east austinite

If you haven’t been living under a rock then you are aware that Fashion Freakout is tonight at The Mohawk.  Buy your tickets in advance, so you don’t end up looking lame when this thing sells out, if it hasn’t already.  Should be a good time.  The details are below.

Friday, February 5
Runway show 9pm
$8 adults / $10 minors

Hosted by Matt Bearden
Performance by The Carrots
DJ sets by Blackout and Angel The Ripper
Fashions by Prototype Vintage Design, New Bohemia, Buffalo Exchange, and Avant Salon

Follow Fashion Freakout on  Twitter and Facebook!

On January 26, Matador released a double LP / single CD collection/ digital album called ‘Casual Victim Pile (Austin 2010′), featuring 17 songs from Austin and a few Denton bands.  The name comes from an anagram for ‘Live Music Capital.  Pretty rad. 

Beerland is hosting the release celebration this weekend.  It started last night, but if you missed it, you still have two more nights to support local music.  If you haven’t picked up a copy of the compilation, you better do that too.

You already missed out on the likes of Follow That Bird!, Dikes of Holland, Kingdom of Suicide Lovers, Distant Seconds, and The Persimmons last night, but there are still some good bands playing the next two nights.  Tonight’s lineup is  Woven Bones, Wild America, The Young, The Fleshlights, Elvis, and The No No No Hopes.  Tomorrow’s lineup is Harlem, Golden Boys, Bad Sports, Love Collector, Stuffies, and Lost Controls.

Attention bike heads… there will be an alley cat race tonight at 6. Meet up at the Capital if you are in it to win it. Fixed gear only so none of you derailleur lovers.. also don’t forget to bring a bag… you’re going to need it! After the race there will be an art show and after party at Fast Folks on E. 6th street with free Uncle Billy’s booze.

It looks like our friends over at Cafe Mundi will be closing their doors in March. Most of us had no idea that this was happening but the good people at Cafe Mundi have commented about this on their FB page.

It will be sad to see them go, they were actually the first east side establishment to support our Eastside Housing Contest months ago. But don’t fret guys, you can still get your Cafe Mundi fix every Sunday at the Hope Farmers Market on E. 5th.

Cafe Mundi:

To all Café Mundi patrons, friends, family, and the spirits that surround us. It is our deepest regret to announce the closing of Café Mundi.The final day will be Sunday, March 21st……at this location. We do not see this as an end, but as a new beginning.

We would like to thank you all for your love, the countless friendships, the endless support, for the inspiration, and for the will to continue.It’s been the greatest 11 years.Come vist us down at the HOPE farmer’s market every Sunday at 5th & Waller from 11am to 3pmStay tuned for the new location. Love ya’s Hans & Jess….& the entire Café Mundi crew.

It’s funny… we were just talking to Elsa at East Side Yoga about setting something like this up! Looks like these folks are WAY ahead of us!

We know you know the food trailer thing has pretty much exploded all over the place and everyone’s always like, oh, have you been to this one?? Oh, that one is so good and blah blah. Well here’s your chance to get caught up with the rest of your foodie friends by hitting up a bunch of trailer eateries at once, including a couple of East Side picks — Trailer Perk and the Old School BBQ & Grill. The event is this weekend, Feb 6th:

Hope you’ll join us to visit and sample goodies from some of the most buzzed about new trailers around the ATX!

Here’s how the trailer tour will work: Due to the overwhelming number of attendees (we love each of you!), we’re making this tour a choose-your-own adventure.

Grab a coffee and a nametag from noon to 1 p.m. at La Boite (1700 S. Lamar Blvd.) or Trailer Perk (1602 E. Sixth St.) and then head to the trailers on the tour at your own pace and in whatever order you want. Don’t worry if you can’t/don’t want to start at noon or 1 p.m. You can even just join us for drinks at 5 or 6 at the Liberty if you want (see below).

Here are the trailers on the tour:

G’Raj Mahal (91 Red River)
Odd Duck/Gourdough’s/Brevita (1219 S. Lamar Blvd.)
Texas Cuban (1700 S. Lamar Blvd.)
Franklin BBQ (3421 N. Interstate 35)
Old School BBQ & Grill (3001 E. Cesar Chavez)
Spartan Pizza (8504 S. Congress Ave.)
Sushi-A-Go-Go (4001 Medical Parkway)

At 5 p.m., we’ll start to trickle in to the Liberty Bar (1618 1/2 E 6th St) for drinks and food from East Side King, which is located in the patio of the Liberty and is run by chefs who also work at Uchi.

Some reminders:

Bring cash. As in, bring enough dollar bills for a bachelor party at a strip club. Most, if not all, of the trailers don’t take cards, and no one wants to be “that guy” with only twenties.

Bring patience. Trailers, unlike restaurants, aren’t meant to serve 20 or 30 customers at once, so be prepared to wait if a bunch of people show up at once. Just remember, it’s about the journey! Besides, it’ll give you a chance to meet some new people who are also on the tour.

You can bike if you want to, but keep in mind that not all the trailers are within what a reasonable person would consider biking distance. But that’s the glory of a make-your-own tour: you can stick to trailers that are close together if you want to be on two wheels.

Many of the trailers will be offering smaller portions or a special tasting menu for people on the tour. Stay tuned for details on how being on the tour with save you $ and allow you to try more things on the menu.

Here’s a Google map of the trailers so you don’t get lost: http://bit.ly/tastyuptrailermap

Hey, self, how’s that new year’s resolution to get in shape going?? (sigh… food. i luvs you.)

When you pass through the intersection of Rosewood and Chicon, you may notice a painting of a flaming megaphone on the southwest corner. You may ask yourself, “What is that flaming megaphone? What does it mean?” Well, if you don’t know already, shame on you. You should know these things.

The bullhorn represents the spirit and energy of The New Movement- a local comedy theatre started by notable comedians Chris Trew and Tami Nelson.

The New Movement, which has been in existence since March 2009, not only showcases some of Austin’s greatest comedic talent, but also offers improv, stand-up, and comedy writing classes.

I was fortunate enough to meet Chris and Tami and the rest of The New Movement gang recently when they invited me to participate in their Megaphone Show. Not only was I impressed with the amount of talent oozing out of that tiny theatre, I was struck by the graciousness and warmth of Chris and Tami.

This post sounds like one big ass kiss here, but really, we all know how whacky comedians can be (i.e. bi-polar raging alcoholics) and these guys are anything but.

Make sure to check them out!

1.) How did The New Movement start?

This is a fact: Chris Trew & Tami Nelson have never disagreed on the direction they’d like their work to take.  No quibbling about what’s funnier, no ego-driven adamant demands about direction or goals.  Since ‘04 we have shared a comedic brain and have found it easy to not only work with each other (opening businesses! touring the country! putting on shows! teaching!) but to grow with each other.  So, The New Movement is a product of our years of focused obsession and production of comedy.  It was just the next logical step to open a training center and performance space which reflected that.

3.) What has been the highlight of your careers so far?

5.) What’s your favorite thing about East Austin or what made you chose to locate The New Movement on the East Side?

You may have strolled by and seen your favorite East Side vegan food/beverage trailer closed. Well don’t you fret, East Austinites, Cheer Up Charlie’s is only upgrading!

Be on the look out for the new Cheer Up Charlie’s located at the former Mrs. Beas on East 6th.

More details to come. Can’t wait!

I love this time of year because every weekend there are a handful of new art openings.  Creative Research Laboratory will host the opening reception for Ideas of Mountains on Saturday, January 23rd from 6-9PM.

Ideas of Mountains is a juried group exhibition composed of 11 site-specific projects exploring the unique atmosphere of the CRL as a malleable artist space and incubator for the creative process. Featuring both artists living and working in Austin, as well as students and alumni of the Department of Art and Art History at the University of Texas, this exhibition encourages a dialogue amongst a greater creative community. Each artist or collective will consider the gallery as an arena for wild experimentation across a multitude of media. This broad and open platform is a rare opportunity for artists to reach beyond the normal scope of art making and investigate the possibility of creating something epic.

Featured Artists:

Andrew Long
Anthony Garza
Christa Mares and Teruko Nimura
Jesus Benavente and Andrea Bonin
Kendra Kinsey
Mark Aguhar
Megan Hoover and Megan Kincheloe
Megan Reilly, Misha Penton, and Divergence Vocal Theater
Nicholas Dertien
Peter Reichardt, Mary Rothlisberger, and Kristyn Weaver
Stephanie Bonham

In addition to the opening reception, there will be a conversation with the Ideas of Mountains artists on Thursday, January 28 from 6:30 to 8:00 PM at the Creative Research Laboratory for an informal discussion reflecting upon the process of working site-specifically as compared to individual artist’s studio practice.

Here’s an art exhibition that looks pretty interesting and allows the viewer to be an active participant in the work as well.  Visit Co-Lab’s website for more informaion.   

Active Hours:
Thursday, January 21: 12-6

Friday, January 22: 12-6

Saturday, January 23: 12-6

CLOSING RECEPTION: SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 6-8PM

Co-Lab is located at 613 Allen St. Austin, TX 78702. 

It’s Friday and the weather has been great all week, which in turn has left me feeling frisky.  I need to dance some of this frustration away.  Many of you will try to battle the crowds of Beauty Bar tonight for Learning Secrets’ 6th Anniversary shindig. But when that gets too crowded or you need a change of scenery keep in mind a few other events that are going on in the general vicinity.

First, there is a Yellow Bike Project benefit at Red 7.  Yellow Bike is an (east) Austin institution, so throw some bones their way to help them keep doing what they do as they move to their new headquarters.  I wish I could find a flyer for this show, but here are some details.   Performances by Magnifico!, Eagle Claw, Fingaar Bangaar, and I believe some DJs.  The event will be  hosted by Mike Wiebe.

There’s a new place that I know a few of you have been meaning to check out.  That place being Barbarella.  It looks pretty cool and offers genre nights three times a week.  Tonight is FOOTLOOSE ’80s night and this is definitely in mind as a back up plan for the evening.

Also check out Depeche Mode Tribute night at Elysium with DJs Synthmaster and AsuraSunil!

Another place that I know you’ve been meaning to check out is The Monarch.  They’ve been spamming my Facebook inbox like crazy with some cool events.  I know it’s technically not an eastside place, but we have to get out sometime.  Tonight they will have a show with MothFight and Low Red Center.  I may or may not go just for the free pizza.

Early birds should check out Daniel Francis Doyle, Shitheads on Dynamite, and  Derek Rogers Band at Trailer Space.