Cover Story
I See Dead People
The Black Angels conjure Austin’s psychedelic renaissance
House of Cards
Who gets to see the best band in the world?
Bill Dingus Makes Our Heads Hurt
Craddick challenger taking Dems to court
You So Crazy!
The Great Derangement
City Opens Emergency Storm Shelter
Parque Zaragoza Recreation Center to take in citizens without electricity
Lights Out, Zilker Closed After Storm
Power likely out until weekend, Austin Energy says: City closes Zilker
Shattered Glass
Shattered glass at the Alamo South Lamar
Keller Withdraws From ACC Run-Off
Second-place candidate cites financial cost to college as reason to leave race
Hi Def Soft Core
Low Line Caller’s soft core soundtracks
Ladies, Start Your Cha-Cha Heels
You better worrrrrrrrrrk it: RuPaul wants YOU!
Gay Delegate Smackdown
The DNC’s gay delegate goals may be their undoing.
What We Talk About When We Talk About Austin Design
Modern+Design+Function 2008 attendees freestyle on the meaning of “Austin design.”
Aztex Want Noise! (And More)
Official attendance for the Austin Aztex home opener last Saturday has been announced as 1,497. That blows away most predictions, and it sounds pretty accurate, based on how crowded the stands felt. As well as everything went, plans for further improvements are afoot, I’m assured, by both the team and a nascent supporters group, largely…
Mr. Seven Percent
100 – (67+26) = John Edwards?
Of Bagheads and Baseball Legends
Of bagheads and baseball coaches
Suddenly This Summer
HRC grabs some more real estate
Still Kickin’ at the Chron
Despite what you may wish, Katherine Gregor going nowhere
Beloved Foodie Maya Katz, 1977-2008
The Gay Place sadly passes along the news of a friend’s passing.
Because We Just Don’t Get Enough Opportunities to Vote
Run-off elections scheduled for June 14; early voting runs June 2-10.
Just the Two of Us
Live shots with Amy LaVere and Langhorne Slim
Oh, Canada! And Tallahassee, and Denver, and …
More stops in the World-Wide Texas (Rollergirls) Tour
Robert Rauschenberg, 1925-2008
Recombinate media composer Robert Rauschenberg has passed away.
‘Major League Baseball 2K8’ Strikes Out Looking
My apologies to the fine folks at 2K Sports in taking so long to post my review of their baseball sim MLB 2K8, but honestly it has taken me this long to try and figure out their new pitching mechanism. This glitch-ridden and almost unusable new mechanic makes playing this game as frustrating as your…
Reading Myself to Sleep
What’s currently cluttering Brenner’s bedroom, bookwise.
Wedding Banned
Local DJs pick the songs that don’t suck at weddings
Pushing for a Three-Party System
Libertarians hoping more candidates means more seats.
Jaw-Dropping, Eye-Popping, Marvelous Relics of Yore
VHS, I can’t quit you
March of the Banned Penguins
Let my Penguins go!
A Shot in the Arm
Wilco
The Human Bong and the Bake Sale
We had a bumper crop of stupid criminals last week – each doing their part to give pot smokers a really, really bad name.
Allen Demling Photo Booth
Peep the Place 1 candidate’s election night debauch
Noiice Job
Dinos unplugged!
It Worked for Thoreau
Woods and wordsmithery
Calling All Suits
HAAM’s looking for a few good power handshakes
Get Your Hot, Fresh Short Fiction Right Here
American Short Fiction hits newsstands
Of Weed Ladies, Play Parties, and Camp Meetings
What’s going on in them Manchaca Hills?
Cravey: No Endorsement
Place 4 candidate Cravey won’t endorse Galindo or Morrison in run-off
Depressed on Pot
Yes, its spring, which means it is time again for the Office of the National Drug Control Policy’s annual ‘lets-talk-shit-about-pot’ report.
Morrison Breaks on Through to Run-Off
Morrsion celebrates inclusion in run-off with Galindo; this is the end for other Place 4 hopefuls
AISD Gets New Trustee, PAC, Working Bathrooms
Voters approve all three school bonds
Shade’s Victory Grows
Challenger wipes out incumbent in Place Three
ACC Thrown Into Run-Off by Noncandidate
Mahoney falls a fraction short of victory.
Aztex 2, Houston Leones 0
Your Austin Aztex won their home opener Saturday night, behind a first-half goal by A.J. Godbolt, and an insurance goal from Robin Martinez, an Incarnate Word product who scored just seconds after coming on as a second-half sub. A pretty successful night all around, as the Aztex dominated play for long stretches of the game,…
Laid-Back with Leffingwell
Leffingwell enjoying a presumed easy win.
Happy Mother’s Day
Written by a sweet high schooler, this essay is a great Mother’s Day gift.
Early Voting Results
Results have Leffingwell, Shade and Galindo/Morrison up
Two Hours Until Game Time
The Aztex kickoff their first home game in just a couple of hours now. Excitement builds. Here’s a game-day update from a player’s blog. The Aztex will have live music for this inaugural home game courtesy of the Frank Gomez Band. “Come hear Big Frank’s own unique blend of R&B, blues, classic oldies and Tex-Mex…
Latino Groups Sue Texas Democratic Party
Suit charges that Dems’ dual primary/caucus system discriminates against Hispanics
Dems for Dingus Back to Court
Texas Democratic Party files Federal appeal for their Craddick-challenging candidate
The Final Countdown
Candidates chime in with their election day thoughts, online
‘Campaign Ad Hominem’ Election Special
As candidates’ ads blanket the airwaves and mob your mailbox, City Hall Hustle cuts through the BS in a City Council election advertising spectacular. Haters, watch out!
Smile Pretty for the Cameras
The media crush in Crawford
Can You Give a Can? Yes, You Can!
Stamp Out Hunger food drive makes donating easy
Metallic Fashionistas
Metal tees
Anyone Know Who Charles Culberson Backs?
Can Shade win on just an anti-Kim platform?
The Wild Style
DAM
Sticky & Sweet, Oh Yeah… Bang a Mom…
Leave Madonna alone! Mwah!
Gallardo Gains National Honor; Home Opener Nears
Austin Aztex goalkeeper Miguel Gallardo was named to the United Soccer League’s Premier Development League Team of the Week for his performance in the Aztex opening 0-0 draw in El Paso. From the USL website: “In El Paso, a formidable Patriots side was held scoreless by Austin’s Miguel Gallardo, who picked up four saves and…
Don’t Get Sick in Michigan, Faggot
Michigan joins the ranks of rank homophobes…
She Turned Her Camera On
Spoon shows up on TV … again
After a Fashion
Your Style Avatar is noticing something “fishy” at the gay bars
Bicycle Projects
City projects in the works would benefit two-wheeler commuters
Oops!
In last week’s News feature, “Living Maya,” a photo on p.42 misidentified the person. The correct identity is Ed Barnhart. The Chronicle regrets the error.
ACC Campus on Round Rock Ballot
Round Rock voters will decide what could be ACC’s largest campus
Bhoothnath
Bollywood film tells the story of a young boy who is visited by the ghost of his dead grandfather.
Mr. Smarty Pants Knows
The surface area of a human lung equals that of a tennis court, the coldest McDonald’s, and more
Bike Month Happenings
Saturday, May 10 ACA’s Annual Armadillo Hill Country Classic The premier Austin-area road ride is a fundraiser for the Austin Cycling Association’s bicyclist safety education and free kids’ bike helmets programs. Routes around the low-traffic edges of the Texas Hill Country range from six miles for kids and families to 100-plus miles for the experienced.…
Page Two: Correlation Does Not Imply Causation
The lessons of Florida beaches, anti-drug education, and chain gangs
The Uneasy Death of Riad Hamad
Investigation continues in the mysterious death of an Austin peace activist
Frontier(s)
This French torture-porn picture features cannibalistic neo-Nazi hoteliers who torture their guests.
Food-o-File
Beneficial success, Cissi’s goes gluten-free, Daily Juice gives up plastic, and more
‘Chronicle’ Endorsements
May 10 municipal elections
Beside the Point
Another Futrell protégé leaves City Hall
Villa Muse Rolls the Credits
The film-studio-to-be is, apparently, not to be
Event Menu
May 8-14
The Hightower Report
Stop Subsidizing Big Oil; and Al Needs a Job
Point Austin: Who’s Blue?
Understanding Austin political speak
CAMPO Decision Tree Takes Root
“It’s a very significant point in the history of transportation planning in this community,” heralded Sen. Kirk Watson. After five months, the Transit Working Group this week unanimously endorsed a new, improved Transportation Investment Decision Tree. By strengthening the evaluation criteria for assessing all proposed transit and road projects regionally, and setting a standard that…
In Print
Ronnie Fein’s commonsense cooking for every religion
512 + 1
Non-native filmmaker Kevin Ford got here as fast as he could
Headlines
• If you didn’t vote early, then get thee to your precinct Saturday, May 10, and cast your ballot in the municipal election; see ‘Chronicle’ Endorsements, and catch all the updated election dope at austinchronicle.com/election. • At press time Wednesday, Austin Fire Chief J.J. Adame was expected to either resign or get the boot after…
Family Questions Pierce’s Arrest
Onetime suspect in yogurt shop murder case charged with assault
Restaurant Review
Bland decor, not-so-bland food
TV Eye
A new series charts the evolution of sex
Quote of the Week
State Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson
Family Questions Pierce’s Arrest
Onetime suspect in yogurt shop murder case charged with assault
Restaurant Review
Afternoon tea is back in style
Another Round of Praise
Nominations for the 2007-2008 Austin Critics Table Awards
Naked City
News briefs from Austin, the region, and elsewhere
Armed and Ready for Nature
Land commissioner jumps the gun on carrying firearms in national parks
Restaurant Review
Come for the bubble tea, but stay for the shredded squid
Off the Record
An all-star tribute for a Red Headed Stranger, Girl in a Coma awakens with help from Joan Jett, and Tia Carrera constructs its Electric Ladyland
Beyond City Limits
• Farmers around the world know it’s common courtesy not to kill another farmer’s livestock, but in Colorado, it’s not only courtesy, it’s the law – namely, the “open range” statute, passed in the 1880s and still binding today. So Austin-based businessman Jeff Hawn has hit headlines nationwide and is heading to court over allegations…
Child Fatality Report: Parent education needed
The Travis County Child Fatality Review Team released its annual report in April, documenting the causes of death in 2007 of Austin-area children ages 17 and younger. Much of the new data is consistent with the averages over the 12 years since the CFRT began reporting child fatalities, but some numbers do stand out. The…
Film News
Robert Rodriguez starts shooting ‘Shorts,’ and other local production news
Another Forum … or Two
Campaign trail mixes with a flurry of forums
Happenings
May 8-14
Arts Review
It’s surprising how much of the sharp edge in Mamet’s Hollywood satire is polished off by Austin Playhouse’s production
The Black Angels Reviewed
The Black Angels Directions to See a Ghost (Light in the Attic) “Kurtz discoursed. A voice, a voice! It rang deep to the very last. It survived his strength to hide in the magnificent folds of eloquence the barren darkness of his heart.” Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness beats from the first notes of self-released…
Student Travels
AFS Documentary Tour showcases UT MFA work
Who Signed for the Sign?
Campaign snafus of questionable legality continue
Newsdesk
Just got the word from the Austin Police Department that they’ve decided they will not be embracing the legal changes enacted by the Lege last year when it comes to making minor pot possession a cite-and-release offense. To refresh: Legislators last year passed House Bill 2391 (by Rep. Jerry Madden, R-Richardson, and carried by Sen.…
Arts Review
Second Youth’s new version of Prokofiev’s tale starts in Stalinist Russia, but that adds to its magic
The Black Angels’ Directions to Screen Print
1) Create a screen by wrapping a silk curtain tightly around the edges of an empty wooden picture frame. Glue and staple in place, and trim away the outer edges. This process is much like an artist stretching a canvas for painting. 2) Coat both sides of the screen evenly with emulsion, and set it…
You Can Leave Your Hat On
Watching movies in Marfa
Place 3: Kim Goes Attack-Dog
Girl fights are all the rage
Arts Review
‘Ali Fitzgerald: Swan School; The Matriculation’ Art Palace, through May 21 Ali Fitzgerald should write a screenplay with all the characters in her paintings, drawings, and now small sculptural objects. Fitzgerald started with the women from the Wild West, creating a whole mythology around particular female outlaws, which ended up as the subject/content for “On…
Live Shots
Stubb’s, May 2 & 3
Ballet Austin: Save the last dance for me
Four of the company’s most gifted dancers are taking their leaves after this season’s finale
Grading the Campaign Ads: The print edition
No one hits it out of the ballpark in this round
Speed Racer
The Wachowski brothers’ hyperbolic film is supersaturated with outrageously eye-popping visuals, but there’s nary an honest emotion in sight.
Readings
Richard Stark’s professional thief is back in action
Live Shots
Emo’s, May 5
Arts Organization Staffs: Another round of changes at the top
Two theatre companies add managing directors, and a children’s choir makes a switch in artistic leadership
Oh, to Be the Bike Candidate
Bicycling enthusiasm in Austin is at an all-time high, and it’s carried over into the City Council races. Not only have cyclists come out in droves to campaign events this year, but two council contenders, Robin Cravey and Allen Demling, are vying to be “the bike candidate.” Both received endorsements from the transportation-oriented League of…
What Happens in Vegas
Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher – two Hollywood actors known for their prankishness and pluck – never manage to convince us that this Sin City comedy is fun.
News/Print
UT nets the papers of Liz Smith and Jim Crace, BookWoman’s back in business, an O.Henry twofer, book-cart drill-team madness, and what’s this about a new Books blog?
Live Shots
Atmosphere Emo’s, May 2 & 3 Daedelus Whisky Bar, May 3 Two nights at Emo’s had Atmosphere fans seeing double after the Minneapolis duo played Saturday night as the spitting image of Friday’s bash. Fortunately for them, their fan base is a devoted and raucous one, down with whatever Slug and Ant bring to the…
Art of the Pot: Dishes that make dining so fine
The handmade dishes you find on the annual studio tour can make every meal a fine dining experience
Is BATPAC Also a Highway Brat PAC?
Better Austin Today accepts money from a bad guy
When Is Tomorrow
This filmed-in-Austin movie about two former best friends moving in different directions is purposefully disheveled and expertly ramshackle.
Letters @ 3AM
Cyberspace is nowhere and everywhere, a place where the articles on www.michaelventura.org hover and hang, nailed to a virtual wall like paintings in a museum
Live Shots
Paramount Theatre, May 5 & 6
Day Trips
The Chinati Foundation’s museum in Marfa offers world-class art in the middle of nowhere
Travis County: Yes, we have elections …
What you’ll find on those ballots just outside of town
Redbelt
Although David Mamet’s new film, which is set in the mixed-martial arts fight world, contains all the storyteller’s familiar motifs, Redbelt may also represent his most commercial venture yet.
The Common Law
Protesting High Property Taxes
The Revolution Will Not Be Motorized
Will the city create a path to give bicyclists a little respect?
Playing Through
The Texas Skydiving Center in Lexington, Texas, is a good place to test your courage in thrilling fashion
West Lake Follies: Attraction and repulsion
Mayors, guns, and money … a lot of money
Then She Found Me
Helen Hunt directs and stars in this movie which finds just the right mix of drama, comedy, and the unknown – in other words, life as we live it.
Luv Doc Recommends: Movies in the Park at Republic Square
If you’re looking to get laid, it’s always best to have a reliable wingman. You can fly solo, but it amps up your creep factor considerably. Other than a handful of tight-lipped cinematic tough guys like John Wayne, Steve McQueen, and Clint Eastwood, mysterious loner types don’t have a good track record. They’re always stacking…
