Day one of ACL 2008 was a long one, but it was jam-packed with sights, sounds and highlights. As usual, the long walk up Barton Springs to the park is a party in itself, featuring a variety of pit-stops that tempt and delight (in between tripping and annoying). There's plenty of distractions to choose from, and in some ways, the walk is a party in itself. Though we did run into more than a few anxious folks looking to buy our tickets before we even made it in a noon today, and more than one person who wanted to show us where Jesus would be making an appearance later, we did check out a couple of things we want to tell you about. ...

If you're a fan of Flatstock and, like us, consider gigposters to be an artform, today's your chance to score some awesome locally-made prints on the cheap....

Shilla offers delicious beef and pork bulgogi, tabletop barbecuing for marinated ribs and the like, and whole broiled mackerel. Shilla also offers sushi that, while not exactly top-tier, is fresh and better than we expected....

With the promise of receiving many gifts in return, this headlong rush into the temples of consumer culture hardly looks like the selfless goodwill to all mankind, but a few bookstores around Austin are offering the opportunity to participate in the truly noble exercise of helping the needy and downtrodden this season....

Mighty Fine Burgers have set themselves up a branding punchline. At the risk of being obvious to the point of heavy-handed, we'll say that Mighty Fine Burgers is not so much mighty fine as somewhat passable....

Between now and January, New Release Tuesday will focus on 2007 reflections and music news related to both this year's releases, the holidays and 2008's potential. The standard NRT posts will resume in 2008. It will also feature the opinions of the author, who does not represent the Ist network as a whole. What a damn shame. The holiday season is tough for music lovers shopping for other music lovers. This is mostly because......

A teenage gunman wishing to "go down in style" killed 8 people, then himself, at an Omaha Shopping Mall. Hearings began yesterday in landmark case about whether Guantanamo detainees have a constitutional right to challenge their imprisonment. A portion of the US-Mexico border fence may be put on a wildlife refuge. If you drive by any Austin area high school right after school lets out, you will not be surprised by this. What's worse......

Photo by cote on flickr Fans of creepy, overpriced and sort of socially awkward grocery shopping will be disappointed to read that after weeks of redesigning, adding more people to the store employee rosters, doubling the checkout lanes and stocking shelves with the kind of stuff most of us have become accustomed to buying, H-E-B is ready to re-open two Albertsons stores that had mysteriously remained open under the quirky Albertsons brands into the new......

Flyer from Blue Genie 7th Annual Blue Genie Art BazaarDecember 5th through December 24thMonarch Event Center (6406 N. I-35 #3100)FreeSunday-Thursday: 10am-10pmFriday-Saturday: 10am-MidnightSunday, December 24th: 10am-6pm[info]Blue Genie Art Bazaar, Austin's annual holiday shopping destination for locally-made art and various one-of-a-kind gifts, returns tomorrow for its seventh run. This year, they've outgrown the Blue Genie space and are moving to the Monarch Events Center up north, in Lincoln Village. Running from tomorrow morning through Christmas Eve, the......

Adbusters.orgIf the thought of hitting Black Friday shopping seems far too overwhelming, join your fellow anti-consumerist comrades for Buy Nothing Day. The annual celebration taking place today (Black Friday) happens once again, and simply asks you to buy nothing—a 24-hour moratorium on consumer spending on the day that, for many, is defined by shopping. Join the various ways to get involved (from the credit card cut up to the whirl-mart). If you missed the Black......

SFist witnessed a new apartment building tszuj the skyline with spectacular, gaudy turquoise aplomb, the (informal) renaming of the Mission/SOMA neighborhood border, the return of the Maltese Falcon, the Mayor Gavin Newsom mea culpa-ing over his Hawaiian getaway during the oil spill, and double-decker buses hitting the streets of San Francisco. Oh, and some baseball player named Barry Bonds is a liar whose pants, it seems, are totally on fire. LAist continues to cover the......

Photo by Miss Barbara on flickr After all that this morning, no one was found inside McBride's after the police got in. Over the weekend, a Hays County deputy found 730 pounds of marijuana when he pulled over a Suburban in Buda. LaBare trying to get permits to set up shop off of Braker and IH35; the neighbors aren't too excited about it. Cops on the lookout for woman (and two accomplices) who robbed a......

Photo courtesy Ornamental Things StitchSaturday, November 10Austin Convention Center (500 E Cesar Chavez Street)Doors at 4pm, Fashion show 9:30pm, Tickets $10[info] | [tickets]Austinite Natalie Tischler's reworked vintage jewelry, Ornamental Things, has a strong magnetic pull on us every time we walk into Parts and Labour. It's always hard to decide what's cooler, the button rings or the dangle-y earring and necklaces she creates from things found at flea markets. Natalie's bringing her beautiful pieces to......

As farmer's markets gain popularity nationwide, Austinites can stand proud as the Austin Farmer's Market does its part to support local farmers. Greenlight Magazine highlights the top 10 markets in the nation in its most recent edition, and Austin hits the list. According to the magazine: This growers-only market is limited to local (within 150 miles) farms, and boasts a distinct Southwestern flavor. Pick up Creole pralines, pecans, as well as heirloom zipper, cream, black-eyed,......

It’s National Massage Therapy Awareness Week. Who knew? Not us, until we heard about Massage Harmony’s week of discounts and freebies. If you want a complimentary 10-minute massage or a gift certificate for $10 off, go to Massage Harmony or the Borders (both in the West Bank Shopping Center) on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Austinist readers can also enter to win gift certificates for free massages after the jump. Derrick Amoriko, owner......

Moxie and the Compound wants to wet your fashion whistle with its own Project Runway-inspired competition. Both Marques Harper and Stephen Moser mentioned they're judging the event. But who do you think promoted it better? Remember Factory People, the hip store on South Congress that closed this summer? Of course you do! They're still around, promoting parties and selling their shamelessly cool clothing online. But if you want to see Factory People's latest looks......

Once the camera crews, exuberant (and nostalgia seeking) fans, and Illuminati-crying conspiracy theorists had retreated to their respective rocks last week, former President Clinton decided to do some shopping at BookPeople. In town to raise money for Hillary's campaign at the home of long time Clinton family friend Roy Spence of GSD&M, Bill made a stop at BookPeople where he signed over a thousand copies of his new book, Giving: How Each of Us Can......

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.......

Tribeza is co-sponsoring a search for “Texas’ Next Top Designer" with Dallas Fashion Incubator and Stanley Korshak, a large upscale boutique in Dallas. Go here if you are interested in applying for the event. The winner, to be announced in November, will receive a price package worth—*gasp*—$30,000. A public party promoting the competition is today at Estilo (234 W. 2nd St.) and Girl Next Door (250 W. 2nd St.) from 6 p.m. to 8......

Chances are pretty good that you’ve heard of The MisShapes – New York's party-throwing trio and current It-kids. Last fall, the New York Times wrote about “the phenomenon known as the MisShapes” and their 15 minutes of fame. They've been in countless pop culture magazines, most of which reference the one time that Madonna dropped in on their weekly residency at Don Hill’s in SoHo. They've been on ads for those Eastport backpacks that kids......

The best reason to attend the 2nd Street District birthday bash next Thursday is not the live entertainment, or the cupcakes, champagne or gelato. No, no. It’s the grand prize giveaway: an "ultimate shopping experience" style spree worth over $2,000. All stores in the area will be giving away freebies or providing some sort of cool discount. Meanwhile, shoppers can register for the style spree once at each store for the 10 p.m. drawing. Other......

The biggest trend in fashion (and everything else) this year seems to be going green. With all of the talk about global warming and environmental conservation, the fashion industry has started responding by using sustainable fabrics and organic dyes. Now, boutique owner Jyl Kusche from Therapy Clothing is jumping on the bio-diesel bandwagon. Eco With An Edge is Therapy’s new campaign. The shop is expanding with eco-friendly inventory, such as canvas shopping bags, recyclable gift......

The Spicewood bar where an Austin Police commander and her husband, also an officer, were drinking before dying in a motorcycle crash was shut down by the TABC Today was the 41st anniversary of the UT Tower shootings Six cases of human West Nile Virus have been reported in Texas this year After the scandal earlier this year where UT's financial aid chief Lawrence Burt had improper dealings with a student loan company, the......

The Barr Mansion and Artisan Ballroom have announced their certification as the nation's first events facility serving all organic cuisine. To celebrate, they'll host Austin’s first Organic Fest on Friday, July 20 at 7pm, complete with a feast of local organic offerings, a "Green Ribbon Cutting," seasonal food, organic growers and vendors, live entertainment, and organic leaders and advocates. The event is free and open to the community. “Having Whole Foods and an abundance of......

In 2001, Californian Hans Boas set out on a road trip to Austin to teach German classes at The University of Texas when he stopped by Fredericksburg, the modest Hill Country town known for its good food, great shopping, and strong German heritage. Over lunch, he overheard a conversation spoken in an "interesting sounding German," a dialect that incorporated English words and English phrases, but was pronounced in a distinctly German accent. Investing further,......

There are quite a few mentionables this week, including Dappled Cities' Granddance, produced by Jim Fairchild (of Grandaddy) and Peter Walker, and mixed by Jaquire King (Modest Mouse). Dappled Cities are an Australian indie rock band that we've grown rather fond of as of late, mostly because of "Fire, Fire Fire". Also of note this week is the latest from Ladybug Transistor and the latest Eccentric Soul compilation, The Prix Label. As usual, do......

Service Menswear moved, but not far: they're now behind By George in the Cissis Market shopping center (1400 South Congress), right next to Mars restaurant. We featured Service Menswear in our Spring Picks feature (see our model on the right), and we're excited to see how they're filling their larger space. And speaking of boutiques, the other By George (the one across from Whole Foods on Lamar) is getting choice runway looks from Chloe......

The kids at Top Drawer Thrift will host their second annual fashion show, Top Drawer Couture ’07 on May 6, 2007. Almost Impatient Productions and local fashion designers will create a runway show featuring both original works and items taken from the racks of the store. The Austin Chronicle’s Stephen MacMillan Moser will play host with the most again this year. Organizers say the evening will feature drinks, hors d’oeuvres, a DJ, and live......

- If you are one of the many in the South Austin area who feel that downtown is hogging all of the good wine bars, take heart. Central Market's Westgate location has actually opened a wine and cheese bar in the middle of their store. The bar, dubbed A22, will feature a rotating mix of 16 wines by the glass, along with approximately 25 cheeses. Both wine and cheese flights will be available, and......

What a difference a year makes. Since settling into their stylish digs, the local stores at 2110 South Lamar have turned the former site of an old furniture warehouse into one of Austin's hippest destinations for boutique shopping and getting your hair done, rocker style. Tomorrow, the shops have teamed up to celebrate their first anniversary--ok, so many haven't been around for a full year, but the building itself debuted around this time in......