Best Of Austin® 2026 - Winners Revealed

October 23 • 2009

Oct 23-29, 2009 / Vol. 29 / No. 8
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Cover Story

Record Review

White Denim Fits (Downtown Music) The Fits and starts shaking and quaking this psychedelic shack in short, sharp bursts of fragmented soul and fractured R&B are the sum total of this flagship local trio’s second LP. The gathering chaos and tumbling beat wrapped around a barbed bassline on opening greeter “Radio Milk: How Can You…

by Raoul Hernandez

Good Hair

In this thoughtful documentary, Chris Rock touches on – if by no means produces a definitive telling of – many facets of the highly charged topic of African-American hair.

by Kimberley Jones

Texas Platters

Rosie Flores & the Pine Valley Cosmonauts Girl of the Century (Bloodshot) Rosie Flores is a classic country woman: Texas-born and doe-eyed, big-voiced and familiar with the barroom stage. Her 1987 self-titled debut on Warner Bros. should have elbowed out a spot in Nashville’s scene, but country music careers come and go with the tides,…

by Audra Schroeder

The Dungeon Masters

From the filmmaker who make the Roky Erickson doc, You’re Gonna Miss Me, comes this astute and empathetic survey of Dungeons & Dragons gamers.

by Richard Whittaker

Texas Platters

No. 313 stamps my 13th Floor Elevators Sign of the 3 Eyed Men mondo box set, while 177 imprints my new Sundazed Records Alexander “Skip” Spence 10-inch, two previously unreleased demo transmissions from the ghostly heart of a psychedelic son. Closer to home as well as the here and now, Woven Bones’ 12-inch The Minus…

by Raoul Hernandez

Texas Platters

The Guud The Guudness MSG Crew The Giants (BR Records) RX Family and Diamond Mine Diamond Minds Ramon Ramirez Volume One: @ The Entry Level ESG Everyday Street Gangsta (E1) It’s more a “Trashy Thang” than the Dungeon Family stank they shoot for, but the Guud flow “Fonky” in all the right places on The…

by Chase Hoffberger

Texas Platters

Lyle Lovett Natural Forces (Curb/Lost Highway) His songwriting muse isn’t as active as it once was, but that doesn’t prevent Lyle Lovett from making albums that fit pleasingly into his career’s output. The lanky Texan composed just five of Natural Forces’ 11 songs, the rest being from other Texas-based writers he’s long respected, compatriots Eric…

by Jim Caligiuri

Texas Platters

Joel Guzman & Sarah Fox Conjuntazzo (Guzman Fox Records) In crafting their new Conjuntazzo, local husband/wife team Joel Guzman and Sarah Fox didn’t just add their expert touch to conjunto. They tied their cultural legacy to it. In doing so, they’ve created a dazzling work that doesn’t redefine Mexican country as much as give it…

by Margaret Moser

The Scenesters

The Scenesters 2009, NR, 96 min. Directed by Todd Berger, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Todd Berger, Sherilyn Fenn, Blaise Miller, Suzanne May, Jeff Grace, John Landis, Kevin Brennan, James Jolly. Movies and crime fit together like film and noir. In this comic murder-mystery, the talents of the Vacationeers come together to produce…

by Marjorie Baumgarten

Arts Review

If you watched Saved by the Bell as a kid, you’ll have a darn good time at this staged send-up

by Avimaan Syam

Community Needs: Food, Shelter, Support

Here’s a look at some of the major players in Austin’s nonprofit community. American Red Cross of Central Texas www.centex.redcross.org Always looking for donations, volunteers, and community supporters. Austin Children’s Shelter www.austinchildrenshelter.org Always looking for long-term volunteers older than 18 (bilingualism a plus) as well as special event volunteers, cash donations, or donations via its…

by Chronicle Staff

State Parks Feel Pinch

It’s not just local government that gets a boost from donations. For example, $22 out of the extra $30 Texans pay for a conservation license plate goes straight to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. While that program has actually grown this year, TPWD has also lost some big sponsors. The department’s annual expo has…

by Richard Whittaker

Headlines

• The Austin City Council meets today (Thursday) with the big-ticket item – a $3.1 million contract component of the massive Water Treatment Plant No. 4 – expected to win narrow approval, with a dissenting green bloc (Laura Morrison, Bill Spelman, and Chris Riley) calling for an integrated water management plan that would position the…

by Chronicle Staff

Wine of the Week

Penfolds’ Koonunga Hill line includes six reds and three whites, including a cuvée of its famous Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes

by Wes Marshall

The Stepfather

Watch out for those “family values” guys who sweep Mom off her feet and move into your house. They may not be who they seem.

by Marc Savlov

More Than a Game

Before joining the NBA, LeBron James was a high school star who climbed the heights with a core of teammates, all of whom are documented here.

by Marjorie Baumgarten

Astro Boy

This American-bred Astro Boy remains true to the heart and soul of the Japanese original but lacks its raw animation and emotions.

by Marc Savlov

Luv Doc Recommends: Extravagasm Fantasy Ball

Ever notice how there aren’t any Renaissance faires in Texas in August? Here’s why: Wearing a suit of armor in Texas in August is a surer and perhaps more painful death than anything the armor might repel. A couple of hours in the full sun and the occupant would have the skin tone of a…

by The Luv Doc

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