Brothers Benjamin Curtis and Brandon Curtis, along with Josh Garza, formed The Secret Machines in Dallas at the turn of the century after stints in a few bands such as UFOFU and Captain Audio. The trio relocated to New York, but Benjamin Curtis left the band last year to pursue his School of Seven Bells project....

When we caught up with Ian Orth in April, we discovered that he had big plans going forward for his Learning Secrets entity. True to his word, Orth and Learning Secrets deliver a blockbuster party this Saturday in conjunction with Transmission Entertainment at The Mohawk. Besides having a stint at the DJ booth himself this evening, Orth also welcomes fellow local DJ Abominatron to take a stab at the beats. But the ace up the sleeve is British DJ and producer Riton (pronounced Ree-ton) who has wrought dance parties all across the globe and collaborated with artists such as Erol Alkan and Soulwax....

After celebrating its four year anniversary in January, the regular dance party in town known as Learning Secrets presents its latest edition this weekend. Originally started by DJ and promoter Ian Orth during his stint at the Rutgers’ college radio station 88.7 FM WRSU (where he booked acts such as Yeah Yeah Yeahs and The Rapture for events on campus), Learning Secrets has evolved from a weekly shindig at the Whisky Bar on 5th St. into a conglomeration of sorts. Orth is working to expand the party into an entity -- “The biggest change and step forward has been turning Learning Secrets into a boutique PR firm with my best friend Jeramy Neugent who recently moved back to Austin from L.A. where he was the tour publicist for everybody from Animal Collective to Marissa Nadler to Federico Aubele to Fela Kuti. Our platform is to work with the music we love and firmly believe can make some sort of positive cultural impact on our society, and get those bands the exposure they deserve.”...

Learning Secrets, the eclectic electro-family responsible for Thursday nights at Whisky Bar, will be tearing up the Beauty Bar tonight with Philly's dave p and Brooklyn's JDH, along with Austin's own Ian Orth. Indie remixes, 75 degree October nights, and open-minded dancefloor antics for only $3 at the door? That only happens in Austin, people. For real. [Learning Secrets Myspace] [JDH Myspace] [dave p Myspace] Death to Disco...This is Disco! Saturday, October 6th Beauty Bar......

*The views expressed in The Laurie Show are those of the author and do not represent Austinist as a whole.* -ed. note It's often said that radio people don't really get a vacation. It's true, peeps. While I'm wrapping up as much as I can in the hopes of actually enjoying some the extended Labor Day weekend, the music doesn't stop on The Laurie Show on KUT. No sir, no ma'm. There are many......

*The views expressed in The Laurie Show are those of the author and do not represent Austinist as a whole.* -ed. note Once again, I am plagued with the thought of: "Why is everything happening this weekend?! WHY, I ask you?!" Literally, it's packed with such a wide variety of live musical entertainment that your brain will explode. It can be a good dilemma to have, though. I'll try to summarize as best I......

*The views expressed in The Laurie Show are those of the author and do not represent Austinist as a whole.* -ed. note Greetings from your San Francisco-bound host of The Laurie Show. I'm going on a trip with my Broken Clock Cabaret peeps to the Bay Area for a short tour of Inside A Broken Clock: A Tom Waits Peepshow next week. However, you can bet I'm on the air tonight, 90.5 on the......

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......

Note: Several weekend events will be added in the afternoon. THURSDAY [5] fashion/music/party • Car Stereo (Wars), Visuals by Super!Alright!, and 30-40% Everything at Strut (6-10pm) film • "Military Intelligence and You" at Alamo Drafthouse Lakecreek (7:30pm) art •Opening Reception for Aki Nagasaka's "Yellow Labyrinth" at Women and Their Work (6-8pm) books •Pam Oslie presents Love Colors at BookPeople (7:00pm) books •Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht presents "In 1926: Why and How?" at The Harry Ransom......

MONDAY [2] books •Peggy Collins presents Help Is Not a Four-Letter Word at BookPeople (7:00pm) comedy •22nd Annual Funniest Person in Austin Contest at Cap City Comedy Club (Check site for lineup) film •Serge Gainsbourg Birthday Feast at Alamo Downtown film •"El Duce Vita" with The Mentors at Alamo Downtown food •Central Market Cooking Class: Midnight in the Garden of Food and Evil at Central Market Cooking School, 4001 N Lamar ($40, 6:30-9pm) music......

*The views expressed in The Laurie Show are those of the author and do not represent Austinist as a whole.* -ed. note My friend and fellow music lover John Gross, one of the proprietors of the fabulous music promotion vehicle known as Party Ends, reminded me about a fantastic weekend fundraiser that will surely entertain with great music…and great beer. Party Ends has teamed up with the good folks of Independence Brewing Co. to......

FRIDAY [1] music festival • The first-ever Fun Fun Fun Fest! With Spoon, Circle Jerks, Prefuse 73, Peaches, Black Angels, Lucero, Riverboat Gamblers, DJ Mel, Whitey, DJ Thomas Turner, Octopus Project, The Oranges Band, Dead Meadow, DJ Ceeplus and the House of Bad Knives, and more at Waterloo Park ($20, 1pm-10pm) afterparty • Fun Fun Fun Fest afterparty with Whitey, Ceeplus and the House of Bad Knives, Prince Klassen, and Ian Orth at Beauty......

Those of you too scared to brave the lines at the Onion launch party at Emo's or too broke to make the Dave Brubeck show at the Paramount would do well to consider heading over to Whisky Bar tonight for Learning Secrets' weekly residency. Whitey, who'll be playing at Fun Fun Fun Fest tomorrow, had his Fort Worth show cancelled at the last minute. Instead, he'll be spinning with Houston's Ceeplus and the House of......

Ever since renovating the space where Just Guns used to reside, FactoryPeople's clothed tons of fabulous Austinites, thrown dozens of rockstar parties, and brought sexy back to Central Texas. What's next? Well, this week they're turning three. Thursday Night: they're bringing in DFA Records' DJs Tim Sweeney and Juan Maclean, along with DJ Ramesh from Voxtrot, to spin instore from 7-10pm. Come and enjoy complimentary cocktails on the rooftop deck, or check out Boom......

Los Angeles indie pop/rock band Goldspot just announced a last-minute show at Maggie Mae's this Thursday Wednesday evening. Packed with bubbly melodies and near-skittish guitar hooks, their full-length debut, Tally Of The Yes Men, effuses the sort of buoyant charm that seems to come naturally to those dwelling oceanside. KCRW's Nic Harcourt (Morning Becomes Eclectic) called them his "favorite discovery of 2005." [Myspace] [Homepage] Goldspot Thursday, October 5th Wednesday, October 4th Maggie Mae's 9pm......

KUT's Laurie Gallardo dishes about local bands...

THURSDAY [24] music • Brother Will (Brothers & Sisters) and Friends, Lomita, and Sean Ohno (The Arm) at Beauty Bar (10pm, Free, Drink tickets to first 150 guests) ® music • Fiction, Gulf of Mexico, Bello Ragazzo at 912 Red River (10pm) ® party/fashion • DJ Ian Orth aka Learning Secrets spins at Bettysport's cocktail party celebrating the new silhouettes and colors of the Stella Mccartney fall/winter collection for Adidas at Bettysport (5-8pm, Free)......

With half of the band constantly touring with Voxtrot and half of the remaining half (or, one) moving to New York, we were sad but not terribly shocked to hear that Austin's indie pop kids Belaire are bidding us adieu. While they're not technically over over, they're at least not performing for the immediate future after tonight's "goodbye show" at the Parish, where they'll be playing in rented tuxedos. Come cheer them on and rock......

MONDAY [5] [film] Anime Monday at Ventana del Sol (7:30pm, Free) (link) [film] Be Here to Love Me at Rounders Pizzeria (8pm, Free) (link) [film] Memento at Austin Java (8pm, Free) (link) [film] Strangers on a Train at Paramount Theater (7pm) (link) [film] North by Northwest at Paramount Theater (9:10pm) (link) [film] The Puffy Chair at Alamo Downtown (Though 8th, 7pm, except Tuesday, 9:45pm) (link) [film] The Fall: The World of Mark E. Smith at......

The Scion xPress Fest Screening Tour started off as a chance for filmmakers around the country to each partner up with an independent band and create a music video. From the hundreds of submissions they received, they chose a mere ten, representing cities such as Orange County (CA), Savannah (GA), New York (NY), Iowa City (IA), and, yep, Austin. In our city, The Arm and UT student filmmaker Lawrence Johnson were paired up (we're not......

As always, let us know about any corrections or suggestions! MONDAY [3] [music] ICP Orchestra at Scottish Rite Theatre (link) [art] Gabriel Perez-Barreiro, Curator of Latin American Art, discusses "Art is Connection: America/Americas" at Blanton Museum of Art (Free, 6-8pm) (link) [books] Michael Gordon presents Cobra II at BookPeople (7pm) (link) [books] AAIM, Austin Area Interreligious BookGroup will discuss Peace is the Way by Deepak Chopra. Lori Seremetis will be the Special Guest at BookPeople......

Austinist and Gothamist have partnered up with a bevy of awesome people -- the full roster is shown on the flyer to the left, designed by Austin's Misprint Magazine -- to throw one hell of an afterparty next Wednesday, March 15th, after Ghostland Observatory closes the Austinist+Gothamist+Alarm Magazine Day Party over at Red 7 (more on that later). From midnight to 6am, we'll be rocking the house. Expect performances by Grand National (London), The Cloud......

FRIDAY [3] [music] Ariel Pink, Belong, Weird Weeds and Ralph White at Emo's (Inside) (link) [music] What Made Milwaukee Famous, Deathray Davis, AUX at Emo's (Outside) (link) [music] Slightly Stoopid, The Expendables and Bedouin Soundclash at Stubb's (link) [music] Bucketheard and Kid Beyond at La Zona Rosa (link) [music] Dirty Hearts at End of an Ear (Free, 6pm) (link) [DJ] Whee!Explode! By Learning Secrets and DJ Ian Orth at The Peacock (10pm-2am) (link) [fashion] ATX......

In conjunction with Belaire's 7-inch EP release and their horror themed dance party with Loxsly and sets by DJ Ian Orth at The Parish Room tomorrow night, we're giving away not one but two prize packs: * 1 Ticket + Belaire EP * 1 Ticket + Loxsly Tshirt To enter either contest, send us an email with names of the respective band's members (Belaire or Losxly). Read on to find out more about these......