Results tagged “friends”

Whether it makes you think of your drinking buddies or Matthew Perry and Courtney Cox, the word "friends" carries some positive connotations (and may have just put that "I'll Be There For You" song in your head for the rest of the afternoon). It's a good enough word that visual artist/musician/all-around creative badass Tim Kerr used it for the title of his new exhibition at Domy Books, which opens tonight and features the work of Kerr and four of his pals - Bill Daniel, Cynthia Connolly, Rich Jacobs, and Michael Sieben.

A sad week for LAist as they lose their trusted and amazing editor Tony Pierce to the LA Times, but what a blast his last week was. He shared his 25 Favorite CDs of 2007 and wrote a great review of just a good movie, No Country For Old Men. At UCLA, thousands of students celebrated the end of their quarter by running around campus in their undies (lots of photos in a two-part photo essay, one, two). That wasn't the only photo essay either: Joss Whedon/Mutant Enemy friends and Star Trek actors all joined in at the Writers Strike and KROQ's Almost Acoustic Christmas brought two nights of amazing bands that included Avenged Sevenfold, Linkin Park (Part I), Modest Mouse, Muse, Spoon and The Killers (Part II). Not only is L.A. a great music town, it has just been named the best city for bookish types. For those who are looking for something a little more active, American Gladiators are back (yes!) and if that's not enough, how about a Christmas gift of action and adventure?

Between now and January, New Release Tuesday will focus on 2007 reflections and music news related to both this year's releases, the holidays and 2008's potential. The standard NRT posts will resume in 2008. It will also feature the opinions of the author, who does not represent the Ist network as a whole. What a damn shame. The holiday season is tough for music lovers shopping for other music lovers. This is mostly because...

Son of Rambow - Free Screening!Monday, December 10thAlamo Drafthouse South Lamar (1120 S. Lamar)Free, 7pm[info]Amidst the blood, guts and graphic violence of Fantastic Fest 2007, which we lovingly embraced in all its gory glory, was nestled a small, quiet film about the wonders and struggles of growing up and growing out. Son of Rambow was like a tall glass of Iced Tea on a 110 degree day: refreshing, calming and cool. We went into...

Image from Clap!Clap!’s MySpace Clap!Clap! final showSaturday, December 8Emos (603 Red River St)$5 | Doors 8 p.m. | Outside[info]Local act Clap!Clap! has furnished enough dance parties around town with their brand of energetic electro-pop to command endearment and respect alike. However, last month they surprised a good amount of us with news of their demise. Needless to say we were fairly intrigued about the reasons for this culmination and also their plans for the future....

Photo courtesy austinsantaspeedorun.com Santa Speedo Run at Trail of Lights 5kSaturday, December 8Zilker Park6pm[info]During next weekend's Trail of Lights 5k Run, Zilker Park's festive arrangement of lighted scenes won't be the only eye candy on display. Some steely individuals will get together to participate in Austin's first annual Santa Speedo Run, wearing, as you might have guessed, nothing but the trademark Lycra swim briefs. It's all in the name of good fun, while (informally) fundraising...

Photo from LiveStrong.orgIs Austin hero and seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong mulling over a possible gubernatorial bid? Some folks seem to think so. After championing last month's pro-cancer research bill, Prop 15 (which passed almost unanimously, despite the fevered efforts of some vocal neocons), and hobnobbing with the likes of President George H. W. Bush, Armstrong seems well-positioned to run for political office in the next few years. Both State Sen. Kirk Watson...

The APD could adopt a more compatible attitude, one that sees violent crime on the East Side as another inevitable casualty of gentrification, one that will eventually succumb to the gradual transition. Essential to all parties accepting responsibility for these mixed-race, mixed-income neighborhoods is that transition from negative stigma includes a reduction of all forms of violence.

Image from Scion's websiteSo you’re all set for an afternoon with the family and/or friends, tons of food on the horizon, be it Turkey or Tofurkey. Still, you need to scratch that live music itch before heading home. Well, fear not oh lovely residents of Austin, the city has a solid night of gigs on the 21st in store for the common layperson. If you’re not already planning on hitting up the Benko and The...

Paris Is Burning DVD Cover Scion Independent Film Series Presents Paris Is BurningWednesday, November 28thAlamo Drafthouse South Lamar (1120 S. Lamar)Free, 9:30PM, RSVP Required[info]The musical stylings of "strike a pose, there's nothing to it", "you better work" and "I'm too sexy" entered our lexicon at a time when we were still sporting a perm and a retainer, so understanding that these pop radio songs were simply a corporatization of an entire underground subculture was far...

The Secret Show is a collective of Austin musicians who are dedicated to bringing music to the most out-of-the-way and beautifully unusual corners of Austin. Their 4th performance in the series took place on Tuesday night, in a drainage ditch behind Ricky Guerrero park, with a wall covered in graffiti as a backdrop and a few dozen fans and friends in attendance. The shows are always performed with short notice, announced on the group's...

Flyer courtesy VICE Records VICE Presents Mr. Oizo, DJ Mehdi, OCELOTWednesday, November 14Antones (213 W 5th St)(Free, 10pm-2am, RSVP Required)[info] | [rsvp] [ozio myspace] [dj mehdi myspace] [ocelot myspace]Tonight, our friends at VICE records have teamed up with Scion to throw a massive "house party" at Antone's—best of all, it's completely free if you RSVP in time. They've flying in legendary French music producer Quentin "Mr. Oizo" Dupieux, who's best known for his 1999 techno...

AFS Essentials Presents Black DjuTuesday, November 13thAlamo Drafthouse South Lamar (1120 S. Lamar)7pm, $4 / Free to AFS Members[info] | [tickets]It's bad enough being a stranger in a strange land, but when you need assistance from the local people to help solve the mysterious disappearance of your father, things can get downright maddening. Tonight, the Austin Film Society sends us on a suspenseful quest as they presents Black Dju, the fifth offering in the...

Stay away from the Denver International Airport. Major anti-abortion group endorses that Law & Order guy. Ship spills more than 1.3 million gallons of oil into the Black Sea. As if Russia's environment wasn't effed up enough... New studies show that children who are identified as troubled in kindergarten might end up doing fine in elementary school. So give the kids a chance, okay? Having good friends at work makes you less stressed out....

Image from Zilker Park Residences. Sandwich king John Wooley is building a condo for himself and 73 of his closest market-selected friends near the shores of Barton Creek and Lady Bird Lake. Beloved Austin icon Wanfu Too will be displaced. Check this website later for details about the Save Wanfu Too Benefit Concert. In a surprising twist, Wooley appears to have support of the Zilker Neighborhood Association, partly because the project will require no variances...

Photo from Clap!Clap! Clap!Clap! with Silver Pines, The Word AssociationFriday, December 7Lucys on the Square (141 E. Hopkins)$5, 9pm[info] Clap!Clap! with The Always Already, Prayer For Animals, Haunting Oboe Music, Car Stereo (Wars), and DJs from Team FabricationSaturday, December 8Emos (603 Red River St)$5, 9pm[info]San Marcos/Austin's indie pop team, Clap!Clap!, today announced that the group has gone the way of Sound Team, and will be disbanding before the end of the year: From the band:...

Photo of Girl Talk by Davis AyersGregg Gillis didn't have a chance to stop by and say hello during Fun Fun Fun Fest, but he was kind enough to get in touch yesterday and share his thoughts on the weekend in general. As expected, he was happy with his crowd, the stage and his set, despite his previous experiences at festivals. Before his set, the eager crowd was already teeming with nervous excitement, perhaps recalling...

Photo courtesy Jessica Plymate StitchSaturday, November 10Austin Convention Center [map]Doors at 4pm, Fashion show 9:30pm, Tickets $10[info] | [tickets]Jessica Plymate revives the art of appliqué in super rockin' way with Aorta Designs. Gone are the days of mom's innocent poodles sewn on skirts. Jessica's animals are hardcore; drinking wine and smoking cigarettes. What is your design/art background? This is where I have to confess I have no formal training in design, art or anything. I've...

This weekend, while many of our friends are shaking their fists across town at the Fun Fun Fun Fest, the bookworms among us will climb the Capitol steps to get our “shhh!” on at the Texas Book Festival. We’ve waited all year for this, the biggest literary event in Austin. All the great local writers will be on hand, along with a smattering of nationally recognized authors. For anyone looking for a thorough introduction to...

As reported in a heartfelt eulogy on Michael Barnes' blog, Austin lost one its treasures yesterday. Karen Kuykendall passed away at the age of 69 from complications from cancer of the lungs and spine. Ms. Kuykendall was so many things: funny, kind, amazingly talented, beautiful, friendly, bright...the list goes on and on. We met her a handful of times; she was always warm and truly delightful. And of course legions of Austinites will remember her...

Somewhere in between catchy melodies on Stage 1 and pulsating beats on Stage 3 lies a catalog of punk rock bands waiting to rock your nuts off at this year’s Fun Fun Fun Fest. Among them, a punk act from fertile California will occupy Stage 2 at 2:40 p.m. on November 4th. CH3 (that’s Channel Three, not the hydrocarbon unit) formed in 1980 in Los Angeles and their politically charged tracks like “Manzanar” soon became...

Montreal based outfit Stars has managed to capture our heart every time we take in their pop melodies and poignant lyricism. Amy Millan and Torquil Compbell are true stars, countering each other perfectly with crisp vocal delivery, while crystal clear production on the band’s recordings complemented by immaculate instrumentation make for a mighty fine final product. The band has two releases to be proud of this year -- Stars released In Our Bedroom After The...

Five years ago you never would have believed it, but it’s true: the harp is so in. And evidence of that is most acute in that elfin goddess of harpsterism, Joanna Newsom, who will be toting her really big harp—and the lilting wordplay that comes along with it—right on down to Austin this Saturday night. And no, it won’t just be her alone lighting up the stage and the eyes of adoring boys at Riverbend Centre, but also our own internationally acclaimed Austin Symphony Orchestra.

We remember Austin Tinius over a year ago, peddling his Burger and Friends line at Circa 77, a boutique in Denton, Texas. Everything was made with a light-hearted, punk-rock sense of humor—from acid colored T-shirts silkscreened with line-drawings of Playboy models posing with a grizzly bear, to Star Wars-inspired wallets and purses. We knew he was on to something. Sure enough, Burger and Friends (finally) got some attention shortly after last year's Stitch. Austin...

Robert Stikmanz, AKA Jackanapes Plenty, AKA fully human Austin author Robert Lewis, will appear in one of his many guises to preview his new book, Nod’s Way, at BookPeople this Saturday. Nod’s Way is part fantasy, part I Ching manual from another dimension, so if you have any burning questions that Dr. Laura or George Noory can’t answer, here’s your chance to consult a real live ancient oracle. Nod’s Way is a follow-up to Stikmanz’s...

Dr. Dog has pawing at indie-stardom for quite some time now, although you may not have noticed. You've definitely heard them popping up on friends' badass mix cds, playing wistfully in the groggy mornings after one night stands, and blaring at house parties. Nonetheless, they have somehow escaped popularity on a larger scale which, in our opinion, is long overdue. Need your memory jogged? Think of a supergroup of reincarnated Flower-Power badasses effortlessly combining the wild, impish yaw of Wayne Coyne's vocals - except in pitch - and the brass balls of a group of musicians that blissfully blow-off sonic constrictions, they fearlessly radiate a sound that is both joyful and rueful in equal parts. Pick up a copy of their newest swansong We All Belong and get an earful. Everyone in the Austinist Music offices has been wagging their tails and slobbering on the editor in anticipation of their appearance this evening at the Parish, so this preview comes with a HIGHLY RECOMMENDED in capital letters.

In case you’ve been holed up in your apartment/home/condo with no electricity for the past few days, we’re sad to tell you that Southern California is currently being devoured by raging wildfires, and there are no signs of the fires stopping. CNN is updating like, every 2.3 minutes, and it’s one of the most devastating things we’ve ever seen. Times like these, it feels like there’s not much you can do but sit and refresh...

At least that's according to Travel + Leisure magazine, which just released its annual rankings of America's Favorite Cities, as based on a survey taken by over 60,000 people. Austinites are ranked as the fourth Most Attractive, and first in "Overall" characteristics. The results, presented from both the visitor and resident's perspective, also give a pretty accurate general indication of how we feel about the state of things here, from what we're most jazzed about...

Besides teaching you some life lessons and giving you avian flu, what has any winged creature really added to your life? We've come in contact with several pigeons in the area (who shall remain nameless) that will crap on your face as soon as look at you. Birds even managed to stop our city in its tracks! What better way is there to exact our revenge for past transgressions and flex our top-of-the-food-chain muscle than by picking up a fork and eating them?! In preparation for the horrors yet to come this Halloween season, the Alamo Drafthouse has crafted a Michelin worthy five course feast composed entirely of our fine feathered friends to be enjoyed in conjunction with the Alfred Hitchcock face-pecking classic The Birds.

Baby it's cold outside, and that means it's time for more connections. Time to snuggle up indoors, at least until it heats up again next week, and make some connections. If you're too shy to get the job done then just slap them up on the web and see if you get a reply, although it would just be better to say hello. Luckily we're here to help decipher the best of last week's...