In August 2009 I had the good fortune to be cast in the show and later this month I get to travel to Chicago to perform at the Second City Skybox stage with some of the Dusk cast. As a relatively new contributor to Austinist, I wanted to share some insight into my experience with Dusk last year and getting ready to go perform in Chicago. In August 2009 I had the good fortune to be cast in the show and later this month I get to travel to Chicago to perform at the Second City Skybox stage with some of the Dusk cast. As a relatively new contributor to Austinist, I wanted to share some insight into my experience with Dusk last year and getting ready to go perform in Chicago. more ›

This year's Hill Country Food and Wine Festival will be the 18th for Emmett Fox. The onetime president of the festival moved to Austin in 1992 with his wife, Lisa, a noted chef herself. Mr. Fox worked as the Executive Chef at Bitter End, Mezzaluna and Granite Cafe, before opening Asti Trattoria with Lisa in 2000. The Hyde Park-based Italian eatery has become known for its sophisticated, creative fare and extensive wine list. In 2005, Emmett and Lisa opened FINO, serving Mediterranean, Spanish and North African-style tapas and small dishes designed for sharing. We recently discussed Austin's evolving food culture, the culinary benefits of travel, and working with loved ones with Emmett. more ›

Last night, The Big Pink performed at Parish with A Place to Bury Strangers. Austinist contributing photographer Steve Hopson was there to capture all the action. more ›

A parody ideally strikes a nice balance between poking fun of its subject matter and holding true to the tenets of the genre it's deconstructing. Apocalypse!, Gnap! Theater Project's current main stage show, does a good job of striking that balance. Apocalypse! is a completely improvised play in the style of the post-apocalyptic genre. What exactly is that? It's the story of a world which has experienced a complete catastrophic destruction of society, exemplified by such diverse films and novels as The Road Warrior, The Road, and 28 Days Later. Austinist got a chance to take in the show on Saturday April 3. Overall, the show was impressive and a whole lot of fun. Despite a few small complaints from that night, Apocalypse! is highly recommended. more ›

Dell Lounge has a pretty awesome video series going featuring the clubs of Austin's past. In the video above, Ume performs near what used to be Club Foot, and writer/musician Jesse Sublett talks about the scene in Foot's hey-day. Other episodes of Dead Venues Live features footage from The Ritz, Liberty Lunch, and Armadillo World Headquarters. more ›

Though the sailboat persona both ironically and unironically embodied by the New Yorker-four is cruising just as strong as ever, and is still as magnetic for shot in the dark criticisms as ever (note: all the easy ways there are to make fun of them), it turns out the instantly-catchy pop delight of their self-titled first album was no flash in the pan—their second album, though not as sweetly lovable, shows they are here to stay, and, in fact, may be becoming more talented by the minute. So if you want to sing along to a bunch of great ditties (surely you know most all the words, yes?), stroll on down to Stubb’s, where you can enjoy the fruits of their labor. Of course, you’ll have to buy your ticket from someone on the street, or via other means (Craig's List, anyone?), because, dear lass or lad, this puppy is straight hella sold out. more ›

• Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens retiring.
• Teabag Party pressure forcing Democratic Rep. Bart Stupak to retire.
• Ignorance over health-care reform spurs rise in threats against Congress members.

Ezra Feinberg from Piano Magic and Tim Green from The Fucking Champs created Citay back in 2004, initially as a studio project. Green departed recently but Feinberg remains, and has added new members for the band’s latest tour in support of Dream Get Together, released this past January. And Austinites are in luck because the current seven-piece incarnation of the San Francisco outfit will set up shop at The Mohawk on Saturday to concoct its blissful soundscapes. Streaming electric guitar riffs, complementary acoustic plucks, a dash of the keys, a touch of the drums, all arranged to perfection -- it amounts to some very sublime ear candy. Head down to the 'hawk tomorrow night to enjoy this euphoric collage of infectious harmonies and agreeable melodies; pick up the new record to boot. Citay’s pleasing palette will be preceded by The Tunnels’ soothing psychedelia and Salesman’s eclectic Americana on the inside stage this evening. more ›

Leading up to Austin Psych Fest 3 (April 23rd - 25th at The Mohawk), we’ll be spending five minutes with many of the artists scheduled to perform at the festival. Today, we catch up with Austin’s Christian Bland & The Revelators. more ›

I must have been born with a naïve gene that—regardless of what history and the tabloids have taught and continue to teach me—allows me to be shocked anew whenever some scandal involving an out of control erect penis catches my attention, as if this is news and not just the same old same old behavior humans have engaged in for time eternal. Then again, I am hardly alone, which is why these tales make headlines—for who among us is not a scandal monger? I’m not trying to suggest that women are incapable of cheating. Of course we are—obviously, in the case of hetero acts of infidelity, it takes two to do the horizontal tango. In fact, before I present the laundry list of headline penises, let me say that I myself was involved in a bit of a triangle just three years ago. Not only that, I was married at the time. Well, okay, legally married. But separated both legally and physically, and with the divorce filed and pending approval after the allotted, court-required waiting period. more ›

One day London filmmaker David Bond got a letter from the government saying it had lost some of his baby daughter’s information. This prompted him to wonder two things: A) how much information could there possibly be out there for a baby, and B) why did the government need so much of it? We sat down with David when he was in town for the festival to hear a bit more about how hard it was to disappear, and what that might mean to us in the future. more ›

Maybe you've already worn the grooves out of your copy of Matador's Austin compilation Casual Victim Pile, or perhaps you're just jonesing to see some of the perpetrators behind the comp live. Either way, the lineup at Beerland tonight will satisfy any desire for pure, Austin-built rawk. more ›