Inside Music

• The great experiment is over. The Church of the Friendly Ghost, once located at 209 Pedernales St., is now closed. 'The house has been sold and it wasn't to me,' Church founder Aaron Mace said Monday. Today is supposed to be his last day at the property, though regular performances at the Church came to an end in May after zoning conflicts.

Mace says he is shopping for a new location, but will take a few months off to recharge. 'I'm not rushing into anything,' Mace says. He hopes to reopen the Church, which has been a breeding ground for avant-garde rock, jazz and new music. 'Any new place I find will have to be bigger,' Mace says, hoping to find some sort of warehouse space. 'It needs a better zoning designation and it needs to be pretty central. There really seems to be a continuing demand for it.' Mace is also planning a 'Church tent revival' in the spring, a one- or two-day outdoor festival. — Joe Gross

• Magic Bus Records, formerly of New Orleans, has relocated to Austin. Just don't expect a storefront anytime soon. Bus owner Kevin 'Lippy' Mawby is happy with a Congress Avenue warehouse and an Internet business for the moment. 'I like not having a shop,' Mawby says. 'I appreciate being mobile. You never know when you have to get out and run for your life.' Fortunately, all of his inventory was saved, as his old store was in the French Quarter, and he's making money with an Amazon zShop at the moment. 'The only thing I couldn't salvage was my customer base.' Mawby's tentative plan is to build a Web site that advertises on a weekly and monthly basis where he will be selling in person. 'Markets and street shows, that kind of thing,' he says. He's still buying collections; contact him at magicbusrecords@hotmail.com. — J.G.

• Dental services are the next health care issue to be addressed by the seven-month-old Health Alliance for Austin Musicians. Two of St. David's dental vans will be parked from Dec. 16-Dec. 22 at Ruta Maya Coffeehouse on South Congress Avenue. The dental program is serving alliance members a half-day a week during the school year, and dental service will resume at full capacity in the summer. For alliance enrollment, call 322-5177. For information or to make a donation, visit www.healthallianceforaustinmusicians.org. — J.G.

• Thursday's 'Bringing Back the Arms of Maria' show will benefit the replacement of the vandalized arms on Maria's statue above Maria's Taco Xpress on South Lamar Boulevard. The show runs from 7-9 p.m. at Maria's and features Alejandro Escovedo, Sara Hickman and Steve Power with the Texas Radio Band. ... The Boxcar Preachers CD release party will be held at Flipnotics on Dec. 6 to celebrate the release of 'Auto-Body Experience.' ... The new Pecan Crazy Records site is up at pecancrazy.com. Check out one of Austin's most egregiously slept-on labels. ... Houston rapper/tamale kingpin Chingo Bling plays Dec. 18 at the Backroom with Lucky Luciano, Dat Boy Mikee, Koolwhip, 13-year-old Austin rapper J-Kidd, 15-year-old Austin rapper Klutch and more. Backstage Music hosts a Chingo in-store earlier in the day. Doors open at 7 p.m. ... Stellastarr plays with Spoon on Dec. 19 at the Parish. The KROX-sponsored show benefits Habitat for Humanity and the Gulf Coast Rebuild Campaign. ... The Fifth Annual Many Lands, Many Faiths concert takes place tonight at 7 at Congregation Agudas Achim and features Jason Marsalis, Roland Guerin, Alex Coke and others playing the music of New Orleans and more, including music from local jazz-inspired cantor Neil Blumofe's new album 'Piety and Desire.' — J.G.