Dustin Vegas - The Austinot

American Bingo: This Ain’t Your Grandmother’s Game

April 26, 2012 by Dustin Vegas 13 Comments

What have you heard about bingo? When I learned about American Bingo last week, I first thought of slow-moving people absent-mindedly stabbing at pieces of paper while a bored man rattles off numbers. I figured it was a pastime reserved for retired folk.

I had no clue how wrong I was.

What if I told you, with all honesty, that one of the most intense, exciting and downright fun nights I’ve had in Austin took place in a bingo parlor? Well hold on to your hat – it’s true. The Austinots recently took a trip to American Bingo at 1919 East Riverside Dr. and learned how crazy a night of bingo can be.

Here’s what I mean: [Read more…]

Austinot Music Podcast, Ep. #4: The Hereticks

April 26, 2012 by Dustin Vegas 6 Comments

This week I am featuring a high-energy Austin band named the Hereticks on the Austinot Music Podcast. Straight out of West Campus, the Hereticks started making music in Spring of 2011. Three of the four members met while living in Pearl Street Co-op, which is somewhat of a haven for musicians and artists west of UT.

The Hereticks are: Ofer Shouval (guitar, vocals), Wesley Maffly-Kipp (bass, vocals), Will Johnson (guitar, vocals), and Peter Farago (Drums). [Read more…]

Superhero Kids: An Austin Non-Profit Helping Families

April 25, 2012 by Dustin Vegas 17 Comments

Let me tell you about an amazing Austin-based non-profit organization. They work hard every day to improve the lives of people who need them most.

Recently, I was introduced to this group of kindhearted Austinites, known as Superhero Kids. They quietly assist children and families who have been affected by cancer and blood disorders.

Founded in December 2009, Superhero Kids works to improve the quality of life of children and their families at the Children’s Blood and Cancer Center of Central Texas, at Dell Children’s Hospital. Their other primary purpose is to make Austin aware of the progress made in the name of children battling life-threatening illnesses. [Read more…]

Austinot Tex-Mex Food Challenge: Trudy’s Tex-Mex and Bar

April 23, 2012 by Dustin Vegas 16 Comments

Today marks another leg of my journey to discover the best Austin Tex-Mex. When I first wrote about Maudie’s, I asked you to recommend restaurants that I should check out. Instantly, you blew up The Austinot’s Facebook, Twitter, and email accounts.

Thanks for all the suggestions. Hopefully you can see that I’m doing my best to make it to your favorite places in Austin. Due to popular demand, I most recently checked out Trudy’s Tex-Mex and Bar.

Trudy’s may be the most controversial Tex-Mex restaurant on my list. Small verbal skirmishes erupted whenever somebody mentioned its name. Our readers either praised it or condemned it for various reasons.

A business doesn’t attain that level of [Read more…]

Austinot Music Podcast, Ep. #3: The Rocketboys

April 19, 2012 by Dustin Vegas 4 Comments

This Austinot Music Podcast episode is very exciting for me personally. Why? Today I have the pleasure of sharing some music from Austin musicians, the Rocketboys.

I started listening to the Rocketboys when they formed in Abilene, Texas years ago. Their powerful music, tumultuous history, and journey to settling in Austin has earned the Rocketboys a place among my favorite featured bands.

The Rocketboys were the soundtrack to my growing up. Over the years, I have watched the band develop a complex and emotional voice. With a style ranging from powerful and sweeping to fragile and melodic, the Rocketboys have spent the past seven years crafting a sound that is their own. [Read more…]

Pushing Boundaries at AMOA-Arthouse’s Austin Art Exhibit

April 18, 2012 by Dustin Vegas 4 Comments

Austin art is the heart and soul of this city. Dallas has its shopping malls and sky scrapers. Fort Worth has railroads and industry. Lubbock has…sand.

Our art is what makes this city so characteristically weird and eclectic. From live music to oil painting – it doesn’t matter. There is nothing more Austin-esque than creating, appreciating and supporting local Austin art.

Luckily for us Austinites, the AMOA-Arthouse at the Jones Center is currently hosting its annual Five x Seven art exhibit and fundraiser. You can support one of most eclectic museums in town by purchasing inexpensive and handmade local art. Which is much better than sand.

The Five x Seven exhibit is based on a challenge. Years ago this Austin art museum challenged artists to submit works of art that were no bigger than five by [Read more…]

The Austinot Tex-Mex Food Challenge: Maudie’s Tex-Mex

April 15, 2012 by Dustin Vegas 21 Comments

Sit down a moment and let me tell you a story — nay, an epic — of one blogger’s quest to find the best Tex Mex food in Austin. This harrowing journey began seven years ago when I, a young soon-to-be-Austinot, first moved to Texas.

Having been born and raised in Hawaii, I had never experienced the symphony of flavor contained within the humble enchilada or fajita plate. My world changed, however, when I first stepped across the border of the Lone Star State.

Imagine my excitement when I was given the chance to review the best food in Austin. This is the place where Tex Mex is born. Texas and Mexico have risen and collided like two cultural waves throughout the past couple hundred years, and luckily for us the falloff includes some of the most delicious food in this [Read more…]

Austinot Music Podcast, Ep. #2: Da Di Da

April 12, 2012 by Dustin Vegas 2 Comments

Hearing a truly eclectic band is always a breath of fresh air for me. I spend a lot of my time sifting through bands who, though talented, find it hard to deviate from time-tested genres. So my ears perked when I heard my roommate listening to Da Di Da one day. I asked what genre they were, and the best description she could give was, “a kind of jazz-rock with a lot of storytelling.”

I walked to my room to download Da Di Da’s EP, and I soon realized just how right she was. [Read more…]

Bastrop State Park Reopens After Fire

April 10, 2012 by Dustin Vegas 4 Comments

The fire around Bastrop State Park in September 2011 left many families and individuals homeless and confused. In the wake of so much desolation and grief, good news becomes twice as nice to hear.

Bastrop State Park will reopen most of its acreage on Friday the 13th. This is great news for nature lovers like myself. Though large sections of the park remain charred and desolate, officials are planning to open the majority of the park for you to enjoy. Hurry before the summer camping rush hits! The newly-opened areas include:

Copperas Creek camping area: This area was off-limits due to extreme fire damage. Nobody knew how dangerous sleeping there could be. By now, all the stong men with saws have trimmed the campground to a safe level. Time has passed, so you will see green life growing from the ashes. Spring time will be perfect for seeing the renaissance of Bastrop State Park. [Read more…]

UT Student Organization Is Something To S.M.I.L.E. About

April 9, 2012 by Dustin Vegas 2 Comments

A worthwhile University of Texas student organization can make or break your college experience. Student organizations are one of the best parts of college life, especially at UT Austin. Friends are made, experiences shared, and causes pursued. You can spend your four years here however you like, so why not make a difference with your time?

Last week, I spent a day with a UT student organization named Students Making Impacts through Love & Empathy (S.M.I.L.E.) and was blown away by their St. Baldrick’s Day “Shave for a Cure” event. With help from many local business like Tiff’s Treats, S.M.I.L.E. was able to raise almost sixty thousand dollars to help children living with cancer.

That’s a six with four zeros after it – a huge sum of money going to children who really need it. It took ten minutes for me to catch on to how serious this group takes its work. Everybody who contributed to the event left with many new friends… [Read more…]

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