The Black Cat’s just a burned-out shell, and Soulhat rarely plays anymore, but the glory days can be revisited starting Dec. 8 when Nashville’s Dualtone label puts out what was once just a cassette with a run of 5,000.

Justin Furstenfeld sings 'It's Just Me' last night at Stubb's

The rain killed the scalpers, as the first show since Justin Furstenfeld's breakdown and hospitalization didn't sell out. But the show was packed with powerful moments, as this band's followers are a wildly devoted lot. The constant drizzle felt like Blue October weather.

On Thursday, Furstenfeld said he was nervous because he wasn't yet used to new medication. In rehearsals he was forgetting lyrics, but after a somewhat subdued opening, the set really kicked in with "Dirt Room" and Furstenfeld appeared transformed.

After the show, the band was heard cheering in their dressing room. Furstenfeld said after the opening jitters he settled down and had a blast. "I suddenly realized, 'this is what I do' and it all came back like that," he said, as he walked to his car through a sea of wellwishers. "And I didn't forget a single lyric!"

Tonight's show at Stubb's is sold out, so maybe the secondary ticket market will break even.

Tonight and Saturday’s show are the only two the band has scheduled right now. The Austin/San Marcos band canceled its “Pick Up the Phone” Tour late last month because singer Justin Furstenfeld had been hospitalized after suffering a massive anxiety attack. (Read our interview with him here.)

Blue October fans, which include “Twilight” author Stephenie Meyer, are a passionate and dedicated bunch, and have already started lining up outside Stubb’s for tonight’s sold-out show.

Mike Oshel, 37, and Courtney Gustafson, 34, were undeterred by the Friday morning rainstorm. “When it comes to Blue October, we don’t waver,” Gustafson said. Having missed their flight from Salt Lake City, UT, they said they felt lucky to make it to Austin on standby. The pair estimated they spent more than $1,000 on airfare and hotel to see their favorite band.

Florida couple Jaime Taylor, 39 and Michael Taylor, 41, drove 17 hours from St. Augustine and got in line outside Stubb’s at 7:30 a.m. Friday. There were eight fans already there, as the line started at 5 a.m. “We had tickets to all four Florida shows,” Jaime Taylor said. “We were pretty devastated when they were canceled, though the important thing is that Justin gets well.” Asked to explain their devotion, Jaime Taylor said, “When he sings, even in a big crowd, it feels like Justin’s singing just to you.”

Check back for our interview with Furstenfeld, who talks about what he experienced, and for photos from tonight’s show.

Starting this Friday at 5 p.m., KGSR will be broadcast on the frequency that used to be home for Hot 93. Then, Nov. 30, the current 107.1 FM spot on the dial will air regional Mexican music.

Station manager Scott Gillmore said the move from the current 49,000- watt station to 100,000 watts will make KGSR available to about 100,000 more prospective listeners, especially in Williamson County, where the current signal has been weak.

From the news release:

Emmis Austin Radio announces that effective Friday, November 20th at 5pm, award-winning, adult alternative station 107.1 KGSR, will begin simulcasting on 93.3 FM. KGSR will be heard on both frequencies on the radio dial for ten days. Then, KGSR will be broadcast exclusively on the 93.3 frequency effective Monday, November 30th. At that time Emmis Austin Radio will launch a new Spanish-language, Regional Mexican format on 107.1 FM.

The 93.3 signal is licensed to the city of Cedar Park and boasts one of the largest total coverage areas in all of Texas. KGSR’s unique blend of Texas, roots, and adult alternative music will now be available to potential listeners in areas of Central Texas that its previous signal did not reach.

The 107.1 frequency is licensed to the city of Bastrop and has superior signal coverage in Austin’s highest density Hispanic areas including those with those with the largest Spanish-speaking populations in Central Texas.

This new format, and signal transition will optimally allow the respective stations the ability to best reach the communities they serve.

The new station, whose name and line-up will be announced at 5pm on Monday, November 30th, will include personalities already familiar to Austin’s Spanish-speaking community, as well as dynamic, new talents. Advertisers will be able to reach the active Hispanic market of Central Texas beginning Wednesday, December 2nd via 107.1 FM.

“What a beautiful man,” said booking agent David Cotton. “We are all so lucky he was here. This is going to leave a hole that will be impossible to fill.”

Narum produced cover art for such albums as “Tres Hombres” and “Fandango” for ZZ Top, and worked as art director on albums by Doug Sahm, Nanci Griffith, Stevie Ray Vaughan and many more. Originally from Houston, Narum was part of the infamous Sheauxnough Studio gang that produced posters for the Armadillo World Headquarters and other venues in the ’70s and ’80s.

Check out [some of Narum’s artwork}(http://www.myspace.com/billnarum) on his Myspace page.

myspace.com/teamfab

FRIDAY

Daniel Johnston at St. David’s Episcopal Church. Living legend and king of lo-fi jangle pop Daniel Johnston has lived a life that’s biblical in its triumphs and tragedies, making the intimate pews of St. David’s an ideal choice of venue for the singer-songwriter. Expect classic Johnston ditty ‘Devil Town,’ should he sing it, to take on a whole new atmosphere. — 6 p.m. $20-$35. 304 E. Seventh St. transmission.frontgatetickets.com.

Also recommended:

• Guy Clark at the Cactus Cafe
• Bosque Brown at the Ghost Room
• Blue October and Girl in a Coma at Stubb’s
• Tia Carrera at Red 7
• Julian and Stephen Marley at Aces Lounge

SATURDAY

Fabrication 7 with ‘Til We’re Blue or Destroy and the Laughing at the Mohawk. Team Fabrication, known individually as Erin Mikulenka and Jen Rea, are two of Austin’s most beloved staple scenesters. Tireless DJs and skilled stitchers, their annual get-together celebrates fashion, jewelry, general stylishness and — best of all — some of Austin’s finest music. This year, sip free vodka alongside electro-pop champions Til We’re Blue or Destroy and dance new wave outfit the Laughing. With the Happen-Ins and Karaoke Underground. 9 p.m. 912 Red River St. mohawkaustin.com.

Also recommended:

• the Mother Truckers at Antone’s
• Harlem at Emo’s
• Car Stereo (Wars) at the Beauty Bar
• Blue October and Girl in a Coma at Stubb’s
• Train at La Zona Rosa
• Leatherbag at the Ghost Room

SUNDAY

AFI at Stubb’s.Hey, remember 2006? If so, you might recall the inescapability of ‘Miss Murder,’ a cut off AFI’s gold-certified ‘Decemberunderground.’ A three-minute blast of angst-ridden alternative rock, it showcased the California band at its best, and we can only hope they’ll trend toward such older material Sunday night — and not tracks off this year’s leaden ‘Crash Love.’ With Gallows. 6:30 p.m. $26. 801 Red River St. stubbsaustin.com.

Also recommended:

• Local H at Emo’s
• Heybale at the Continental Club

To the dyed-in-the-wool vinyl fans who haunt Cheapo Discs at late hours of the night and comb through the bins at Antone’s Records, take note: T-Bird and the Breaks have got your back.

The groovy, bass line-loving local soul players recently re-released debut album “Learn About It” on record, and are continuing their vinyl fixation with a monthly series of 7-inch singles. The inaugural 45 RPM, “Monkey Wrench,” with “Nightshade Mary” on the B-side, came out this month. The series is planned to run for six months, though Tim Crane, also known as T-Bird, says it might last longer if interest is high enough. The vinyl releases will be available for $5 a pop at shows, local record stores and online. The songs also will be available for digital download.

“We just got so much new material we could be putting out, and to sit around for like two years and then drop another album seems like too long. We just released an album in January and it already feels like forever,” Crane says. “We’re always working on new stuff. I’m sitting on a pile of songs right now. I just want to be putting out new music all the time. New stuff keeps it fresh.”

The singles also afford the band the opportunity to release live cuts and cover versions that wouldn’t make sense on a longer album, Crane says. Then there’s the bonus of releasing new material on vinyl, a format Crane has a clear affection for.

“That’s how I came up, you know, digging into bins and finding something that I’d never even heard of and sure wasn’t released on CD,” Crane says. “And in terms of a physical product wax is where it’s at. A lot of kids don’t understand that, but the record is kind of like the Cadillac of the listening process.”

Take a listen to the first two songs below. T-Bird and the Breaks depart for a brief tour Thursday (Nov. 19) but will return to Austin Nov. 26 for a show at Momo’s.

Renowned local string ensemble Will Taylor and Strings Attached joined the legendary rock band on stage for two songs — "The End" and "Just Breathe" — as well as a brief improvisational jam. Taylor says Pearl Jam reached out to him via e-mail about a week and half before the taping, sending along sheet music in PDF form.

"It came completely out of the blue. I frankly was not real familiar with Pearl Jam other than that they were a very famous rock band that had been around about 20 years and had a lot of longevity," says Taylor. "But I recognized it was a great opportunity. All these years of living in Austin and contributing to the music here and I’d never been on any ACL program. When I was backstage talking to ("Austin City Limits" producer) Terry Lickona he was like 'So how many times is this for you?' And I was like 'Actually, this is the first time.'"

Taylor and company also joined Pearl Jam backstage for a slightly less intense undertaking — a few rounds of ping pong. The band famously carts a ping pong table around on tour as a way of blowing off stress. The entire experience, Taylor says, was slightly intimidating but went off without a hitch.

"It was thrilling and terrifying, even with all these years — for myself, over 25 years — of playing on various stages all over the world. Getting to play on Austin City Limits was a bit terrifying," Taylor says. "The idea that millions of people are going to be watching it. But it was great."

Check out "Just Breathe," featuring Will Taylor and Strings Attached, below, and when you're done be sure to surf on over to the official Austin City Limits Web site, where you can watch a time-lapse video of the entire taping. Keep your eyes peeled and you just might spot our own Chad Swiatecki.

Rounding out the 35th season are these shows:

January 9- Allen Toussaint
January 16- K' Naan / Mos Def
January 23- The Avett Brothers / Heartless Bastards
January 30- Steve Earle / Kris Kristofferson
February 6- Esperanza Spalding / Madeleine Peyroux
February 13- Them Crooked Vultures

Another year, another Idol.

This time it’s Jason Castro who will perform at the Lighting of the Macy’s Great Tree at the Domain. (For those who don’t breathlessly follow “American Idol,” Season 6 winner Jordin Sparks had the honor last year.)

Castro, the dreadlocked Aggie who kept everyone guessing during the show’s seventh season, didn’t win, but he came pretty darn close. A Top 4 finish and a diverse fan base — part swooning girls, part maroon bloods, part fans of anything but bubblegum pop — helped the North Texan snag a deal with Atlantic Records. His first album is due to hit shelves Jan. 26, but folks who just can’t wait till then can listen to a single, “Let’s Just Fall in Love Again,” right now at jasoncastromusic.com.

“There will be all the stuff you would expect,” Castro promises when asked about the self-titled album. “Some intimate acoustics … stuff with a guitar.”

Castro held auditions in Los Angeles earlier this year, putting together a band in just a matter of days. Look for them to tag along when he hits the road next year.

Also likely to be aboard the tour bus? Castro’s new fiancee. He popped the question to girlfriend Mandy Mayhall at a tailgate party before the Oklahoma-Kansas State football game in Norman, Okla., on Halloween.

“I’ve been with her a while now. She’s my girl,” he says before clamming up.

But before things get hectic — the album, the tour … a wedding — Castro plans to spend time right here in the Lone Star State with family and friends during the holidays.

“I just want to be home,” he says. “I’ve been so busy.”

Christmas at the Castro household has always been a big deal, and he’s ready to get the merriment started. This year, he insists, will be no different than any other.

“I’ve got a pretty big family, and we stay up all night and open presents at midnight. There’s lots of good food, too.”

And, of course, tons of tunes, both live and recorded.

“I just want to play my music. I’ve been obsessed with music since I was little.”

Saturday’s events at The Domain

• Holiday festival, noon to 5:30 p.m.

• Pre-show warm-up with ‘The Bobby Bones Show,’ 5:30 p.m.

• Lighting of the Macy’s Great Tree, 6 p.m.

• Post-show holiday party, 6:45 p.m.

11410 Century Oaks Terrace

795-4230, thedomaininaustin.com

He says the brothers and their bandmates seemed a little nervous, but nonetheless rocked the historic studios (Lance Armstrong tweeted that it was the best taping he’s seen).

Patrick Meredith FOR AMERICAN-STATESMAN

• Photos: Rufus Wainwright at the Paramount

Tuesday night, a well-heeled crowd gathered at the Paramount to see the final performance of a two-night engagement by the man Elton John has called “the greatest songwriter on the planet.” Strangely (and perhaps a bit out of character) Rufus Wainwright took the stage with very little fanfare and, after a polite hello to the crowd, launched right into a soaring version of “Grey Gardens.” The timbre of his rich voice matched the baby grand piano perfectly and filled up every inch of the theater, yielding only to the applause that followed.

Wainwright wasted no time engaging the crowd, riffing on the recent cold front. “When I got here it was 80 degrees,” he complained mockingly. “I was going to go swimming at … that water thing.” The man knows how to work a room and had almost as much shtick as he did music.

Tuesday’s show was a strange mix of the mediocre and the sublime, though. After flubbing the intro to a mostly lack-luster version of “Leaving for Paris No. 2,” Wainwright played a nearly flawless version of “Beauty Mark” that was full of all the resplendent theatrics he is famous for. “Sanssouci,” a wistful daydream about an imaginary getaway on par with Roy Orbison’s “Blue Bayou,” was marred only by a slightly out-of-tune guitar. Even so, Wainwright’s rich baritone held everything together beautifully. His guitar playing was a bit rudimentary and no one seemed to mind that he occasionally couldn’t find the right chord. Instead of glossing over these mistakes Wainwright used the occasion instead to draw the crowd in with a wry smile and knowing wink. Like I said, the man knows how to work a room.

Wainwright’s songs can be vain and self-indulgent at times, but Tuesday’s show proved that vanity is one of his greatest assets. To keep an entire theater breathless and listening in rapt admiration for 90 minutes, you have to be in love with the sound of your own voice. On “The Art Teacher” and “Peach Trees” he explored every nuance of the melodies, stretching phrases to their breaking point for dramatic effect, often allowing his voice to trail off into nothingness at the end.

Wainwright also previewed several songs from an upcoming album of solo piano and voice during the show. He announced to the crowd that the piano parts were very difficult and asked them to please excuse any mistakes as he was “in the practice stage.” He was being facetious, of course, and played them remarkably well although the new songs were a bit like cigarettes and chocolate milk, to borrow one of Wainwright’s own metaphors. The overtly showy piano arrangement, which echoed 19th Century Romanticism, wrestled with the facile vocal melody of “Give Me What I Want,” at times obscuring the lyrics. Wainwright was at his best when he let the naturally evocative quality of his voice tell the story as on “Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk” and “Going to a Town,” which brought the house down. For Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” during the encore, Wainwright brought out his opener, Joan as Police Woman, for a duet that featured some lovely harmonizing.

The audience wasn’t there last night for an exhibition of virtuoso musicianship, though. They were there for the gilded voice, the poetry, and the wit - all of which Rufus Wainwright had in spades.

The first half-dozen bands that will be performing at the 2010 South by Southwest Music Festival have been announced on the official Web site. They include Vancouver, British Columbia’s garage rock duo Japandroids and London psychedelic folk rockers Archie Bronson Outfit.

The six bands hail from Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Mexico and Spain, proving that SXSW, as ever, has its eyes on a global audience. If your band applied and hasn’t received word yet, fret not — festival organizers are still in the process of sending out invitations. All acts will be notified of their status by Jan. 29.

MacDougall, you may remember, was severely injured after being struck by a car while riding his bike home Oct. 17. The Thursday Night Social Ride will meet at 7 p.m. at the Scoot Inn, 1308 E. Fourth St., before making its way to the Sustainable Waves compound, 4704 Caesar Chavez St. Cash donations will be collected for MacDougall, and R&B dub band the Finest Kind will perform. Ride organizers will also be collecting cans for the Capital Area Food Bank at the kickoff. More details are available on the event’s Facebook page.

“I’ve been through this before,” said 2DQ, who previously worked at now defunct rival hip-hop station the Beat 104. “It’s just hard to see how it affects the people who have families. (On-air personalities) Boogie and Mimi, who have been there from the beginning, have families to support. These decisions are often made without considering the people they affect.” 2DQ would also like to thank the fans who made Hot 93.3 number one in Austin.

Attempts to reach station management for comment were unsuccessful.

Update: We received the following press release from Chase Rupe last night:

As of Friday, November 20th HOT 93.3-KDHT will no longer be broadcasting the Hip-Hop format in Austin, Texas. The HOT 93.3 staff was let go earlier today as a result of these impending changes. A new format will debut on the 93.3 frequency this Friday. More details regarding this event will be released at that time.

Update 2: We received a call from Rupe Wednesday night to comment on the layoffs and planned format change.

“The decision was strictly the result of a business opportunity in the market. It had nothing to do with Hot 93.3 whatsover,” said Rupe. “That station was the number one station in the 18-34 adult demographic and had an absolutely incredible staff. I can easily say they were the best staff I’ve ever worked with. They were incredible all-around. There’s no problem with the product whatsoever. It was just a business opportunity that we felt was in the company’s best interests.”

And what opportunity would that be? Rupe declined to comment but noted that Emmis, which owns and operates six stations in the Austin area, was preparing a statement on the format change, which is planned to take effect Friday.

Hot 93.3 had been in operation under its current format since 2003. Rupe said its success in the 18-34 demographic, according to their most recent data from radio audience research company Arbitron, made the station’s format attractive to competitors. With the station’s departure, the Beat 105.9 is now Austin’s sole hip-hop station.

“Hot unfortunately fell victim to its own success,” said Rupe. “It was such a successful station that did so well that it was attractive to competitors that thought they could shave off some of that success.”

In addition to on-air staff, some employees in promotions and sales were also laid off. Earning employees who had been with the company for more than a year qualified for severance benefits.