Since appointing new AD Ann Ciccolella last fall, Austin Shakespeare has been kickin' ass and takin' names. // The director-less, self-dubbed "brats of theater," Bedlam Faction, have returned. // SVT has a trouserload of programming this month, including Twelfth Night, produced by Kadigan and Mountweazel....

Item: The organizers at SXSW have responded to years of complaints about long lines and short notice by dramatically revising the wristband system for the 2008 festival. 4,000 wristbands priced at $139 are reserved exclusively for Austinites and will be distributed via an online lottery system that commences at 9am on Thursday, February 21st. There is a four-day period for sign-up, then the festival will let the winners know they've been selected shortly thereafter. All registrants must live in the Austin area - a credit card with an Austin metro area billing zip code will be required (this generously stretches as far as San Marcos, Georgetown, and Taylor). One can purchase two wristbands, but one of them must be for the purchaser...and the recipient of the second one must be named when placing an order....

Photo by Miss Barbara on flickr After all that this morning, no one was found inside McBride's after the police got in. Over the weekend, a Hays County deputy found 730 pounds of marijuana when he pulled over a Suburban in Buda. LaBare trying to get permits to set up shop off of Braker and IH35; the neighbors aren't too excited about it. Cops on the lookout for woman (and two accomplices) who robbed a......

P&K Grocery, South Austin's fancy mom-and-pop corner store, has gone out of business. Though open for only a year and a half, the tiny market on West Mary became a neighborhood staple, offering, among a host of more exotic specialty foods, wonderful sandwiches, hot dogs, and (best of all) cupcakes. The store did what it could to help out the community, and, in turn, became a much-appreciated part of the community as well. "We are......

As you may know, Austin's theatre scene is rich with a variety of companies. It seems half a dozen new troupes show up on the radar every year. This fall is no exception, and one group we're excited about is North by Northwest Theatre Company. Striving to fill an enormous gap, their goal is to set up shop in culturally-challenged northwest Austin. The area has lured in Opal Divine's, Amy's, Kerby Lane, and Hoover's. Freebirds......

*The views expressed in The Laurie Show are those of the author and do not represent Austinist as a whole.* -ed. note Hello again, music lover! The Laurie Show on KUT 90.5 will be in full swing tonight, featuring great music by local (and formally local) artists whose CDs I now have in my grimy paws. Glee! Plus, I can guarantee you that once again, your live music calendar is going to be rather......

The following message (and accompanying photo) comes from our publisher, Jake Dobkin -- Ed. Note Hey everyone-- you may have noticed that we've made a few small changes to our commenting and feedback systems: 1. Commenters now have profile pages with a bit of information about them, and links to their recent comments, along with comments other people have left in response. If the commenter is also a Austinist author, the page will include a......

*The views expressed in The Laurie Show are those of the author and do not represent Austinist as a whole.* -ed. note Oh, the confusion I must be causing! Sort of. Yours truly, hostess of The Laurie Show, which frightens the locals on late night Fridays, has been an on-again off-again presence. My apologies for the irregular schedule. Chris Hillen, my tag-team show partner in crime who graciously subs for me when I'm out wreaking......

Pitchfork reports that Okkervil River have settled on Stage Names for their upcoming release (slated for August 7), featuring artwork by William Schaff (featured left). The album was recorded here in Austin with Brian Beattie and Jim Eno. Follow the cut below for the track listing and tour dates for the summer (hint: there's only three). The Chronicle has taken note of the Tonewheel Collective's recent Beerland extravaganza / farewell show. The news here, incidentally,......

Did Ghostland Observatory play a free show at Auditorium Shores? Nope, it was Illinois Senator and democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama (photos coming soon). Vice President Dick will not back down from his smack down of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Senator Lieberman is almost a Republican. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger would like everyone to quit harassing Senator Hillary Clinton. Vice President Dick would also like for everyone to fear China. Can you really picture......

Seattle's Aqueduct have been doggedly honing an indie/laptop pop sound for several years. Essentially a one-man studio band, David Terry channels influences ranging from a suburban Oklahoma upbringing to fandom of Guns 'N' Roses and The Princess Bride into his catchy, lo-fi home studio creations. Live, the band is a very different animal: at SXSW two years ago, they simply demolished the crowd with a blend of original tunes, rap covers, an Aqueduct theme......

Not to be outdone by the federal agents who recently seized nearly $37 million worth of cocaine at the border, Austin SWAT descended upon a purported crack house house containing crack in the wee morning hours today, according to the Statesman. After a lengthy investigation that began back in July, members of the Travis County Sheriff's Crime Suppression Unit, together with the SWAT team, broke into 2019 E. Third St -- conveniently located near......

KUT's Laurie Gallardo dishes about local music in this weekly column...

The August + September edition of the Alamo Drafthouse guide has left us punch-drunk. We can't believe they have packed so many unique and fun events into a usually sleepy time of year. The following are some highlights to book early for: - Blanks On A Blank: Yes, Snakes On A Plane is finally out this month, and in what must be a first, the Alamo will be showing winners from a SOAP parody......

Bee Cave is awesome- life is peaceful there, lots of open air, sun in winter time. No wonder Criterion Property Co. has chosen to build its new 293-unit luxury apartment complex there. Dubbed the "Windsor," it will doubtless be a lovely place for tea and crumpets. This sprawling slice of limestone encrusted heaven** will be conveniently located close to both the Hill Country Galleria and the Shops at the Galleria. We haven't actually "been......

Some strange bird behavior in California is being blamed on acid. Philanthropist Warren Buffet is donating a substantial portion of his fortune to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Want to see a minor leage baseball coach lose his cool? The Department of Homeland Security is getting too many calls from telemarketers on their "secrect homeland defense" hotline. As healthy as you hippies think you are, extreme vegetarianism can actually lead to diseases including......

We knew it was coming soon, but Diane Holloway reminds us that tonight American Idol will show the Austin auditions from August:Executive producer Ken Warwick told me about a dozen contestants from Austin made it to the Hollywood round. Of course, I’ve noticed this “Idol” season that lots of people seem to be making it to the Hollywood round who are really terrible. I think Simon, Paula and Randy are passing people through as......

As some things wind down, others are winding up in Frontera land. The Long Fringe and Bring Your Own Venue are over. Only one week of regular shows remains for the Short Fringe, with the fabulous Best of Fest thereafter. The very intriguing Mi Casa Es Su Teatro is this coming Saturday. Frontera is a little more than halfway through, with some of the best nights yet to come. We were sad to miss......

Coming Soon: Barton Springs Gets MORE Polluted! W’s carefree attitude about the environment is trickling down through the bureaucracy right into our beloved Barton Springs (not to mention our faucets). On the heels of a ground-breaking environmental study done in Austin that showed the negative results of a widely used parking lot sealant on our water ways, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has changed it’s policies so that their new, softer development restrictions......

Calling all occupants of the Brentwood, Allandale, and Crestview neighborhoods: there is a new place in town for your casual dining needs. It's the place that used to be The Stone House Grill, a stone house (huh) of sorts on Burnet Road in the enclave of businesses that also features Dog Almighty (review coming soon!) and G & J's barbeque. The menu is nothing special--burgers, sandwiches, and the apparently necessary showing of tex-mex items.......

An Eastern European sweet bun made from yeasted dough with a fruit, meat, or poppy seed filling. Ding! What is a Kolache, Alex? Huh, what is it with Texas and Kolaches? There is a festival in Caldwell, The Czech Stop in West, TX is famous for 'em, and here in Austin they seem to be popping up everywhere. Two stores we've been to -- Lonestar Kolaches (on 38th and Lamar) and The Kolache Shoppe......