Stay warm and prepare yourself for the shopping season by treating yourself to some new records. Here's what's new on the shelves at Waterloo and End of an Ear today: Gwen Stefani The Sweet Escape (Interscope) Somewhere in between her modern day interpretation of Elvira Hancock and her shoulder-groping self-adoration is Gwen Stefani's music, though it might rightly be as glossy and desirable as it is because of co-writers (Neptunes, Rice-Oxley of Keane). Commercial......

It's a "high-brow party with a low-brow soul" featuring Jennifer from Ear Candy (one of our favorite radio shows in town), free beer, Graham Reynolds, and 250 of your closest performance-loving friends -- all to "put the arty back in party". That's how the Rude Mechs roll. They'll be bringing all the Pop Art-themed goodness to you this Saturday at their East Austin home, the Off Center. Doors open at 7pm*, with admission at $15......

Is the burlesque art form enjoying a resurgence? Here in Austin, Red Light Burlesque, started in 2001, claims the earliest origins. Kitty Kitty Bang Bang has been around since 2002. Newcomers to the scene include Shrewd After Dark, who started doing burlesque last year, and the brand new Jigglewatts. There's even a national tour, The Most Dangerous Burlesque Tour in the World, coming to Emo's in November courtesy of the Suicide Girls (er, that......

FRIDAY [19] [music] Cross Canadian Ragweed w/ Micky & the Motorcars at Stubb's (link) [music] Clint Small Jr. Middle School's Phat Cats Jazz Ensemble at Waterloo Records (Free, 6pm) (link) [music] Moth Fight! at End of an Ear (Free, 7pm) (link) [music] Faceless Werewolves, Hotrails, Tokyo Nites at Beerland (link) [music] Dynah CD release at Red Eyed Fly (link) [music] Wilco Hoot Night with "many, many Austin bands" at Trophy's (link) [music] Pudge Zeppelin with......

MONDAY [15] [music] The Wood Brothers Featuring Chris Wood of Medeski Martin & Wood at Stubb's (link) [music] Wood Brothers at Waterloo Records (Free, 5pm) (link) [music] El Ten Eleven at Cactus Café (Free, 8:30pm) (link) [film] Taxi Driver at Austin Java (8pm, FREE) (link) [film] Soma at Café Mundi (8pm, FREE) (link) [film] Anime Monday at Ventana del Sol (7:30pm) (link) [film] American Beer with Amazing Beer Sampling (Sold Out) at Alamo Downtown (7pm)......

Peel, Austinist's favorite dysfunctional Austinites - in a band, that is - share the stage at Emo's tonight with Cry Blood Apache, The Carrots, DJ Jennifer (of KOOP's Ear Candy), and - last, but most certainly not least - Voxtrot. The quintet just recently signed with local label Peek-A-Boo Records (The Octopus Project, Palaxy Tracks), and (we're hoping) will eventually get around to releasing a full-length album - it's tentatively titled Vehslage, the origins of......

Our friends over at Austin-based music blog Depraved Fangirls are throwing their first party ever this Sunday over at the Longbranch Inn. And, naturally, the devilishly delightful dynamos have come up with a theme that's both holiday-appropriate and downright fun: Love and a .45, it's called. And here, straight from the source, is the low-down: There was a time when the seven-inch was it: a standard, the medium of a scene at four minutes......

Owing to the fire last week that destroyed most of the building housing KOOP's studios, the member-owned community radio station is being forced to relocate. At the modest downtown offices on Fifth and San Jacinto, built back in the 1930s, KOOP paid a mere $750 a month for rent. Now, strapped for cash and unable to cover relocation costs, they'll be having a slew of benefit events through the end of February. Meanwhile, the......

: : FRIDAY : : [culture] End of Ramadan (EID) Festival, 9:30am-4:30pm @ Richard Moya Park [homework] Deadline for the Soup Peddler's Soupie Cookbook [film] New Movies! @ Your Local Theater! [dance] Armagetdown with New Berlin, DJ Big Face and DJ Manny, 9pm @ Progress Coffee [music] Cruiserweight, The Fall Collection, The Always Already and Paper Airlines @ Emo's [music] Fluffer's Union and American Graveyard @ Trophy's [theatre] Paul Rudnick's "The Most Fabulous Story......

· The Lord Imperial and The Young Adorable - aka DJ Starsign and John Angle - kick off the first ever Erotic City party at Nasty's on Saturday night. Dressed in silly disguises (Panda vs. Biker, and more), the diabolical deck dilettantes are spinning a night of electro-house, rock, new wave, funky disco, and hip hop, a la James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem), Larry Levan, Daft Punk, Metro Area, Can, P-Funk and - that's right -......

M O N D A Y [ 7 ] TV · Screenings of episodes from Twin Peaks and Carnivale, with free popcorn! At Beerland (Free, 7pm) music · Pre-Election Day Party at Stubb's, with the Blues Crawlers, Daniel Kang, Booher/Davis, Pompeii and Roma 79 (10pm) music · Elizabeth McQueen and Jason Roberts at Threadgills (Free, 8pm) film · "The T.A.M.I. Show", documenting the 1964 Teenage Awards Music International - footage includes The Rolling Stones, The......

This is your last week to apply to be in the Stitch Austin fashion show and guerrilla craft bazaar thrown by the sexy ladies of the Austin Craft Mafia. Applications are no longer accepted after Oct. 1. On Sunday, November 13th the mafiosa will transform Emo's into a fashion frenzy, showcasing the work of hundreds of designers and crafters. DJ Mel and DJ Jen (Ear Candy) are slated to be on hand, ensuring that......

A couple of weeks ago, we asked for advice on a cool wedding DJ, who wouldn't spin any of that crap music heard at your typical reception. You guys turned out to be as cool as we thought you were, and sent some recommendations our way. Now we share them with others who happen to have both good taste and an upcoming wedding. Some friends had a wedding where Karaoke Underground "DJ-ed" before the......

Stitch Austin, a fashion show and guerrilla craft bazaar affiliated with the Austin Craft Mafia just announced the date for this year's event. The mafiosa will be taking over Emo's on Sunday, November 13th. DJ Mel and DJ Jen (Ear Candy) are slated to be on hand, ensuring that folks have something to move to whether on the runway or on the floor. Applications are now open for anyone wanting to get their designs......