David Brendan Hall

Perhaps it’s not surprising that in this casual, young capital city, family-friendly activities abound in Austin. From plentiful outdoor spaces that are perfect for letting little ones run free, swim and climb, to family-friendly restaurants and museums, raising kids in Austin is an enriching experience for the entire family. The city is peppered with parks full of amenities, hiking trails with scenic wonders, and swimming holes for a day of splash. And when the weather gets too unbearable (i.e. summer and cedar fever in spring), well, the indoor offerings aren’t too shabby either.  Choose to cool off at the Museum of Ice Cream, where the samples keep on coming, or connect with your inner bookworm at ATX’s best bookstores and libraries, which carry periodicals for all ages. Whether you’re a local looking to keep your children entertained over the holidays or you’re visiting from afar with the whole squad, these awesome family-friendly things to do in Austin won’t disappoint.  RECOMMENDED:📍 The best things to do in Austin🌮 The best restaurants in Austin 

Although Austin is not as well known for its museums as NYC or even neighboring Dallas, the few options available are nothing to scoff at. This is, after all, the capital of Texas, a well-sought-after destination for artists everywhere to showcase their talents. For instance, sculpture is spectacularly presented at the outdoor Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum. History buffs will love the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum, where Texas’ eventful past is thoroughly documented. But if y’all want to dive deeper into the Latin side of things, head to the Mexic-Arte Museum and immerse yourself in a fiesta of color. As for those looking to keep the kids entertained through exhibits, you’re in luck, too. Whatever your tastes or grouping, there really is something for everyone. Peruse our list of the best museums in Austin and see for yourselves. This guide was updated by Austin-based writer James Wong. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.  Recommended: The best things to do in Austin

With around 300 sunny days per year and acres of green all over, it's safe to say Austin’s a premier outdoor destination. Yes, the summers can be rather brutal and we might get the odd freeze during winter, but overall, this warm weather’s oh-so-enticing to all. Think lazing on a pool float all day at one of the hillside lakes, open-air festivals that strum into a starry night, and lots of patio munching. You’ll get so used to the sweet smell of the great outdoors that there’s no heading back inside. Whether you’re a local looking for the best swimming holes or a place to let the kids and pups run loose; or you’re visiting with a ticket to ACL or SXSW, we’ve rounded up the city’s very best outdoor experiences. Some will get the heart rate up (hiking) and some involve buckets of booze (rooftop pool bars), but all have a beautiful breeze and a sunset glow in common. Here’s where to enjoy Austin’s outdoor spaces on land, lake, and terrace. RECOMMENDED: The best things to do in AustinThe best parks and gardens in AustinHow to spend 48 hours in Austin This guide was updated by Austin-based writer James Wong. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. 

If there’s one kind of cuisine Austin does best, it’s barbecue. Of the many things to do in town, chomping on slabs of meat ranks high on the agenda for tourists and locals alike. It, therefore, comes as no surprise that the brisket here is tender, the ribs juicy, and the sides as flavorful as the main event: corn on the cob, coleslaw, mac & cheese, and green beans, by the pint with extra butter…that’s how we do it in Texas! Austin’s pitmasters are some of the most talented on the restaurant scene. Most utilize Central Texas BBQ traditions like smoking, salt and pepper rubs, and heat, while a few update them with modern twists, all executed with plenty o’ Southern TLC. Ready to get the meat sweats? Here are the best BBQ joints in Austin. When you’re done, you’re gonna want to head to some of Bat City’s best bars for a refreshing beverage or walk off those calories with a hike on one of the many trails.

Christmas Day may traditionally be all about the homemade extravaganzas, but let’s face it, Austin never really sticks to old routines. A chaotic kitchen, guests laid out in front of the TV reciting lines from Love Actually, and mountains of plates stacking up around the house is hardly the best we can do, right? Time to shake things up, Mariah-style, and celebrate Christmas like it is everyone’s birthday, not just baby Jesus, with a delicious meal and copious amounts of wine that you don’t have to uncork yourself. Austin’s restaurants (including hotel restaurants and plenty of trusted Chinese restaurants) are open on December 25 and ready for your dollar. Gather your crew, splash your Xmas bonus checks, and prepare to get merry: here’s where to feast on Christmas day this year. Recommended: The best restaurants in Austin  

With Austin seeing sky-high prices on everything from apartments to avocados right now, trying to find things to do on a budget can leave many scratching their sweaty heads…but not the savvy. Boomtown has a bunch of awesome free activities to keep everyone occupied without spending a single dime. Music, art, and the outdoors are, after all, what makes this city so great, and there are free live music shows almost every night of the week, museums that offer free admission days, and lots of watering holes and hiking spots within the city limits that cost absolutely nothing to bask in. Oh, and that’s just the beginning. So leave the credit card at home: we’ve put together the ultimate list of free experiences in Austin — why pay for something when you can do it for free?   

It is not just the best sports events, music festivals, and conferences that keep Austin busy year-round; the slew of awesome attractions, restaurants, and live music venues make it a fabulous evergreen destination of fun and frolics. Whether you only have 48 hours to explore or you’re a local looking to be a tourist in your own city, there really is something for everyone and plenty of outdoor space to enjoy. And it’s weird and varied. One minute you’ll find yourself sweating it out on the lake, then you’re at a trendy SoCo restaurant. Whatever the occasion, know this: Austin folk are some of the most friendly, open-minded, and welcoming around. You’ll have a swell time (margarita in hand), make some friends, and be hurrying back for more. Let’s go out and get exploring—here’s where to start. RECOMMENDED: The best things to do in Austin 

Looking for the best movie theaters in Austin? Sure, our city may be known primarily as the Live Music Capital of the World (check out our favorite bars for live music and best venues for live music), but lately, it’s become just as lauded for its people’s dedication to and love of the film industry. Whether you’re looking for the best spots to catch outdoor movies, or trying to see as many of this month’s best new movies, our diverse list of the best movie theaters in Austin has you covered.  

It’s time to the face the facts: 2017 was a rough year for a lot of us, so it’s more important than ever to up the ante at one of the best New Year’s Eve parties in Austin. Sure, you’ve got your pick of the lot from Austin’s best rooftop bars replete with dazzling views of the city skyline to incredible concerts poppin’ off within the walls of Austin’s best live music venues, but if you’re going to brave the masses, you need an NYE party imbued with a bit of magic. Whether your fantasy is to dance the night away or get fancy among friends at the city's top cocktail bars, you can fulfill it by browsing our picks of the best New Year’s Eve parties in Austin. RECOMMENDED: Our guide to New Year's Eve in Austin

Grab your steins! We’re already gearing up for Oktoberfest in Austin because, contrary to what the Bavarian celebration’s moniker suggests, the traditional Oktoberfests of Munich, Germany (the fest’s origin site since starting in 1810) begin mid- to late-September. So, on top of the myriad things to do in downtown Austin and the best craft beer bars to visit, we suggest perusing our detailed guide of the best Oktoberfest events in and around Austin—local festivities run all the way through early November. Check out Austin’s essential Oktoberfest parties featuring activities and food/drink specials (some of Austin's best breweries will be showing off new beers), and don’t forget: lederhosen and dirndls are always encouraged! Prost!

Among Austin’s elite fine-dining restaurants, from the best Italian restaurants to the best Japanese food, at least a few elements are consistent: exceptional service, extraordinary food and inventive beverage pairings (including some of the best cocktails in Austin). And with new high-end restaurants opening all the time, deciding where to spend your money only gets harder. Not to worry—among Austin's growing options, we’ve pinpointed the can’t-miss fine-dining establishments in town, those restaurants that combine extremely creative, consistently changing concepts with the highest quality seasonal ingredients. Whether you’re a visitor or an Austin resident, check out our top fine-dining recommendations for a memorable meal.

As one of the “foremost university art museums in the country … [with] one of the largest and most comprehensive” permanent collections of art in Central Texas—more than 21,000 works—the Blanton, located near the iconic UT Tower on the Longhorns’ campus, is the spot for museum aficionados in ATX. Expect dazzling interactive installations; European, Latin American, and Contemporary American paintings; rotating temporary exhibitions; and, of course, the famed “Austin” sculpture by Ellsworth Kelly. With more than 200,000 square feet to explore, the Blanton is one of those museums that one can visit over and over and find more hidden gems to admire and learn from.

Maybe getting out on the water isn't your bag, but you still love the serene sight of it with the city skyline as a backdrop. The solution: a stroll along the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail and Boardwalk, which hugs the south shore of downtown-adjacent Lady Bird Lake for 10 miles. It's especially stunning at sunrise or sunset as the light refracts off the buildings and onto the water, but with seven viewing areas and more than 300 piers (including ADA accessible), it's a superb option for exercise or leisure any time of the day.

Barton Springs Pool, ATX’s outdoor gem, is a surefire swell time on almost any day—even the cold ones! (It’s true: the year-round average 68-degree water actually feels warmer when it’s brisk out). But for a purer Austinite experience, head to this Zilker Park-adjacent swim spot on the night of each month’s first full moon. Our advice: arrive early (no later than 8:30pm)—because of overcrowding in the past, the city now limits the capacity to 750 people at $3 a pop. If you’ve ever wanted to channel your inner wolf and howl at the top of your lungs without fear of judgment, this lunar party’s for you!

Head to the Highball (adjacent to Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar) for a New Year’s Eve of laser light shows, confetti blasts, a mechanical bull, photo booth, hookah lounge, build-your-own hot chocolate bar, a dance party featuring 2017’s biggest hits plus plenty of throwbacks, and billions of champagne bottles a’poppin’! OK, maybe not billions, but there will be a complimentary champagne toast at midnight, and besides that they’ve promised “the best time you’ll have for 364 days.” With three of Alamo’s theaters open for surprise party activities, who knows what else is in store.

In keeping with their boast that this shindig has been an Austin tradition since 1997, downtown bar Speakeasy’s main NYE attraction is a performance from ’90s British hit-makers Suede. Of course, that’s just a portion of the total package, which—depending on what tier you purchase—could include bottle service with a view of the city lights from rooftop bar Terrace59, or exclusive access to the 1920s-style Kabaret Room. Every ticket gets you a complimentary champagne toast at midnight, plus party favors like festive hats and noisemakers to amp things up during multiple balloon drops. Cocktail attire encouraged!

Last year, the Four Seasons Hotel’s Lobby Lounge rang in the New Year with a sold-out Mad Men-themed bash, and this year they’re implementing an “air of revelry and mystery” with a Latin-influenced masquerade. Snack on gratis hors d’oeuvres, sip handcrafted cocktails (one free drink per ticket), raise a complimentary glass of champagne under a balloon drop at midnight and dance all night long to the Latin jazz of the Brew. Go find (or start making) the perfect masquerade mask now!

The Austin Social Affair advertises this NYE bash as a chance to “immerse yourself in the shimmering elegance; where the crowd is dazzling and the night is anything you want it to be.” Elegant attire is required at this shindig, and you’ll doubtless want to don your most thrilling Hollywood-worthy threads as roaming “paparazzi” photographers snap your pic while you indulge in a champagne room (that’s right, a dedicated bubbly space), VIP cigar lounge, passed gourmet hors d’oeuvres, photo booth and DJs dishing out non-stop entertainment on the dance floor.  

This NYE party at Caroline’s hip upstairs space offers entertainment by DJ WillGood, a photobooth, themed craft cocktails by Flor de Cana Rum, Wild Turkey, Campari, Grey Goose, Absolut Vodka, Deep Eddy, Avion Tequila and Patron, plus a balloon drop and complimentary champagne toast at midnight. And since the shindig’s free (with RSVP), you can invest more cash in those tasty libations (or a group shareables menu) and truly party like there’s no tomorrow from a rooftop in the heart of downtown.

If funky reggae music gets you lit, Flamingo Cantina is your destination for NYE. Ease into the 2018 groove with two sets from the founding fathers of Austin roots reggae, the Mau Mau Chaplains, plus DJ Jah Bill spinning all the hits before, in between and after so the party never stops. No time for a pre-show dinner? No worries—Winston’s Kitchen will be on hand serving up traditional Jamaican vittles so you’ll have a solid foundation for all the champagne to come.

For this Brazilian spin on “Ano Novo”—which features samba dancers, capoeira performances and Caipirinhas—wearing white symbolizes purity, peace and renewal for the New Year. But that doesn’t mean you can’t snazz it up a bit. Organizers encourage adding different colors (incorporating sequins aplenty, obvs) to attract certain luck in 2018: red for romance, green for health, yellow for wealth, blue for peace and purple for inspiration. The all-inclusive ticket gets you flowing champagne, midnight snacks and VIP lounge access (by reservation). Bonus: this bash runs about an hour later than other downtown NYE party.

If you’re looking to blend in with the locals, consider heading to this long-running ATX New Year’s Eve tradition. Ring in 2018 with Austin’s most important hometown musical hero, Willie Nelson, who wraps up his third and final night at ACL Live on NYE with support from his son, Lukas Nelson (and his fantastic band, Promise of the Real) and Atlanta-based rockers, Blackberry Smoke. Don’t miss this occasion with the Red-Headed Stranger, whose career now spans six decades and more than 200 albums; Father Time Texas and Baby New Year are making appearances, too!

Welcome 2018 under the shining stars with 180-degree views of the city at this VIP New Year’s Eve event held at the Westin Austin Downtown’s 20th floor rooftop pool bar. Musical talent from the Boss Brass Band plus a lineup of DJs are set to light up the dance floor while you enjoy an open bar, passed bites, cabanas with fire pits (by reservation) and a champagne toast at midnight. Limited NYE accommodation packages—some which include breakfast the following morning at the hotel’s restaurant Stella San Jac—are also available, so you don’t need to worry about responsible transportation to and from the party.

There are plenty of things to do in Austin throughout the year, but deciding on what live music to see is a whole different conundrum. In the Live Music Capital of the World, there are literally dozens of gigs happening each night, including plenty of touring artists plus more must-see local acts than the average concertgoer knows what to do with (we’ve got a ton of talent here, ya’ll). To help you out, we’ll be taking the liberty of putting together monthly lists of the top 10 concerts you’ve got to see. In chronological order, here are our June picks. June 4: Paul Simon at Frank Erwin Center, 8pmHarping off the title and context of his 1966 single with Simon and Garfunkel, Paul Simon brings his ‘Homeward Bound—the Farewell Tour’ to Frank Erwin Center for a bittersweet goodbye to Central Texas fans. The storied singer-songwriter promises a set list spanning his thirteen solo albums and five classic records in his original duo—surely a worthy investment (tickets here) if you haven’t yet crossed this legend off your live music bucket list.June 5: Royal Blood at Stubb’s, 8pmOnly two albums and five years into their career, English duo Royal Blood are still new blood among heavy rock outfits, yet they’ve already scored opening spots for genre giants like Queens of the Stone Age and Foo Fighters. Even more impressive, they achieve their riveting raucousness using only multi-effects-laden bass grooves and a drum kit. Witness the prowess of their sonic swagger for yourself when the

Though it topped charts upon its recent release, Jack White’s third solo album, Boarding House Reach, is by far the most esoteric album in his catalogue, making it polarizing among core and casual fans alike. Yet prior to his Wednesday night show at Austin360 Amphitheater, anyone chatting about it shared a similar sense of optimism: No matter how weird White gets, the music almost always comes together masterfully on stage, with threads of epic shred, stomp and shout at last resulting in cohesion. So how did that assumption hold up during the show? For the most part, it was spot on: Angsty hip-hop-influenced single “Over and Over and Over” made for a searing start, and though the following instrumental-dominant jams (the spoken-word-meets-funk-jump of “Corporation,” the hardcore-leaning “Battle Cry” and the jazz-rap of “Hypermisophoniac”) seemed to stifle some attention spans, the sheer technical talent oozing from each of White’s four backing bandmates was awe-inspiring. Besides, interjections of high-octane onslaughts (a quick verse of Iggy & the Stooges’ “I Wanna Be Your Dog,” the percussive rollick of the Raconteurs’ “Broken Boy Soldier” and the delightful duels between keyboardists Neal Evans and Quincy McCrary on “Hotel Yorba” and “My Doorbell”) kept the overall tapestry intact. Truly, White and his crew played the balancing game—between what core fans want to hear and what they felt like playing in the moment—almost perfectly. Cases in point: the odd future-blues of “W

There are plenty of things to do in Austin throughout the year, but deciding on what live music to see is a whole different conundrum. In the Live Music Capital of the World, there are literally dozens of gigs happening each night, including plenty of touring artists plus more must-see local acts than the average concertgoer knows what to do with (we’ve got a ton of talent here, ya’ll). To help you out, we’ll be taking the liberty of putting together monthly lists of the top 10 concerts you’ve got to see. In chronological order, here are our May picks. May 1: The Distillers at Mohawk, 6:30pmMore than a decade has passed since the Distillers were last active, but now the revered L.A.-based punk band—fronted by Brody Dalle, wife of Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme—returns to Austin for their fourth show since reuniting. Tickets are long since sold out, so you’ll have to find ’em secondhand, but it should be worth it knowing the splendidly unhinged nature of Mohawk punk crowds and the unbridled raucousness of the band’s tunes—we anticipate a memorable, mosh-intensive evening.May 2: Jack White with A Giant Dog at Austin360 Amphitheater, 7pm Jack White’s just-released third solo album Boarding House Reach has proven polarizing in its reception (admittedly, it’s a weird one), but fans of the former White Stripes frontman should remain confident that his live show will inject his set—a mixture of songs from all his projects, including the Raconteurs and the Dead Weathe

As 24-year rock and roll veterans, Foo Fighters do most things pretty fucking well, consistently. Examples abounded during Wednesday night’s performance at Austin360 Amphitheater: theyserviced their generation-spanning fans by playing a routine three-hour set featuring tracks from each of their nine albums, including deep cuts (“Breakout,” “This is a Call”); hosted badass band intros with cover songs led by each member (Alice Cooper’s “Under My Wheels” with lead guitarist Chris Shiflett; John Lennon’s “Imagine” mashed up with the lyrics of Van Halen’s “Jump” with keyboardist Rami Jaffee; and the Ramones’ “Blitzkrieg Bop” with guitarist Pat Smear); and capped that latter medley with a choice cover of Queen and David Bowie’s “Under Pressure” that saw frontman Dave Grohl revisit his roots smashing the skins while drummer Taylor Hawkins handled lead vocals alongside Luke Spiller, vocalist for glam-revivalist openers the Struts.Another (more unfortunate) constant at their shows over the past few years: Grohl’s voice isn’t fully holding up, in that he can’t quite extend his screams the way he used to (see: the slightly broken crescendos of “Walk” and “Best of You”). He sounded a little hoarse throughout the first few songs (“Run,” “All My Life,” “Learn to Fly”) until he finally warmed up (he was in the pocket by fifth cut “The Sky is a Neighborhood,” the strongest among the new bunch aside from “Dirty Water,” which featured transcendent backup vocals from “Barbara, Sam and Laura”).

There are plenty of things to do in Austin throughout the year, but deciding on what live music to see is a whole different conundrum. In the Live Music Capital of the World, there are literally dozens of gigs happening each night, including plenty of touring artists plus more must-see local acts than the average concertgoer knows what to do with (we’ve got a ton of talent here, ya’ll). To help you out, we’ll be taking the liberty of putting together monthly lists of the top 10 concerts you’ve got to see. In chronological order, here are our April picks. April 6: Honey & Salt LP release with SMiiLE and more at Sidewinder, 9pm Whether your approach to appreciating live music is reveling in artists’ technical capabilities or basking in the glory of every catchy earworm, you’ll find whatever you need among Honey & Salt’s collection of prog- and math-rock jams, which expands with the release of their sophomore self-titled LP at this Friday night fête. Their name evokes as much—“Honey” for all the hooks, which never fail to satisfy as intersections of auditory resolution, sweetening the three band members’ intricate interplays (“Salt”) so it’s easy to swallow. Locals looking to amp up their musical palates should indulge in a hefty helping. April 7: Titus Andronicus at Barracuda, 9pm Over the years, Titus Andronicus’ music has exuded the snotty, rowdy attitude one might expect of a band labeled “punk rock,” though it’s always existed in that box with one or two appendages

There are plenty of things to do in Austin throughout the year, but deciding on what live music to see is a whole different conundrum. In the Live Music Capital of the World, there are literally dozens of gigs happening each night, including plenty of touring artists plus more must-see local acts than the average concertgoer knows what to do with (we’ve got a ton of talent here, ya’ll). To help you out, we’ll be taking the liberty of putting together monthly lists of the top 10 concerts you’ve got to see. In chronological order, here are our March picks. March 2: Mac Sabbath at Come and Take It Live, 7pm Fans of Black Sabbath and late-night, unhealthy eating habits: rejoice! The self-proclaimed progenitors of “drive thru metal,” parody band Mac Sabbath returns to Austin for a first-Friday throwdown at Come and Take It Live. Even if you don’t care for fast-food fare, it’s safe to assert that any old-school metal fan with a sense of humor will enjoy these rockers—decked out in costumes emulating Ronald McDonald and the classic Mickey D’s gang—ripping through riffs on “Chicken for the Slaves” (“Children of the Grave”), “Frying Pan” (“Iron Man”) and more. March 3: The Avett Brothers with Asleep at the Wheel at Long Center, 8pmAnyone who follows North Carolina’s Avett Brothers knows the band notoriously plays long sets (usually at least two hours), and with yet another new album on the horizon—the band stated mid-2017 that they were already working on the follow-up to 201

The most impressive iteration of St. Vincent I’ve witnessed was in May 2015, when the Dallas-raised songsmith (born Annie Clark) played a hometown show backed by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra at the gorgeous Winspear Opera House. Familiar tunes spanning her first four albums transformed in real time, sprouting sonic tendrils of harmonious horns and stirring strings at every turn. So how would a solo show—the type Clark conceived for her Fear the Future Tour behind fifth album Masseduction—fare compared to that, let alone one her typically riveting full-band sets?Over two sold-out nights at ACL Live this past Thursday and Friday, Clark proved her concept’s indisputable potency despite its stripped-down design. The performance was punctuated by her spotlit, legs-for-days figure donning space-age domme garb while singing and/or shredding center-stage for about 90 minutes, which covered a set of career highlights plus the entirety of her new record. Riffs erupted in washes of glorious overdrive without so much as a single on-stage pedal to trigger the effects (distorted and reverb-heavy on “Actor Out of Work,” Moog-like on “Sugar Boy” and robustly rockin’ during “Los Ageless“), revealing her nuanced method. Every audible moment was mapped out to the millisecond and controlled remotely to make sure her instrumentation aligned with each pre-programmed playback track, many of which (“The Strangers,” “Rattlesnake,” ”Young Lover”) seemed to adopt heavier, more hip-hop- and dance-orien

There are plenty of things to do in Austin throughout the year, but deciding on what live music to see is a whole different conundrum. In the Live Music Capital of the World, there are literally dozens of gigs happening each night, including plenty of touring artists plus more must-see local acts than the average concertgoer knows what to do with (we’ve got a ton of talent here, ya’ll). To help you out, we’ll be taking the liberty of putting together monthly lists of the top 10 concerts you’ve got to see. In chronological order, here are our February picks. February 1: A Giant Dog with Xetas, American Sharks and more at Beerland, 8pmMost Austin live music fans know debaucherous rock and roll dealers A Giant Dog, and they’re likewise familiar with gloriously grungy Red River mainstay Beerland, but have you ever witnessed one inside the other? Calm down, we’re talking about a concert here, ya pervs. An especially epic one, at that; this gig—the first of four Thursday residency shows in February, all with different openers—also features powerhouse punks Xetas, stoner auteurs American Sharks and more. Advance tickets are sold out, but a few lucky early-bird fans will be able to snag extras at the door day-of!February 2: Psychedelic Medicine: A Benefit for MAPS with Megafauna, These Clouds are Ghosts, the Human Circuit and more at Barracuda, 8pmSick of the stigma associated with psychedelics and marijuana for medical use (or in general, for that matter)? Here’s your chance to put

Another Free Week is in the books and this year—with pretty much every local musician worth his or her salt (we’re talking hundreds) spread throughout Austin’s best live music venues from January 1-7—it was practically impossible to go even one night without witnessing a solid handful of impressive artists. Sure, the high quality among Austin’s live acts is one reason why the weeklong event felt more vital than ever (not to mention all those who braved freezing temperatures Monday-Wednesday) but, to cop an accurate cliché, it takes a village, and there were plenty of other reasons for Free Week's undeniable success. In that spirit, here are our top five takeaways from Free Week 2018. All photos by David Brendan Hall 5. An on-the-fly freestyle can steal the show 5-D The scene: a packed-out Empire Control Room crowd on Saturday calls for an encore after a sharp set from local rap duo 5-D (CAPYAC/SubKulture Patriots’ RuDi Devino + Sip Sip/SubKulture Patriots’ HBZ) backed tonight by members of hip-hop production crew Applied Pressure and other collaborators. The group momentarily debates playing “that one remix,” and then HBZ offers, “We can freestyle!” It’s settled: Several band members and fellow Sip Sip MC Captain Kirk join for a round table session of insane off-the-cuff rhyme schemes over a funkified beat that leaves the audience screaming for even more. 4. Everybody loves a good cover song. Here are the week’s best, in descending order of badassery:   Cowboy Irie - Cowb

There are plenty of things to do in Austin throughout the year, but deciding on what live music to see is a whole different conundrum. In the Live Music Capital of the World, there are literally dozens of gigs happening each night, including plenty of touring artists plus more must-see local acts than the average concertgoer knows what to do with (we’ve got a ton of talent here, ya’ll). To help you out, we’ll be taking the liberty of putting together monthly lists of the top 10 concerts you’ve got to see. In chronological order, here are our January picks. January 1-7: Free Week at various venues Big ups to the Red River Cultural District and partners at outlying venues for producing a weeklong live music event that revives the local-championing spirit of SXSW in its heyday. With more than 100 shows booked between Jan 1-7 (nearly every one featuring at least three Austin artists) synthesizing Free Week’s schedule to a best-of is a daunting task. We recommend RSVPing to as many shows as possible on Facebook to build a rough schedule, then narrowing it down as you’re hopping from venue to venue. And why not play the field? Every show is, after all, completely free. That said, make sure to tip your bartender, or better yet, the bands. A few we’re excited about to get you started:Jan 1: Peelander-Z with Drakulas and more at Empire Control Room & Garage, 8pmJan 2: Annabelle Chairlegs and Vampyre at Mohawk (outdoor and indoor, respectively), 6:30pmJan 3: Ringo Deathstarr, the Half

Lady Gaga is living proof that power via pop-stardom can (and should) be honed to help others, to change lives not just by serving up arena-sized spectacles each night, but also by reinforcing empathy at every turn. During a two-hour career-spanning performance to a sold-out audience on Tuesday night at Frank Erwin Center, the 31-year-old tour de force cited new song “Joanne”—the title track of her latest album (an homage to her aunt who died of lupus) and this tour’s namesake (as well as her own)—as her attempt to “connect with people on a real level.”“Pain is an equalizer,” she said before strumming out the tune’s first acoustic notes. “[For this song], I ask you to go back down the rabbit hole to that pain...for me, that pain has just one name, and that's Joanne. However you choose to deal with it, that belongs to you, all that pain makes us the same.”That concept reached its cry-worthy climax when—after that serene serenade and subsequent pyro-blasted “Bad Romance”—Gaga shed her shroud of superstardom in the most ego-shattering manner: she paused to read a fan letter thrown on stage. “Honestly, you saved me,” she read. “The first time I ever felt alive was at the Monster Ball…I suffer from chronic pain and it can be so isolating. You're so fucking strong, and you reminded me that so the fuck am I.” Then the singer climbed down to hug that fan and sign her pink cowboy hat, adding “You can’t let [the pain] rule you and you can’t give up.”Talk about a celebrity who goes the

There are plenty of things to do in Austin throughout the year, but deciding on what live music to see is a whole different conundrum. In the Live Music Capital of the World, there are literally dozens of gigs happening each night, including plenty of touring artists plus more must-see local acts than the average concertgoer knows what to do with (we’ve got a ton of talent here, ya’ll). To help you out, we’ll be taking the liberty of putting together monthly lists of the top 10 concerts you’ve got to see. In chronological order, here are our December picks. December 1-3: Saturnalia Festival at Hotel Vegas, Sahara Lounge and Webberville Rd. Baptist Church In ancient Rome, Saturnalia was celebrated as a holiday to reject all forms of work. Take a cue and play hooky on the first Friday of December so you can attend all three official days of the fest (for ticket holders, there’s also a pre-party on Thursday, Nov 30, at the Electric Church). The roster features some seriously top-notch talent, both local (Golden Dawn Arkestra, Octopus Project, American Sharks, etc.) and from afar (Allah-Las, Morgan Delt and Cosmonauts, among others). Find the full lineup and tickets (only $40 for GA!) here. December 1: Fastball with Moving Panoramas at Antone’s, 8pm Talk about an ATX throwback: our premier ’90s pop-rock outfit, Fastball, will stage a homecoming show at revered venue Antone’s. You’ll get your fix of super-hits “The Way” and “Out of My Head,” but don’t expect the nostalgic streak t