Though A Place to Bury Strangers' albums receive much praise, the best way to experience them is live. Guitarist and vocalist Oliver Ackerman is a tremendous performer; urging an unbelievable range of tones from his instrument, sometimes using nothing but feedback and broken strings against pickups. The band might draw influence from Jesus & Mary Chain, Slowdive and Joy Division, but they're without a doubt deserving of their own accolades, adding modern touches (both musically and technologically) to a genre that seems to be a soft spot for listeners....

Photos courtesy Austinist contributing photographer Gregory Cooper. ...

As we mentioned last week, Jay Lindsey's performances are always top notch. This one was no different. Photos courtesy Austinist contributing photographer, Nash Cook. ...

Photos courtesy Nari ...

Photos from Saturday's Texas Biennial Fundraiser at Victory Grill. Zach Ground/Flickr If you can't view the Flash slideshow above, an alternate version appears after the jump.......

Photos courtesy Austinist.com contributing photographer Briana Purser ...

Harlem and Bridez opened for Gravytrain at the Mohawk Saturday night, and Austinist contributing photographer Nash Cook was there to capture it. ...

Sub Pop darlings Fleet Foxes performed to an attentive, sold-out crowd at Mohawk last night, supported by Seattle's The Dutchess and the Duke and locals Balmorhea. Austinist contributing photographer Ali Bagheri provided the photos. ...

Boris played at the Mohawk over the weekend, and Austinist contributing photographer Nash Cook was there for all the action. So good, we bought a t-shirt. ...

Nearly 300 Austinites went to eat and compete in iLoveMikeLitt's 2nd Annual Veggie Hot Dog Eating Contest at Scholz Garten last Saturday. Congrats to all the winners! Ann Harkness/iLoveMikeLitt For more information about this and upcoming events visit iLoveMikeLitt's website. If you can't view the Flash slideshow above, an alternate version appears after the jump.......

The Texas Governor's Press Office today released several photos of the interior of the Governor's Mansion, showing the full extent of the fire damage caused by last weekend's arson attack....

Last Thursday at the Parish Room, Shearwater gifted their attentive audience a very special performance, showcasing their new record (Rook, out tomorrow) in its entirety. Supported by a small woodwind and string section as well as the album's studio harpist, Elaine Barber, the band soared through the record's highs and lows effortlessly. Jonathan Meiburg's voice brought the room to a hushed awe, ranging between vulnerable insistence ("I Was a Cloud") and emotional volatility ("Leviathan, Bound"). After a short break, a reduced ensemble rejoined for a second set full of archive material, pulling from 2006's Palo Santo for a grittier ending to the night's performance. ...

Hungry to share your most provocative Austin food photos? Send them here. Make sure to include your name, where the photo was taken and a complete description of the food....

Hungry to share your most provocative Austin food photos? Send them here. Make sure to include your name, where the photo was taken and a complete description of the food....

Hungry to share your most provocative Austin food photos? Send them here. Make sure to include your name, where the photo was taken and a complete description of the food....

Though DJ Mel is primarily known for his legendary Rock the Casbah parties at the Parish, he's been bringing a little debauchery to the Beauty Bar with his SWOLL parties. SWOLL sets are focused on the higher end of the BPM range, mixing Miami Bass, Baltimore club and "anything fast". Last weekend's event including DJ Klever, Cosmo Baker looks like it was a really good time. ...

Hailing from Athens, Georgia, Dark Meat perform an ecstatic sort of revivalist rock'n'roll, joyfully creating their own spectacle of noise by any means necessary. About 18 performers (give or take), including a brass section positioned on one side of the venue and a more traditional outfit on the other (including two wildly talented and seemingly tireless drummers) electrified the audience at the Mohawk last night with their unique sound, which lies somewhere between Spritualized and Rocket from the Crypt....

Photos from Wednesday night's event at Antone's which raised money to support Stephen Moser. In November of 2007, Stephen - the Chronicle's fashion columnist - announced to his readers the unfortunate news that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. If you would like to share in supporting Stephen's battle, donations may be made through the Paypal reference moserfund@gmail.com. Keith Gaddis/Flickr If you can't view the Flash slideshow above, an alternate version appears after......

The Raconteurs (Brendan Benson, Jack Lawrence,Patrick Keeler, and Jack White) played a two-night stand of sold out shows at Stubb's this weekend. Like a car at the very edge of control their messy, wobbly guitars delivered the kind of nervous energy you can't turn away fearing (or hoping) it might crash at any moment. ...

Bonde Do Role is a hot, sweaty mess. Setting the stage with the opening bars of the Indiana Jones theme, the band went on an adventure through the land of synthfunksamplehop while being chased by sweaty, sweaty headband wearing hipsters who were all too willing to worship at the temple of booty shakin' bass. What do you do with a song called “Bondallica”? You slay your adoring crowd with it, of course. With a set full of covers and songs off their singles and album “With Lasers” the band lit the floor on fire with low-fi drum machine samples and booty bass beats. ...

Photos courtesy Nash Cook...

Panic at the Disco brought their advertising laden tour to Stubb's on Saturday night. ...

British Sea Power played a free show at Club DeVille this weekend. Photos courtesy Eric Uhlir. ...

Colin Meloy stopped by La Zona Rosa on Monday night to play some intimate acoustic jams as part of his solo tour. Despite a head cold the Decemberist's lead singer/songwriter played a full set from both the band's catalog and his own, with a few covers (including Sam Cook) thrown in for good measure. Sipping on a glass of Cabernet (probably not the best thing for a cold) Meloy bantered cheerfully with the crowd, who supported him with sympathetic "awwwws" on cue and when he had to stop a couple of the songs due to fits of coughing or lyrical amnesia (its a good thing so many of his fans know the songs by heart, saving the final "Mariner's Revenge" with their sing-a-long). All in all the night proved that a supportive fan base can rescue a ship (or show) on the rocks and help a favorite artist deliver on the promise of the ticket price: a good time and a good show. ...

Oakland's Xiu Xiu, led by Jamie Stewart and Caralee McElroy, made a gorgeous noise on Saturday at the Mohawk performing songs from their latest release, Women as Lovers. They were supported by the smoky curiosities of D.C.'s Thao & the Get Down Stay Down. ...

Allen Y Chen/Austinist Vandals recently defaced banners advertising the new Bridges on the Park development, perhaps in response to the recent closure of the Shady Grove RV Park — which was actually prompted by a different condo project going up nearby.......

What Made Milwaukee Famous played at Emo's on Friday night to celebrate their CD release. Black Before Red, Loxsly and Lemurs opened the show. ...

Snapshots from Sunday's Zilker Kite Festival...

Photos courtesy Nash Cook. If you can't view the Flash slideshow above, an alternate version appears after the jump.......

Photos by Steve Hopson. If you can't view the Flash slideshow above, an alternate version appears after the jump.......