AltWeeklies Wire
Everything You'd Expect From Johnny Cash, Reallynew

An album full of hurt, devotion, malaise and dejection — American VI: Ain't No Grave is everything, really, that you’d expect from a well-rounded Cash album.
The Inlander |
Leah Sottile |
02-17-2010 |
Reviews
Wait, What Happened to Brian Jonestown Massacre?new

No one just kind of likes Brian Jonestown Massacre. Well, not until now, maybe. A band that enjoyed hefty press after the 2004 documentary DiG! became the darling of Sundance, fans and haters have become staunch in their stances.
The Inlander |
Leah Sottile |
02-17-2010 |
Reviews
Tribes, Tracks and Casinos Push to Widen Texas Gamblingnew

The economic crunch could mean 2011 will be the year that gambling promoters finally open up Texas (the biggest untapped market in the U.S.) to casinos and racetrack slots. If that happens, the economic effects will be felt in Oklahoma, Louisiana... and maybe even Nevada.
Fort Worth Weekly |
Dan McGraw |
02-17-2010 |
Policy Issues
Taser Deaths Lead to Founding of National Memorial, Regional Coalitionnew
The parents of a young man killed in April by a Taser-wielding Fort Worth police officer are hoping that, finally, something good may have come from his death. North Texas opponents of the controversial weapons have also begun a national memorial, with crosses in a church yard for every one of the 471 people who have died after being tasered.
Fort Worth Weekly |
Peter Gorman |
02-17-2010 |
Crime & Justice
Bad Doggy: 'The Wolfman' Doesn't Quite Succeednew

After some monumental struggles — including director replacements and many postponements — The Wolfman is finally in theaters, and those problems are evident in the finished product. It doesn't quite succeed, depsite a great effort from Benicio del Toro.
Tucson Weekly |
Bob Grimm |
02-17-2010 |
Reviews
'The Last Station' an Amusing, Breast-Filled Romantic Comedynew
It's as though modern breasts are sleazy and exploitive, but period breasts enlighten our moral conscience. Strangely, audiences that get picky about the historical accuracy of sets and costumes never complain about an anachronistic bosom.
Tucson Weekly |
James DiGiovanna |
02-17-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: The Last Station, Michael Hoffman
Precise Narratives, Courtesy of Darden Smithnew

This retrospective collection of 16 of the Austin singer/songwriter's best tunes focuses primarily on midtempo and nearly twangless folk-pop tales of small towns, heartache, dreams and desire.
Tucson Weekly |
Gene Armstrong |
02-17-2010 |
Reviews
Obscurely Accessible: In Mourning's 'Monolith'new

Monolith is either a beautiful way to say goodbye to a broken world, or a chance to enjoy metal done right and - dare it be said - accessibly. Vocalist Tobias Netzell could be singing about flowers and bunnies, but methinks he's actually obsessed with end times.
Tucson Weekly |
Jarret Keene |
02-17-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: In Mourning, Monolith
Sade's 'Soldier of Love' Worth the 10-Year Waitnew

On her long-awaited new album, Sade continues to practice a now-classic style of exquisite heartbreak and desperate desire while slipping from blissed-out funk to heady R&B revivalism.
Tucson Weekly |
Gene Armstrong |
02-17-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: Sade, Soldier of Love
Record-Breaking Snow Storms: Signs of Severe Climate Changenew
Lifelong weather nerds like me probably pay more attention to this stuff than anyone whose title doesn't end in "-ologist," but the meteorological events of this past month in Tucson have been hard for anyone to ignore.
Tucson Weekly |
Randy Serraglio |
02-17-2010 |
Commentary
New Experi-Indie Album Shinesnew

Review of Cave Syndrome, a new experi-indie album by a Seattle-based project fronted by a North Texas artist, Transient Songs.
Fort Worth Weekly |
Ken Shimamoto |
02-17-2010 |
Reviews
Hey Tea Partiers... You're Leftists!
What unites the Tea Party, which is more or less symbiotically affiliated with the so-called "Patriot" movement, are three issues. First, they're Constitutional purists. Second, they want the federal government to shrink or go away entirely. Third: they want lower taxes and government spending. So why is the Tea Party seen as a right-wing movement?
Maui Time |
Ted Rall |
02-17-2010 |
Commentary
The Pennsylvania Documentary 'GasLand' Drills for Answersnew

A Pennsylvania filmmaker's documentary about the perils of urban gas drilling, GasLand includes interviews with people from all over the country and recently earned the filmmaker the Special Jury Prize for documentaries at the Sundance Film Festival.
Fort Worth Weekly |
Dan McGraw |
02-17-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
Undocumented Immigrants Barred from Visiting Loved Ones in Prisonnew

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recently floated the idea of building prisons in Mexico to house the 18,000 California inmates who are in the country illegally. We have to wonder: Could a jailbird's mom visit him in Tijuana? Because if she's undocumented, she can't do that here.
SF Weekly |
Lauren Smiley |
02-17-2010 |
Immigration
San Francisco's Employment Rate is Relatively Good, but Leaders Can Create More Jobsnew
Last month, Mayor Gavin Newsom held a press conference at the upscale hot-dog restaurant Show Dogs, packed it with press and midlevel bureaucrats, showed up late, and then led an endless platitude-fest about his plans to promote jobs in San Francisco.