It's all happening at Robinson House this Friday! DJ Blake Brandon, SIMIAN GIBBONS, and special guest DJ CHINK CHONG CHINA (of Leopard/Dog and formerly Hey La La) will be banging out the future animal sounds of Austin til the wee hours of the morning. Are you ready? Be ready. Are you excited? You should be excited. I have seen the costumes people are making, and let me just say, wow. Let's make this futuriffic. That's right, I said it
The fine folks at parts and labor are celebrating their reopening with beer, vodka, and clothes/various artifacts created by local designers/artists. I was never aware that they were closed, but it's a good thing they're back. I'm a big fan of the New Bohemia and Parts & Labor family, so go out and give them some love from me while I'm at work
And all the way from the exotic landscape of Oklahoma City, WILDLIFE brings you Kids at the Bar! As always, it's happening at Barcelona. WILDLIFE is everywhere these day, no? Good for them
No idea what this is really, but it's $5 for some live music and all the really tasty coffee you can afford. And Anglophilia abounds at Elysium:
I wonder if anyone will have the nerve to play Elastica. Prepare to hear music from Manchester
My good pals in the Eastern Sea are doing a live recording! That's cool! I remember back in the day when Matt was playing by himself, with just a guitar, a tape recorder, and a dream - er talent. You get the idea. It's always goo to see an old friend doing well. If you're interested, facebook event page is here
And back with a new color scheme, it's the weekly TGIF party. Looks like a familiar slew of talented gentlemen will be providing the musics
The White White Lights are opening for UME at La Zona Rosa. Highly recommended! More people I know making music. I'm hugely biased, but whatever. The WWLs are only getting better. I hear tell there's a $5 cover, but you can dodge it if you RSVP. Lots of house parties on Saturday, but for the sake of preserving friendships, I can't say more. Text me if you know me
WHY? There are maybe, ok 8ish bands on there I don't actively dislike for some petty reason. Looks like I will have to keep begging ACL to let me justify the price of admission. I got some items of interest for ya, though. Might help dull the pain. Free air conditioning with ever purchase!
Details and DJ Blake Brandon are bringing the music to Back Alley Social tonight. Be sure to check it out! And then there's always the new standard for Tuesday nights.
And it looks like Kary Kadaver is up this week. Wild! Life! does like to bring in those awesome out of towners
Moth! Fight! are playing as part of the "late night" aspect of the Fuse Box Festival. I've been remiss in covering Fuse Box events, but there's such a wide variety of things going on, not all of which are so clearly associated with the festival, which itself is an extremely broad interdisciplinary showcase. It's ongoing until May 2, so I'm going to try to catch events when I can. For tomorrow, you need to know that the show is at the Art Authority for $5, doors at 7:30.
I honestly know next to nothing about this. I'm pretty sure it's their first Creekside show. Digging the unicorn horse thing though. I think triangular mountains are a new flier standard. Look out, robot heads and naked ladies
It's a monthly Learning Secrets party LANAI, and this time they're bringing cheap Red Stripes and $3/Sex on the Beach. That's an easy way to get your daily dose of fruit juice, sugar, and booze in one easy dose
If you're down for venturing a few blocks south to Copa, Grant C Dull, Whats Up Buenos Aires, Peligrosa allstars with Zizek, and Richard Henry will be doing their thing. I've heard really good stuff about these guys. They're really blowing up in Argentine, which is cool. I generally trust Argentina. More info about Whats up Buenos Aires and what it's all about (here)
You heard right. Wear that zombie stuff with the goo and the make-up and the moaning and the dancingOPENERLooks like a good year to me. So many big directors in the competition, too. Lots to talk about, but the thing that immediately popped out at me was Lars von Trier's "Antichrist." During its initial filming, von Trier issued a press release claiming he was too depressed to continue making movies and was considering retiring altogether. Many began to label "Antichrist" as a lost film, while an equal number thought it was one of his trademark publicity stunts. Whether it was legit or not, I had a feeling he'd be back. And how we are excited about Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg getting scared shitless
"Up," U.S., Pete Docter, Bob Peterson
CLOSER
"Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky," France, Jan Kounen
IN COMPETITION
"Bright Star," Australia-U.K.-France, Jane Campion
"Spring Fever," China-France, Lou Ye
"Antichrist," Denmark-Sweden-France-Italy, Lars von Trier
"Enter the Void," France, Gaspar Noe
"Face," France-Taiwan-Netherlands-Belgium, Tsai Ming-liang
"Les Herbes folles," France-Italy, Alain Resnais
"In the Beginning," France, Xavier Giannoli
"A Prophet," France, Jacques Audiard
"The White Ribbon," Germany-Austria-France, Michael Haneke
"Vengeance," Hong Kong-France-U.S., Johnnie To
"The Time That Remains," Israel-France-Belgium-Italy, Elia Suleiman
"Vincere," Italy-France, Marco Bellocchio
"Kinatay," Philippines, Brillante Mendoza
"Thirst," South Korea-U.S., Park Chan-wook
"Broken Embraces," Spain, Pedro Almodovar
"Map of the Sounds of Tokyo," Spain, Isabel Coixet
"Fish Tank," U.K.-Netherlands, Andrea Arnold
"Looking for Eric," U.K.-France-Belgium-Italy, Ken Loach
"Inglourious Basterds," U.S., Quentin Tarantino
"Taking Woodstock," U.S., Ang Lee
OUT OF COMPETITION
"The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus," Canada-France, Terry Gilliam
"The Army of Crime," France, Robert Guediguian
"Agora," Spain, Alejandro Amenabar
MIDNIGHT SCREENINGS
"A Town Called Panic," Belgium, Stephane Aubier, Vincent Patar
"Ne te retourne pas," France-Belgium-Luxembourg-Italy, Marina de Van
"Drag Me to Hell," U.S., Sam Raimi
SPECIAL SCREENINGS
"Petition," China, Zhao Liang
"L'epine dans le coeur," France, Michel Gondry
"Min ye," France-Mali, Souleyumane Cisse
"Jaffa," Israel-France-Germany, Keren Yedaya
"Manila," Philippines, Adolfo Alix Jr., Raya Martin
"My Neighbor, My Killer," U.S., Anne Aghion
UN CERTAIN REGARD
"Samson & Delilah," Australia, Warwick Thornton
"Adrift," Brazil, Heitor Dhalia
"The Wind Journeys," Colombia, Ciro Guerra
"Demain des l'aube," France, Denis Dercourt
"Irene," France, Alain Cavalier
"Air Doll," Japan, Hirokazu Kore-eda
"Independance," Philippines-France-Germany, Raya Martin
"Le Pere de mes enfants," France-Germany, Mia Hansen-Love
"Dogtooth," Greece, Yorgos Lanthimos
"Nobody Knows About the Persian Cats," Iran, Bahman Ghobadi
"Eyes Wide Open," Israel, Haim Tabakman
"Mother," South Korea, Bong Joon-ho
"The Silent Army," Netherlands, Jean van de Velde
"To Die Like a Man," Portugal, Joao Pedro Rodrigues
"Police, Adjective," Romania, Corneliu Porumboiu
"Tales from the Golden Age," Romania, Hanno Hofer, Razvan Marculescu, Cristian Mungiu, Constantin Popescu, Ioana Uricaru
"Tale in the Darkness," Russia, Nikolay Khomeriki
"Tzar," Russia-France, Pavel Lounguine
"Nymph," Thailand, Pen-ek Ratanaruang
"Precious," U.S., Lee Daniels
Sorry, it had to be shared. Speaking of odd, mind scarring portrayals of sex, if you have somehow missed Isabella Rossellini's "Green Porno," you have not been taking advantage of having eyeballs
No, it's not Isabella Rossellini having sex, per se. "Green Porno" is a series of reenactments/explanations of how different animals have sex, made using the supplies/budget of a grade school drama teacher. It's exactly as interesting and hilarious as it sounds. Watch it! (HERE)
There is also rumored to be art by lovely people, giant chess, music (the good kind), and a see saw. If you're going to ignore the day-long nap part of that advice, don't forget VEGA's EP release party is tonight at Beauty Bar.
Either way, it is fine listenings to make the dance with. Happy birthday to Charlene, too!
Lots of art shows this time of year. The sunlight must make people want to look at things.Like this thing. Look at this thing. This looks interesting. Check out the artist's rather sparse site for more and then come out to the show
And KVRX wants dollars. More specifically, they kindly request 7 of yours in exchange for a show by Car Stereo (Wars) and some other local bands I have yet to become familiar with. We must investigate
Irresponsible Voltron is coming at you with a flier that looks like a Voltron. It doesn't look too irresponsible here, but that's OK. I don't really want to see Voltron driving drunk, forgetting to pick up its kids from daycare, or paying its gas bill 3 months late. Just like every Thursday, it's all going down at Barcelona 
VEGA + PRINCE KLASSEN + DONESKI, wow. You're sure to find something you like in there. Hell, you might even like all of it. Fresh from exposing Crystal Castles as whiny narc babies, VEGA is celebrating the release of a new EP. For free! Do it! Simian's Friday pick. Period.
In case Booty Bar gets too crowded for you, there's this. Lot's of potential here. Still haven't made it out to Back Alley Social, but they seem to be getting their act together fast, no? Also free! 
And for those who prefer more rocking and less rolling, Mohawk has got your back.
Come eat cheap pizza, drink cheap beer, and watch people eat alot of pizza and drink alot of beer. That's right, it's a pizza eating contest. I think team registration is closed, but don't let that stop you. It's tasty pizza, too. The action happens 3-7 
Chris Riley wants you to come eat free vegan ice cream from Nada Moo! That's theirs exclamation mark, not mine, but I'd put it there anyway. Alot of great bands here; bands that are not just great "local" bands, but great in general. If Cry Blood Apache was from New Zealand, they would still be cool. Yes, even New Zealand. They're just that good. DJing action in between sets provided courtesy of DJ MSCLVZ. He will be likely just have flown in from Berlin, but Rome is also a possibility. In other news, Chris Riley just got an endorsement from the Chronicle, but that shouldn't stop you from continuing your support and involvement. Actually voting is also important. Caring is also nice. If you haven't been paying attention to local politics, this is a good chance to start getting involved via eating, listening to music, and drinking. Perfect? Yes 
This looks great, too. On any other weekend, I'd be screaming at you to go to this. Track down the RSVP, if you want to dodge the cover 
Local art, music, and free beer are coming to the Blackerby Violin Shop. There's no real flier, so I'll just tell you it's from 6-12 at 1111 W. Anderson Ln. It's a good thing
The Austin Video Bee will be doing its thing 1-8 at the Art Authority. If you didn't sign up, it's too late now, but don't forget to check out the results at the premier, May 2nd. Count on hearing more about that
I don't remember what I wore to my 8th grade dance. I think we had a sock hop, actually. Could be fun.
It's unclear at this point what impact this foray into post-modern drama will have on Van Damme's career. So far, he's continued to make films much in the pattern he has for the last decade, one exciting exception being the announcement of the long awaited third, oh:
technically fourth film in the Universal Soldier series. Ok, not a huge departure, BUT it will have Dolph Lundgren in it. Nostalgia-driven dorky excitement abounds. After all, maybe returning to an old school, big budget action formula is what JCVD needs. NOBODY needs more of this
Rodman's shown up on foreign TV and a few episodes of "Celebrity Apprentice," but the movie gods have not granted him any further full-length film projects. Yet.
The sections of the story/film that directly concerns Rourke reeks of cut scenes and extensive re-writes. I'd go so far as to say the story seems to have been completely reinvented to avoid the character. In fact, Rourke and Van Damme are rarely ever in the same frame, with Rourke's presence often reduced to a disembodied voice issuing from a loudspeaker or walkie talky. When he does physically appear, his dialog has been re-dubbed extremely badly. Always a good sign the actor was having some trouble saying lines clearly and generally making his mouth the right shape when he spoke. Adding chemicals to your brain will do this. Although still in amazing physical shape, this is clearly Rourke on the descendant. Thanks, drugs! 
You don't need me to tell you about Mickey Rourke's return to glory this last year: "The Wrestler," his Golden Globe win, Oscar nomination, and the more general recognition of his talent. If you have been alive and in contact with other humans, I'm sure you're aware of that. What's to come is what's interesting
In unrelated, but more timely news, My Bloody Valentine is playing tonight! Who's excited? More importantly, who else is going? Ladytron and the Faint are playing at Stubbs tonight, too. Try as I might, I can't get excited about that. I've never been big on the Faint, but I will admit there was a time I listened to Ladytron like it was the only thing keeping me alive. Both times I've seen them live have left me kinda flat. Their demure, too cool to move thing that's so cool in their photos can come across as awkward and stiff on stage. Maybe this time will be different. If you check it out, let me know how it goes down, because I'sa curious.
The internets have been aglow with their ear candy magic for a month or so now, but I can't let that stop me from telling you how much I'm digging this stuff. I could go on hyping them up, but I'll let these tracks speak for themselves. I've got an original for you, and an absolutely tits remix of a classic track by Newcleus (so near and dear to my little black heart)
UAHA and My Kid Could Paint That want you to come check out student artwork, eat cupcakes, and listen to tunes provided by KVRX DJs tonight @ the Art Authority 8-Midnight. Art prices range from $5 to $150, so you can even take some of the magic home with you
Oh look, an art show. One day only! 7-10pm @ Co-Lab (613 Allen on the East Side). I will steal the words the artists chose to describe it (insert deep breath here): "Drawing from the collections of Warren Aldrich and Lillian Gerson, comes a frantic onslaught of visual information reminiscent of the cluttered energy of a packed flea market stall or an overcrowded garage sale. Both artists work with a strong collage mentality handling every medium with a process of accumulation, from the paintings composed of minuscule dots and dense layering to the assemblages of found objects. Just as each individual piece is essential to the series, so too is the crowded context crucial to the singular, thus leading the viewer to seriously consider the possibility that quantity can truly dictate quality." Sounds cool.
Musical equipment, clothes, and booze? Oh neat. Do have a good weekend and do brave the rain to do things
Richard.Gear's weekly spot at Barcelona. That's the bar on 6th, not the city. Maybe someday, but not today. 
Zee perennial noise makers known as the Hype Headz present MOM&DAD at Elysium tonight. Haven't heard too much M+D, but what I did sounded really interesting, un-average, and not at all what I was expecting
No, that's not just any guy in a pink tank top, it's so-and-so of the Pillow Queens! He and whats-his-face and that-guy-yeah-him are playing with Dikes of Holland, Over the Hill, and Alright Tonight @ Red 7. Monofonus Press will be giving out door prizes to the first 50 people to walk in the door, so get there early!
DAN "MOTHERFUCKIN" DEACON @ EMO'S. This guy is kinda popular, so ya know, show up early if you don't have tickets already. His live setup seems pretty crazy this time around. From the pics I've seen, there's ALOT of live instrumentation. THAT'S CITIN' TO ME
