Robert Dean

PreviewRobert Dean

Shedding Skin: Welcome to new live music venue the Coral Snake

Sometimes, change is a good thing. There’s an expectancy in Austin that things will always stay the same. But in the case of The Coral Snake, the bar moving into its new skin is an essential evolution because as the East Side changes, the bars and what they offer need to evolve, too. 

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ReviewRobert Dean

Comedy review: Game Bang Bingo is the best new thing on Monday nights

Things in my life I never expected: watching a 1960s Batman-themed porn in a group setting. And that’s precisely what happened last night at the Vulcan Gas Company. And that was just one of the moments drowning in the sleaze that is Game Bang Bingo, possibly one of the best things to do in Austin.

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ReviewRobert Dean

Live music review: Live Nation nails Two Step Inn Festival and T-Pain carried the day

When attending festivals, there’s a game of cat and mouse between security and journalists. And at the Two Step Inn in Georgetown April 15-16, me and my media brethren bonded like a pack of wolves. I went into the gig with wholesome intentions to capture the heart and soul of the event, despite the sun’s rays beating down on me while my boots gathered layers of dust. 

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ReviewRobert Dean

Live music review: Bad Times for Bad Larry’s and Little Brother Bar Shows

Little Brother Bar on Rainey Street is an Oasis against the throngs of shitheals with popped collars and bad manners. It’s a tiny closet of a bar that brings big fun with strong drinks, a bartending crew full of characters, and of course, the beloved Bummer Burritos. But for the last year or so, the bar would partner up with the Bad Larry Burger crew and throw the best free shows in Austin that were the thing of legend. And then they were forced to stop. 

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ReviewRobert Dean

Live music review: Black Flag at Mohawk and Combichrist at Elysium Saturday

I wanted to clown on this current incarnation of Black Flag. I really did. Going into the show on Saturday at Mohawk, my expectations were low. When a legendary band has gone through a cadre of lineups over the years, it’s hard to get excited when Greg Ginn is the only original member up there chugging away on the hits that are so influential to our lives.

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ReviewRobert Dean

SXSW: The Madness of Day One

I ventured into the bucket head-wearing throngs for night one. Accompanied by my spiritual advisor, the comic Trevor Keveloh, we dared to see what this year’s SXSW festival had in store for us, even though it was supposed to be only the “tech week.” 

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OpinionRobert Dean

The Lost Well: Austin Punk’s Last Stand

Many of the bars and venues of the past are now alive thanks to a savvy marketer coupling with new construction Svengali, giving the names of their suites like the “Armadillo World Headquarters” or “the Trudy’s Room,” offering a gross impression of what was in a place steeped in so much cultural history. Yet some places remain – like The Lost Well. 

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