Comedy
Russell Brand: Messiah Complex
The Paramount Theatre, Sept. 26
Beginning his career as a stand- up comedian, Russell Brand shot to fame with the Judd Apatow comedies Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him to the Greek. Brand’s other film credits include Rock of Ages, Arthur, Bedtime Stories and The Tempest . Brand has also written My Booky Wook: A Memoir of Sex, Drugs and Stand-Up, making The New York Times bestseller list, and Booky Wook 2: This Time It’s Personal. The Messiah Complex tour will dissect various social and religious figures and the reality of their lives through comparisons of each other.
“I am going to tour the world (our one, Earth) with Messiah Complex, causing bother and excitement and offering opinions that have not been either solicited or thought through,” Brand says.
9/28: Anjelah Johnson, The Paramount Theatre
10/23: Margaret Cho, The Paramount Theatre
10/25: John Oliver, Bass Concert Hall Comedy
Theater
Broadway in Austin: The Book of Mormon
Bass Concert Hall, Oct. 1-13
From the creators of South Park, The Book of Mormon is a musical satire full of laughs and absurdity. Set in Uganda, the play parodies organized religion and traditional musical theater, reflecting the creators’ fascination with Mormonism and musicals. Ben Brantley of The New York Times calls it “the best musical of this century.” Entertainment Weekly says it’s “the funniest musical of all time.” It’s also the winner of nine Tony Awards including Best Musical, and Jon Stewart of The Daily Show calls it “a crowning achievement. So good it makes me angry.”
Music
Asleep At the Wheel: On Screen and On Stage
The Long Center, Sept. 8
The Long Center presents a very special evening with Asleep at the Wheel, beginning with the premiere of Then and Now, a documentary film about the nine-time Grammy Award-winning Western swing band. Then and Now looks at the 40-plus years the band has been making music, tracing their history to the long-haired youth that made up Asleep at the Wheel in the early ’70s. Following the screening, Asleep at the Wheel takes the stage for a full concert, demonstrating why they’ve earned the nickname “the official band of Texas.” Fun fact: Asleep at the Wheel was in Paw Paw, Va., when Willie Nelson convinced the group to move to Austin in 1974.
9/7: Major Lazer, Whitewater Amphitheater
9 /10: Iron Maiden, Austin 360 Amphitheater
9 /11: Ben Harper and Charlie Musselwhite, Stubb’s
9/26: Steve Miller Band, ACL Live at the Moody Theater
10/9: ZZ Top, ACL Live at the Moody Theater
10/15 – 10 /16: Elephant Revival, Cactus Café
10/19: John Fogerty, ACL Live at the Moody Theater
11/6: John Legend, Bass Concert Hall
11/29: Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, Cedar Park Center
11/29: Gary Clark Jr., Stubb’s
9/25–11/3: Les Miserables, Zach Scott Theatre
11/19–24: Chicago, Bass Concert Hall
11/26–27: Godspell, The Long Center Music Theater
Food and Drink
Coming Soon: Olamie, 1610 San Antonio St.
Opening this winter, Olamaie will bring a modern take on Southern tastes to downtown Austin. Co-executive Chef Michael Fojtasek will fill the Southern cuisine void with a menu that focuses on farm-to-table freshness and a dining experience that combines classic Southern hospitality with modern craftsmanship. Prior to opening, Olamaie will host multiple pop-up dinners throughout Texas to give diners a preview of the menu. Olamaie’s pop-up dinners will feature dishes such as biscuits with chicken grease and honey butter; cucumber salad with buttermilk, bur – net, pickled onion, soft herbs and peanut; smoky hen of the woods with tomato jus, braised peanuts, field peas and sorghum cipollini; and peanut pie with buttermilk ice cream, caramel and gulf salt. Each pop-up will have limited seating. Reservations are required. Upcoming pop-ups will be at Lenoir Sept. 23, and ASTI Trattoria Sept. 29.
Just opened:
Mettle, 507 Calles St., 512.236.1022. Must-try dish: Spaghetti with braised pork, poached egg, duck and star anise broth.
Arro, 601 W. Sixth St., 512.992.2776. Must-try dish: Croque Monsieur: baked pan de mie sandwich, house-cured Parisian ham, béchamel, Gruyere, greens (try it with a fried egg).
Benji’s, 716 W. Sixth St., 512.476.8226. Must-try dish: Parrilladas Especiales: beef tenderloin fajitas with an 8-ounce cold-water lobster tail.
Bufalina pizza, 1519 E. Cesar Chavez St., 512.524.2523. Must-try dish: Fresca: prosciutto picante, arugula, cherry tomato, olive oil, Parmesan.
The Dojo Sake Bar Izakaya, 9070 Research Blvd., 512.458.3900. Must-try dish: Salmon Sashimi Shiso.
NO VA Kitchen & Bar, 87 Rainey St., 512.382.5651. Must-try dish: Cheeseburger Tartare.
Races
Zero Prostate Cancer Run
Oct. 26, Camp Mabry
The premier men’s health race is a heartfelt, tight-knit community activity that brings together athletes, cancer survivors, physicians, caretakers, family members and friends. Zero Prostate Cancer Run, formerly Dash for Dad, hosts run/walk events in more than three dozen cities nationwide, with the mission to end prostate cancer. The race helps raise funds to save lives and end pain and suffering by advancing research, encouraging action and providing education and support to men and their families. Register here.
9/2: TriRock Austin
9/14: Gruene 10K in New Braunfels
9/28: Karaoke 5K Sing-a-Long Fun Run
10/6: IBM Uptown Classic 5K and 10K presented by Luke’s Locker
10/27: Mamma Jamma Ride
11/9: LLS Light the Cight Walk
11/10: Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure
Off the F1 Track
Formula 1 Weekend
Nov. 15–17, Ballet Austin
Party like it’s F1 weekend with international luxury events producer My Yacht Group, which returns to Austin with its Monaco-style nightclub during the 2013 U.S. Grand Prix. Recognized as the premier post-race party at last year’s F1 weekend, My Yacht Club comes complete with 24-karat gold-flecked Champagne and glamorous Comte de Mazeray Golden Girls. Last year’s attendees included Matt LeBlanc of Friends, Nicole Taylor of Entourage, John Paul DeJoria of Paul Mitchell Systems and Patrón Spirits, drivers Jean Eric-Vergne, Vitaly Petrov, Kamui Kobayashi and Alexander Rossi, and crown princes of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. For three nights, Ballet Austin transforms into My Yacht Club, featuring bottle service, international DJs, Mazeray’s Golden Girls and pyrotechnics. Tables range from $4,500 to $50,000. Individual VIP tickets are $300. Track packages also available.
University of Texas Home Game Schedule
Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium
8/31: New Mexico State
9/14: Mississippi
9/21: Kansas State
11/2: Kansas
11/16: Oklahoma State
11/28: Texas Tech
Other Newsmakers
Singing to Win
Local singer/songwriter Reed Turner recently took first place at the 2013 Telluride Troubadour Competition, part of the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. Judged on song quality, delivery and overall performance, Turner was one of 10 finalists chosen from 500 entries. Turner received a $12,000 acoustic guitar and $300 cash, along with a main stage set before 10,000 people. Catch Turner live in Austin at Cactus Café Sept. 14.
I’ll Drink to That
Governor Rick Perry signed several new craft-beer laws in June that allow breweries to sell beer on-site, and brewpubs to sell beer to distributors and retailers. Austin-based brewery Hops & Grain celebrates their newly acquired brewpub license, which has allowed them to expand their hours in the taproom, and customers can now take cans and growlers home with them. More expansion to come from Uncle Billy’s, Black Star Co-Op, Pint – house Pizza and North By Northwest.
The Gift that Keeps On Giving
Christmas came early for Ballet Austin, as major arts philanthropists Sarah and Ernest Butler recently donated $1.5 million to the foundation to permanently endow an advanced level of professional training. The endowment will provide up to 15 fellowships of $5,000 for aspiring professional dancers to engage in advanced intensive training in ballet technique, modern, jazz, variations, partnering, Pilates, body conditioning and repertoire.
Out of the Box
The exhibit Cubism Beyond Borders brings you Cubist works by Diego Rivera, Pablo Picasso, Arshile Gorky and others in a special investigation of the far-reaching influence and wide-ranging interpretations of Cubism in the early 20th century. Cubism Beyond Borders addresses the ways the art form defied tradition, transcended borders and continually captivates the global imagination. These iconic paintings, sculptures and works on paper will be on display from Aug. 31 to Dec. 8 at the Blanton Museum of Art.
Pulitzer Price Book Signing
The 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction was granted to Paul Harding, who will speak about and sign his award-winning new book, Enon at BookPeople Sept. 19. Garnering the second Pulitzer for Harding, Enon follows Charlie Crosby as he attempts to come to terms with a personal tragedy. Tickets are available with the purchase of a copy of Enon from BookPeople; the speaking portion of the event is free.
XTremely Good Choice: X Games Comes to Austin
ESPN jumped on the entertainment bandwagon as yet another massive event comes to town. Austin was chosen as one of six stops on the global X Games tour for the next four years. Our city will host its inaugural X Games May 15 through 18, 2014. Beating out Chicago, Detroit and Charlotte, N.C., to replace former host city Los Angeles, Austin was chosen for its active life – style, entertainment scene, vibrant spirit and infrastructure to handle the swell of incoming people, and the potential to add a festival feel to the X Games. The X Games will utilize the 1,600 acres of The Circuit of the Americas’ expansive grounds as the main location for events, with the overflow held downtown. There is possibility for more sports to be added to the bill, such as wakeboarding, but nothing has been announced yet. “The X Games celebrate fitness, courage and individuality—traits greatly valued by our community—and we look forward to showing the world all of the wonderful things Austin has to offer,” Mayor Lee Leffingwell said in a statement. Hold onto your handlebars, Austin!
RunAustin: Resource for Runners
A collaborative effort from race directors in Austin, Run Austin launched Aug. 14 as the first website of its kind, serving as an all-inclusive resource for runners across the globe to stay informed about Austin’s premier and iconic running events. Supporting and advancing the city’s running events by encouraging growth, sustainability, innovation and best practices, RunAustin partnered with the Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Austin Sports Commission.
