Shout Out Louds, Shearwater, Liam Finn, and A Place To Bury Strangers may have been some of the highlights of our day show at SXSW this year but one of the surprise packages came in the form of Jukebox the Ghost’s piano pop potions that had many in the audience at the Mohawk enquiring about the band. So what’s the 4-1-1? Comprised of Jesse Kristin, Tommy Siegel, and Ben Thornewill, the act formed in 2003 as The Sunday Mail but by 2006, they adjusted to their current moniker (probably in anticipation of erroneous Google search results!) In April of this year, the trio released their debut Let Live and Let Ghosts. (Get the scoop behind their name and more -- Gothamist’s recent interview with the band.)...

If you love booze and cinema, well, have we got a deal for you. Cine Las Americas, Austin's own multicultural, non-profit media arts center, will be holding Chicha 56, a combo happy hour and after party fundraiser to benefit this year's programming. The event comes a mere 56 days before the Cine Las Americas International Film Festival kicks off....

Photo from Obama’s rally at The Backyard by Romain Nayalkar for Austinist.comWith all eyes focused on Texas and what could well prove to be a kingmaking March 4 primary, the statewide political machine has kicked into full gear. Whether it's a happy hour, camp out, or fundraising poker tournament, there's something going on just about every day of the week for Obama or Clinton supporters. Even those still rooting for under-underdog Ron Paul have something......

Hey everybody, we're giving away two tickets to the Liars/No Age show at the Mohawk on Saturday! Winners are also invited to a late Happy Hour (8-8:30) with Liars before the show. Details and concert entry form after the jump...but first, backstory:...

Logo from Edible AustinEdible Austin’s first annual Eat Local Week celebration runs from Saturday December 8th through Saturday December 15th. While you’re nourishing body and soul with locally-grown and handmade foods from an extensive list of participating restaurants and markets, a portion of proceeds will go to Urban Roots, a program which teaches sustainable agriculture fundamentals to East Austin youth. 15-20 participants aged 14-18 will be awarded a paid internship to grow food on an......

Waller Creek Design Workshop. Image from City of Austin News Austin Music Commission's Town Hall Meeting Notes AMD Sued Over Birth Defects Plant a Tree for Freedom Waller Creek Design and Vision Workshop At This Rate, We're Having Our Next Happy Hour in Cancun Pangaea: It's For Real, Y'all UT Biologists Propose Biodiversity Institute Save BookWoman! Austin Music Commission Considering Plan to Stop the Rock They've Got the Lasers... Now All You Need is......

Image from RCIS.org Solar Austin Happy HourTuesday, November 6Artz Rib House [map]6:30-8:30pm[info]Solar Austin gathers for their monthly happy hour Tuesday at Artz Rib House. Renowned science fiction author and founder of Viridian Design Movement, Bruce Sterling, will be the featured and the topic will be Future Trends in Solar. Best known for his eight science fiction novels, Mr. Sterling is also a contributing editor of WIRED magazine and a columnist for MAKE magazine. He has......

Post by Paige Davis Join Austin's globally-aware and sustainability-conscious for this month's Green Drinks Happy Hour at Opal Divine's. These monthly gatherings are open to anyone involved and interested in finding innovative ways to meet the challenges of a sustainable future. Mix and mingle with the folks from Meridian Solar who will be on hand to talk about their success in creating renewable energy systems. Spread the green word and chat it up with other......

Emo’s presents a southern style country-rock bonanza tonight. The wonderfully named Whiskey & Co. kick things off at 10 p.m. with authentic country sounds and impressive song titles such as “Nightlife” and “Happy Hour”, streaming readily on their MySpace page. When we last spoke with one of Nashville’s favorite sons, Bobby Bare Jr., we learnt of the upcoming Bare Jr. reunion in November, as well as Bobby’s desire to possibly incorporate the banjo in his......

After a long, hot summer, it’s time to check out Austin’s new fall fashions and get in the mood for shopping. Tribeza’s Fourth Annual Style Week is right around the corner—Wednesday through Sunday, to be exact—and there are plenty of fun events open to the public. Style Week is kicking off with a happy hour at By George’s South Congress location, where you can nibble on goodies from Cissi’s Market and peruse the flirty fashions.......

aGLIFF Aferparty Preview Midnight Opening Night Party featuring special guest Rev. Troy Perry, founder of MCC and star of the opening night film, Call Me Troy Friday, September 28th @ Austin City Hall 9pm-Midnight Centerpiece Film Afterparty Saturday, September 29 @ Club de Ville 10pm Art Party Thursday, October 4 @ Arthouse 10pm-Midnight Closing Night Party Saturday, October 6 @ AMoA Downtown 10pm-Midnight The annual Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival (aGLIFF) is......

Five local personalities get together to tell The Sickest F***ing Stories I Ever Heard over a game of Texas Hold 'Em 101x hosts a Guitar Hero happy hour at Stubb's Car Stereo (Wars) celebrate the release of their first album, The Bandit—think Burt Reynolds circa 1977—at Beauty Bar, with a little help from Single Frame, White Denim, and NYC DJs Finger on the Pulse Peter Bean, founder of BurntOrangeNation.com, and Chip Brown, a sportswriter......

Mercury Design Studio is raffling off eight I'm Not A Plastic Bag canvas totes, designed by Anya Hindmarch to encourage recycling. These limited bags are already sold out in major cities. (Read about the nation-wide craziness, paralleling Harry Potter-like mania, reported by our sister blog Gothamist.) The 2nd Street store is raffling two bags a week through August. Raffle tickets cost $5 apiece and all proceeds go to the Town Lake Trail Foundation. Tribeza......

Craving a trip out to Lake Travis, especially now that monsoon season has passed? So have we. As such, we're thrilled to be co-sponsoring the second annual Summer Extrav-O-Ganza, along with Green Potato Ventures, PartyEnds.com, Independence Brewery, Super!Alright! and Progress Coffee. Last year's midsummer soiree at the old Gallery Lombardi warehouse was a huge success. This year, we're taking a cue from a certain action movie franchise and moving this out to Lake Travis.......

If you don't already know about Nick Lowe, it's time you found out. The quick and dirty: He's been around since the mid-'60s, playing a mixture of country, rock, blues, and pop. His first band Brinsley Schwarz is constantly noted as a major influence on '70s punk. He wrote "Cruel to Be Kind" and "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding," a song destined to become an Elvis Costello hit in 1979; in......

Enjoy the rock 'n roll cooking show Dinner With the Band with the likes of Matt & Kim, LP and Pela on the tvs tonight while the guest bartenders roll out Bloody Marys and celery ice cubes at the Mohawk for happy hour from 5 - 8 PM. Drink specials include $2 Sam Mason Bloody Marys with Celery Ice Cubes and $1 PBRs and Whiskey Shots. Guest bartender happy hour happens every week at......

*The views expressed in The Laurie Show are those of the author and do not represent Austinist as a whole.* -ed. note I barely blink, and once again, the weekend is upon us. And of course, a bit unexpectedly, I've been asked to sit in for Jeff McCord on Left of the Dial this evening on KUT, from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. Remember to stick around afterward for the amazing Chris Hillen, once again......

There is officially a place in hell for illegal-drug dealers...but what happens if/when said drug becomes legal someday?...perhaps you can just fill out some paperwork to get through the holy gates. ...and Ricky Williams might be doing just that. He is still testing positive for the reefer. Obesity is not only a problem in adults and children, your pets are getting fat, too. Parks may soon get funding from condo developers. So we're guessing......

Let's be honest: everyone loves SXSW week, but when it ends, you are secretly very ready to move on. Before we do, let's take a look at some of the isolated, crazy, and wonderful moments that make SXSW such an over-the-top sensory experience. – The dude at Girl Talk dancing with a broken pinata on his head. Then passing said pinata to someone else to dance with. – Isaac Hayes talking in his famous......

THURSDAY [15] benefit •St. Valentine's Day-After Massacre, A Spay/Neuter Fundraiser at Mother Egan's (5:30pm-7pm) art •Public Tour: Michener and Modernism at Blanton Museum (7:00 - 8:00 PM) art •Public Tour: By the River by Radcliffe Bailey at Blanton Museum (12:30 - 1:00 PM) ballet •Ballet Austin presents Director's Choice at The Paramount Theatre (8pm) film •Flicker Film Festival at Alamo Drafthouse Downtown film •Love Bites: The 80s Power Ballad Singalong at Alamo Drafthouse Downtown......

One of the more intriguing panels during SXSW Interactive isn't even part of the official conference: 20x2 assembles twenty interesting individuals from the creative industry -- "writers, musicians, filmmakers, web geeks and other bon vivants" -- and poses a broad, abstract question that each must answer in two minutes. Having been around since 2001, questions presented at 20x2s past have included "Who Are You?", "What's the Word?", and "What's the Big Idea?". Abstract, indeed. This......

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.......

Already considered the "Best New Club in Austin" by those who know, the Mohawk continues its ever-accelerating expansion with the introduction of the Grizzly Bar, a "happy hour saloon" that will operate inside the Mohawk from 5-8pm on most days. Think of it as a place to enjoy a leisurely post-work drink before really starting your evening programming. The Grizzly Bar will be a daily platform for political banter, beer pyramids, spitting, and arm wrestling.......

The 30th annual Carnaval Brasileiro takes place on Saturday, February 3rd, giving you just over one month to find your perfectly outrageous masks and costumes. Over 6,000 Austinites are expected to attend the flamboyant Brazilian-style Mardi Gras celebration, which will once again feature NYC samba band Grupo Saveiro and performers from local samba school Acadêmicos da Opera. As a sneak peek of the revelry to come, Ruta Maya tonight hosts "La Ruta Brasileiro," a happy......

FRIDAY [5] film • Sinus Show: Die Hard at Alamo Downtown (7pm & 10pm, $12.50) music • Amplified Heat, Lions, Full Stride, The Flood at Emo's (Inside) music • Grand Champeen, Quien Es Boom, The Fall Collection, The Alice Rose at Emo's (Lounge) music • Lemurs, The Lord Henry, Clap!Clap!, Lomita at Emo's (Outside) music • The Black & White Years, AUX, The Paper South, Aster Years at Stubb's music • Summer of Blood,......

FRIDAY [15] ballet • Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker at Bass Concert Hall (Check website for details) music • Baby Robots, Horse + Donkey, Foot Foot, DJ Blip at Emo's Lounge music • Moonlight Towers, The Fall Collection, Buttercup at Emo's music • Mice & Rifles CD Release, Texas Sapphires, Adam White (The Personals) at Stubb's music • Crawling with Kings, Ian Moore, Lossy Coils, Future Clouds in Radar at The Parish Room music • Papa......

The following is a weekly column by guest contributor Laurie Gallardo. Hear her, Friday evenings, on KUT 90.5FM. -- The Editors Shalom, hepcats, and a Happy Hanukkah to you. I listened to Adam Sandler this morning because I truly appreciate his renowned tribute to the season, “The Hanukkah Song.” I appreciate the fact that he updates it every year, too. Put on your yarmulke…  I’ll feature groovy music this evening on KUT 90.5, in my......

MONDAY [27] film • The Virgin Suicides at Rounders Pizzeria (8pm, Free) music • Sierra Leone Refugee All-Stars at Antone's music • The Rogue River String Band & Love Gone Cold at The Parlor music • Paris 49 Weekly Happy Hour at Continental Club (6:30pm, Free) film • School House Rock Learn and Sing-along at Alamo Downtown (7pm, $10) film • Love Streams at Texas Union (7:30pm) film • KOOP Benefit: The Power of......

Just when you thought all the free dorkbot fun was over.... This weekend the fabulous playwrights at Austin Script Works are combining their annual Weekend Fling with, for the first time ever, a Dorkbot Challenge. What's a Weekend Fling-cum-Dorkbot Challenge? It's the creation of a 10-minute play or the prototyping a new dorkbot creation—in either case somehow incorporating three yet-to-be-revealed ingredients. This will make for a crazy weekend, culminating in some very interesting live......

FRIDAY [29] film/aGLIFF • Puccini For Beginners at Regal Cinemas at Arbor (7pm) film/aGLIFF • Eating Out 2: Sloppy Seconds at Regal Cinemas at Arbor (7:30pm) film/aGLIFF • The Truth or Consequences of Delmas Howe at Regal Cinemas at Arbor (9:15pm) film/aGLIFF • The Sex Movie at Regal Cinemas at Arbor (9:45pm) party/aGLIFF • Opening Night Gala at Austin City Hall (9pm) film • Sinus Show: Terminator at Alamo Drafthouse (7pm & 10pm, $12.50)......