The M.O.

Born in Austin, Matthew left soon thereafter and finally made it back after years of paying his penance wandering the earth. Before coming to Austin360, Matthew co-edited Austinist.com, worked as an advertising copywriter and led tours of the Roman Forum, among other things.

When not busy pounding away on his keyboard, he can be found at book readings, concerts, gelaterias, pizza joints, Barton Springs, movie theaters, the golf course, or home with a book. The M.O.

gives readers a little insight into the world of this man without a plan.

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Almost a year to the date of the last time I saw them at Emo s, I headed down to Sixth St. Friday night to check out .

(Click to see photos from the show.) In typical fashion, the band brought their DayGlo dance party to the masses, although the spirit of this show was a little darker than the utter power trip-pop of last year, thanks ,in part, to an overzealous fan and some more introspective lyrical content of the band s latest album Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?, an album that comes hot on the heels of some serious personal drama in the life of band leader Kevin Barnes.

The group still let their freak flag fly, however, as they took the stage to the crescendo of Carmina Burina in their bizarre costumes that mirrored both a psychedelic King Arthur s Court and the fantastical world of Alice in Wonderland, with Barnes peeling back layers throughout the show, morphing from a Ziggy Stardust-themed character into an Alex De Large ( A Clockwork Orange ) look. The set list generally culled from the group s past three albums, with a nice sampling of songs from their latest Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? ( Bunny Ain t No Kind Of Rider, Labyrinthian, and She s A Rejecter, among them).

The band maintained, as always, exuberant energy throughout, deviating from one style to another, often within the same song. But herein lies my problem with the band: The thing I love about Of Montreal is also the thing that kind of wears on me. While I find it charming and musically challenging to see them jump from a funky falsetto with a beat thumping on the one into a slowed counter-tempo and waltz, as they did in Labyrinthian Pomp, after awhile the constant bounce from pop to rock to funk to soul can be kind of jarring, and authenticity gives way to monotony.

In the band s defense, they continue to take chances and have stayed true to their artistic vision. That vision, however, was called into question during a contentious bit of back-and-forth between Barnes and an audience member who displayed an Outback Steakhouse banner just feet from the stage. The group sold the rights to one of their most popular songs, Wraith Pinned To The Mist And Other Games, to the national restaurant conglomerate, and apparently some fans feel this move made the band, and Barnes specifically, a sell out.

It seemed to me that most of the fans were agitated by the sign, if not for the message, for its obstruction of their view of Barnes, but Barnes seemed the most perturbed. He lashed out at the sign holder, and from what I could discern, said something to the effect of, You think I m a sell out? I m wearing a freaking thong up here.

Right on.
Certainly the band has the right to sell their music to whomever they want. As Barnes , We thought it would be totally amusing to hear their take on one of our songs as a jingle And fans have the right to express their unhappiness, but I would suggest if you think your favorite band has sold out, either don t attend their show or save your trite vitriol for internet message boards.

Don t ruin the show for everyone else.
Barnes bashed on regardless, telling the audience that he wanted to spread good vibes. Fret not, Kevin.

As evidenced by the bouncing masses singing along to each tune, Mission: Accomplished.
Image by Jonas Riise Hamre, taken from
I had a similarly awful experience at a restaurant that rhymes with Marz on New Years Eve once. Same story: waited for a table despite being told how important it was to be on time, a time limit on the seating, and a set menu that had Sorry to hear that the meal was so disappointing (and frickin expensive!

). I m telling you, cooking for your ladyfriend is the way to her heart. I recommend a couple of beef filets and a nice bottle of red.

Oh God, I m salivating.
As an old married couple, my wife and I have long since given up on the V-Day scene. With a rugrat in our lives for the first time the incentive to stay home was even greater.

We got some takeout from Firebowl Cafe and watched Snakes on a Plane. Alert: Rose says Mars is the breakup restaurant and has many stories to prove it. I have been blissfully unaware.

XO!!!

So, I know it s been a few days since Valentine s Day, and I am a little late with this post, but give me a break. My fingers just now thawed out following the horse-drawn carriage ride around downtown. (No, not really.

)
I, like most of my friends, see Valentine s Day as a cute little conspiracy by chocolatiers and greeting card companies, as well as restaurants, vineyards, diamond wholesalers and the like, to get people to spend money in an attempt to be overtly romantic for one day of the year. Yeah, I m jaded and cynical like the rest of you, and I do spend the other 364 days of the year trying to be a romantic, sensitive boyfriend, but let s face it, whether it s cooking a nice meal at home, going out to a restaurant, or standing below your beloved s window doing your best Lloyd Dobler while blaring Peter Gabriel, you d better do something unless you wanna be boyfriend-non-grata.
With that in mind, my girlfriend and I made reservations for a nice dinner Wednesday night.

Nothing over the top (see: Hudson s on the Bend), just a nice meal at a restaurant we both enjoy. I will refrain from naming the restaurant here, because, as you will read, I thought the experience was rather lame, and I don t really want to call out this establishment for dropping the ball. The point is, on nights such as these, balls will be dropped.

We arrived for our 8:15 p.m. reservation (we were told to be on time, as we would only have the table for two hours) with punctuality usually reserved for, well, who knows?

We re never on time for anything. We were still forced to wait for 20 minutes at the cramped bar area of the restaurant while the preceding couples finished their meals. Once seated, we discovered the soups/salads portion of the fixed menu had been altered with Magic Marker, leaving us with only one salad choice and no soup.

No soup. In the winter. The salad consisted of wilted spinach and one meager slice of apple.

Let s just say it was better on paper.
We chose the fried oysters and grilled figs for our two appetizers. The oysters came out cold and the figs were rather desperate, needing a bit of caramelized something, or some nuts, to give it a more robust flavor.

This is what happens when you order from a set menu at a mid-scale restaurant: Often the food comes out banquet/buffet-style, meaning it will likely not be hot off the grill. For entrees, we chose the trout and the beef tenderloin. The trout was lukewarm and lacked any significant flavor, while the meat, although a rather modest portion, was the culinary highlight of the night.

When it came time for dessert, we were told that only one of the three fixed offerings was still available, so we were made to choose from the regular menu. This is like calling a pitcher out of the bullpen without time for him to get warm. The cr me br l e from the menu was a disaster; either they used the wrong sugar, or had let it sit in the refrigerator too long or something, because the consistency was far from silky.

To make matters worse, the meal took about two hours to serve, which, when enduring a mediocre meal, is not a bonus. We just wanted to get out of there so we could go home and eat some peanut butter fudge from Whole Foods. In our waiter s defense, he was affable and put up with our bad jokes without a sigh.

Like I said, I don t want to call this restaurant out (but its name rhymes with Marz ). It is really the first bad meal I have had there. But for $175 (not including booze see, it really does pay to be a teetotaler), one would expect more.

If nothing else, to be full by the end of the night. Alas, Valentine s Day does not seem to be the best night for dining out, with both front and back of house scrambling to get as many overpriced meals out as possible.
In fact, the highlight of the night had nothing to do with the food or ambience and more to do with eavesdropping.

We heard the college-aged couple next to use discussing how they wanted to see some Valentine s Day drama, a spat between two lovers. Always in the mood for exhibitionism and jokes, a few minutes later we gave the kids what they wanted. As my girlfriend excused herself to go to the restroom she raised her voice at me, asking me why I would dare say such a thing and threatening to leave.

We continued our verbal spat as she disappeared for the ladies room. Thanks to the wonders of peripheral vision, I saw the young lovers, enduring a rather boring meal to this point, exchange wide-eyed smiles and guffaws. I couldn t help myself and later let them know we were in on the joke.

You can bring us cold appetizers, seat us next to an obnoxious blonde and serve us thick, pasty cr me br l e, but you ll never take the jokes away.
I think next year I ll just don an Anthony Bourdain mask and cook a romantic meal in my boxers and apron. Take that, DeBeers.

Following the Longhorns easy dismantling of Big XII foe Oklahoma State last night, I switched gears completely and headed downtown for a show at the Parish. Moving from a raucous crowd of nearly 13,000 with their almost nationalistic school chants and blaring band to an intimate venue of 70+ folks listening to warm Americana pop is like pulling the emergency break in your car while cruising in the fast lane on Interstate 35.
But unlike the alarming and dangerous act of said driving maneuver, my walk down to the Parish on Sixth Street proved to be the perfect way to unwind following the game.

Unfortunately, the length of the game forced me to miss openers Michael Booher and Catherine Davis of Zykos (which I will certainly check out next time they play together), but I did arrive in time to see headliner the Autumn Defense, side project of Wilco members John Stirratt and Pat Sansone. The project gives these two gifted multi-instrumentalists the chance to spread their wings beyond the purview of songwriter Jeff Tweedy.
While Sansone is a relative newcomer to Wilco, I have always been impressed with Stirratt s acceptance of his role with what is essentially Tweedy s baby.

While he has been given a slightly greater role in helping dictate Wilco s sound in recent years, Stirratt has been wise enough to know that the Wilco gig is a good one, and that the best way to stay a part of the ever-changing band is to let Tweedy call the shots. Just ask Jay Bennett.
Since the early 2000s, Stirratt seems happy to get his more independent creative and writing jones satisfied by his work with the Autumn Defense, as well as in another project featuring his sister Laurie.

The group put on a lovely show last night; the only thing missing was a gigantic fireplace in the middle of the club.
Last night at The Parish, the group played a 75-minute set with songs from their three albums, as well as the EP they recorded with Hem. The band features a warm, lush sound that harkens back to Laurel Canyon in the late 60s and early 70s.

I spent the evening half-expecting to see David Crosby or Joni Mitchell to walk into the club at any moment. Sansone and Stirratt have perfected a beautiful harmony that was refreshingly, in this era of loud and often derivative indie rock, reminiscent of the sounds of Bread. Mixing in the occasional electric guitar with their friendly and familiar acoustic sound, the band would slip slightly towards a moodier sound only to pull back into its soulful strumming.

At one point in the show Sansone, after realizing the band had indeed played here during SXSW a couple of years ago, said SXSW is awesome, but it isn t Austin. And though the crowd was a little too tame to vociferously respond, Sansone could not have been more accurate. Monday night at The Parish was undoubtedly Austin, even bordering on an Austin from a different era, one of peace, love, marijuana and acoustic sing-alongs, with the band dedicating their encore, Fleetwood Mac s Sentimental Lady, to all the old Austin hippies.

Photo by Amy Lombardi from band s Web site.
Once in a lifetime a player comes through a program who makes everyone stop and take notice. The kind of player who causes casual fans of a team to make sure they don t miss a televised game.

The kind of player who can even drag some folks off of their couches and to the arena. This year the Longhorns are blessed to have one such baller, freshman sensation Kevin Durant.
At 6 9 , and with the wingspan of 7 5 Yao Ming, Durant is a physical freak of nature.

But his gifts extend well beyond his unique frame. Durant, whom at first blush you might assume would do most of his work in the paint, has a silky smooth jumper with NBA range and possesses the ability to take smaller defenders off the dribble. He can score on the low post with his back to the basket, and he can lead a fast break.

Experts are projecting that he will be either the first or second player chosen in this spring s NBA draft, should he choose to leave college after only one season. So if you want to get a good look at this rare talent, you better take the opportunity while you can.
It is with that in mind that last night I headed to my first Horns hoops game in six years.

I wanted to see this beautiful player who ranks in the Top five in the nation in both scoring and rebounding. The player some experts have compared to Dirk Nowitzki and Tracy McGrady. I wanted to see him for myself, so in 20 years when he enters the NBA Hall of Fame, I can say I saw him in person when he was just a gangly 18 year old prodigy.

Ah, the best laid plans of mice and men.
Durant came out of the blocks slowly in the , hounded by the physical Marcus Dove on defense. He had trouble getting good looks early on, and even when he did, his shooting touch was off.

He went 2-6 in the first half, with three turnovers that seemed to indicate that he still needs to work on his hands. On defense he seemed even more out of sorts, often looking completely confused as to where to be. But, you can only keep a great player down for so long.

By the second half his touch had returned and he got some good looks coming off screens and even leading a few fast breaks. He scored 16 of his 21 points in the second half and pulled down 12 rebounds.
I have always felt that Rick Barnes has trouble running offenses that move the ball around, get some motion and allow people to get good looks.

Durant s teammates seemed to have trouble getting him the ball in space, and there seemed to be too much dribbling and not enough passing and picking. Then again, this is a very young team, and it would be awesome to see them have another year to jell. That, most likely, will not happen, due to Durant s expected departure.

Of course, I was not just there to see Durant. I wanted to get a look at a Texas team that, following a couple of losses, seems like it is beginning to find its way with wins over Iowa State and OSU, relying more and more on the speed and energy of freshman point guard D.J.

Augustin (19 points, 8 assists). The Big XII Rookie of the Week reminded me of a young T.J.

Ford with his quickness and ball handling, but he still needs to learn to play with a bit more control and the realization that not all of his teammates are equipped with hands soft enough to handle is lightning quick entry passes. But his energy and up-tempo play are contagious, and with the Horns playing some of their best defense of the year holding the Cowboys to only 36.7 percent from the field there were ample opportunities for fast break points.

The Longhorns converted missed shots and OSU turnovers into points, outscoring the Cowboys 24-6 on the break.
The Longhorns seem to be coming together in time to make a nice tournament run, if they can limit their turnovers (a sloppy 15 Monday night) and figure out a way to get the ball in Durant s hands.
While Durant didn t put up mind-boggling numbers, as he has done several times in recent weeks, I did get a glimpse of what makes him so special.

He took defenders off the dribble, ran coast-to-coast breaks, used his freakish length to grab easy rebounds and swipe balls, stroked jumpers and rallied his teammates throughout. Durant is a special talent, and if the Horns can finish the season strong and win the Big XII Tournament, their otherworldly phenom could very well be the first freshman to ever win the NCAA player of the year.
You have got two more chances to see him play here in Austin this season.

Go now, so later you can say I saw him when.
Last month the hearts of many Austinites sank when they heard that John Erler, Jerm Pollet and Owen Egerton were ending their six-and-a-half-year run of .
In an last week, Erler explained the amicable split.

It was just time for us to go our separate ways. But the truth is, and I haven t told many people this, it had to do with Owen s foot odor. Not really.

I mean, we had our ups and we had our downs, but it just seemed like it was time to go in our separate directions, he said.
Erler didn t go far, as evidenced by the performance of his and Joe Parsons new show, Master Pancake Theater, Friday night at the Alamo Downtown.
As with Sinus, the evening of comedy consisted of skewering a rather unfortunate mainstream film, James Cameron s epic Titanic.

After a brief video and music introduction that used the abbreviation LMAO with aplomb, the gentlemen, to everyone s relief, admitted that they had cut Cameron s three-and-a-half hour melodramatic disaster to 90 minutes, a move Erler said Cameron should have considered in making the original. Erler and Parsons kept the audience rolling throughout with a slew of one-liners, film and literary allusions (I think I am the only one who laughed out loud to the obscure To Kill A Mockingbird reference), and some recurring bits, one of which included a comparison of the Titanic s captain to George W. Bush.

As a bit of a departure from their previous troupe, the guys incorporated a bit more in the way of supplemental media (a C C Music Factory-as-soundtrack bit played to raucous laughter), and, in true Alamo and Sinus Show fashion, drinking games were incorporated into the screening. Said drinking commands coincided with a rather disturbing bit of hand-fetishizing on the part of Mr. Cameron.

Master Pancake has also decided to integrate more original theatrics into their new project. A bit of stage work that featured Erler in drag and somewhat regretfully included the over-exposed Leslie, fell a little flat, but Erler pulled the bit from the ashes by committing whole-heartedly. After thanking Austin s favorite cross-dresser, Erler called Leslie an Austin legend, but it was apparent to me and my friends that the Austin legend on hand Friday night was Erler himself.

Master Pancake Theater continues to take aim at Cameron weekends through March 2nd and then moves on to Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome following SXSW. Purchase .
The downtown dining scene is about to get a serious injection of flavor.

After spending the past three months building a successful catering business, , chef Brenton Schumacher is set to bring some delicious dinner and late-night eats to Austin s downtown bar-going crowd.
I was one of the lucky few who got to swing into his new kitchen and take a taste-drive around the new menu. Schumacher plans to offer fancy grilled cheese sandwiches, gourmet sliders and hand-cut fries to his (most likely) boozy patrons.

Judging by the items sampled last night, the young chef will most likely be the preferred stop for folks looking to add a little sustenance to their bar-hopping plans.
We sampled each of the grilled cheese sandwiches, which resembled something I would try to make for friends after a late night out on the town, given I had the ingredients and/or energy to do so. The grilled-cheese menu consists of mango and swiss, gruyere and onion, prosciutto and fresh mozzarella, and fresh mozzarella and white truffle oil.

Yes, white truffle oil. Each sandwich comes served on the customer s choice of sourdough, wheat or white bread and is spread with a choice of delectable butters, such as the sumptuous curry butter that was on our mango and swiss sandwich. Each of the sandwiches was better than the one before, but if I had to pick a favorite, I would go with the prosciutto and fresh mozzarella.

I could scarf down about five of those without thinking twice. Each sandwich comes with a side of hand-cut fries. The potato sticks are lightly fried and seasoned to perfection and will come offered as a separate side for patrons who just want a quick snack.

Although I was near capacity after snacking on the assortment of grilled cheeses, I bashed on regardless, and took down one each of the assortment of sliders. For those who miss Reido s on Lamar Boulevard or long for a classy White Castle burger, Go Bites will be heaven for you. The blue cheese and grilled leek concoction was as savory as any full-sized burger I have had in town, and then I ate the BBQ, grilled onion and jalapeno-jack slider.

The blue cheese burger hid its face in shame. At this point I had reached status, but I promised the cheddar burger I would have a bite of it. So I did.

And I was pleased with the flavor but maybe not the decision to fearlessly eat my weight in food.
The new quick eats joint is located at the serving window just feet away from the entrance of Emo s on Red River Street. Originally the kitchen for the now defunct K Bar, the location was purchased by Emo s and housed Stella s Tacos for six months.

After Stella s lease ran out, Schumacher decided it was time to see his baby come to life.
Originally from Detroit, Schumacher came to Austin 12 years ago and worked in various capacities for Central Market since his arrival. He left his position as executive sous chef there late last fall and began his catering business, which handles about 20 big events a month, along with corporate lunches.

Schumacher attests to having had the idea for Go Bites for 12 years, and after years of networking and feeling out the market, he finally felt ready to take the leap downtown. With the helpful hands and creative flair of Jessie Burkhart (who recently quit his job preparing sushi at the Hilton to come on board) and Hollace Geneveux, along with a few part-time employees, Schumacher deeply believes it is his team that helps set him and his dream apart from others in the competitive and difficult restaurant industry.
I ve got so many great people on board.

I think that s what sets me apart. The people behind me have so much enthusiasm and are passionate about what they do. I am very lucky to have them in my corner.

While Schumacher praises his dedicated team, it is obvious after spending just a few minutes with him that his boundless enthusiasm is the engine behind his growing ventures. In addition to running a successful catering business and a quality street-side food venture, Schumacher finds time to drum in local band , which was born of the band Dead End Cruisers. His bandmates were recently featured on the TLC show , an appearance that received such positive feedback from the network that Schumacher and the boys will soon be featured in a new reality show about his band that goes behind the scenes and shows the rockers on stage and off.

Expect scenes of the enthusiastic chef to feature him grueling over a hot stove at his new locale, determined to bring quality food fast to downtown denizens.
Im just looking to do something different down here some really good food downtown he told me last night.
Go Bites officially debuts March 1 and will be open from 6 p.

m. to 3:30 a.m.

Schumacher plans to incorporate breakfast and lunch service once the nighttime business is flying.
The announcement of the Music band list is imminent. Or is it?

While the public waits, bloggers surf the net hoping to confirm the lion s share of the bands participating.
This year more than ever, the blogosphere has been abuzz about the expected line-up for SXSW. With festival promoters withholding names of bands until much later than in previous years, music bloggers and fans across the country are scouring the Internet in hopes of scooping the list or stealing the thunder of the uber-furtive SXSW honchos.

Chris Gray s in last week s Austin Chronicle (AC Editor Louis Black helped start SXSW) featured an interview with SXSW Music Creative Director Brent Grulke. In it, Grulke comes off as rather arrogant and aloof, making it clear in no uncertain terms that SXSW is an industry event and that organizers are not concerned about the general consumer. The largest thing is we re not trying to promote to consumers at all, Grulke says in the interview.

The fact that the event is intended for industry insiders and corporations is no secret mdash; just ask festival-goers for whom they work come mid-March; or take a look at the number of corporate sponsors tents and banners; or the paucity of wristbands (around 3,000) sold to non-registered attendees. But this year the organizers seem to be going out of their way to thumb their noses at the common music fan.
I caught up with music writer Tom Thornton and Robert Duffy, editor of , two of the bloggers who have been at the forefront of the band, and asked them about SXSW s strategy and the reasoning behind the bloggers labor-intensive endeavors to get the information to the public.

What led to your decision to scour the net and work your sources to get the information to the public?
Tom Thornton: Last year, SXSW released a list of around 100 bands by 12/15 (as quoted in ), then released a 700(ish) band list on 1/14 and a 1,000+ band list on 1/23. This year, as of today, they ve announced around 100 acts on the site and in their newsletters and magazines for badge-holders.

Obviously the rules have changed for 2007.
So, what was originally going to be a weekly series of posts from 1/1 to 3/15 focusing on day parties, label showcase previews, and secret performer type gossip temporarily became a post about who is actually playing the festival? We looked through the PR material from indie labels and publicists, at official band Web sites and MySpace pages, at long-established SXSW blogs like Done Waiting, and at Google News for foreign press stories and the like.

So far, we ve been able to find about 500 acts that confirm they are playing the festival.
Robert Duffy: I started the SXSW blog on donewaiting.com four years ago when I was heading to Austin for the first time for the festival.

At the time, there wasn t really any solid source online outside of the main SXSW site covering the event, so I decided to be that person. I ve always found it funny that my site is such a huge source of information on the festival, considering I m based out of Columbus, Ohio, but that s how the Internet works, I guess.
Have you received any backlash from fest organizers?

TT: SXSW has not contacted us in any way about the list. We re using public information and information distributed to music media only, so there s no cause for them to do so, really. I think there s simply a big difference of opinion between their point of view (that delaying the list will discourage day parties and be more accurate, from what I ve seen) and that of our readers (who are trying to book day parties and hotel rooms [bands] or are trying to decide whether to buy a badge/wristband and book a flight [music fans]).

There s a real demand for the information, especially given the precedents set in years past.
RD: I feel like we have a pretty good relationship. Over the years I ve had a chance to meet some of the people running the fest, and they really have a passion for music.

With that said, when I accidentally stumbled upon the entire 2004 schedule on their site before it was officially published, they gently asked me to take it down and I did. I didn t want anyone losing their jobs over my blog.
What is your take on SXSW s stance that they are solely concerned about being an industry festival?

Do you think SXSW is hurting their public image by being so furtive and difficult?
TT: I think that there is more of a consumer side to the festival than the SXSW position might indicate. Every year, many people fly from around the world to attend the festival who have little or nothing to do with the music industry.

Of course, SXSW is right that some of those people made their plans months ago when hotels were available and badges were cheaper. So it seems that the delayed list hurts bands and managers the most, especially from a logistics point of view, assuming some of them don t yet know if they re playing.
Finally, let me just say that I love SXSW, and I ve bought a badge for the last three years.

It is one of if not the coolest week of the year to live in Austin. So, we don t want to cause trouble - we re just trying to help SXSW attendees make decisions and stay informed.
RD: Their excuses don t seem to add up.

They ve said that they don t want all this attention from the consumer audience about trying to get tickets to the big-named bands, but it s the big names like Iggy Pop that they announce first! It seems like the organizers want to have their cake and eat it too. If it s just for industry, I don t know what s the point of having huge, well-established bands involved.

Like I said, this is the fourth year I ve covered the SXSW festival on my site. For the first three years, everyone who spoke to me and wrote me spoke of SXSW in a special way only reserved for Mother Teresa and Christmas. This year, it s a little different.

People are really upset about how SXSW is handling the release of the band information. And when SXSW organizers give interviews, it seems like they re talking down to the public, trying to shame us for being anxious about the festival.
On top of that, not releasing the information is really hurting the smaller bands.

In the past, if I was a small band playing at SXSW, most of the industry would know that in January, giving all the booking agents, record labels and press a chance to stumble upon a little band. At this point, these small bands (which are what an industry festival is supposed to be about, right?) are going to get lost in the shuffle, with less than a month to spread the word about their festival appearance
(Full disclosure: Prior to coming to the Statesman, I worked as editor at the aforementioned Austinist, for which Tom Thornton writes.

)
SXSW announced its for this year s festival. Among the slew of movies honored to participate in the festival are a handful of films and filmmakers with ties to the Austin Film Society.
As the SXSW Film Festival has developed into one of the top film festivals in the U.

S., it has always served as an importance showcase for the vibrant independent film community of Austin and Texas as a whole, AFS Director of Artist Services Bryan Poyser said. That tradition continues this year with a whole new crop of exciting work made right here at home.

The following is a list of films and their AFS ties, as disseminated by today s AFS press release:
Hell on Wheels, the first documentary feature from Bob Ray (1997 Texas Filmmaker s Production Fund recipient), will have its world premiere as a Spotlight Premiere.
The new documentary feature Inside the Circle from Marcy Garriott (AFS Board Member, former Board President) will have its world premiere in the Lone Star States section.
Third Ward, TX, the new documentary feature by Andrew Garrison (2001 TFPF recipient), will screen in the Lone Star States section.

This film was screened as part of the Docs-in-Progress series.
The Unforeseen, the new documentary feature from Laura Dunn (1999 TFPF recipient), will screen in the Lone Star States section, continuing its festival run after its world premiere at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival.
The new documentary feature from Bennie Klain (2002 TFPF recipient), Weaving Worlds, will have its world premiere in the Lone Star States section.

This film was also screened as part of the Docs-in-Progress series.
August Evening, the first narrative feature from Chris Eska will have a Special Screening. August Evening was awarded TFPF grants in 2005 and 2006 and screened as part of the Narratives-in-Progress series.

Congratulations to all of the films and filmmakers accepted into one of the nation s finest festivals, and big thanks to the Austin Film Society for their continued support of the local film scene and its creative members.
for more information on Austin Film Society.
I received a text this morning that read, What s going on at ?

There s a huge line!
The first thought, naturally, was, Wow! wristbands on sale?

While I was not near my computer, I was fairly certain that could not be the reason. My certainty came from the fact that I had not received a text message from the . Last year, that little beauty of the electronic age gave hundreds of us a heads-up on the early wristband sale.

Could someone at the Chronicle or with SXSW have leaked information to their friends? Were people simply speculating?
I drove to find out for myself.

By the time I got there the line had diminished to the point that it was easily contained inside the store. As it turns out, the mad rush to the record store had come from Waterloo s exclusive Hear TX Here program.
The exclusive monthly promotion allows local musicians to have their music featured at in-store listening stations and in print ads that run during the famous industry-specific festival.

With thousands of record label folks in town, along with thousands of music lovers though the festival is not for them (more on this in a post later today) the Feb. 22-March 21 installment of the Hear TX Here program is the brass ring for local artists in their attempts to reach the widest audience possible. As you are aware, with in-store performances and thousands of shoppers shuffling their way through the store in mid-March, you cannot put a price-tag on the visibility that comes from having the thousands of eyes that see a well-positioned record at Waterloo.

In order to assure a spot in the listening station program, artists must submit CD cover artwork, one or two sentences of promotional copy, a cash or check payment of $1,250 and at least 25 copies of the CD.
Artists must get all of their materials in as soon as possible on the booking date, and are accepted on a first-come first-served basis. For more information, email at Waterloo or call 512.

474.2500.
Or, just head down to Sixth and Lamar now!

Good luck.
You might potentially file this information under the category of common knowledge, but after an amazing dinner last night at , I had to say a little something about sushi in Austin. The names that seem to get most of the play with the downtown set are Uchi and Kenichi.

While both of these restaurants offer rather delicious sushi and a nice ambience for dates, business meetings, and situations where you may want to impress upon out-of-towners that Austin is indeed a cosmopolitan town, I ve always found them to be overpriced and too pretentious for my taste. Of the two, I prefer , but probably go about once or twice a year, and am even beginning to feel those trips a little pointless. Especially after last night.

Musashino, located on Greystone Drive, just off of the MoPac feeder offers a lively and dimly-lighted atmosphere for some of the best sushi in town. Sitting in one of the tiered sections of the restaurant, you get the feeling that you are eating in one of the themed dining rooms of Norwegian Cruise Lines (nonexistent) or maybe in the bowels of the . After a 15-minute wait in the back hallway (you can opt to wait in the upstairs bar), we were seated at the sushi bar.

From that vantage point we got to watch the mastery of sushi chef Tetsu, as he stoically and masterfully prepared our dinner with his razor-sharp blade.
An amazing feast of hamachi kama (yellowtail cheek) sake toro (fatty salmon), spicy scallop, negitoro (fatty tuna with scallions), spicy lobster rolls and spider evo rolls left us stuffed and happy. The hamachi kama and spicy lobster rolls were the highlight of the night; in fact, the buttery smoothness of the hamachi kama demanded we order a couple of more pieces after we thought we were done.

And though we went fairly traditional in our choices, one of the great things about Musashino is that they offer a wide array of a la carte options, such as live aoyagi clam, monkfish liver and NW oyster, that you won t generally find at midlevel sushi places.
When the bill came, the sticker shock so prevalent at the aforementioned posh sushi joints was nowhere to be seen. We got out of there for less than $40 a person.

Tis but a pittance compared to the $200 bill we received last time at Uchi.
Look, those expensive, pretentious, posh restaurants have their place, and for those who see money as no object, that place may be in their weekly dining out agenda. But honestly, we prefer to eat at Musashino for pretty much any occasion.

It is classy enough for a nice date (as the young couples scattered throughout the restaurant could attest); fun enough for a group of friends looking to get loaded up on fish and sake (as the table to our right could attest); and family-friendly enough for a couple to bring their eating-with-hands 9-year-old for a delicious and healthy dinner (as the table to our left could attest).
Of course, there are a slew of sushi options around town, and one of the best online resources for said gastronomic delight is , which offers a map of restaurants across the entire town, replete with descriptions, ratings and links. So, if you re always on the look out for a (relatively) new place (think on on Sixth St.

), or looking for the best sushi happy hour (see the lines at ) or special deals (all-day happy hour Mondays at ), head over to AustinSushi.com for all your fresh fish needs.