Rogness Brewing Company Gets a 1UP With Birthday Bash

Rogness Brewing CompanyRogness Brewing Company celebrated its one-year anniversary on May 12, 2013.

The brewery kicked off this intro to a new year in the traditional Austin way: with a party.

Vendors and artisans from across the Austin area showed up to congratulate the once-tiny brewery…and it wasn’t just any party. [Read more...]

You’ve Never Seen Anything Like Showdown at Unobtainium

Sparks flew during Showdown at Unobtainium this past weekend in Unobtainium, Texas. The town is a small, mostly fictional, place caught in the late nineteenth century.

More importantly, it’s the site of a climactic battle between two of history’s most infamous scientists, Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla. Both men are fighting for their inventions, reputations and lives as bullets and zeppelins fly overhead à la the Old West. [Read more...]

Rockers in Skirt the Issue Are Austin’s Musicians to Watch

Austin, Texas is the place small-time bands go if they want to become big time… so long as they’ve got talent.

As such, music-loving Austinites have to wage a kind of bet when going out to hear live music.

Coffee shops, venues and bars – every cover charge is a bet on whether or not you’ll be the person who “saw so-and-so before they made it big.”  Play your cards right, and you’ll be filthy rich with hipster cred by 2015.

Personally, I tend to break even on these gambles. Sometimes I lose. Occasionally, though, the investment pays off and I see a band who has the talent and drive to make a name for itself. This is one of those times. Let me introduce you to Skirt the Issue. [Read more...]

Austin Book Fair Brings Community Together This Weekend

What will become of the bound book in the age of Kindles and Nooks? Will pages disappear alongside the scroll and clay tablets? If the citizens behind the Austin Book Arts Fair have anything to say about it, the answer is a defiant, printed and bound, “No!”

This weekend, the Austin Book Arts Fair will celebrate one of mankind’s greatest inventions: the humble book. Taking place on the beautiful grounds of the Villa at Laguna Gloria, owned and operated by the Austin Museum of Art, the Austin Book Workers promote books and book arts throughout Central Texas. This is the perfect event for children and adults who believe in the power of books to transform and enrich life. [Read more...]

Exceptional Austin Brewery Tours from the Austin Brew Bus

How much do you know about the breweries across Austin? Whether it’s a lot or a little, the Austin Brew Bus is the perfect tour for anybody interested in craft beer.

It’s a simple – yet genius – idea. Gather a bunch of beer lovers, sit them in an air-conditioned tour bus, and explore the inner workings of Austin’s favorite local breweries…With many glasses filled along the way! [Read more...]

Austinot Music Podcast Ep. 11: Joshua Martin

 

Joshua Martin on the Austinot Music PodcastClick Play on the podcast player above to listen to this week’s episode of the Austinot Music Podcast!

Hey there, Austin! Welcome to another episode of the Austinot Music Podcast. Today I have the good fortune of featuring another Austin transplant like myself. Our featured artist is Joshua Martin. Joshua is a singer/instrumentalist/songwriter who recently settled down in the Live Music Capitol.

Joshua Martin is originally from Dallas, Texas. There he honed his skill at the guitar, having played for years. In fact, in one of his songs, he refers to himself as “the kid with the guitar.” [Read more...]

Keep Austin Weird Festival and 5K This Weekend

The slogan “Keep Austin Weird” is a big deal. It’s a state of mind, a dedication to supporting local culture. The Keep Austin Weird Festival and 5K is a manifestation of that spirit. And it’s happening this weekend.

Combining the values and pastimes of Austinites, the festival is a chance to celebrate all the great things that makes Austin, Texas so weird. [Read more...]

The Session: Austin’s Own Psychological Thriller

Austin, Texas is a great place for an indie filmmaker. We have multiple film festivals like the Austin Film Festival and South by Southwest. Enter The Session,  a film created by a group of  University of Texas students and graduates. They are a dedicated bunch of  artists who are carving their own way within the Texas film scene. They call themselves Red Herring Productions.

Currently the team is working day and night to craft a story they think can compete in the Texas film circuit.  ”It’s a labor of love,” says producer Laura Herring. “ I’m doing it because I love making films. I’d say that it’s the general feeling of a good many people on this boat.” [Read more...]

Austinot Music Podcast, Ep. 10: Ron Kewin

It’s summertime in Austin, and that means it’s time for some folk on this episode of the Austinot Music Podcast. That’s right. To me, Summer means folk music, road trips and bare feet. Those images personify an American summer in my mind.

Similarly, folk music personifies a few things as well. First, it personifies the stripped-down appeal of the Summer and a very American way of approaching problems. Historically speaking, folk music has provided a way for the everyman to comment on his society, religion or historical period. It’s a vital part of the American identity. [Read more...]

Top 3 Father’s Day Events in Austin

Movie night at Deep Eddy Pool in AustinHead’s up. Father’s Day is Sunday the 17th. It’s alright if you’re unprepared – take a breath and check out our top 3 Father’s Day events in Austin.

Here are a few awesome things to do with Pops this Father’s Day:

#1: Deep Eddy Pool Movie Night: The Goonies

Now this is the way to kick off a Father’s Day weekend. Deep Eddy Pool is the oldest swimming hole in Texas, having been formed from part of the Colorado River in 1915. Long story short: it’s been an Austin icon and pastime every since. [Read more...]

The Austinot Tex-Mex Food Challenge #5: El Mercado

Summer is well on its way, and this weeked I had a chance to beat the heat at El Mercado. So far during The Austinot Tex-Mex Food Challenge, I’ve learned that the title of “Best Tex-Mex in Austin” is very subjective. Plus, it takes a ton of time and work for an out-of-state immigrant like myself to fully understand it.

Despite these hurdles, I can do my civic duty by telling people a bit about some Tex-Mex places they haven’t visited yet. Check it out! [Read more...]

Austinot Music Podcast, Ep. 9: Daniel (Kai) Kalin

 

Kai Daniel Kalin master of experimental rock in AustinClick the Play button on the podcast player above to listen to this week’s episode of the Austinot Music Podcast.

For today’s Austinot Music Podcast, we are featuring local musician Daniel Kalin…but you can just call him Kai. He is originally from the Northeast, and has brought to Austin a truly unique blend of classic rock. It’s safe to say that Kai truly makes his music his own, blending genres left and right.

Sometimes you’ll catch him heavy into country sounds, like in his song “Heart of Fire” that I use in the intro to this week’s episode. At other times, Kai blends so many different styles together and creates something wholly individual. That’s why I love Austin music. You get a little bit of everything here. [Read more...]

Republic of Texas Biker Rally 2012 Rolls Into Austin

This weekend the Republic of Texas Biker Rally 2012 will fill the streets of  Austin. Having registered over 50,000 participants per year in recent years, the rally has a reputation for breaking records and burning rubber. Guinness World Records certified the RoT parade as “The Longest Parade of Motorcycles Known to Mankind” in 2006. [Read more...]

Austin Coffee Shops Hunt #5: Hip and Young at Thunderbird Coffee

As you arrive at Thunderbird Coffee on Koenig, you’ll probably first notice how it glitzes up an otherwise drab street. Dogs and their owners may be lounging on the open-air patio. Bay windows cover most of the available wall space, allowing natural light to filter into the coffee house. The spacious interior of Thunderbird is marked by pastel-colored walls and obtuse hanging lanterns. If it’s not too packed, grab a seat at a table or couch.

Established in 2007,  this coffee shop is where people come together – the type of place where you and yours can grab drinks and chat. Though the music may seem a bit too overbearing for casual studying, you’ll probably see many people clicking away at their laptops regardless. There aren’t many power outlets available, so those who do study will probably be planted for a while. The clientele is mostly composed of hip twenty-somethings who have time to kill. Still, the drinks and food at Thunderbird have cultivated a community of regulars of all ages. [Read more...]

Austin Nonprofit Revitalizes City Using Unique Art

Looking for a date spot in Austin this weekend? Well hold on and let me tell you about a unique place you can check out with your significant other. Austin is known for its off-the-wall approaches to art. This weekend, you have a chance to get an artistic take on something you may have seen a thousand times before, just never like this.

Local artist Heather Trolleston has been working with the “Urban Musuem,” named Art on the Way, to display her Spiral Plexus artwork.

Art On The Way (AOTW) is an Austin nonprofit organization/museum which purposefully utilizes public and private plots of land that would otherwise fall into disuse. AOTW reclaims this land and does something incredibly special and beautiful it. You may have seen a few of their older displays driving across the city. Basically, they transform forgotten pieces of land into venues where local artists can [Read more...]