Z-Ro and Trae’s It Is What It Is contains none of the signifiers – marquee collaborations, cross-overs, shouted intros by popular DJs - that we come to expect from modern rap albums of a certain stature. Save one Nitti beat, the album’s producers would be tough to place for those who don’t obsess over Mr. Lee’s drum sounds. Imagine watching Monday Night Football next week without Joe Theisman, Suzy Kolber, the intro clips, the crowd noise, the dozens of camera angles, the replays, and the in-game graphics. You’d see a purer, though potentially less enthralling spectacle that depended on a matchup strong enough to carry you along without ESPN’s glossy signposts. Here recording as ABN (Assholes By Nature), Houston’s Z-Ro and Trae have always been outlaws of sorts, even while occasionally finding success within the rap mainstream....

Photo by Neeta Lind on flickr Markos vs. Ford: party unity proves elusive at Netroots Too much fluoride in Kyle's drinking water makes it unsafe for kids under 9 Woman exposed to rabid bat on Lady Bird Lake found It will cost almost a $1 million n taxpayer funds to fix the internal mess at DPS Four killed as huge crane collapses at Houston refinery Wal-Mart tries out their own "Geek Squad" in Dallas UT......

For the second year in a row, Miss USA had a spectacular fall in front of millions of worldwide viewers during Monday's Miss Universe pageant. To her credit, this year's Miss USA winner, Houston native Crystle Stewart, quickly regained her composure after accidentally slipping on her evening gown. ...

Trae’s impeccable (and free!) Diary of the Truth mixtape opens with an Avril Lavigne sample, layered over some simple kick-cymbal action without any hint of irony: “I wake up in the morning, put on my face / The one that's gonna get me through another day / Doesn't really matter how I feel inside / 'Cause life is like a game sometimes.” Over the top, singer L-Boogie lilts in and out with chants like “Wake-up shorty.” Those who already know Trae will find the sample both amusing and extremely fitting. Improve the cadence a bit and you could easily slide those lyrics into one of the Houston rapper’s raspy verses. Effectively, this already happened countless times, because Avril’s lyrics approximate Trae’s own mantra. ...

As seen in the past, shopping at Wal-Mart can on rare occasion be a scary proposition, but the last thing we'd expect is to get screwed by the discount retailer itself....

Looking back, there probably wasn't a more appropriate patch of weather to be weathered than the intermittent rain and deep, damningly grey clouds that fans had to maneuver underneath on their way the Woodlands Pavilion last Saturday evening. Spirits weren't dampened by one high E string, though. Not only did the mildly adverse meteorological conditions set a suitable tone for the set to come (not to mention the copy of In Rainbows we were warming up to whilst waiting our turn for a space in the White Lot), but it was endearing to see that the multitudes milling towards the venue would have straddled the San Andreas fault line in the middle of the Big One to catch a glimpse of Thom wheedle his internal narrative out of a Rhodes piano until being swallowed alive. Needless to say, we were all looking forward to the show, rain or shine....

According to this disturbing article in the Houston Chronicle, three Houston men have been accused of exhuming a human body and smoking marijuana out of its decapitated head. ...

Primary results from national/state/local races: So even though it seems that Hillary won the Texas primary (it's interesting that Obama led in statewide early voting), Obama may beat her in delegate numbers. In the GOP race, McCain is now the GOP candidate as Huckabee gives up the ghost. In Travis County, Ron Paul won 17% of the vote . . . ...

In case you're still curious about where to vote on Tuesday, we've reprinted the official list from the Travis County Clerk web site as of Monday evening. For up-to-date information, you might want to double-check the Office of the Registrar's database To find out which precint you're in, use their handy Voter Verification form. From the Elections Divison: Registered voters can vote with a voter registration card, driver’s license or any official photo ID,......

For years, the Austinist staff has fielded queries from friends and acquaintances about SXSW goings-on. "Can I walk to The Salt Lick?" "Does it really take 90 minutes for a Casino El Camino burger?" But most of all: "What showcase do you recommend to see some good new bands I don't know about?" This year, we've made the answer official. Austinist is presenting an official nighttime showcase featuring six different American acts at Spiro's on Thursday, March 13. We've done a lot of listening to different bands and entire showcases, and believe that this one has great potential to impress you. The roster:...

Another interview with our governor: he tells the Washington Post, "just because you're a liberal doesn't mean that you can't be loyal, trustworthy and kind and obedient." Good to know. Federal judge decides to suspend the law preventing groups from raising funds to lobby for the ouster of the Texas Speaker. Is Craddick soon to be outta here? Dukes campaign manager complains about Thompson's big donors; Dukes herself has received a chunk of change from GOP donor Bob Perry. Double homicide on East Sixth Street early this morning. Firefighters fighting garage fire in Northwest Austin this morning find a body inside....

After Van Halen, Bruce Springsteen, Radiohead, and Jay-Z all elected to skip Austin on their spring US tours, it's not unreasonable to feel that our music-loving town seems to be off the radar of the arena pop and rock circuit. This despite a perfectly functional (if rather dated) basketball arena smack in the center in town. Thankfully, the Louis Vuitton Don Kanye West agrees with you, and has elected to show Austin some big-production love with a date here at The Frank Erwin Center in late April....

The best klezmer-punk band you’ve never heard, Golem are a six-piece from New York who blend old-world Jewish music with a witty repertoire of modern influences. Debuting in 2001, the band really hit their stride in 2006 with Fresh Off Boat, a whirling collection of originals and traditional numbers (including their own version of the Hora, of course) sung in five languages. ...

This Thursday through Sunday, improvised music is going to grab a foothold in both Austin and San Antonio. Featuring thirteen artists from all over the world – from the close confines of Houston and Austin to the far-off reaches of Tokyo and Boston – the No Idea Festival is poised to showcase a diverse array of acts you likely won’t see anywhere else, anytime soon....

For a year now it’s been a strange coexistence with these beasts of inconvenience. It’s not like I’d crack open a box of cereal and they’d pour out in a waterfall of crippling disappointment. Or that they’d even be found in the kitchen at all. Normally I’d find one pathetically backstroking on the floor tile in my hallway, and then dispose of it neatly. But every once in a while there’d be an adventurous fucker that would show up on the ceiling above our bed, as we were going to sleep, threatening to drop down like some crazed black-ops periplaneta. All hell would break loose for an hour or so until I could get the thing quarantined and dismissed. Neither of us would sleep for an hour after that. ...

The first segment of Radiohead's North American tour has been announced, and Austin gets the shaft: Houston's Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion will get a show on May 17, and Dallas' Superpages.com Center (!) will host the Brits on May 18. Tickets go on sale Thursday (Valentine's day) via W.A.S.T.E. with general on-sales following on February 16. ...

While the nation recovers from Super Tuesday, the University of Texas is gearing up for Super Wednesday, better known as National Signing Day....

By absolutely no account besides my own, the best rap song to come out of Texas in the last year– and maybe more – is J-Dawg’s “Ride On 4’s.” It does not feature T-Pain nor is there an accompanying dance, where one would hypothetically use their appendages to mimic the act of driving around on large tires with almost equally large rims. It was the second of two singles on last year’s debut from Slim Thug’s group, the Boss Hogg Outlawz, a project that didn’t ever figure out how to market itself nationally and was eventually overshadowed by the marketing push for Slim Thug’s second solo album. For all of these reasons, you very well may have heard this song in the last six months, but it’s also not surprising if you did not....

Perhaps Perry should have held off on his endorsement: after losing to McCain last night in Florida, Giuliani is expected to soon drop out of the race. Bouncer assaulted after denying a couple guys entrance to his club and not allowing their friend to urinate in front of it. City may soon switch to LEDs in light fixtures to conserve energy....

The high winds aren't helping the firefighters working on the grass fires in Burnet, Williamson and Hays counties. People involved in ACL fire are suing the makers of the RV and the manufacturers of the parts on the propane tank. Complaint filed with Texas Ethics Commission against Dawnna Dukes for her incomplete reporting of $90,000 worth of campaign credit card charges....

Rap mixtapes are rarely arranged with tact or distinguished in their execution. Usually, you’ll find a buffet plate of tracks, assembled with all the wit of a languid block of late night commercials. A superb exception is found in the first four proper songs of Stop Stealin’ Our Style, a mixtape released in December by the Austin-based Screw Shop and Tosin, its curator. The project is dedicated to the memory of a number of fallen Texas rappers, and nods to both Pimp-C and DJ Screw, the former in a tribute track from Lil’ Flip and D-Red that functions as the set’s coda. The track-list, though, tends more towards three other Houston icons - Big Moe and the Hawkins brothers, Fat Pat and Big Hawk. Big Moe died last October of complications from a heart attack, at the age of 33. Fat Pat was shot and killed in 1998 and his older brother suffered the same fate in May 2006....

Cat's nosiness leads to child porn stash discovery in south Austin apartment complex. Only about 7 local churches serve as backup shelters for the homeless on freeze nights. Bill for oil spill cleanup at Waller Creek: $200,000....

Photo by red clover on flickrIt seems State Representative Borris Miles might want to get his temper in check after his behavior at party in Houston landed him in hot water this past weekend. Miles, 42, is being sued for a laundry list of items after witnesses claim he crashed a holiday party, yelled obscenities, brandished a gun and got his snog on with another man's wife. Oh, and in addition to compensatory and punitive......

After four of their utility cabinets caught fire or exploded—two incidents in suburban Houston, and the most recent explosion on Christmas Day in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin—AT&T has finally moved to replace the defective batteries, made by now-bankrupt Avestor....

I’ve been tardy like 7th grade with these entries. I’m hoping to fix that this year, and if I have to, will make deadline by just free-associating while listening to chopped and screwed Gerald G verses…oh wait… hang around after the jump… Anyways, something big happened in Austin rap at the end of ’07, and I was negligent and didn’t cover it then. So now, with Nas’s father as my witness, I will. Matt Sonzala has been documenting Texas rap for as long as I can remember on his blog HoustonSoReal. ...

Because we're all hoping they'll finally find their audience (aside from our moms) and land a record deal, The Black Crowes have announced their 2008 tour, which includes a stop at SXSW 2008. They will headline at Stubb's, no less. Keep your fingers crossed for them, folks. In other news, we've received word on a handful of local bands that have been accepted by SXSW, including (but not limited to) The Lemurs, Peel, Weird Weeds, Car Stereo (Wars) and almost local rapper Bun B of UGK (Houston). We'll be updating with local additions as often as we can, so stay tuned!...

SFist saw Christmas Day turn tragic after a Siberian tiger escaped from her pen at the San Francisco Zoo, killing a visitor and mauling two others. Phillyist counted down the top ten items on Philadelphia's New Year's wish list. Gothamist looked at the wooden bikes being offered for NYC's first bike share program on Governors Island. LAist received a Christmas present in the form of a drunk Santa Claus in a g-string. Bostonist launched......

Photo by The Chaninator™ on flickr Former convention-center director Robert Hodge was indicted on record-tampering charges by grand jury. Voter registration cards sent by Travis County to incorrect addresses increase the chances of voter fraud. Sixteen people arrested near Manor for being (allegedly) involved in a cock-fighting ring. Two police cars collided this morning on Barton Springs Rd. New targets for copper thieves: cell phone towers! PETA wants the USDA to investigate antelope deaths at......

Navdo is a record label that also promotes and books artists, and this Thursday they’re hosting their first “Hangin’ with Navdo” in Austin at The Parish, featuring Peel, The Boxing Lesson, and AM Syndicate. AM Syndicate will be celebrating the release of their second album, Liberation, recorded by Erik Wofford at Cacophony Records. This will be the first release put out by fledgling label Novastar Records....

Ladies: If you're wondering where the nice guys have gone, you might want this perspective from an ex-nice guy. One of our nation's most beloved spousal abusers has passed away at 76. Oh, he was also a R&B hit maker ... no, it's not Robert Blake. Armando Walle is in Austin today to show the people of Texas that change is needed in Houston. We're not sure we want to see that PowerPoint. The......