This is what SXSW free day parties are all about. Twelve bands, two venues, and short sets so that you can see as much as you can stomach. Forcefield and Terrorbird are having their blow-out at Emo’s and Emo’s Jr. on the first day of SXSW, kicking things off with quite a bang. ...

Fannie Mae says it lost $3.6 billion in the fourth quarter as home-loan delinquencies mounted....

It’s only fair that talented acts get an additional chance to be added to the killer line-up for this year’s Austin City Limits Music Festival. The Dell Lounge has presented one such contest that has captured the imagination of local artists and fans alike. Whittling down to 20 acts from hundreds of original submissions was the first step; The Sound And The Jury Contest has now arrived at its final five competitors, all thanks to......

My how this city has grown. Austin used to be the kind of town where the summertime theatre offerings were slim pickings. Not so...not anymore. The joints are jumping, and this week is no exception. It's darn near impossible to offer a Pick of the Week, so this week we're suggesting not one but two productions we think you'll enjoy. First, however, we need to report on some awards show shenanigans that went down earlier......

We don't remember much of SXSW but of what we can remember, we think we had a pretty kickass time. During the week of March 13th to the 17th, we were out surviving on what little we had time to consume (usually free, alcoholic or "containing artificial flavors"), catching every bit of sanctioned and unsanctioned SXSW goodness. While we were out on the streets and bars of Austin, we began to realize a lot......

WEDNESDAY [4] film • "Lost" Season 3 Premiere at Alamo South (7:30pm, $10 -food and bvg. voucher) ® film • The War Symphonies: Shastakovich Against Stalin at Alamo Drafthouse (7pm) ® film • Kill Bill Vol. I at Rounders Pizzeria (8pm, Free) ® film • Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers at Jovita's (8:30pm) film • Tom Waits: Big Time at Alamo Drafthouse (9:45pm) ® film • Weird Wednesday: Shark! at Alamo Drafthouse (11:30pm,......

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......

THURSDAY [31] happyhour • BlogBurst and Austinist present the Blogger Meetup Happy Hour -- first folks to show up get free beer, courtesy BlogBurst -- at Club de Ville (6-8pm) ® food • Austin Farmers Market at Plaza Saltillo (5th and Comal) (4-7pm) books • William Manchee presents Cactus Island at Barnes & Noble Westlake (7pm) books • Texas Monthly Author Series presents Ben Fountain to discuss Brief Encounters with Che Guevera: Stories at......

The Founding Dudes are bringing their Lebowski Fest to Austin be enjoyed by all of you captial-area Achievers. Started in Kentucky 2002 as a way to celebrate all things Lebowski, it has continued across the United States and will be in our fair city this weekend. Get your costumes ready and your bowling arm in shape, because it's going to be a lot of fun. Lebowski Fest cannot be contained in only one day,......

M O N D A Y [12] [music] UT Ethnomusicology Dept Ensembles at Momo's (8pm) [music] David Newbould at Flipnotics (8pm) [music] Singer-Songwriter Night at Longbranch Inn [music] Elizabeth McQueen at Theadgill's (8pm) [music] Listening party for Ludacris' new album, Disturbing Tha Peace at Nasty's (8pm) [music/shopping] Armadillo Christmas Bazaar with the Eggmen at Austin Music Hall (Check website for dates/hours) [party] Friends of the Spade Christmas Party at Velvet Spade (11pm) [film/food] "Narnia"......

We know you’re all exhausted from the Factory People/Youth of Tomorrow Birthday Party last night, but they say the best cure for a hangover is more drinking! Luckily, you can drink for a good cause tonight. Stand Up for Kids, an organization that helps homeless and street kids through outreach programs across America, is hosting a happy hour benefit at Maggie Mae’s (323 E. 6th St.) from 5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Entry is......

: : FRIDAY : : [art] Coy Poage and William K. Stidham Art Exhibit benefiting the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition of Austin, 7pm-10pm @ Barocca Studios - $15 donation [music] Mae Shi @ Elysium [film] New Films! @ Your Local Theaters [music] Andy Rourke of The Smiths @ The Parish [music] Loxsly, 8pm @ Red Fez [music] AM Syndicate with Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, Cue and Dear Nora, 8pm @ Beerland [books] Douglas......

LA's Mae-Shi are dilettantes of experimental electronic-noise-funk-rock, employing all manners of instruments - "guitar, bass, drums, tamborines, noisemakers, computer programs, omnichord, glockinspiel and voice", among others - and "staccato bursts of rhythm" to create something wholly original and, well, unsettling. Unsettling in the sense that listening to these guys in our little monkey boxes makes us want to run outside and set a trashcan on fire! Or deliberately misfile our weekly status reports or......