michael favia

The molten garage howl of King Kahn and the Shrines touches down at the Mohawk tonight. After a contentious, internet-induced break up with longtime collaborator, BBQ Show (aka Mark Sultan), Kahn tours again with a new Scion A/V EP. Somewhere at the intersection where The Sonics meet Stax Records, Kahn and the Shrines a reputation for a cage match live show without the cage. Rock and roll super exes, Laurie Anderson and Lou Reed once asked them to "put back the danger into the devil's music”. Here’s your chance to witness a reverse exorcism. [ more › ]

If you’re wondering what to do with your Saturday night, why not make good on your New Year's resolution (the one that says: Read more, Facebook less) and get thee to a local bookstore. ZZ Packer makes an appearance at BookPeople tonight at 7 pm, thanks to American Short Fiction, where she'll be talking with writer Jacqueline Luckett about Luckett’s second novel, Passing Love [ more › ]

Everyone’s favorite perennial Republican dark horse, Ron Paul, may have made some odd friends on the road to marginal relevance. [ more › ]

Like the whole "I read it for the articles" self-justification surrounding Playboy in its early days, The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, first debuting in 1964, had its presence explained on the kitchen table by the fact that "It only comes out once a year, honey, relax" and plus "the photography is really good...look at how beautiful these beaches are!" and it was an excellent showcase for swimwear, albeit swimwear that is always peeling off and being clutched to the bosom of Tyra Banks or another model with bedroom eyes, appendages stuck in sexy contortions out in the Caribbean. [ more › ]

Jonathan Sanders’ wife calls him “a hoarder of random objects.” If that statement is true, then Sanders has impeccable taste in weathered pipes and tree branches, which make their way into his sculptures. Fusing found items such as railroad spikes, insect-devoured wood, and corroded pipes to concrete, steel, and even resin, Sanders constructs pieces with modern, architectural lines. His Constructed Exploration exhibition opens at Gallery Black Lagoon tonight, 7-10pm. [ more › ]

With an expert blend of humor, romance, fun and booze, the Alamo Drafthouse is hosting a Princess Bride Quote Along Feast in honor of Valentine’s Day and will simultaneously roll out their new signature line of wine. [ more › ]

The bad news for Austin-based security intelligence company Stratfor began on Christmas Eve, when the hacker collective Anonymous hacked their servers and posted 4,000 stolen credit card numbers. And now, a suit has surfaced against Stratfor for $50 million, directed to the 2.7 million customers whose information was hijacked. Stratfor has, in return, offered the plaintiff a firm $349, the cost of Stratfor's services. This huge dismissal may have something to do with the fact that the lawsuit was filed in New York, something Stratfor disagrees strongly with (we assume because they make terrible salsa?). They filed a countersuit Monday to have all hearings moved to Texas where the hack "occurred." [ more › ]

Tilda Swinton stars in We Need To Talk About Kevin (Oscilloscope). [ more › ]

Austin residents have many occasions to visit the Travis County Tax Office, most of them related to various painful monetary procedures. The bloodletting starts at property taxes, expands to vehicle registration (where you are charged $3.00 extra for using your credit card) and veers into more benign (if dull) territories with services related to vehicle titles, voter registration, and other hallmarks of democracy that are nonetheless stultifying. [ more › ]

Austin residents have many occasions to visit the Travis County Tax Office, most of them related to various painful monetary procedures. The bloodletting starts at property taxes, expands to vehicle registration (where you are charged $3.00 extra for using your credit card) and veers into more benign (if dull) territories with services related to vehicle titles, voter registration, and other hallmarks of democracy that are nonetheless stultifying. [ more › ]

The last year has registered a veritable explosion of female electronic-focused musicians, including Lykke Li, Oh Land, Austra, Glasser, jj, tUnE-yArDs, Little Boots and more. Zola Jesus, led by Nika Roza Danilova - a Russian American via Wisconsin - leans towards the darker atmospheric side of the genre. Releasing three albums in just as many years, Danilova has evolved her sound throughout this short time by using her inner world images and musical curiosity as fodder. In a recent NYTimes magazine interview, Danilova discussed the music making process: "I like to work with sounds that are indistinguishable, when many different instruments or sounds can blend together to make one solid drone that can move and carry the song. I think my music and my style are connected in a way where they’re both trying to express the same things, or make sense of something greater." [ more › ]

Susan G. Komen for the Cure argues that the reason for cutting ties with Planned Parenthood is in response to a new rule that does not allow them to provide grants to associations under investigation... If this is true, then when will Komen part ways with Bank of America? [ more › ]

The three piece outfit has perfected a warped, shambolic sound that sounds simple on first listen, but unpacking all the dark nuances is half the fun. Their debut full-length, Should I Try Once More?, "tells the story of someone falling in love, with each song acting as a scene in the story." Garage-rock concept album, anyone? Sundae Records will release it on April 10 via digital, vinyl, and CD versions. [ more › ]

For those of us who always wanted to customize a beer and lacked motivation to brew our own, Sam Adams has a unique solution. The brewery teamed with social media enthusiast Guy Kawasaki to release a Facebook app that allows fans to crowdsource a new beer. [ more › ]

Texas electro garage psych lights up the ND tonight when Indian Jewelry tears into the first road show of their pre-SXSW tour. Often, "psychedelic" is used to describe music sticking to a blotchy formula that’s less interesting than the sweat stains on grandma’s Jefferson Airplane tee shirt. Lately, the genre’s been expanded by some who think that music with any measure of phased, fuzzy, reverb guitar is psych rock. But Indian Jewelry has carved out a rather unique niche, which has garnered them a booking for Austin Psych Fest 2012. Their music ranges from psych pop delight to electro noise rock. Wherever in that spectrum their music might warble, it’s likely to make you wonder who dosed your Lone Star. [ more › ]

Music nerds, take note. South By Southwest organizers just sent out a release saying that 2,000 music wristbands will go on sale at 10am via wristbands.sxsw.com at an initial price of $149. These wristbands grant the wearer space-available access to all evening SXSW showcases from March 13th to March 18th. Over 2,000 bands will perform at the 2012 edition of the festival at approximately 95 venues. [ more › ]

Red House, the Manor road pizzeria, has closed for what they are calling a "brief break" following the sale of the property they were leasing. [ more › ]

Republicans controlling the U.S. House Subcommittee on Energy and Environment ordered the arrest this morning of Academy Award-nominated director Josh Fox who was attempting to film a public hearing on natural gas fracturing techniques, or "Fracking" as the practice has come to be known. [ more › ]

How does Texas - or at least Austin - stack up in 33 1/3 representation? Not so hot, it turns out. So what with 33 1/3's open-minded and expansive appreciation for pitches of various sorts, we entreaty you - readers and writers and friends of readers and writers - to give our State some recognition already. [ more › ]