Cover Story
Can This District Be Saved?
The revival of the Warehouse District is rooted in Austin’s history – and its popularity is also its peril
The Numbers Game
Perry, Hutchison remain in statistical tie
This Week’s Waste of Time
Two free online games keep it short and less than sweet.
ASF Celebrates Its Fall Issue With a Free and Cozy-Sounding Event
American Short Fiction will host a house party with reading and music Friday night
Don’t Miss the Bus With the Totally Awesome AusChron Newscast!
Newscast waxes Cap Metro, City Council, WTP4, and Nathaniel Sanders
The Queers Go Marching One by One
Join the Impact is organizing a Central Texas contingent for the Equality March on Washington.
Legeland at the DNC: Hank Gilbert
Dem governor race hopeful discusses why he’s running for the mansion (video)
The SBOE, Social Studies, and God
Education board takes up curriculum changes
Big 12 Power Rankings Week 2
Cowboys drop, Horns stand tall
National Closeup Alert: Dwell Spotlights Austin Architects
Dwell magazine focuses on local architects.
Linked on Austin Game Developers Conference
Play the games without all the boring talk
Howl, Fantods, Howl.
The late, great David Foster Wallace’s work gets an Austintatious celebration as Infinite Summer more or less reaches its climax.
Saturday Night’s Alright
Bloodshot Records, Joe Ely, and David Bromberg compete for your attention
Rock Out With Your Dogs Out
The awesomest documentary about an animatronic band of animals comes to DVD
Mama Was a Rodeo
Bradley Beesley’s Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo debuts on Cinemax
Legeland at the DNC: John Sharp
Former comptroller’s speech to the Netroots ‘N Boots meeting (video)
Doggett Down on Baucus Plan
Austin congressman calls new plan “capitulation”
Fantastic Fest to Kick off Nationwide Sneaks of ‘Paranormal Activity’
This isn’t like chain mail, is it?
Kino No Contigo – UPDATED
Mission state rep standing down after indictments
Roasting Glenn Beck, Glenn Beck Style
A satirical website challenges Glenn Beck to his own game
And Then There Were Five
Four more names for the House District 52 Republican primary
Talk to the Hand (of God)
James Hannaham reads at BookPeople in support of his debut novel God Says No
Elections Are ‘Go’ in Wilco
Republicans enter House and Senate races in Williamson County
They Were All My Friends
The death of rock poet Jim Carroll
Legeland at the DNC: Bill White
Houston mayor turned Senate candidate talks election strategy and enviro policy.
Banking on Hard Hits
TXRD Lonestar playoff tonight
Tina Marsh Tribute Moved to St. James Episcopal Church
CO2’s Echoes of the Heart changes location
Jay Wyatt Fired by Cap Metro
Cap Metro claims “sexual harassment”; Union president charges “retaliation”
UT Polishes the Dream Machine
Will it be a season of almosts or aww yeahs?
Photoshop This!
How one little computer program conquered women’s image of themselves.
S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y Hey Hey!
Teen bands play to support awareness of autism
Big 12 Power Rankings (and Whatnot)
Impressions in the aftermath of Week 1
Americano Rock
Los Fabulocos’ Kid Ramos is rooted in Chicano rock
Stars Sign New Players, Release Preseason Schedule
More news from the Stars camp
Texas Book Festival Announces Lineup
Heavy-hitter attendees include Margaret Atwood, Jonathan Safran Foer, and Jonathan Lethem
TV Eye
The Sundance Channel debuts a new four-part series that goes behind the scenes at Fashion Week
Phases & Stages
Michael Jackson Hello World: The Motown Solo Collection (Hip-O Select) Motown’s 50th inadvertently eulogizes MJ via the teen’s three 1970s LPs for the then-L.A. indie in a 3-CD limited-edition hardcover postcard. Jackson cooks Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine,” but outside Ben’s No. 1 title cut, kitchen-sink material betrays its interpreter’s life inexperience in light of…
Hogwarts at Austin High?
Some Austin High parents say the Academy of Global Studies should be its own school
New in Print
Galloway was born a storyteller, and her narrative gifts are in full force throughout her new memoir
Off the Record
Creative Opportunities Orchestra pays tribute to Tina Marsh, local bands find new ways to finance their recordings, and the many hats of Stop the Truck
Phases & Stages
The Miracles Depend on Me: The Early Albums (Hip-O Select) Smokey Robinson penned a Brill Building’s worth of immortality, which makes Miracles albums Motown’s best smash-n-grabs. The imprint’s platinum debut, “Shop Around,” introduces 1961’s tremulous Hi, We’re the Miracles, while Cookin’ With the Miracles slumps on filler (“Embraceable You”). I’ll Try Something New boasts “What’s…
MetroRail Watch
Cap Metro is working on its FY 2010 budget and has moved some federal stimulus cash away from MetroRail to regular operations, but since the arm was hanging all the way down anyway ….
Gamer
Gerard Butler stars in this futuristic thriller set in a multiplayer online gaming universe.
Event Menu
Foodie events for Sept. 10-24
I Built My Girlfriend’s iPod
Stranded on a desert island? At least you have your iPodSolar.
Phases & Stages
The Supremes & the Four Tops Magnificent: The Complete Studio Duets (Hip-O Select) Diana Ross took the voice, but the Supremes’ personality belonged to founder Flo Ballard, meaning respective replacements Jean Terrell and Cindy Birdsong (plus Mary Wilson) cede their baby love to Tops top Levi Stubbs on three 1970s hookups. The Magnificent 7 holsters…
Obama’s School Daze
Local schools react to the hubbub over Obama’s school speech
All About Steve
Sandra Bullock plays it kooky in this romantic comedy in which she stalks a CNN cameraman (Bradley Cooper) with whom she’s smitten.
Food-o-File
French, Indian, and Gulf of Mexico seafood newcomers; restyled Japanese surf with American turf; and postprandial treats for both humans and canines
Gay Place
Get on back to school with your queer self
A Year Later
Galveston marks Ike anniversary with celebrations of recovery and rebirth
9
9 is a beautifully and imaginatively animated fable, whose vague story about social cooperation is not equal to its visual grandeur.
Restaurant Review
Cafe Laguna 3809 W. 35th, 458-8191 x211 Monday-Friday, 11am-4pm Cafe Laguna has opened at Austin Museum of Art – Laguna Gloria. There has been a trend nationally to update museum cafeterias from “places to grab a bite while you’re at the museum” to “places you would actually want to eat, located in really beautiful surroundings”…
Day Trips
George Kalesik is the sign king of the ‘Watermelon Capital of Texas’
How Does TDR Work?
Although new to Austin, transfer of development rights has been used elsewhere to preserve historic buildings and districts (as well as farmland and green space) for more than 40 years. New York was the first U.S. city to adopt TDR provisions, as part of its 1965 Landmarks Preservation Law. (In 1998, its TDR was expanded…
State Facilities Head Leaves for Consulting Gig
Former city employee steps in as interim director
The September Issue
This intriguing documentary observes Anna Wintour and her staff at Vogue put together the magazine’s September 2007 issue, its biggest issue ever.
Wine of the Week
Cheap wines with funky labels and screw-tops
Cultural Arts Division
Learn from the city how public art happens and how the downturn is affecting local creatives
Then and Now
304 W. Fourth Then: The Hollywood, 1979 Now: The Ginger Man Wrecking-Ball Ready: This 1912 warehouse (which housed the Ginger Man pub for 15 years) was recently approved for a “partial demolition” city permit. According to Austin Historic Preservation Officer Steve Sadowsky, that means that only the street facade must be preserved, to be incorporated…
Naked City
News briefs from Austin, the region, and beyond
It Might Get Loud
Masters of rock guitar – Jimmy Page, the Edge, and Jack White – gather for a summit of the generations, caught by the lens of An Inconvenient Truth‘s Davis Guggenheim.
Indie Pizzas II
The return of indie pizzas!
Out of Bounds Comedy Festival
In its eighth year, the annual Austin comedy festival did this city proud
The Common Law
Avoid Future Dispute With Your New Landlord
Austin to Grow Green Roofs
New city-appointed group explores strategies for encouraging green roofs
Lorna’s Silence
Belgium’s Dardenne brothers deliver another striking film marked by its realistic milieu and moral quandaries.
Indie Pizzas II
House Pizzeria 5111 Airport, 600-4999 Tuesday-Sunday, 11am-10pm; Monday, closed www.housepizzeria.com House Pizzeria is a nondescript building from the outside, but pleasantly low-key, cleanly designed, and groovy inside. It has a fantastic, eclectic, and cheap CD jukebox, as well as a limited but superb mix of beers on tap, with Italian sodas, sangria, Mexican Coke, and…
Personnel Changes
With the record heat, August brought the departures of three executive directors
The World Is Flat
How King of the Hill helped make Texas three-dimensional again
Innocent Man Put to Death?
Report questions forensic science that led to possibly innocent man’s execution
Indie Pizzas II
Yaghi’s New York Pizzeria 4220 W. William Cannon, 891-7900; various locations Sunday-Thursday, 10am-9pm; Friday-Saturday, 10am-10pm www.yaghisnewyorkpizzeria.com Yaghi’s is geared toward neighborhood delivery, as evidenced by the bank of phones and the mountain of to-go boxes (at the William Cannon location). The website makes it seem more restaurant than pizzeria, but think pizzeria and you’re on…
Mr. Smarty Pants Knows
Mice, cats, Taft, and more
Crafting the Autobiography of Another Man
AFS Documentary Tour: The Windmill Movie
Reefer Madness: Seeds vs. Suds
Marijuana: A safer alternative to America’s favorite social lubricant?
Indie Pizzas II
Stony’s Mobile Pizza Kitchen Corner of Sixth and Red River, 287-0666 Wednesday-Saturday, 9pm-3am Father and son Steve and Tony Cohn (who came up with the name “Stony’s” by combining their first names) came to Austin from Worcester, Mass., bringing East Coast pizza expertise with them. Somehow, they’re managing to make some of the best pizza…
After a Fashion
In between TV marathons, Stephen Skip-Bos to his Lou all over town at the functions he can still make it to
Ending the Water War
What if enviros and the city partnered on water conservation?
Ike and the 81st Lege
When Hurricane Ike devastated the Gulf Coast, Gov. Rick Perry did not see fit to call a special session of the state Legislature. Instead, he waited for the regular session, when lawmakers passed a series of bills intended to rebuild Galveston and prepare for the next hurricane: Senate Bill 1: The state budget. The biggest…
Indie Pizzas II
The Red House Pizzeria 1917 Manor Rd., 391-9500 Daily, 5pm-12mid www.redhouselounge.com Little brother of El Chile and El Chilito, the Red House features a Western kitsch Joel Mozersky design. It’s morphed from El Gringo to Stortini to the Red House Lounge (the Stortini pizzas caught on, and besides, they had hauled that wonderful 20-plus-year-old stone-lined…
Letters at 3AM
We share a collective amnesia about the 1950 U.S. law that permitted the concentration camp internment of known Communists and others “liable to become subversives”
Arts Review
Improvised Mamet as sharp and fast as gunfire; Trek a bit slow getting to warp speed
Point Austin: Did You Work Last Weekend?
Reflections on the value of Texas labor
Indie Pizzas II
Tony C’s Coal Fired Pizza 12800 Hill Country Blvd., 263-3473 Sunday-Thursday, 11am-10pm; Friday-Saturday, 11am-11pm www.tonycs.com Tony C’s is located in the Hill Country Galleria (northwest corner of Highway 71 and Bee Caves Road), right next to the Cinemark Theatre. It’s a two-story affair, with limited seating upstairs and most of the tables downstairs where the…
Phases & Stages
Behemoth Evangelion (Metal Blade) Poland’s export quotient rolls out far less than its prime death metal exponent Behemoth, founded in 1991 Gda´nsk. Global economic collapse has thus circumvented both the Central European republic and the band’s sole original singer/guitarist, Adam “Nergal” Darski. Evangelion, Behemoth’s ninth LP, beckons tourism sure as late Polish film director Krzysztof…
Arts Review
The painters’ craft in service of art doesn’t get much better than in this two-person show
City Hall Hustle: Discount Government, Part II
Historically low city tax rates bite back in the longer run
Indie Pizzas II
Pizzeria Corvina 3107 S. I-35 #840, Round Rock, 512/310-2625 Sunday-Wednesday, 11am-10pm; Thursday-Saturday, 11am-12mid www.pizzeriacorvina.com Corvina is a new spot in a shopping center on the east frontage of I-35, just south of the SH 45 toll road. It’s richly decorated and has a warm feel, especially when you can see the flames of the coal-fired…
Phases & Stages
Reigning Sound Love and Curses (In the Red) Greg Cartwright qualifies as a Memphis great. His ear for hooky, three-minute pop and penchant for heartbreak songs translated well when Reigning Sound backed Shangri-La Mary Weiss on 2007’s Dangerous Game. Since then, the singer/guitarist has settled into his talents after nearly a decade with the Memphis-bred…
Arts Review
This show of portraits invites us to linger over and study faces, to really see them
Headlines
• Persistent severe drought conditions continue to stress Austin’s public pools, and the shallow (children’s) side of Deep Eddy Pool was closed last week due to low well flow; the upstream well currently remains sufficient to fill the deep side, which the city hopes to keep open while well maintenance work proceeds. Flows at Barton…
Scenes From the Warehouse District
Colorado Street, looking southeast at former site of the Bitter End (now a parking lot) A parking lot, formerly the site of the Bitter End, looking southwest toward Third and Colorado Spaghetti Warehouse, 117 W. Fourth Fourth and Colorado, looking north Fourth Street, looking west toward Lavaca Cedar Street Courtyard, between Saba Blue Water Cafe…
Indie Pizzas II
Rounders 1203 W. Sixth, 477-0404 Sunday-Thursday, 11:30am-10pm; Friday-Saturday, 11:30am-11:30pm www.rounderspizzeria.com Located in an old house several blocks west of Lamar, Rounders gives you a 1950s cocktail-lounge vibe, strongly reinforced by the early Vegas-era furnishings and decorations. A few video games are inside, and there’s a bar with a big selection, but it’s all about the…
Phases & Stages
Jay Reatard Watch Me Fall (Matador) Memphis’ great white hope of garage rock, Jay Reatard has coughed out more singles than a broken soda machine. Sadly, the anticipation for his proper Matador debut has obviously taken its toll. Slower, colder, darker than 2006’s thrilling Blood Visions and lacking much of its harsh urgency and gripping…
Page Two: Hard Filter
Has perception become reality?
Res Publica
Citizens calendar, Sept. 10-17
Corps de Garbage
Allison Orr’s latest dance pays tribute to the working folks who take out the trash
Indie Pizzas II
Brooklyn Pie Co. 8127 Mesa Ste. B-202, 346-1414; 2711 La Frontera #330, Round Rock, 512/255-1414 Daily, 10:30am–9pm www.brooklynpie.com Located in a strip center, this pizzeria is decorated with items that try to evoke a New York City of the past. The website tells us a story about how David Ross wanted to be the first…
Phases & Stages
Crayon Angel: A Tribute to the Music of Judee Sill (American Dust) Yim Yames Tribute To (ATO) Judee Sill’s obscurity lasted until her only two albums, 1971’s eponymous debut and 1972’s Heart Food, were reissued in 2005. Thirty years after her fatal heroin overdose, she’s again found indie acclaim. Ron Sexsmith and Beth Orton are…
Soccer Watch
Aztex lose final home game of the season, and more
Envision Next Session
Having lost its two big battles at the Lege, Envision Central Texas retrenches to win the war
Another Shadow-Day Knight
The Harry Ransom Center uncasks the curious life and works of Edgar Allan Poe
The Hightower Report
New Elephant-in-Chief?; and Man vs. Wall Street
Phases & Stages
Richard Thompson Richard Thompson: Walking on a Wire (1968-2009) (Shout! Factory) Anthologizing Richard Thompson finally got it right. First came 1993’s Watching the Dark. With odd sequencing and many previously unreleased tracks, some rejected it. 2006’s RT from UK folk label Free Reed was an unruly five-disc mess for obsessives only. Walking on a Wire…
Sex Ed: Parents Just Don’t Understand
Survey shows that local parents overestimate their influence on teens’ sex ed
Q&A: Austin�s Coastal Neighbors
How Galveston looks to its past to prepare for its future – and what that means for Austin
Luv Doc Recommends: Austin Gay & Lesbian International Film Festival
In Europe, it’s almost impossible to tell a straight man from a gay man. Everyone carries purses. Everyone walks around in hipster shoes. Everyone wears really tight swimsuits. They’re not even embarrassed about it either. They’ll just stand there casually holding a conversation with a bas-relief of their kibbles and bits bulging out of a…
