Cover Story
Austin’s Cultural Makeover: The Next Stage
How much closer we are to getting the cultural wonderland we imagined 10 years ago
Man From Plains
Thirty years ago, our nation was gently bemused by the words and actions of our one-term president, Jimmy Carter, as he spoke candidly about having lusted in his heart and challenged us to fight the oil embargo by lowering thermostats, donning sweaters in the cold and casual clothes instead of business suits in the heat…
The ‘Damaged’ Cycle
The Dirty Projectors’ Dave Longstreth discusses the remaking of a hardcore classic.
Houston Stomps KC, KEYE to Air Titans Again, but Texans Return to KEYE in Week Three
The first thing I noticed at Reliant Stadium on Sunday was that the fans were actually in their seats. Not out in the parking lot tailgating, not at home doing whatever it is they do on Sunday afternoon. The fans – decked out in all-white apparel, as were the players – were eager to see…
Women’s World Cup Breakfast Continues Tomorrow
Over the past decade or so, I’ve developed a tradition (habit? obsession?) of hosting World Cup breakfasts at my house, matching national cuisines to the countries playing that day. This year, with the Women’s World Cup held in China, and all games live at 4am and 7am, the timing is, well, challenging. But the true…
After Hippie Hour
Casper Rawls takes over the Continental Club’s Tuesday’s Hippie Hour.
Single-Member Districts On Tap Tonight
City looking for community support of the Charter Revision Task Force.
ACL: The Bloc Party
The ACL Aftershows.
Lady Longhorns, Plus Euro Results & Schedules
The UT Lady Longhorns rose to No. 3 in the national rankings, but suffered their first loss of the season Sunday night, 2-0 at Arizona, after beating Arizona State Friday. The Horns (now No. 7) now have six straight home games, starting with UT-San Antonio, Friday, Sept. 14, 7pm, then unbeaten LSU on Tuesday, Sept.…
Women’s World Cup: Early Headlines
How are you starting off your long ACL weekend? I know what I’m going to see first: the Friday 4am U.S.-Sweden game in the Women’s World Cup. With one game now in the books for every team, it’s been a great tournament so far. Here are some headlines from the first three days: • Blitzkreig!…
City Hall About to Explode?
The budget may be adopted, but the tension at City Hall hasn’t gone anywhere.
Me and Miss Jones
Shirley Jones looks back at playing against type.
Catching Up With No Country for Old Men
The first film I attended was something I really wanted to see, but also an attempt to catch up with festival-goers who had already caught some of Toronto’s films at Cannes in May and Venice last month. No Country for Old Men by the Coen brothers is based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy and…
Austin Noise Limits
Noise alternatives to ACL weekend.
Austin City Store: A Taxing Place?
How was the Austin City Store funded?
Spirit Warriors: Made in China?
Wal-Mart + Christian Toys = ?
Mascot-on-Mascot Crime
Thanks to former Score blogger Chris Gray for bringing this clip to our attention. The Oregon Duck lets loose on the Houston Cougar who needs a little help from the cheerleading squad. Now I’d like to see the Ice Bats’ mascot, Fang, and the Toros’ mascot, Da Bull, go 10 rounds. Enjoy the clip.
About a Son
The new Kurt Cobain doc features music from some once-locals.
Silk
Silk 2007, R, 111 min. Directed by François Girard, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Keira Knightley, Michael Pitt, Kôji Yakusho, Alfred Molina, Miki Nakatani, Sei Ashina, Callum Keith Rennie. Living in a small French village in the 19th century is complicated business. Sun-dappled woods, gardens full of lilies, Knightley’s beaming face. Young, in…
Fashion Fourth-ward
PR’s newest designers come out.
Proof that Cops Always Have the Best Stash, Pt. 3
Herein find the sad tale of a pleasure trip to Houston (!) gone terribly wrong….
Feds: More Roads Will Save Us
Feds confirm more cash for the Trans-Texas corridor and I-10.
ACL: The Final Countdown
Dylan takes Saturday; Rodrigo y Gabriela drop out.
Saying Goodbye to the City Store
The sure to be little lamented gift shop closes at month’s end.
Likkers Are Lekker
Have a lick, won’t you?
Straw Pollsters
Will the Texas presidential straw polls end up meaning more than the actual primaries?
Keeping up With the Joneses and the Charleses
So the Texas Longhorns pulled it off in a convincing 34-13 victory. Just when fans were ready to burn their 2005 Nat’l Champ T-shirts in effigy after six quarters of lackluster play against underdog opponents, the Horns showed they’re no Michigan. What they are is a group of young and old talent still stretching out…
The Scope of Evil
Despite my deep loathing for the forces of Evil, I consider Tom Brady the best quarterback in the NFL (forgive me, Peyton) and the man showed up and proved it on Sunday. I have never seen a quarterback who has better technique and pocket presence, and I’ve met Joe Montana, and Brady’s deep completion to…
Beware the Perry-nator
Rick Perry lays into Arnie as GOP unity dissolves in California.
Live-Blogging the City Budget Adoption
Continuously updated blog of the budget adoption.
Four Flies on Grey Velvet
Four Flies on Grey Velvet 1972, PG, 104 min. Directed by Dario Argento, Starring Michael Brandon, Mimsy Farmer, Jean-Pierre Marielle, Bud Spencer. Wild giallo film is the last entry in the “Animal Trilogy” from Italian master of horror Dario Argento.
Oh, Britney
Oh, Britney, Britney, Britney.
Fly the Friendly Skies
Yesterday I wrote that I believed I had been attending the Toronto Film Festival for around 12 years. Well now, in a roundabout way, I have proof that it’s been at least 10. At the Austin airport, I thought all my problems were behind me after they finally found my reservation in their system. Ten…
KEYE to Air Titans Season Opener, not Texans
Local Houston Texans fans are going to have to head to the nearest sports bar to catch the season opener versus the Chiefs on TV because KEYE TV (Austin’s CBS affiliate) has decided to air Vince Young and the Titans in that time slot. The Chronicle recently received a letter to the editor from a…
Score One for Michael Moore
Texas takes a small step that may mean medical insurers can’t use financial shell games to avoid payments,
Gibby Speaks!
Gibby Haynes talks about his problems.
Born Free
Dissecting delectably devious Dexter
Dennis the Menace Under Attack
The chair of the House Environmental Defense committee comes under attack.
The Other Janis
Saying goodbye to Janis Martin.
Viva Belize!
You may have to fly to Belize to see Jerry Jeff Walker perform these days; just don’t call out any requests
The Unexplained Death of Jennifer Cave
Laura Hall’s trial ends with conviction – but no insight
Single-Member District Dilemmas
Process of drafting single-member-district proposal for Austin off to slow start
Death Sentence
Vigilantism is alive and flourishing in this revenge thriller from James Wan, the so-called Splat Pack director of the original Saw movie.
After a Fashion
Britney has an OK! meltdown, and Your Style Avatar is wallowing in the chicken grease
Luckenbach! Compadres! Reviewed
Luckenbach! Compadres! (Palo Duro) When Hondo Crouch purchased downtown Luckenbach in 1970, he transformed the sleepy West Texas hamlet into a mythic music haven of outlaw and gonzo country, a reputation cemented with Jerry Jeff Walker’s classic 1973 live recording at the town’s historic dance hall, ¡Viva Terlingua! In 2006, 30 years after Hondo’s death,…
The Hightower Report
The Price of Trucker Fatigue; and Corporate Americas
City to Moriarty: Drop Dead
City declines allowing Bill Moriarty to return to former position with Austin Clean Water Program
Hatchet
The terrifically retro maniac in this horror film recalls the heyday of Eighties gore films with gleeful abandon.
Joe York: Celebrating his life
The life of theatre artist Joe York is remembered on the Zilker Hillside stage
Off the Record
A night to remember Damon O’Banion, unearthing rare records with Unseen Worlds, Sound Team disbands, and the SIMS Foundation unveils its Office Tune Ups
TV Eye
HBO Gets Intimate
Point Austin: One Small Step
Gov. Rick Perry spares the life of Kenneth Foster
This Is England
Set in Thatcherite England, this semi-autobiographical story tells of a descent from mischievous schoolboy to junior skinhead.
Austin Script Works: A daily dose does a playwright good
ASW helps writers face down the obstacles between them and their keyboards
Off the Record
No More Birthdays Despite their stellar new 12-inch single, “Empty Rooms” b/w “Bedroom Walls,” Sound Team announced last week that the band is going on an indefinite hiatus, a decision set in motion months ago by the departure of guitarist Sam Sanford and keyboardist Michael Baird and the end of the group’s relationship with Capitol…
Czech Adventureland
Caldwell’s 23rd annual Kolache Festival
Beside the Point
Jennifer and Brewster are so over panhandlers
Interview
Steve Buscemi directs and co-stars in this film with Sienna Miller as the pair play out an emotionally charged pas de deux.
Arthouse Texas Prize: Five for Texas (the prize, that is)
Arthouse shows off work by finalists for the 2007 Arthouse Texas Prize
Off the Record
Help! The SIMS Foundation, a local nonprofit organization providing low-cost counseling, addiction recovery, and other mental-health services for Austin musicians, introduces its Office Tune Ups series, a fundraising initiative involving private concerts for local businesses. Among the bands donating their time for the custom shows, which take place until December for audiences ranging from 10…
Drunk on Civic Pride
Announcing the Official Drink of Austin
Reefer Madness
Cops given choice whether to arrest for minor pot possession
Zachary Scott Theatre Center: Home improvements turn Zach black
Zach goes dark this fall to make long-desired theatre renovations
Off the Record
I Turn My Camera On Syncing up with the grand opening of the new Alamo Drafthouse later this month, the South Austin Museum of Popular Culture is exhibiting concert images taken in 1974 at Sixth Street’s Ritz Theater by Austinite Sammy Mack Royal, along with dozens of show posters from concerts by Willie Nelson, Doug…
The Dead End at Olive and Juniper
ARA and the city leave would-be homeowners out in the cold
Naked City
Quote of the Week “After carefully considering the facts of this case … I believe the right and just decision is to commute [Kenneth] Foster’s sentence from the death penalty to life imprisonment.” – Gov. Rick Perry, Aug. 30 Headlines • Last Thursday, Aug. 30, Gov. Rick Perry accepted the recommendation of the Board of…
Women Who Steal
Austin Playhouse’s revival takes this female comedy beyond Thelma-and-Louise territory
Off the Record
Out of the Blue Providing a gateway into an alternate mindscape and revealing the forgotten strains of musical movements, locally based reissue label Unseen Worlds, formed February 2006, continues to receive universal acclaim from the likes of The New York Times, The Wire, and Pitchfork Media, following the release of San Antonio native “Blue” Gene…
What Is the ARA?
The City Council created the Austin Revitalization Authority in the late 1990s. It serves as the city’s agent in redeveloping the residential and commercial district of 11th and 12th streets – once a thriving African-American neighborhood east of Downtown – with financing from local, federal, and private dollars. Drawing tens of millions of dollars from…
@ Chronic
Texas Constitution Gets Polished Up
Serious Fun
Four local artists bid a playful, colorful adieu to summer
Off the Record
Random Play • Perhaps the only thing cooler than fronting one of Austin’s best new bands is spending one’s summer as a production assistant for the upcoming Survivor series shot in Southeast China. “They called us the Dream Team,” recounts Peel frontman Josh Permenter. “Our main job was to test out the stunts to make…
Film News
Texas Filmmakers’ Production Fund grant winners, plus The Unforeseen, Bella, and ‘Chickenfüt’
Happenings
September 6-12
The Faith Healer of Olive Avenue: Stories
In a word, it’s exquisite
Texas Platters
Toni Price Talk Memphis (Antone’s) Talk Memphis is Toni Price’s best album since 2001’s Midnight Pumpkin. Not that Price puts out bad or mediocre LPs. That’s never been an option for the sultry vocalist who’s stolidly refused to compromise the homey vision of her music. Naturally a lack of touring has limited Price’s national profile,…
DVD Watch
Some of the best directors working today, whether abroad in relative obscurity or amid the grimy existential zillion-dollar glitz of Gotham City
On Second Thought
City will establish clear, nondiscriminatory, “objective” procedure for media credentials
The Best of Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet
Reprints the finest fiction, essays, poetry, and other oddities from the zine’s first decade
Texas Platters
One of the best local surprises of the summer: the full-length debut from nomadic local duo Headdress. Spare guitar, spare drums and percussion, breathy, reverbed vocals; elsewhere it might sound too precious, but on Turquoise (Totem Songs), it makes for a minimalist blues meditation that never gets long-winded. There’s a running theme, from opener “Skydye”…
In Space
Image and essence
Guns, Disaster, and the Lege
New law says that during disaster, state cannot seize legally owned guns from private citizens
Mr. Smarty Pants Knows
Grapes, raisins, chocolate, cocoa, onions, and macadamia nuts are no-no’s for your bowwow, and more
Texas Platters
Billy Joe Shaver Storyteller (Sugar Hill) There have been other live recordings of Billy Joe Shaver, but none spotlight the magic of his compositions the way Storyteller does. Recorded January 1992 at Nashville’s songwriters’ shrine, the Bluebird Cafe, it’s a typically loose-limbed acoustic affair with Billy Joe accompanied by his son Eddy on fiery lead…
Not Getting By in Texas
According to new report, more than one-third of working families in Texas are low-income
The Common Law
Can our friend perform the wedding ceremony?
Texas Platters
Michelle Shocked ToHeavenURide (Mighty Sounds) Exasperated by Michelle Shocked’s 180-degree trajectory from album to album, Mercury Records refused to release her 1993 gospel album. That seems unnecessarily staid of the label, as there’s very little Shocked can’t conquer on the strength of her voice alone. That voice is the guiding light of ToHeavenURide, 13 gospel…
Find Your Center
Ballet Austin’s grand-opening celebration
Texas Economy and Workforce Report
On a related note, the Center for Public Policy Priorities released Monday its annual look at the Texas economy and workforce and found both good news and bad. On the upside, the state’s unemployment numbers have been declining steadily, from 5.4% in 2005 to 4.8% in 2006. Austin, at 3.8% unemployment, is surpassed only by…
Botticelli’s
Can this South Congress eatery reverse its location’s curse?
Texas Platters
Sarah Fox and Joel Guzman Latinology (Guzman Fox) Fans patiently awaiting the long-overdue disc from Joel Guzman and Sarah Fox may be surprised, both good and bad. Latinology is a wide departure from 1999’s Aztex, the couple’s previous Tex-Mex roots platter. Latinology also features said genre, along with pop, blues, and jazz tunes. Unfortunately, the…
Page Two: Wild and Delirious
A columnist’s lament, by way of some favorite cultural touchstones
Aster’s Ethiopian Restaurant
Aster Kassaye is back, and we couldn’t be happier
Texas Platters
Mr. Brown Boderation (Coinhead) Hardcore reggae fans may recognize the name Mr. Brown, the title of an early Wailers track. Boderation, meanwhile – “troubles” – is both a lyric in that song and a Bunny Wailer cut. While this Austin outfit doesn’t quite reach those lofty heights here, these dozen reggae/dancehall/dub cuts compose an irie…
Oops!
Our latest batch
Manufactured Landscapes
With the eye of an artist, photographer Edward Burtynsky views the effects of China’s industrial incursions into its natural landscape.
Event Menu
Sept. 6-13
Texas Platters
Texas Northside Kings (Dialtone) Want a taste of Austin’s raucous Saturday night in a local blues bar? Check out this rollicking affair that teams a seasoned rhythm section of Cen-Tex veterans with a crop of young, third-generation Antone’s players who’ll soon be the keepers of the blues flame. Following in the ragged-but-right tradition of previous…
Soccer Watch
The Women’s World Cup kicks off Monday in China, and more
Halloween
Michael Myers is back in this “reimagining,” courtesy of Rob Zombie.
Food-o-File
Will more condos mean demolition of Ginger Man? In other news, updates on the Domain and Southpark Meadows.
Texas Platters
Blaze Night Sangin’ By now, turntables spin as standard instrumentation in jazz. NickNack knows. Scuffing Blaze’s after-hours sauce, the local DJ doesn’t try to match his scratch with the other four members of Austin’s tightest basement combo, yet Nack’s hiss and hitch age Night Sangin’ like bathtub gin ’round 4am. “Neck Kitchen,” with its vinyl…
Day Trips
Grand Saline is the saltiest town in Texas, and it has the Salt Palace to prove it
3:10 to Yuma
3:10 to Yuma puts the lie to the presumptive myths that Westerns are dead and remakes are always a bad thing.
Richards Still Alive for at Least Half a Million Bucks
Former Longhorn rebounds for a win in Zurich
Luv Doc Recommends: Beer 101
Why beer? Seriously. There are plenty of different ways to get D to the rerunk that don’t involve farting, peeing a river, or wiping “head” off your lips. Highest on the alcohol pyramid would be ether. Ether’s some good shit if you can put your hands on it. Like most people, your only experience with…
