The final preliminary round of the Austin Air Guitar Championship is taking place this Tuesday at the Alama Drafthouse. This is the last opportunity for participants to compete for a spot in the finals, wherein a representative of Austin will be chosen to compete in the National Championship in New York. The winner at New York moves on to compete in the World Championship in Finland—and, presumably, to enjoy an elevated social status for his or her remaining days on Earth (air guitar champions don’t believe in the afterlife). We attended the penultimate preliminary round of the Air Guitar Championship at the Alamo Ritz last month; we share the experience after the jump....

Thursday, June 21 comedy Christian Finnegan at Cap City Comedy Club music Emo’s 15th Anniversary Week with De La Soul, Word Association, Just Born, DJ Notion at Emo’s music Buddy Guy, The Greyhounds at Stubb’s music US Air Guitar Championships at The Parish Room music The Score at Beerland music Discovery School Fundraiser w/Gary Clark Jr., Johnny Moeller, Mike Barfield, Ephraim Owens & more at Continental Club music Doc Watson, Jack Lawrence, Richard Watson......

Birds Barbershop is opening a new north location this September, on 6800 Burnet Road across from Curra's Grill. This shop's decor theme is old-school roller rink arcades. (It would be ultra-rad if you could skate there, too.) Until then, you'll have to get your Ladybirds and 'Hawks trimmed at the South Lamar location. Birds is also sponsoring the Alamo Drafthouse's Austin Air Guitar Finals this Thursday at the Parish, which means they'll be styling the......

Neal Kay’s Heavy Metal Soundhouse inspired the first set of air guitarists in London in the late 1970’s and the spectacle has truly evolved into a world wide phenomenon in the last decade. The first World Air Guitar Championships were held in Finland in 1996 (at the Oulu Music Video Festival) and 12 years later, the event is still going strong. Austin is no stranger to the scene, holding regular contests at the Alamo......

TUESDAY [1] music • The Mohawk Residency series with Peel and Joy Division Cover Band at The Mohawk music • Toots and the Maytals at La Zona Rosa music • Asleep at the Wheel at Waterloo Records (Free, 5pm) music • That Damned Band, Trouble Puppet Theatre, Lowrent the Clown, Luna Tart at Beerland music • Drive By Truckers at Antone's music • The Hudsons at Cactus Café books • Rick Riordan presents Book......

TUESDAY [3] awards •Texas Medal of Arts Awards Ceremony at The Paramount Theatre books •Martha Egan presents Clearing Customs at BookWoman (7:00pm) books •The Utter Reading Series with Darin Ciccotelli and Dominic Smith at BookPeople (7:00pm) comedy •Paul Varghese at Cap City Comedy Club debates/booze •Dionysium at Alamo South Lamar film •AFS Essential Series screens "The Seventh Continent" at Alamo Downtown film •2007 Austin Air Guitar Championships at Alamo Downtown food •Central Market Cooking Class:......

TUESDAY [6] books • Utter Reading Series with Frances Schenkkan and Lori Aurelia at BookPeople (7:00pm) books • Poetry Reading with Dana Gioia, Chair of the National Endowment for the Arts at Harry Ransom Center (7:00pm) books • Nate Blakeslee presents Tulia: Race, Concaine, and Corruption in a Small Texas Town at Austin History Center (7:00pm) film • For the Love of Dolly at Alamo Drafthouse Downtown film • AFS Essential screens Turtles Can......

TUESDAY [6] film • AFS Essential: Last Life in the Universe at Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar books • The Utter Reading Series presents Irwin Tang (How I Became a Black Man) and Abraham Burickson at BookPeople (7:00pm) art • Show & Tell : A digital slide jam featuring Justin Goldwater, Andrew Long, Deborah Roberts and Michael Sieben at Women and Their Work (7-9pm) books • Well-Read Women Book Club discusses Becoming Myself by Willa......

Who among us hasn’t stood half-naked in front of a full-length mirror, knees bent, head back, one arm extended toward the heavens, the other windmilling furiously to the stomping rhythm of “Uptown Girl”? Okay, okay—maybe you’d pick something that actually has guitar in it, but that’s your hang up, not ours. Commie. Anyway, for those of us who dream of rock stardom, but don’t have the time or the inclination to learn an instrument,......

MONDAY [5] art/theatre • Sex Workers Art Show at Arts on Real (7:30pm, $24) film • Eddie Murphy: RAW at Alamo Drafthouse Downtown film • Air Guitar Nation at Alamo Drafthouse Downtown music • Possessed By Paul James w. Paleo, Andy Klier, Ralph White at The Parish Room music • Guy Town Happy Hour at Scoot Inn (7pm) IST List compiled by Allen Y Chen, Sam Armstrong, Shannon Roberts, Adam Rice.......

This week these posts caught our eye: Southpaw Jones lists 63 reasons that 63 birds died on Monday. Greg at Beetsolonely remembers "The Catch" made 25 years ago this week that ruined the Cowboys' hopes of an NFC championship (along with his appetite). Chris Trew tells about judging the Air Guitar Championships a while ago. Rhiannon celebrates ramen. Huevos Rancheros led us to this short documentary (filmed in Austin) about bathroom graffiti (may not......

TUESDAY [19] film • AFS Essential: Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence at Alamo Downtown (7pm) film • Revolver at Rounders Pizzeria (8pm,Free) film • Cabbage Patch Kids: Vernon's Christmas, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and Jack Frost at Spiderhouse (8pm, Free) film • Austin Air Guitar Championships at Alamo Downtown (9:45pm) music • Pocketful of Deng, The War Against Sleep, The Mike Truth All Stars, Cartright at Emo's music • Fire vs. Extinguisher, Follow......

Austinite Actor and Director Daniel Isaac stars as the groom in the Panic! at the Disco video "I Write Sins Not Tragedies", which won Video of the Year at the 23rd annual MTV Video Music Awards. He is perhaps best-known locally as "The Guitarsonist" from last year's Air Guitar Championship at the Alamo Drafthouse.......

TUESDAY [30] [music] "German with a laptop" Jan Jelinek does a solo show at Flamingo Cantina -- check out what Tiny Mix Tapes has to say! (Thanks, Margaret!) (link) [music] Scion returns to Austin with Tony Touch, DJ Hier, DJ Kwestion and DJ Mel at The Parish Room (Free, RSVP required) (link) [music] Youngmond Grand and Solace Bros at Club DeVille (link) [books] Mark Falkin presents Days of Grace at BookPeople (7pm) (link) [film] Out......

MONDAY 24[music] TV On the Radio, Celebration, The Cocker Spaniels at Emo's (info) [film] Save Our Springs Alliance presents "Driving Sprawl," A 20-minute documentary about Advanced Micro Devices planned move to the Barton Springs watershed. at Ruta Maya (8pm) (info) [music] Josh Rouse at Cactus Café ($22, Through Tuesday) (info) [film/drinking] FuseBox Happy Hour/Nerve.com Screening at Blue Theater (6pm, $5, FREE beer and wine) (info) [books] Anthony Horowitz presents Ark Angel : An Alex Rider......

MONDAY [27] [film] Soul Cinema Monday: "The Spook Who Sat By the Door" at Alamo Downtown ($1, 7pm) (link) [film] "Candy: Terry Southern Psychedelic Mindwarp" at Alamo Downtown ($1, 9:45pm) (link) [film] Spike & Mike? Twisted Animation Fest at Alamo South Lamar and Alamo Village (Through Thursday, 10:15 SL, 9:45 Vill) (link) [film] "Tank Girl" at Cafe Mundi (8pm) (link) [TV] Twin Peaks & Carnivale at Beerland (Free, 7pm) (link) [books] Karenna Gore Schiff, the......

T U E S D A Y [31] » [music] Ghetto Princess, Secular End, The Total Foxes, Tomorrow's Too Late at Emo's » [comedy] Live Comedy Happy Hour at Beerland (8pm) » [karaoke] Karaoke Explosion at The Peacock » [books] Galt Niederhoffer presents Taxonomy of Barnacles at Bookpeople (7pm) » [politics] Austin League of Women Voters puts on the State of the City dinner with Mayor Will Wynn as the evening's speaker at the Austin......