry Roger Sellers delivers baroque for the poptimist age. Second LP Drastic Measures constructs a fluid stream of layers propped up by visceral texture – like sunlight flickering off water. Shimmering melodies, lilting vibrato, and an airy tenor define the soundscape’s atmospheric quality, while consistent, driving percussion keeps songs…
Quick Skim of What’s on the Ballot Outside Austin
Since Austin city elections were moved to November, the Travis County spring ballot has been a little thin. But if you vote in one of the smaller jurisdictions, there are a few races of interest for the May 4 election day (early voting ended April 30). In Lakeway, incumbent Mayor Sandy Cox is being challenged…
Quote of the Week
“He is so light in the loafers, he floats off the ground at times.” – Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, reaching back to c. 1952 to impugn Beto O’Rourke’s masculinity, we guess, on Fox News. (Host Laura Ingraham quickly let Patrick assert that he “didn’t mean anything by that” …)
Texas Senate Education Committee Advances Its Own School Finance Plan
SB 4 would essentially gut the House version of the bill
