It's official: Houston is taking it's A game to Austin for the 2008 South By Southwest music showcase. From March 12 through 16, you can catch some of your favorite local acts play in the so-called music mecca of the American South. Some of our favorites get to tackle the festival, including Katie Stuckey and (The Band Formerly Known As) The Dimes. In fact, Austin will get the full spectrum of Houston music this year.......

The Day After Thanksgiving (aka Black Friday) has got to be one of the most stressful days of the year, with pent-up aggression and lingering turkey hangovers spilling into the crowded aisles of retail centers all over the city. After a day of fighting the unwashed hordes, you'll need a place to unwind and release some of that stress. If a cup of oolong and a Bach concerto isn't the antitode you're searching for,......

Houstonist interviewed Beto from Grupo Fantasma this week, in preparations for their show this Friday night at the Continental Club. The large, Austin-based band, who puts on a hell of a live show, gave us some insight into their music and other work that they are doing. If you'd like to see Grupo Fantasma Friday night, we have a pair of tickets just for you. Send us an e-mail with your name and phone number......

If you can't find a live show you like this week, then you're not trying hard enough. Tonight, NYC's (once) indie-rockers Interpol hits the Verizon Wireless Theater. For something more local, check out John Evans roots rock set at the Mucky Duck. Tomorrow night, German DJ Paul Van Dyke will have everyone dancing at Warehouse Live. The Meridian turns down the amp (just a bit) on Thursday night to host Americana flavored Junior Brown......

Not many musicians in their mid 20’s can say that they’ve been in the music industry for over a decade, but Texas native Ben Kweller can. When he was only 13 years old, he formed a band called Radish, which was hyped-up to be the next Nirvana. But, even after a major push from their record label, Radish’s hype turned out to be rubbish. Ben Kweller has now made a bigger name for himself as......

While walking down South Congress Avenue on a beautiful Saturday afternoon in Austin at SXSW last month, Houstonist came up upon the unofficial Houston music showcase. We decided to hang out for a while, grab a beer and some chips and queso, and catch some great local acts. We chatted with the host of the showcase, Pete Lippincott, who just happens to be the man behind the band Petesimple. Petesimple recently released their second CD......

Tuesday Discovered by Peter Gabriel, Akron, Ohio’s Joseph Arthur is a singer/songwriter whose music is full of layered, swirling choruses. While his studio albums are very produced, his live show gives fans to hear his music in a new light. 8 p.m. at the Meridian | tickets and info Wednesday In the late 90’s, Jude came on the scene with a bang – a song on the City of Angels soundtrack, a debut album......

Houstonist loves its music almost as much as a 42.8 degree Guinness Draught on St. Patty’s Day. When we hear something that makes us want to drink more, we get super excited. The Subways’ debut album “Young for Eternity” got us almost too excited. We first heard the young’ns while visiting our Austinist friends for SXSW. As one of several opening acts for Snow Patrol on March 17, the Subways provided an electrifying warm-up. And......