

October 26 Is Official Texas Chicken Fried Steak Day
Celebration that started in Dallas spreads across the state
Beer Week Pro Tips
Don’t let the bounty of beer events turn into a bounty hunt for you
BBQ With Franklin Is on YouTube
Video collaboration with KLRU debuts Oct. 25
Greg Abbott Versus the Black Helicopters
After decade of cooperation, AG threatens election experts
Early Voting Results: Day Three
Turnout holds steady and should break 10% today
A Son Comes Out, and a Family Comes Together
John Schwartz charts his gay son’s journey in memoir ‘Oddly Normal’
Pretty in Pink
Breast cancer awareness through music
Halloweens Not Just Another Night Out
East Side Show Room and Midnight Cowboy get gutsy for Halloween guests
David Carr Did Not Give Up the Secret Sauce
No silver bullet but NY Times guy still a helluva spokesman for new media
Cracks in the Ceiling
An extended Q&A with Ann Richards biographer Jan Reid
AFF2012: See the Dirt
Locals produce prize-winning short doc about a vintage vacuum fan
Wonderfulness
Bill Cosby on Miles Davis, Willie Nelson, and Willie Weed
The AggreGAYtor: October 24
Your daily dose of LGBTQIA news
Building Hive Stories: Ware Burns Bright and Burns’ Bright Wares
Two of the world’s best cartoonists are at BookPeople on Thursday
Jemima Code Banners Part of Food Day Celebration
Larger-than-life photos of African-American cooks shown in Boston
Alamo Drafthouse Launches New ‘Don’t Talk’ Contest
Can you film the next Magnited States of America?
King City Catmaster Launches ‘Multiple Warheads’ in the ATX
We mean: Brandon Graham’s at Austin Books tomorrow, people
Sammy and Jonny and Russell and You
Domy Books fetes a pair of PictureBox panjandrums
Reggae and Jerk Chicken at Gemma Love’s
Authentic Jamaican food on SoCo
‘Riding Shotgun With Zach Anner’ Debuts
Web celeb’s new travel show says ‘O Canada’ in first episode
HE’BREW Brings Chosen Beer to Texas
Shmaltz Brewing Product is Certified Kosher and It’s Got Schtick
Everything Went Black: Five Hits From Hell
What to watch this Halloween
AFF2012: ‘Only the Young’
Documentary captures the urgency and boredom of the teenage years
‘Benji’ Directors Coodie and Chike
Change, for better and for worse
This Season’s First Classic 30 for 30: ‘Benji’
The inspirational & heartbreaking story of Ben Wilson’s life and death
It Was 20 Years Ago Today
The Eggmen celebrate two decades of holding hands
Chaos in Tejas Screaming With More Noise
With Bolt Thrower already loaded, more bands for 2013
Dikes of Holland
Paper Cuts, October 23, 2012 at the Palm Door
Early Voting Results: Day One
Travis County reports 3.3% turnout so far
SXSW Interactive Launches New Las Vegas Event
V2V to focus on startups, take place August 2013
Aggies Show Their Youth in Home Loss to LSU
Age before beauty
Creative Cocktails Star of Austin Mezcal Festival
Takoba Restaurant & Cantina hosts Saturday tasting
The AggreGAYtor: October 23
Your daily dose of LGBTQIA news
Halloween 2012
Get your costumes ready for these spooky holiday events
DVD Watch
‘Sunday Bloody Sunday’
The Omen
The Omen 1976, R, 111 min. Directed by Richard Donner, Starring Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, Harvey Stephens. When parents discover their son is the Antichrist, all hell breaks loose.
Mapping Music With Thomas Dolby
Still ‘Blinded by Science’ and sound
Early Voting Starts Today
No excuses: You registered, so why not exercise your rights?
The AggreGAYtor: October 22
Your daily dose of LGBTQIA news
New Belgium Brewery Tour de Fat
Touring beer festival and bike ride makes last stop in Austin
AFF2012: ‘Boneboys’
A lot less chainsaw in this new Texas massacre
AFF2012: A Conversation With Paul Feig
‘Freaks and Geeks’ creator looks back
AFF2012: ‘A.K.A. Doc Pomus’
You already know the songs, now meet the songwriter
AISD Board to Lengthen Carstarphen Contract Tonight
As early voting starts, outgoing board extending deal to June 2015
Come In, We’re Closed: Staff Meal at Uchi
New cookbook reveals behind-the-scenes goodness
AFF2012: Vampira and He
‘Vampira and Me’ director R.H. Greene speaks
AFF2012: A Conversation with Frank Darabont
Just don’t ask him about ‘The Woman in the Room’
AFF2012: Case Study: ‘Its a Disaster’
Todd Berger says some – but not too much! – about his doomsday rom-com
AFF2012: Competition Films & Scripts Awards
‘Sparrows Dance,’ ‘Informant’ recognized
AFF2012: Attacking the Nitty Gritty Panel
Should psychedelics fail…
AFF2012: DC vs. Marvel Panel
Hulk argue, smash, concur
Horns Outscore Baylor in 11-on-11 Game
Texas D gets torched for 50, yet still wins with El Berge’s 5 TDs
When There’s No More Room in Hell, the Dead Will Go Skating
Blood Over Texas’s ‘4th Annual Zombie Skate’ this Sunday
AFF2012: ‘Flatland 2: Sphereland’
Universe needs a hero? Find a mathlete
Texans Look to Get Back on Track vs. Ravens
Consistency remains a key
Football Prophecies
Dick Cheney, Butch Vig, and chicken wings all play a role in Week 7
Mondo Gets Monstrous
Opening night at the new Universal Monsters show
How I Got Hitched
Kate X Messer on Hitchcock keeping one eye on her at all times
AFF2012: The Bitter Buddha
Comic’s comic Eddie Pepitone is still hungry for his big break
AFF2012: ‘Francophrenia (Or Don’t Kill Me, I Know Where the Baby Is)’
In James Franco’s mind, no one can hear you scream
AFF2012: ‘Spinning Plates’
A revealing look inside three American restaurants
‘The NFL Beat’: Week 7
Fantasy notes for all the lucky people, and their shoes
TV Review: The Girl
HBO Film examines Hitchcock’s obsession with Tippi Hedren
From the Vaults: James Patterson on Film
Reviews of ‘Alex Cross,’ ‘Along Came a Spider,’ and ‘Kiss the Girls’
Gaming Events for the Weekend
Slay and play until you have to go back to work
Clark’s Oyster Bar and Sam Beam Welcome Billy Reid to the Clarksville Neighborhood
West Sixth keeps it classy with designer duds, oysters, and champagne
F1 Event, Vendor Permit Deadlines Close, City Warns
With race four weeks away, city updates on road closures
Banga
My ACL encore: Patti Smith at the Paramount
The AggreGAYtor: October 19
Your daily dose of LGBTQIA news
Big Tex Goes Up in Flames
Legendary icon of the State Fair of Texas destroyed by fire this morning
AFF2012: ‘Vampira and Me’
Love bites
How I Got Hitched
Marjorie Baumgarten on the trouble with Hitchcock
Planned Parenthood Out, But Docs Can Still Discuss Abortion in New Texas Women’s Health Program
HHSC relaxes abortion gag rule
Indian Explosion
Royal India 4894 Hwy. 290 W., 358-0909 Lunch: Mon.-Fri., 11am-2pm; Sat.-Sun., 11:30am-2:30pm; dinner: Sun.-Thu., 5:30-9:30pm; Fri.-Sat., 5:30-10pm www.royalindiatexas.com When the Sunset Valley Estancia Churrascaria moved to the Arboretum, the brand-new, massive stone building that housed the Brazilian steak house was leased by Royal India. Located off the Brodie exit on the Highway 71 access road,…
Food-O-File
What will Formula One’s impact be on the local hospitality industry?
The Long and the Short of It
It’s an uphill battle securing a future for a short film
Day Trips
Beautiful hiking oasis in Bastrop
Indian Explosion
Chola 2601 S. I-35, Round Rock, 512/244-2222 Mon-Fri., 11am-2pm, 5-10pm; Sat-Sun., noon-3pm, 5-10pm www.cholaonline.com The words Indian restaurant and lunch buffet have become practically synonymous over the past decade, and Chola in Round Rock is no exception. What makes it different is the variety of homestyle dishes you won’t find elsewhere. First of all, Chola’s…
Food Events
New Belgium’s Tour de Fat is just the beginning of this week’s beer celebrations
Power Up
SXSW Gaming Expo and ‘The Austin Chronicle’ present Game On Austin
Hornucopia
UT’s season was over by halftime
Indian Explosion
Pakwan Indian Restaurant & Bar 3601 W. William Cannon #450, 366-5204 Mon.-Thu., 11am-2:30pm, 5-10pm; Fri.-Sat., 11am-2:30pm, 5-10:30pm; Sun., 11:30am-3pm, 5-10pm www.pakwanaustin.com Pakwan sits in the second row of the strip center on the south side of William Cannon, halfway between Brodie and Mopac; it can be hard to spot from the road unless your eyes…
Mr. Smarty Pants Knows
“Peebo” and “beebo” are British English for “peek-a-boo.” An estimated 64 million tons of particulate matter, about half of the total amount currently floating high above North America, comes from overseas, according to the results of a recent study of 3-D views by NASA and the University of Maryland. Phayllos of Croton hurled the discus…
Dances Made to Order
Get out the vote: an online dance-film festival on themes chosen by you
Gay Place: Fall Y’all
The autumnal queerquinox is upon us.
Indian Explosion
Asiana 801 E. William Cannon #205, 445-3435 Lunch buffet: Tue.-Fri., 11am-2pm; Sat.-Sun., noon-3pm; dinner: Sun., Tue.-Thu., 5-9:30pm; Fri.-Sat., 5-10pm www.asianaindiancuisine.com I was thrilled to see this new eatery take over the old Thai Kitchen location around the corner from my house and pleasantly surprised to find the space vastly improved regarding cleanliness. Despite the strip-mall-style…
From Nothing to Bounty
Playwright Lisa D’Amour muses on the distance between Austin and ‘Detroit’
‘Final Farewells’
The last works from the estate of master sculptor Charles Umlauf go up for sale
Soccer Watch
UT soccer still in the running for Big 12 title, and more
Indian Explosion
Maharaja Indian Cafe 8650 Spicewood Springs Rd., 249-9122 Tue.-Sun., 11am-3pm, 5-9pm www.apnabazaaraustin.com/maharaja.html In a city teeming with several dozen Indian restaurants, it can be hard to stand out. It doesn’t help to be tucked away in the corner of a shopping center that’s already anchored by two highly regarded diners (Asia Cafe and Chen’s Noodle…
After a Fashion: Out
Your Style Avatar has been whipping up some serious fashion – for print and for the runway
PeopleFund East Night Summit
Learning how to make Austin’s creative success pay off for you
Letters at 3AM: A Big Picture and a Long Game
A U.S. military powered by biofuels could be a game-changer that ends the oil wars
AFF 2012: Introduction
What, where, and how long: Austin Film Festival need-to-knows
We’re All About the … Kids!
Austin Kids First is a bit of a mystery, even to education watchers
Headlines
› City Council meets today (Thursday) with some high-profile business: potential revisions of the short-term rental ordinance (in effect only since Oct. 1), a new PUD proposal for Lady Bird Lake, and, on a more celebratory note, the selection of the winner of the Waller Creek redevelopment design competition. See “Council: Time for Some Halloween…
Indian Explosion
Austin gains a bounty of healthy menu choices
The Sound and the Fury
David Chase on the Sixties rock that inspired ‘Not Fade Away’
Race to the Board: Fundraising
Some 80% of Mary Ellen Pietruszynski’s contributions came from three donors in the tech community
Point Austin: Missing Ann Richards
New biography recalls the highwater mark of Texas liberalism
Nov. 6 Elections: The ‘Chronicle’ Endorsements
The Chronicle editorial board (consisting of the News staff and Publisher Nick Barbaro) makes the following recommendations, for your consideration, in approaching your early voting (Oct. 22-Nov. 2) or Election Day ballot. It’s a lengthy list, and for Austin voters this year, the most important local questions are near the bottom of the ballot (or…
Seeing Is Believing
‘The Rep’ charts the slow death of cinema-going
Breaking Down the Ballot
Federal, state, and local races in bite-size portions
Quote of the Week
“Four years from now, Texas is going to be a so-called blue state.” – Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, explaining to New York magazine how Texas’ rapidly expanding Hispanic population could repaint our predominantly Republican state by 2016
Voting Information
You may vote at any early voting location in the county in which you are registered. On Election Day, you may vote in your home precinct, or in Travis County, any precinct polling place. In a departure from years past, the mega-early voting site will be at the Highland Mall, rather than the Travis County…
Pictures of Superheroes Packs in the Austin Comedy Talent
Quirky comedy filled with familiar faces
WTP4: Running on Overruns?
Austin Water wants more money for WTP4
Then There’s This: Giving Props to Austin
There’s more to the bonds than meets the jerky knee
Exhibitionism
World-class ensemble destined for greatness
Don’t Everybody Freak Out
Dark Matters’ horror shows
Take Another Little Piece of My Art
The Focus One Point and Breathe mural on the side of the Union Pacific rail bridge over Lady Bird Lake disappeared last week. The 2011 “Best of Austin” award winner previously faced Lamar Boulevard, but was recently covered by brown paint. The Daily Texan reported that Union Pacific was responsible for the cover-up, but according…
The Luv Doc: The Voice
LuvDoc, Over the last few years I’ve noticed an annoying increase in the number of women who speak with a squeaky, nasal, little girl voice. It’s like a mix of Lois Griffin, Fran Drescher, and Melanie Griffith. My best friend’s 11-year-old daughter doesn’t sound like that, so I think it’s an affectation rather than a…
Exhibitionism
The Paradox Players provide a well-executed staging of the 1960 election drama
Council: Time for Some Halloween Horrors
Featuring The Unholy Return of the Short-Term Rentals Ordinance
Here Comes the Boom
Kevin James plays a biology teacher who moonlights as a mixed martial-arts fighter; Salma Hayek is his love interest.
Exhibitionism
The play doesn’t know what it wants to be, but it’s still a fun night of theatre, especially for film buffs
Five Docs To Watch
GLOW: The Story of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling D: Brett Whitcomb Director Brett Whitcomb follows up his tribute to mechanical dancing animals, 2008’s The Rock-afire Explosion, with another trip into cultural arcana: the legendary Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling, the world’s first all-female TV wrestling promotion. As with the name of their TV show, the…
Partisan
Straight tickets: Voting for one of four parties – Republican, Democratic, Libertarian, Green – will get you through the first half of the ballot, but there’s plenty more at the bottom. ( = Awesome race, recommended) Federal & State President: No doubt you’re aware of Barack Obama and Mitt Romney; Gary Johnson (L) and Jill…
Atlas Shrugged: Part II
Atlas isn’t the only one to shrug off this tiresome load of Ayn Rand – but with poor production values.
Playback: ACL Mania
The ACL zeitgeist in review
Five Docs To Watch
Informant D: Jamie Meltzer The Brandon Darby archive continues to add layers. Meltzer’s documentary covers the ground from Darby’s legendary rescue of his friend Robert King Wilkerson (who now denounces him) from the Katrina floods, to his current occupation as a shill for right-wing fantasies about the “terrorist” left. In melodramatic interviews, Darby recounts his…
Nonpartisan
( = Awesome race, recommended) Propositions & Bonds There are two Proposition 1s: the Central Health tax proposal, and the City of Austin Prop. 1, beginning a list of 11 proposed city charter revisions. The remaining Austin propositions (12-18) are bond project proposals (see below). Central Health Proposition 1: This would raise the Central Health…
Alex Cross
Stretching out of his Madea comfort zone to play James Patterson’s FBI profiler is a courageous but misguided move on Tyler Perry’s part.
Indian Explosion Goes Mobile
Healthy late-night Downtown alternatives to pizza
Five Docs To Watch
Plimpton! Starring George Plimpton As Himself D: Thomas Bean, Luke Poling George Plimpton made a career out of convincing readers he was a loser – and how very winning he was in that endeavor. The co-founder and longtime editor-in-chief of The Paris Review, Plimpton made his name as a “participatory journalist.” He was an inveterate…
Two More in Line for Death Penalty
These two men were both 19 when they were sentenced to death
Least Among Saints
A combat veteran suffering from PTSD becomes the dubious mentor of a boy whose mother has just OD’d in this heartfelt drama.
Indian Explosion Goes Mobile
Naan Stop 519 E. Seventh Wed.-Sat., 6pm-3am (hours vary) In India and Pakistan, highways are dotted with local restaurants known as dhabas, providing local cuisine and serving as stops for truck drivers. The husband and wife team behind Naan Stop, an Indian food truck parked at the corner of Seventh and Red River, invites late-night…
Five Docs To Watch
The Muslims Are Coming! D: Negin Farsad, Dean Obeidallah Stand-up comedians Negin Farsad and Dean Obeidallah decided to fight back against rising Islamophobia the only way they knew how: by being really effing funny. Corraling other Muslim comics, they embarked on a Middle America and Deep South tour – documented here by Farsad and Obeidallah…
The Hightower Report: Freedom of the [Op]press[ed]
Quote approval is stripping the media of its investigative abilities
Wuthering Heights
Andrea Arnold (Fish Tank) wrests Wuthering Heights from the heaving bosom of Romantics majors and gives it a good shake – even if she doesn’t know when to stop.
Indian Explosion
Naanfull 1335 E. Whitestone Blvd. Ste. T130, Cedar Park, 512/528-5903 Sun.-Thu., 11am-3pm; 5-9pm; Fri.-Sat., 11am-3pm; 5-10pm www.naanfull.com Smack dab in the middle of a Cedar Park shopping center is Naanfull, and just as its tagline claims, it is Indian food redefined. Featuring fare predominantly of Northern origin, the counter-service Indian grill seeks to remove the…
Indian Explosion Goes Mobile
Nomad Dosa 1603 S. Congress Tue.- Sun., 11:30am-8:30pm (extended hours Friday & Saturday nights) www.nomaddosa.com Nestled among all the mobile options for fried foods, cupcakes, and sno-cones on South Congress is Nomad Dosa, perched a little behind and a little at an angle to all the rest. It’s a fitting placement, really, because Nomad Dosa…
Five Docs To Watch
Rising From Ashes D: T.C. Johnstone “Cycling is about suffering. You cannot be a cyclist without going through incredible amounts of pain,” opines cycling giant Jock Boyer at the outset of Rising From Ashes. For the children of 1994’s Rwandan genocide – in which 800,000 of their friends, family, and countrymen were killed – suffering…
City Bond Breakdown: $385 Million
Seven bond proposals for capital improvement projects near the bottom of the ballot
ACL Live Shot: Jack White
Despite Jack White’s celebrated solo debut, Blunderbuss, people were here to hear White Stripes songs, make no mistake. Between unmemorable stints with the Raconteurs and Dead Weather, a Jack White billing was the closest Austin could get to justifiably expecting “Hotel Yorba.” White still looks very rock & roll; stringy black hair streaking down a…
ACL Live Shot: Wild Child
Wild Child is a band born of raw emotion. The local septet’s early shows played out as both coy and playfully tumultuous dramas between fronting duo Kelsey Wilson and Alexander Beggins. Now, a year behind its debut, Pillow Talk, Wild Child has focused its sound while shedding much of the initial preciousness, with that added…
ACL Live Shot: Neil Young & Crazy Horse
When ol’ Neil gets together with Crazy Horse, the results are fairly predictable. There will be lots of crunchy guitar, several jams of indeterminate length, a couple of new songs, and feedback galore. This nearly two-hour set didn’t disappoint. Although only the most jaded would complain about Young skipping “Like a Hurricane,” things kicked off…
ACL Live Shot: First Aid Kit
Swedish sisters Klara and Johanna Söderberg are complementing and countering forces. It’s a balance that emerges most readily in their effortless harmonies, but also in the yin and yang of brunette Klara’s acoustic guitar to blonde Johanna’s low-end keyboard beat. Likewise, their songwriting is beautifully woven with darker threads; folk touched with just enough pop…
ACL Live Shot: Wheeler Brothers
There appears to be a growing dichotomy between what the Wheeler Brothers’ adoring and rapidly growing audience sees in the band and what those with a more critical eye think. One audience member exclaimed, “Amazing show,” contradicting words in my notebook like “unfocused” and “sleepy.” To its credit, the Austin born and bred quintet could…
ACL Live Shot: The War on Drugs
Languid notes burbled out of Adam Granduciel’s guitar, aimless and easy, slowly being soaked up by the open Texas sky. Philly quartet the War on Drugs keeps things untucked, and its Friday afternoon set on the Bud Light stage felt like hazy liberty. Breakout sophomore disc Slave Ambient is over a year old, but in…
ACL Live Shot: Zola Jesus
Nika Danilova records under the eyebrow-arching nom de plume Zola Jesus, and with a backing band featuring a standing drum set, violinist, and keyboard player, she performed a heady set of somber electronics shot through with lots of low-end percussion and her own powerful vocals. “It rains during every festival I’ve played,” she sighed during…
ACL Live Shot: The Eastern Sea
Eastern Sea principal Matt Hines paid through the nose to see this year’s Plague into fruition, braving nothing short of member mutiny and production complications involving wildfires and city condemnation (long story). With a solid lineup now that includes seven other members – including two drummers – the locals made the best of a bad…
ACL Live Shot: The Relatives
After toiling for several years in near obscurity during the Seventies, then splitting up by the end of that decade, the Relatives reformed in 2009. Now the Dallas congregation is unlike any gospel band around. From nonstop psychedelic soul to gaudy blue suits and yellow silk shirts to go with the slip-and-slide dance moves, the…
ACL Live Shot: Bombay Bicycle Club
Bombay Bicycle Club’s set list was a coin toss. The North London quartet has shifted aesthetics on each of its three albums, and with no new LP since 2011’s A Different Kind of Fix, that meant all of the band’s discography was fair game. The four jammed harder than expected based on its sea change…
ACL Live Shot: Kimbra
Kiwi songbird Kimbra, all bright feathers and big voice, woke up Sunday brunch audiences with her bright pop-jazz-soul hybrid and an ostentatiously large sequined skirt and ribboned cape reminiscent of a watered-down George Clinton get-up. The bulk of Kimbra’s set was comprised of tracks from her debut full-length, Vows, including the don’t-go-there-girlfriend sass of “Posse,”…
ACL Live Shot: L.P.
A fivepiece draped in ties, vests, and violins waited as its diminutive singer meticulously checked the levels on her microphone. “Uhhhh, the reverb?,” she asked flatly, and then she was off. Within one verse and hook, L.P. – she of the Citibank commercials and sorcerous, meandering hands – channeled a vocal tone that measured three…
ACL Live Shot: Rufus Wainwright
Rufus Wainwright’s one-hour set on the headlining Bud Light stage early Saturday afternoon put to shame almost everything that followed it. Cool, cloudy, and warm, the weather matched Wainwright’s rich voice and piano chords in elevating the crowd beyond mere grass and lawn chairs. Starting off stunningly a capella with “Candles,” the 39-year-old in a…
ACL Live Shot: Stars
“It’s so hot here it makes me dizzy in my head,” yelled Stars singer Torquil Campbell upon taking the stage. Although the Canadians may have been confused by the climate, Stars’ intricate indie pop-rock retains its Austin vibe. The band’s lush instrumentation recalls Arcade Fire, only more mature and with much darker lyrics. Stars’ dual…
ACL Live Shot: Esperanza Spalding
A quick rundown of the local landscapes that would have better suited Esperanza Spalding Friday afternoon: Bass Concert Hall. The Elephant Room. The HighBall. The Paramount. The Gypsy Lounge. Ming’s Cafe on Guadalupe. That park outside Central Market. Even the Maudie’s on Lake Austin Boulevard. The 27-year-old bassist is a wonder to see onstage –…
ACL Live Shot: Father John Misty
Josh Tillman may or may not be an asshole, but he plays a great one onstage. The Los Angeles singer-songwriter has reinvented himself under the Father John Misty moniker, shedding the contemplative folk of his solo work and that with the Fleet Foxes in favor an almost antagonistic apathy. Opening with “Funtimes in Babylon” from…
ACL Live Shot: Gary Clark Jr.
It’s a little over two miles from Antone’s to Zilker Park; Gary Clark Jr. took the long way around this year. Capping off a summer that brought Austin’s brightest shooting star raves at every major music festival across the country, Clark was welcomed home by an adoring crowd proud to claim the native son. Clark…
ACL Live Shot: Jovanotti
Italian. English. Spanish. Language mattered little to an adoring crowd of dancing converts as Italian superstar Jovanotti served up a joyous patchwork of funk, hip-hop, and global grooves he slyly dubbed “Italian traditional Afrobeat.” Dressed to party in a bright crimson button-up drenched in sweat by set’s end and an electric yellow skinny tie to…
ACL Live Shot: Sonámbulo
Sonámbulo Psicotropical translates to “Psycho Tropical Sleepwalker.” The psycho tropical came through loud and clear, but there’s nothing sleepy about this wild 11-piece Latin carnival show. A full horn section, drums, congas, timbales, maracas, and shekeres created a wall of sonido as the Costa Rican-based crew led a swirling gypsy-funk caravan through their home countries…
ACL Live Shot: Two Door Cinema Club
Irish trio Two Door Cinema Club took a brief respite from a U.S. club tour for ACL, but joined by a touring drummer, the group still looked poised for light shows rather than a sun-baked afternoon. The set represented the steep trajectory the band’s experienced. In 2010, TDCC made its ACL debut on the Austin…
ACL Live Shot: Umphrey’s McGee
All aspects of what makes Umphrey’s McGee attractive were packed into this much too brief one-hour set. The sextet’s unpredictable nature gets them slotted with jam bands, but they bring a harder edge than others of that ilk, courtesy of dual guitarists Brendan Bayliss and Jake Cinninger, who attract metalheads and Southern rockers. The band’s…
ACL Live Shot: Big K.R.I.T.
Big K.R.I.T.’s got Southern stars in his eyes. The Mississippi MC, only months removed from the release of furious sophomore effort Live From the Underground, came out hot as the seventh layer, with “4eva and a Day” and “Yeah Dats Me” setting the pace for a jam-packed one-hour set mixing Southern soul’s most potent syrup…
ACL Live Shot: Thundercat
Zilker Park, Oct. 14 L.A. auteur Stephen “Thundercat” Bruner remains a monster bassist. His fingers are untraceable, negotiating his five-stringer the same way you and I might surf the web. It’s an extension of him, and a gift to us all. His music, a futuristic blend of prog, hip-hop, and jazz, isn’t meant to be…
ACL Live Shot: Tegan & Sara
Indie rock sister act Tegan & Sara stirred up late-afternoon crowds with a solid set of crowd favorites. They played it safe by starting out with sing-along “Walking With a Ghost,” but proceeded to tear it up with some of their edgiest tunes. Midway through, the proper rock set abruptly turned into a dance party,…
ACL Live Shot: Oberhofer
Hipster college students united at the midafternoon Oberhofer set to celebrate one of indie rock’s new emotive princes, Brad Oberhofer. The man was wearing an earring of a shirtless man and spent most of the set flailing wildly, throwing himself about the stage while belting out songs. Meantime, his stage banter was erratic and odd,…
ACL Live Shot: The Lumineers
If there were any doubts as to the popularity of this year’s eponymous debut LP from the Lumineers, they were quelled by the immovable mass of fans crushing the Austin Ventures Stage and the swelling chorus of voices that rose up to sing along to the impeccably crafted folk-pop of “Ho Hey” and “Stubborn Love.”…
ACL Live Shot: The Afghan Whigs
Reunited more than 10 years after their distinctly groovy 1998 swan song 1965, Cincinnati’s Afghan Whigs appeared in all black on the big AMD stage, the perfect look for a hip wake or at least cooler climes. The music, guitar-driven hard soul with occasional piano and string supplements, was also darker and more neurotic than…
ACL Live Shot: Andrew Bird
Touting spring release Break It Yourself and prepping for its companion piece at the end of this month, Andrew Bird stays busy. His shows convey the same idea. A sock monkey with its own mic, his signature spinning phonograph horn, and a backing trio joined the Chicago whistler onstage. Bird himself is a whirlwind, switching…
ACL Live Shot: Barrington Levy
“Killed it” has become term du jour for festival slaying these days, but Jamaicans have a better expression for what Barrington Levy did Sunday evening: murderation! The dancehall originator opened with Bounty Killer collaboration “Living Dangerously” but leaned mostly on the classic early Eighties records cementing his legendary status on the island, which fill the…
ACL Live Shot: Alabama Shakes
All was quiet on the Barton Springs stage front. Due to flaws in the sound engineering, the massive lump of people seemed to overpower the typically unhushed tones of the much buzzed Athens, Ala., quartet Alabama Shakes. Despite the technical gaff, 23-year-old Brittany Howard took the stage with gusto, quipping the sea of spectators on…
ACL Live Shot: Lee Fields & the Expressions
With a heavy rain coming down just before set time, the covered tent of the Zilker stage suddenly became the most popular real estate in the park just as Lee Fields & the Expressions took the stage. The North Carolina soul man made the most of it, treating a massive crowd to the deepest cuts…
ACL Live Shot: Crystal Castles
The members of Crystal Castles don’t show their faces. Ethan Kath hunkers behind an industrial smear of dark electronics, and Alice Glass’ popsicle-blue hair flares down her snowy face, eyeliner where her eyes should be. I couldn’t get a good look between the strobes, but this is ground zero for the electronic revolution. The Toronto…
ACL Live Shot: Florence + the Machine
Funny that both of Florence + the Machine’s romantic art-rock LPs, Lungs (2009) and Ceremonials (2011), are breakup albums, when you consider that singer Florence Welch’s stage persona is that of a witchy princess far too ethereal for human romance. Then again, that persona is so prone to theatrics that her girlish preoccupation with love…
ACL Live Shot: Kishi Bashi
Long a session player and touring support musician for Of Montreal and Regina Spektor, Kishi Bashi is making a solid run at a sustainable solo career as evidenced by his performance early Saturday evening at ACL. A drenched but passionate crowd gathered at the intimate BMI stage, cheering wildly when Bashi, clad in a waistcoat…
ACL Live Shot: Avett Brothers
Right out of the gate, the Avett Brothers quelled any fears that, despite two consecutive albums of previously unheard of introspection, they’ve gone soft. This was accomplished emphatically by opening their AMD set with “Talk on Indolence,” a fire-breathing Dylanesque ramble delivered in a machine-gunned, folk-punk style. Mostly they mixed old favorites and new tunes…
ACL Live Shot: Weezer
The big bright W was hung onstage, the crowd was electric, and all frontman Rivers Cuomo had to do was say “My name is Jonas” and the crowd exploded. After that opener, Weezer delivered all the hits, among them “Beverly Hills,” “Island in the Sun,” and “Buddy Holly.” Through them all, the band seemed to…
ACL Live Shot: The Roots
Forget hip-hop, the Roots may be the most precisely packaged band on the touring circuit, period. Coming out just after the rains had washed most of Saturday away, the legendary Philadelphia collective opened their set with a tribute to late Beastie Boy Adam Yauch, flipping “Paul Revere” on its edge and giving it some brass.…
ACL Live Shot: Iggy & the Stooges
Setting a template for punk so tough and visceral that it took the world a decade to catch up, the Stooges authored three records of white-knuckle aggression before calling it quits in 1974. Twenty-six years later, the band reunited and recorded new music, and although the death of founding guitarist Ron Asheton put the band’s…
ACL Live Shot: AVICII
The guy next to me was a fratboy meathead sporting a neon green tank-top and a stupid grin. The kid on my other side was a grade-school raver who did his “woo”-ing through braces. I was definitely the only denizen in a Sonic Youth shirt, but AVICII knows no bounds. The 23-year-old Swedish stadium-house DJ…
ACL Live Shot: Antibalas
In the midst of a steady rain, Antibalas founder and saxophonist Martin Perna summed things up perfectly: “This is the right place to be not only because of the tent, but because of the music.” Over a decade and a half, Antibalas has mastered its craft, breathing new life into the Afrobeat genre they revere…
ACL Live Shot: Red Hot Chili Peppers
The Red Hot Chili Peppers are a group of old men who dress like children. Stretched out across Sunday’s headlining stage, bassist Flea wore his hair a deep purple. Chief partner Anthony Kiedis went topless. Guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, in RHCP since 2009, channeled predecessor John Frusciante and wore a plaid shirt and Adidas track pants.…
ACL Live Shot: The Black Keys
The first hour of the Akron, Ohio, garage-blues duo’s set comprised two discrete parts, the first being a pretty typical rock gig in which singer-guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney, backed by a handful of supporting players, banged out a host of songs from their catalog of the past decade. First up was “Howlin’…
ACL Live Shot: Gotye
As the final notes of the Roots’ performance died out, Gotye and his merry band of mischief-makers took the stage to nail a consummately professional and playful performance on their first visit to Austin. The band commenced with the thrumming “Eyes Wide Open,” followed by a sultry “The Only Way” from sophomore LP Like Drawing…






