Cover Story
Faces of Homelessness
First, the good news. Depending on where in Austin you live, the entertainment district’s ongoing woes – among them a slaphappy, punch-drunk summer that just barely missed doing the Berkowitz shuffle and enough radiant heat to make last month’s filming of local action auteur Robert Rodriguez’s hyperviolent Machete both look and feel like a viva…
City of Crimson
AIDS Services of Austin’s Micah King talks red buildings and AIDS Walk Austin (video)
Bob Stoops on Line 2
No to fried butter, yes to a tough OU-UT matchup
Space Odyssey
Planet U2 touches down in Houston
AIDS Walk Walkers: Up Your Ante Right Now!
Dell has offered match donations to AIDS Walk Austin for a limited time! Get on it.
Get Fired Up With the Totally Awesome AusChron Newscast!
Talking up the fire department, city planning and more
Sooner Fan Video Reaches New Low
Even Oklahomans are ashamed
Room To Read Fundraiser Tonight
Proceeds go to promote education scholarships for girls, local language children’s books, and library construction in India
Scott’s Challenge
Commissioner of Education tells critics to “bring it”
SXSW Announces First Speakers
A composer and a comic book legend to be fêted at SXSW
After the Deluge…
Comes the fall flood
Where Not to Hide Your Weed
Two big busts kick of October for DPS narcos
Cats for Calvello
Hellcats take the TXRD Lonestar title while Cherry Bombs suffer injuries
Cleve Jones: Co-Director of the National Equality March
“I hope you all saw Milk. It was an extremely important film. Just so you know how hot I used to be.”
Sherry Wolf: Lesbian, Activist, Communist & Badass-ist
On Oct. 10, activist and author Sherry Wolf spoke to a pre-National Equality March rally at DC’s Busboys. She. Blew. It. Up.
Public Process Starts on Bus Fare Increases
Cap Met seeks input
Game On Austin Rock Band Tournament Rules!
because there are still rules to rocking
Frustrated Farmers Jailed
Frustrated hemp farmers dug up the lawn of DEA headquarters this morning — and were promptly tossed in the pokey
The National Equality March: A Recap
Tensions abound after this weekend’s National Equality March. The HRC and national reps on one side, the grassroots on the other.
Boots of the Week
Boots: Our picks for the week of October 12
School Jam USA Is On!
Texas U18 band competition goes international
Allen Named Interim CEO of Cap Met
To no one’s surprise, VP moves up to top slot
White Cane Day
Austin to host nation’s largest White Cane Day parade
Growing Grass in the Bluegrass State
Lawmakers in Kentucky pushing for hemp farming in the land of tobacco, whiskey, and horses
“Six Foot Five with Boots and Hat”
Rusty Wier rides into the great beyond
RIP: Rusty Wier and Jon Pettis
Mourning the loss of two fine local musicians
Calvello Cup ’09
TXRD Lonestar banked track derby championship this Saturday
The Lineup
Recommended music for the week of Oct. 9-15
Interview with Dr. Dana Cloud of Join the Impact – Austin
Super dangerous Dana Cloud talks about the march, the necessity for immediate action, and mucho mas.
I Want My H&M!!!
Why has H&M left the Lone Star state out in the cold?
Longhorn Football Season Is a Sitcom in the Making
Watching tape, both football and funny
Sales Tax in the Tank
Comptroller reports 12.5% drop in sales tax revenue
Cedar Fever
Wilco (at a hockey arena)
Danish Minister Hedegaard on Obama
Learning from Copenhagen
Obama Wins Nobel Peace Prize
President gets top international plaudit
Thai Me Up – Thai Me Down
Titaya’s Thai Cuisine 5501 N. Lamar Ste. C-101, 458-1792 Monday-Friday, 11am-3pm, 5-10pm; Saturday-Sunday, noon-10pm www.titayasthaicuisine.com Titaya’s resides in the old Fortune Pho 75 location, just south of Koenig, on the east side of Lamar. Open for four years, the restaurant has a loyal following of fans who love the fare. Owner Titaya is another alum…
Into the Woods, With a Canister of Film
The 2009 Art Outside festival
Off the Record
Shit happens: Hosing off and cleaning up after the glorious mess that was the 2009 Austin City Limits Music Festival
ACL Live Shots
The Scabs Oct. 3, Zilker Park With Bob Schneider rocking his new Lovely Creatures, the crowd might have hoped for the veteran Austin songwriter to tease new material on a headlining set, but equally longtime partners in crime the Scabs were having none of it. A soupy dance floor and break in the rain made…
Res Publica
Citizens’ calendar, Oct. 8-15
Couples Retreat
Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau prove they are no longer swingers, but since this film is the only new national release this week, it’s sure to be “money.”
Thai Me Up – Thai Me Down
CK Thai Cuisine 5207 Brodie #200, 892-2744 Daily, 11am-10pm CK Thai Cuisine opened its doors just a few months ago, and it’s already winning over the neighborhood. The decor is charming, with upside-down parasols forming a dropped ceiling and colorful fishing nets and other inexpensive but pretty objects decorating the walls. The dining room has…
‘Water Works’
The charming and fun aquatic ballets at Barton Springs Pool return on video
ACL Live Shots
Raphael Saadiq Oct. 2, Zilker Park Retro’s one thing, embodiment quite another. Raphael Saadiq’s third solo album, 2008’s triple Grammy-nominated Sony disc The Way I See It, cooked up 1960s Motown, 1970s “T.S.O.P. (The Sound of Philadelphia),” and 1980s and 1990s Tony Toni Toné. As lead singer of R&B’s tony boy toys (!), Oakland’s former…
ACL Live Shots
The B-52’s Oct. 4, Zilker Park The B-52’s Sunday afternoon performance demanded nothing and gave it all. The group’s ability to work a giant crowd whose ages spanned at least five decades is testament to the little old band from Georgia. It was a pure delight as the natty Fred Schneider and ever-darling Keith Strickland…
Naked City
News briefs from Austin, the region, and beyond
We Live in Public
The Internet-based social experiments of Josh Harris, the original dot-com visionary kid, are profiled in this cautionary documentary.
Thai Me Up – Thai Me Down
Chon Som 2013 Wells Branch #109, 989-5559 Tuesday-Friday, 11am-2pm, 5-10pm; Saturday, noon-10pm; Sunday, noon-9pm; Monday, closed www.chonsom.com The dining room at Chon Som is stark and utilitarian, with a concrete floor and inexpensive metal chairs, giving the room all the ambience of a church basement. But while pleasant decor is a plus, the food is…
‘The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later’
Zach Theatre joins a national presentation of the epilogue to The Laramie Project
ACL Live Shots
The Avett Brothers Oct. 2, Zilker Park As evidenced by their brand new disc, I and Love and You, the Avett Brothers, known for their careening mix of folk and bluegrass, have reached a turning point in their career. Whether their already fervent fan base follows the North Carolina ramblers down this new path is…
ACL Live Shots
Pearl Jam Oct. 4, Zilker Park Eddie Vedder maintained a full court press throughout ACL 2009 weekend. In addition to leading his band in closing out the fest with a rousing two hours of rib-rattling rock, Vedder sat in with Kings of Leon on Friday and taped a studio session of Austin City Limits the…
Gilliam Retires
Will a change in leadership give Cap Metro the fuel it needs to move forward?
Beeswax
This Austin-shot indie from Andrew Bujalski is a remarkably naturalistic slice of life.
Thai Me Up – Thai Me Down
Thamnak Thai 200 Buttercup Creek, Cedar Park, 512/331-3810 Monday-Thursday, 11am-3pm, 5-9:30pm; Friday, 11am-3pm, 5-10pm; Saturday, 11am-10pm; Sunday, 4-9pm www.thamnakthai.com Conveniently located close to Austin Community College’s Cedar Park campus, Thamnak Thai is an unassuming little place in a boring strip mall – the kind of place you might not even see if you didn’t already…
‘Beeswax’ Buzzes Back Into Town
Andrew Bujalski’s homegrown film gets a local theatrical run
ACL Live Shots
The Low Anthem Oct. 2, Zilker Park The Low Anthem is basking in contradiction, torn between the alternating pulls of howled, unsettling grit and delicately resolute Americana ballads. The Rhode Island trio revels equally in anachronism, most apparent when frontman Ben Knox Miller reached behind an antique organ for a pair of cell phones, vibrating…
ACL Live Shots
Alela Diane Oct. 4, Zilker Park With her dad on guitar and mandolin; Alina Hardin, with whom she shares a new six-song EP, on backup vocals; and a bearded rhythm section, Alela Diane started off Sunday morning with the feel of a real bluegrass band. That classic sound is all over her major label debut,…
Precinct 4
Former council member seeks seat on commissioners court
A Woman in Berlin
This is that rarest of wartime dramas: an intimate, sorrowful glimpse into the heart and loins of the hellish aftermath of war when sex is used as a weapon.
Thai Me Up – Thai Me Down
MuangThai 13945 Hwy. 183 N. Ste. C-80, 219-5999 Monday-Friday, 11am-3pm, 4-10pm; Saturday-Sunday, noon-10pm www.muangthaithaicuisine.com Muangthai might be one of the best-kept restaurant secrets in Austin. Inconspicuously located off Highway 183 North (last free exit!) in the strip mall anchored by Strait Music and Gold’s Gym, this cozy oasis serves an excellent Thai experience with friendly…
Game On, Game On Austin
So much supreme awesomeness to be had at this free, all-ages event
ACL Live Shots
Phoenix Oct. 2, Zilker Park “We have to come to Texas to see this!” exclaimed Phoenix singer Thomas Mars, proclaiming the surprisingly mammoth crowd the largest audience the French quintet had performed in front of. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix opener “Lisztomania” put the new album’s best foot forward, another evolutionary leap forward in the act’s decadelong…
ACL Live Shots
Rodriguez Oct. 4, Zilker Park Nearly four decades after releasing his brilliant debut of psych-folk realism, Rodriguez brought Cold Fact to life in front of a thin early Sunday crowd. Dressed from head to toe in black save for a silver peace-sign belt buckle, the forgotten folkie thoroughly charmed despite looking a little lost at…
MetroRail Watch
How long will we wait for the train?
Séraphine
This is a rapturous, utterly engrossing account of the life of early 20th century French artist Séraphine de Senlis.
After a Fashion
Stephen’s Home Alone adventure was not at all like Macaulay Culkin’s
Thai Me Up – Thai Me Down
Thai Spoon 3720 Gattis School Rd. #400, 733-2233 Monday-Thursday, 11am-2pm, 5-9pm; Friday-Saturday, 11am-2pm, 5-10pm; Sunday, 5-9pm www.thaispoonrestaurant.com Encouraged by the success of their first Thai restaurant in Orlando, Nikki Pantade and her family moved to Round Rock three years ago and opened Thai Spoon. Located in the Forest Commons shopping center, Thai Spoon has an…
TV Eye
Charting where Austin community television has been and celebrating where it’s going
ACL Live Shots
The Knux/K’Naan Oct. 2, Zilker Park 1:30pm is a little early for live hip-hop, no matter who’s manning the mic. When it’s a group as undeveloped as the Knux, keeping the crowd hyped can prove damn near impossible. Brothers Krispy Kream and Rah Almillio pulled out all the tricks that make her say “Oohh!” though.…
ACL Live Shots
Passion Pit Oct. 4, Zilker Park I recently mused that many of the tunes from Passion Pit’s debut LP, Manners, would blossom onstage, and I was right, even though it took the Boston quintet 20 minutes to achieve combustion levels. Kicking off on “Eyes as Candles,” singer Michael Angelakos behind a Wurlitzer, the set sustained…
Throwdown at Travis High
LULAC, NAACP square off against principal
Revanche
Austria’s nominee last year for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar is a taut yet unpredictable psychological thriller that deserves wide appreciation outside its homeland.
Thai Me Up – Thai Me Down
Thai Cuisine 4101 W. Parmer Ste. F, 835-7888 Monday-Thursday, 11am-2:30pm, 5-9:30pm; Friday, 11am-2:30pm, 5-10pm; Saturday, noon-3pm, 5-10pm; Sunday, noon-3pm, 5-9:30pm www.thaicuisineaustin.com My favorite aspect of Thai Cuisine in far north Austin is the all-you-can-eat appetizer bar. Featuring fresh raw spring rolls, a spicy tom yum soup, salad, and two types of hot fried spring rolls…
It’s a Landslide … Tie!
AFS Documentary Tour: Harvard Beats Yale 29-29
ACL Live Shots
Bassnectar Oct. 2, Zilker Park Looking like Cousin It enthusiastically checking his e-mail, Bassnectar kept the kids moving with an eclectic mishmash of pop tracks and skull-rattling bass. The Bay Area DJ born Lorin Ashton opened with Pink Floyd bouncing into Barrington Levy as he presided over an array of technological gadgetry. Tryptamine-friendly graphics accompanied…
ACL Live Shots
Ben Sollee Oct. 4, Zilker Park Seated with his cello center stage between accompanying fiddle and drums, Ben Sollee radiated a boyish charm under the Wildflower Center tent. Opening gently behind the plea of “A Few Honest Words,” Sollee’s songs waged the political and personal with his soulful, high-ranging croon and dexterous string arrangements, “How…
Dem Candidates Make Beeline for the Bench
Civil district court judgeships will likely be secured in the March primary
Letters at 3AM: The Missiles of October
Reflections on the Cuban Missile Crisis
Thai Me Up – Thai Me Down
Plus Some Old Favorites … Little Thailand 4315 Caldwell Ln., Del Valle, 512/247-3855 Despite the sad passing of owner Dick Simcoe this summer, the oldest Thai restaurant in Central Texas remains open with wife Surin at the helm, offering the same great food and atmosphere. Madam Mam’s 2514 Guadalupe, 472-8306; 4514 West Gate Blvd., 899-8525;…
The Common Law
I Don’t Want the Government to Take My Property
ACL Live Shots
Coheed & Cambria Oct. 2, Zilker Park As Friday’s other token metal act, New Jersey’s post-proggers Coheed & Cambria must have been tempted to soften their set. Instead, they blazed with every big, bombastic battle hymn in their back catalog. The jackhammer sprint of opener “No World for Tomorrow” took time to emerge from a…
ACL Live Shots
Arctic Monkeys Oct. 4, Zilker Park Not even Josh Homme can soil the Arctic Monkeys. The Queen of the Stone Age produced most of the UK quartet’s third LP, Humbug, from which this storming ACL set drew its moody aplomb. Like the album, the band pulled fire from smoldering coals, but make no mistake, Homme’s…
Dispatches From Denmark
Katherine Gregor blogs daily from Copenhagen as the city prepares to host the U.N. Climate Change Conference
Thai Me Up – Thai Me Down
‘Tis the season for Thai in Austin
Food-o-File
TRIO at the Four Seasons’ Todd Duplechan won the Texas Chef Showdown last week during Go Texan Restaurant Round-Up, and the event’s produce proved that even corporate restaurants are supporting local food sources
The Hightower Report
Hyatt Riot; and The Chicken War
ACL Live Shots
Them Crooked Vultures Oct. 2, Zilker Park “We’re manhandling our music in a very feminine way,” Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme told the Chronicle at ACL 2007. That sentiment holds true for Them Crooked Vultures, his new project with Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones and Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters. Despite the…
ACL Live Shots
The Dead Weather Oct. 4, Zilker Park In Puritan times, Alison Mosshart would burn at the stake. Fronting the Dead Weather – a band most commonly referred to as Jack White’s latest side project – it was the Kills’ leading lady that demanded total attention on Sunday. Dressed for a biker funeral, Mosshart appeared a…
Justice Can Wait
On eve of hearing, Perry reshuffles the Forensic Science Commission
The Latest Proposal
Downtown businesses and orgs form an alliance
Event Menu
Foodie events in and around Austin during the month of October
New in Print
Cult fave Tao Lin’s autobiographical novella is centered around a young Brooklynite with girl and law troubles
ACL Live Shots
Yeah Yeah Yeahs Oct. 2, Zilker Park Karen O’s come a long way since pouring beers on herself in a ripped prom dress and blacking out onstage. She’s harnessed her frontwoman powers for good, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs have proven themselves arena-ready. Friday night, she walked onstage in a hood, then removed it to…
Are You Experienced?
Why art that actively engages audiences is quintessentially Austin
Sanders Shooting
Independent investigators criticize internal review of APD shooting
Thai Me Up – Thai Me Down
Thai Harmony 4300 Quinlan Park Rd., 535-7975 Monday-Thursday, 11:30am-2pm, 4:30-9pm; Friday-Saturday, 11:30am-2pm, 4:30-10pm; Sunday, 5-9pm www.thaiharmony.us Thai Harmony is located right in the heart of Steiner Ranch, and despite the far-flung location, the focus of the menu is on authentic Thai dishes, with only a few non-Thai offerings. The owner/chef, C.K. Viranam, is in the…
Wine of the Week
Called ‘undervalued treasures’ by James Halliday, all three of these McWilliam’s Wines compete handily with wines twice their price
New in Print
This sometimes comic story collection explores the relationships between celebrities and animals
ACL Live Shots
Kings of Leon Oct. 2, Zilker Park Verging on the superstar status that’s eluded them in their native country, the Kings of Leon are unapologetic in their desire to be worshipped. Relying on soft-loud swells and concussive video screens, the Memphis quartet’s opening night ACL set was flirty enough for Twilight tweens to feel dangerous…
Soccer Watch
Longhorn goalkeeper Alexa Gaul named Big 12 defensive player of the week, and more
The KeyPoint Report
Posted here is the KeyPoint Government Solutions report of its independent investigation into the May 11 APD shooting of Nathaniel Sanders II at the Walnut Creek Apartments. Pending completion of the APD review and any disciplinary action, the publicly released report has been heavily redacted, and this is all that is available at this time.
Thai Me Up – Thai Me Down
Exotic Thai 11220 N. Lamar #306, 719-4300 Monday-Friday, 11am-2:30pm, 4:30-10pm; Saturday, noon-10pm; Sunday, closed Owner Lin Pai has been on board for about a month, having bought Exotic Thai from the founding owners. The space is bright and modern and sits at the west end of a strip on the southwest corner of Braker and…
Austin Cocktail Throwdown
La Condesa mixes this year’s Official Drink of Austin
Day Trips
The Brazos Indian Reservation began as an effort to provide native Texans with a homeland, yet ended in tragedy
ACL Live Shots
Mos Def Oct. 3, Zilker Park “I’m trying to play it cool ’cause I’m a little nervous.” Funny to hear that from someone as cool, calm, and collected as mighty Mos Def. The Brooklyn native had already stripped a suspender and knocked out a percussion set teasing The Ecstatic’s opener “Supermagic” by the time his…
Oops!
In “Watching Jay Like a Hawk,” News, Oct. 2, we mistakenly printed that a “request for comment from Cap Metro and/or StarTran was not returned as of press time.” The passage was not updated to reflect the fact that reporter Lee Nichols’ call was indeed returned, though he and StarTran General Manager Terry Garcia Crews…
Thai Me Up – Thai Me Down
Pad Thai Thai Cuisine 1201 Barbara Jordan Blvd. #1220, 469-1778; 13000 N. I-35, Bldg. 12 #200, 491-6904 Daily, 11am-10pm We went to the newer of the two locations, which is in the mega strip mall in the Mueller development, several blocks east of I-35, in the northeast corner of the southern block of stores. Its…
Mr. Smarty Pants Knows
Playing with dolls, killing widows, and more
Gay Place
This week, when you see red, you see love
ACL Live Shots
Alberta Cross Oct. 3, Zilker Park After the gold rush of new indie folk at ACL over the past several years, it’s pretty easy to size up Alberta Cross. The Brooklyn transplants have roots in Sweden (singer Petter Ericson Stakee) and the UK (bassist Terry Wolfers), looked like the Black Crowes, and mined an Americana…
Page Two: And It Was All Right
Notes on a life saved by rock & roll
Paranormal Activity
Should you believe the viral marketing hype about this techno-era haunted-house movie that’s been playing sold-out midnight runs? Or Marc Savlov?
DAA Proposes New Anti-Solicitation Ordinance
A proposal to amend the current city of Austin anti-solicitation ordinance
The Last Laugh
Remembering the late underground comic Mitch Hedberg
Arts Review
The show is at its best when its two leads are locked in combat like boxers in a ring
ACL Live Shots
Bon Iver Oct. 3, Zilker Park The weather was perfect for Bon Iver’s set. Even Justin Vernon said so. Backed by a threepiece band, Wisconsin boy Vernon, in a white T-shirt and jeans, welcomed the downpour Saturday afternoon, opener “Creature Fear” ending with a thunderbolt of noise. In fact, it was the noisier jams where…
Point Austin: Some Spare Change on Panhandling
Austin tries to balance street-level charity and public order
The Invention of Lying
Ricky Gervais lies through his teeth for laughs.
Thai Me Up – Thai Me Down
Subsin’s Authentic Thai Food 5517 Manchaca Rd., 462-1450 Monday-Friday, 11am-3pm, 5-10pm; Saturday, noon-10pm; Sunday, 5-10pm www.subsinthai.food.officelive.com As Thai places go in Austin, South Austin’s Subsin’s is one of the more authentic. An entirely family-run operation, the restaurant has been in business for nearly three years. Thailand native Kidagorn Amatyakul, who goes by the nickname Joe,…
Go Greek: AFS Essential Cinema
AFS Essential Cinema: From the Shadows: Greek Independent Cinema
Arts Review
Ballet Austin’s fowl-centric program bagged a comforting swan and powerful Firebird
ACL Live Shots
The Levon Helm Band Oct. 3, Zilker Park Levon Helm was on “doctor ordered vocal rest,” so he neither sang nor spoke a word. That didn’t keep him from his drum kit or a turn at the mandolin while leading his massive 12-piece band. As luck would have it, the rain stopped just before they…
City Hall Hustle: What’s Your Incentive?
Citizens question the city’s standards for drawing employers
Paris
Paris, from the French director of When the Cat’s Away, follows a half-dozen-plus Parisians and their interconnectedness.
Thai Me Up – Thai Me Down
Sala Thai Drinks 9924 Manchaca Rd., 971-2251 Monday-Saturday, 7:30am-5pm; Sunday, closed Those who frequent the busy intersection of Slaughter and Manchaca Road may have noticed the tiny trailer in the parking lot of Neighborhood Hardware that houses Sala Thai Drinks. Owner Sirinlak “Oui” Jordan, a former server at Satay, started selling iced Thai tea, coffee,…
Peter and the Wolf
Playwright Allison Gregory schticks it to the kids’ classic in a new stage adaptation
Arts Review
In this show, the eye of the beholder is in the beauty as much as beauty is in that eye
ACL Live Shots
The Decemberists Oct. 3, Zilker Park The Decemberists stood in the misty October rain and with orchestral grace bestowed upon Austin its second performance this year of The Hazards of Love. The überliterate folk-rock quintet from Portland, Ore., presented its tour de force at South by Southwest in March, but a summer of touring made…
Headlines
• Look what just blew in: Austin Energy General Manager Roger Duncan announced Wednesday that he’ll retire effective March 1, 2010, after 35 years with the city. Duncan is credited with spearheading most of the utility’s energy efficiency and renewable production programs. • City Council doesn’t meet this week, but Mayor Lee Leffingwell was on…
Crude
Expert documentarian Joe Berlinger sheds light on the epic environmental lawsuit filed by 30,000 Ecuadorans against the oil company Texaco, which is now owned by Chevron.
Luv Doc Recommends: Lebowski Fest
It’s been nearly a generation since Rick Linklater’s seminal film established Austin as the center of the slacker universe, a lazy little college town where people mostly just sat around talking about weird, esoteric shit and did little else (except wander off in a sort of ADD tangent to the next vignette). Apparently, a lot…
