Last night, we kicked up our feet and drank a cold brew, nestled among aged oak trees at Austin, Texas’s newly renovated music venue, Tim’s Porch. We enjoyed the rockin’ bluesy sounds of John Gaar and Malford Milligan at the recently modified site, formerly known as the “Backyard” amphitheatre. The audience, an undoubtedly Austin-esque conglomeration of colorful characters, ranged from to crazy college kids to hippies in their sixties.

The Show:
John Gaar, originally from Louisiana, unleashed his soulful flair for strumming the guitar during the concert, a spicy compliment to Austinite, Malford Milligan’s Al Green-like sound and style. The collaboration was both entertaining and soothing. Everyone rocked out, including a 4-year old girl who burned up the dance floor all night. With multiple decks of comfortable, intimate seating and ample parking, Jaunted gives Tim’s Porch a thumbs up. ]]> kellycrabb 2009-10-26T09:23:44-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/21/122656/96

Austin gets all the credit for being the arty city in Texas, and Houston residents probably like it that way: When no one's depending on you to bolster your state's reputation, you get a lot more work done! But the city where "Reality Bites" and "Rushmore" were filmed is stepping into the limelight with next month's Cinema Arts Festival Houston.

Held November 11 to 15, the fest says it focuses on "films by and about artists," offering events like a conversation with screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga ("Babel") Nov. 13 and a screening of the new documentary "Yes Men Fix The World" with one of the Yes Men, who have been wreaking havoc in Washington D.C. this week with fake press conferences and silly costumes—that's on November 14 and 15. ]]> egw 2009-10-21T16:28:41-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/5/203616/119

Kelly Crabb competed in Season 13 of The Amazing Race, taking 6th place with her best friend, Christy. Coined as "America's Divorcee," this freelance writer and travel enthusiast lives life to its fullest in Houston, Texas and remains "bitchy with a heart of gold." Here she recaps the latest Amazing Race/Survivor alumni event in Texas:

Stars of reality shows don’t always return to normal, everyday life. After such an eye-opening experience, most go on to alter their lives by making special appearances, continuing to travel the world, posing for pictures like a regular celebrity, working towards good causes, and some even hold political offices. Of course it's even more drastic if you win a reality show, as they usually drop work altogether.

Houston’s Jolanda Jones of Survivor: Palau, and now Houston City Council Member, has put on The Houston Survivor Challenge now for the second year in a row. Many reality stars from different shows were in attendance this year, including the event’s Emcee, Uchenna Agu, Winner of Season 7 of The Amazing Race.

Who else was there, after the jump>]]> kellycrabb 2009-10-09T11:03:34-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/5/204317/978

Enjoying a little Texas time, Andy Roddick and girlfriend Brooklyn Decker make their way through the crowd during John Legend’s performance at the Austin City Limits music festival this last weekend, along with ourselves. Let’s hope that when they passed by us, that were moseying up to the front row and not just elbowing their way around.

During the festival, Austin was apparently crawling with such celebs, including Jessica Alba, Lindsay Lohan (before she jetted to Paris for her debut as a designer for the Ungaro fashion house) and Matthew McConaughey, who usually always attends. It’s no surprise with a phenomenal festival lineup including Pearl Jam, Kings of Leon, The Toadies, Citizen Cope, Dave Matthews and Ghostland Observatory, that we would bump into at least one bold-faced name.

Related Stories:
· Celeb Travel Coverage [Jaunted] ]]> kellycrabb 2009-10-06T14:56:46-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/9/18/81617/2253

In case you missed the memo, somehow the summer season is officially over. However, that doesn’t mean that we can’t continue to listen to live music well into the fall. Austin City Limits Music Festival is just around the corner, and it’s time to make plans to take in this year’s events in person from Zilker Park. This year you can even bring in your little rock stars; children 10 and under get in free with their mom or dad, and they’ll love the special programs at Austin Kiddie Limits—cute.

Things run from October 2 through 4, and there’s plenty of bands to keep your interest. The big ones this year are Kings of Leon, Dave Matthews Band, and Pearl Jam. If these acts are a little too mainstream, don’t worry, as there are plenty of up and coming stars that plan to hit the stage each day. At this time, the votes are still being tallied for The Sound And The Journey contest, where a lucky band will get to take the stage to wow fans, and hopefully, record producers. ]]> kjb 2009-09-18T11:22:08-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/9/3/75818/61599

Check your calendar, because the end of summer is near! However, there’s no need to panic if you find yourself near Austin for the Labor Day weekend. Not only is Schlitterbahn, one of the country’s best water parks, just around the corner, but there’s also a pretty good tubing spot. We’ve spent a lot of time on the water this season, so we thought one more nugget would hold us over until next Memorial Day.

Canyon Lake is home of River Sports Tubes, and they are all about having fun on the Guadalupe and Comal Rivers. Just remember not to have too much fun since boozing while cruising is totally fine on this tube trip. However, if you’re going on Sunday, just wait to crack open a cool one until after noon. It’s illegal to drink in public before that—way to go Texas. ]]> kjb 2009-09-03T15:14:45-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/8/21/101934/457

Bandslam, starring High School Musical's Vanessa Hudgens, has very little to offer anyone over fifteen. The movie is about an the oddball teenager (Hudgens) who develops a crush on the new kid in town (played by Gaelen Connell) when he is recruited to help a popular cheerleader create a band for a local "battle of the bands" competition. It's not exactly this generation's Breakfast Club, but it does have two redeeming qualities, a cameo by David Bowie and a kick ass location, Austin, TX. Here's how to explore the musical side of Austian, Bandslam-inspired or not:

What to Do:
Austin considers itself the music capital of the world for its over 200 live music venues and more than 1,900 musicians who call the city home. Two of the best places to see live music in Austin are Emo’s Alternative Lounge and Antone's. ]]> cmb 2009-08-21T13:14:38-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/