Cover Story
Culture Club
Aaron Mace’s Church of the Friendly Ghost rattles the fringes of creative and musical expressionism
The Gay Glass Ceiling
Does the straight-skewing American audience need its gaylebrities to keep at least one foot in that closet door?
Big XII Power Rankings: Week XI
Horns remain No. 1, where else would they be?
Stretching Performance Barriers
Angela Kariotis returns to Austin to premiere her one-woman show, Streeetch Marks.
This Week’s Waste of Time
Another 50 entrants in the Independent Games Festival get a once over
We Got Our Own Sound
The League of Extraordinary Gz, Austin’s Wu-Tang Clan, ace the Ace’s Lounge.
More Gifts for Gamers
Three giftable video games for the younger set
Doing 25 to Life
U.S. Sentencing Commission in Austin to consider testimony on impact of 1984 sentencing reform law
BPP Recommends Life
Whether Perry will agree remains to be seen for death row inmate Robert Thompson
Funk No. IV
FunkFest IV slims down for Saturday night at the Parish
Feast Your Eyes on This
SXSW Film Conference announces panels with an eye toward the visual arts
Car2Go Arrives
City car-share program launch
The Gay Ole Shtetl
If I were a queer man, yadda yadda yadda deedle dai…
Do You Know Where Your Kids Are?
DPS says keep eye on kiddos or drug gangs will do it for you
Sister Jessica Explains It All for You
The Girls’ Guide to Rocking shows us the secret handshake
Another Travelin’ Band
Monsters of Folk on Friday, Friday, Fridaaaaay
Philly Finale
Texas Rollergirls take second in national finals
Texies Twice as Nice
Texecutioners take first slot in WFTDA championship bout
Texecutioners in Philly
Texas Rollergirls massacre Boston in their first bout at WFTDA Nationals
New mAcdonald
Ex-Timbuk3 man Pat Macdonald plays the Mean-Eyed Cat and Continental this weekend.
Jody Denberg Signs Off of KGSR
Longtime local DJ leaves his KGSR post after 19 years
Fans’ Man Crush on Shipley Blocks McCoy’s Heisman March
Mr. Perfect owns this town
The Lineup
Recommended music for the week of Nov. 13-19
Austin Asian American Film Festival: ‘9500 Liberty’
A free screening of Eric Byler’s immigration doc has been added to the schedule
‘Redefining Beauty’ party and signing tonight
Texas poet laureate Karla K. Morton reads tonight at BookWoman
Belle de Jour
Rufus Wainwright’s wardrobe change
Political and Business Leaders Oppose Lake Travis Wastewater Discharge
Leander and Granite Shoals have petitioned TCEQ to lift discharge ban
The Totally Awesome AusChron Newscast is So Smart It Scares Itself!
Sanders shooting fallout, Austin Energy tweaks and ‘lotzz’ more
This Week’s Waste of Time
We find the best (and free) entries from the upcoming Independent Games Festival.
Video: White Denim “I Start to Run”
Live on the Paranoid Power Hour
Cap Metro Seeks More Feedback on Service Plan 2020
Transit authority mapping out the next 10 years, wants to hear from you next week
Community Building
Ed Radtke’s Speed of Life opens the 2009 Austin Asian American Film Festival
Fun Fun Fun Fest Stages
Shonen Knife/Melt-Banana Waterloo Park, Nov. 7 Japanese trio Shonen Knife has been retuning American rock & roll like the Beatles and Ramones for close to three decades now, going from something of an underground cult act to, well, a band that sounds like the Ramones. You pretty much know what you’re getting with SK now;…
Soccer Watch
Aztex release 14 players after failing to reach the playoffs, and more
City Hall Hustle: Call Us Ambiguous
Feeling confused? You must be talking to city legal
AAAFF Highlights
What else is playing at the Austin Asian American Film Festival
Fun Fun Fun Fest Stages
Vega/Neon Indian Waterloo Park, Nov. 7 Doubling down on Fun Fun Fun Fest Saturday, new Austinite-via-Denton Alan Palomo tested the much buzzed about electro-grooves of both his bands against each other. Vega unveiled first, gliding through the smooth, disco-ripped rhythms of “No Reasons,” from last year’s debut EP, Well Known Pleasures. Behind a burst of…
Page Two: Civic War
Can a city so dedicated and so divided endure?
Res Publica
Citizens’ calendar, Nov. 12-19
Art for Days
Can you handle two weeks’ worth of the East Austin Studio Tour?
Fun Fun Fun Fest Stages
7 Seconds Waterloo Park, Nov. 7 Proof that old punks never die, they just grow more facial hair, Reno, Nev.’s founding straight-edgers 7 Seconds reclaimed reality from the seriously twisted Melt-Banana with Skeeno hardcore ease. If you closed your eyes, it was the summer of 1984 and BYO Records stone classic The Crew all over…
City Audit
The city auditor’s review of the Austin Revitalization Authority is very mixed
Headlines
• Following Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo’s announcement of a 15-day suspension of Officer Leonardo Quintana for failing to record his fatal encounter with Nathaniel Sanders II, Acevedo fired Internal Affairs Detective Chris Dunn for attempting to use the IA investigation to tar Sanders and treat Quintana preferentially. See “Point Austin” and “Questions Unanswered.” •…
Event Menu
A guide to local foodie events during mid-November
Fun Fun Fun Fest Stages
Mission of Burma Waterloo Park, Nov. 8 “We picked up where we left off,” concluded Mission of Burma guitarist Roger Miller a few weeks ago by phone, shrugging off any second-coming hubris. MOB always came off as working class punks, and on Sunday night, shrugging off an unrelenting mist of rain, the Boston trio punched…
Waller Creek Plan Flows Along
We now have a formal draft of the plan � now it’s time for your input
Naked City
News briefs from Austin, the region, and beyond
Food-o-File
Austin foodies grace the small screen, and local bakeries sweeten the holidays
Fun Fun Fun Fest Stages
Buraka Som Sistema Waterloo Park, Nov. 8 “Ladies and gentleman, now we’re gonna take you to fucking Africa,” shouted Andro Carvalho, the Cuban-born, Angola-raised MC of Buraka Som Sistema. The motherland that the Portugal-based ghetto-technicians transport listeners to is the Angolan underground, miles removed from the latest Putumayo compilation for sale at Starbucks. The group…
The Renewed Relays
East Side Fair attempts to right the wrongs of last year’s Texas Relays debacle
Arts Review
This send-up of sitcoms can’t solve its problems as smoothly as the old shows it spoofs did
TWGGA Grape Camp
For nascent winemakers and grape growers, Grape Camp is invaluable
Fun Fun Fun Fest Stages
GZA Waterloo Park, Nov. 8 Fans planning to see GZA spit Liquid Swords in its entirety must have left with heads hung low. The Wu-Tang Clan veteran ditched his classic 1995 solo debut for the Wu’s “Clan in da Front” halfway through his set, and it nearly saved his show. After a “Liquid Swords” that…
Cole to Council
Officials and interest groups press councils to upgrade squad-car cameras
The Box
Donnie Darko director Richard Kelly goes for full-fledged suspense in this studio thriller.
Arts Review
Cheryl Chaddick’s four dances are diverse, a touch raw, and almost unfailingly interesting
Restaurant Reviews
The kitchen serves food until 1:30am, attracting a late-night dining crowd that makes for splendid people-watching
Fun Fun Fun Fest Stages
Kid Sister Waterloo Park, Nov. 8 Dancing around the stage like an infinitely more attractive Richard Simmons, Kid Sister was as energetic as GZA was lazy. Flanked by two dancers in black bodysuits and shiny reflective headgear, the Chicago MC rapped a mile a minute all while busting the latest club moves. She kicked off…
Greenprint Draws a Blueprint for Central Texas
A new tool sheds light on a path toward conservation
Flame & Citron
In this Danish film, two men track down and kill Nazi collaborators in the waning days of the German occupation.
Arts Reviews
A natural and believable cast makes Puccini’s enduring romance captivating yet again
Restaurant Reviews
Don’t forget to save room for dessert
Fun Fun Fun Fest Stages
Danzig Waterloo Park, Nov. 8 “I heard you were having a drought, so I brought you the black clouds of Danzig weather,” announced Lodi, N.J.’s spookiest Hair Club for Men candidate Glenn Danzig Sunday night. Vegas-worthy stage patter aside, Danzig’s first Austin performance in 15 years offered a stripped-to-the-marrow grim rocker that likely caused at…
Retirement Opens Another Bench Seat
Judge Perkins ready to hang up his robe
2012
Big. Dumb. Fun.
Public Art
Two artists are arrested while painting a mural on a wall in East Austin
Restaurant Reviews
At Shuck Shack, the vibe is consistently summery, but the food is hit-or-miss
Questions Unanswered
APD suspends Quintana, fires Dunn – but doubts remain about the Nate Sanders II shooting
Enviros Applaud EPA Choice for Texas Head
The EPA’s new regional administrator has a good environmental track record
Brief Interviews With Hideous Men
John Krasinski makes his directorial debut with this screen adaptation of David Foster Wallace’s stories.
Crumb/Spiegelman/Mouly
Three worthies of graphic storytelling set down their pens for a chat at Bass
Acevedo: Chris Dunn Is ‘Damaged Goods’
Two days after Nathaniel Sanders II was shot and killed by Austin Police Officer Leonardo Quintana, Internal Affairs investigator Detective Chris Dunn had an idea for how to approach the eventual administrative investigation into whether the officer had complied with policy and training during the fatal incident. “Let’s get [Sanders’] probationary records,” Dunn wrote to…
County Settles One Claim, Rejects Another
Commissioners agree to pay former HR director $40,000
Pirate Radio
This British import exudes about as much outlaw swagger as Tom DeLay in a dance competition.
Center Stage Texas
Tony nominee David Bologna joins a musical benefit for his old school, kidsActing
DVD Watch
A little-seen but highly praised debut film from new director Lance Hammer
APD Animation
APD�s animated re-creation of the Sanders shooting
Cool Cities: AE Task Force
Austin Energy moves one step closer to a generation plan
Splinterheads
Amiable and proficient, this indie romantic comedy is never more or less than reliable.
In Print
This award-winning novel, banned in its native Algeria, provides a different perspective on the Holocaust
The Mighty Finn
AFS Essential Cinema presents the Chilly Humorist of Finland: Aki Kaurismäki
After a Fashion
Your Style Avatar gets operatic in tiger stripes
RECA Gets a Splash of Cold Water
LCRA proposes aggressive conservation measures for these drought-ridden times
Bronson
Tom Hardy delivers a searing performance as Britain’s so-called “most violent prisoner.”
In Print
The time-transcending love story between 20th century doctor Claire Beauchamp and rugged 18th century Scottish Highlander Jamie Fraser continues
TV Eye
The new faces of late-night TV
Off the Record
Ashes to ashes: drying off and winding down after Fun Fun Fun Fest
Wheels in Motion for New Bus Fares
Capital Metro approves a fare increase for January
An Education
Everything about Scherfig’s coming-of-age story about a girl in the London suburb of Twickenham in 1961 is spot-on.
The Common Law
Eminent Domain – What Is Fair Compensation?
Fun Fun Fun Fest Stages
The Jesus Lizard Waterloo Park, Nov. 7 “This is gonna be really fucking good,” warned David Yow just before the Jesus Lizard went Jurassic Park. Scalpel manufacturer Duane Denison had been sharpening his weapons of mass destruction during the latter half of Face to Face blowing their faces out on the other side of the…
Gay Place
Why didn’t they just name the new lezzie version of the Cockpit the Strap-On?
Big To-Do Over New Name for Rail District
Austin-San Antonio rail plan now goes by Lone Star
Mr. Smarty Pants Knows
Shedding, wedding guests, and more
Fun Fun Fun Fest Stages
Death Waterloo Park, Nov. 7 Cloaked in black monk robes, Death opened with a short, silent vigil to the original Detroit trio’s late guitarist, David Hackney, whose life-sized image served as guardian angel on both sides of the stage. What transpired from that point was both tribute and testament to Death’s timeless rattle, a singular…
Day Trips
The Lyndon B. Johnson National Grasslands north of Decatur are where the wild things live
Del Valle ISD
The Del Valle district would rather not deal with parents
The Hightower Report
Economic Indicators for Real People; and Swine Flu? Shame on You.
Fun Fun Fun Fest Stages
Fucked Up Waterloo Park, Nov. 7 If Fucked Up is the hardcore version of Extreme Championship Wrestling, then frontman Damian Abraham, better known as Pink Eyes, is its people’s champion. Off his anti-anxiety meds for six days, the heavyweight took the stage with a classic homage to Sandman, crumpling a beer can against his forehead…
Oops!
A chart that accompanied “Cap Metro Board Taking Shape,” News, Nov. 6, incorrectly stated that a Travis County commissioner would fill one of the board’s open seats. Commissioners recently decided to appoint a community member, not an elected official, to serve on the board.
Point Austin: Not About the Cameras
The Sanders shooting has not been justified
Luv Doc Recommends: East Austin Studio Tour
This Saturday East Austin will be teeming with art lovers, or at the very least people who want to believe they are. Expect to see clusters of trendy looking people wandering around trying to read the East Austin Studio Tour Google map on their iPhone. Statistically there should be a corresponding bump in hit-and-runs and…
