Funny Farm

It’s raining comedians! Moontower Comedy Festival announces 2013 lineup featuring Carvey & Gaffigan

When considering the entire family of Austin-based festivals, the Moontower Comedy and Oddity Festival is practically the baby of the bunch. It was only last year that the inaugural festival was held, but over one weekend Moontower proved to be a mature festival that deserved to be taken seriously — at least figuratively since the festival boasted Aziz Ansari and Seth Meyers as headliners.

The 2013 lineup for Moontower’s 2013 festival is now official, and it goes a long way in prove that there ain’t no stopping this young fest now.

Legendary Saturday Night Live alum Dana Carvey, the man of 1,000 impersonations and memorable characters, will grace the festival with his years of comedy experience.

This year’s headliners are sure to please Austin’s rabid comedy connoisseurs. Legendary Saturday Night Live alum Dana Carvey, the man of 1,000 impersonations and memorable characters, will grace the festival with his years of comedy experience.

More recent SNL cast member and fellow master of impersonations Bill Hader will also be attending this year. Is this town ready to host both Garth and Stefon at the same time?

Upcoming comedy star Amy Shumer will bring her talents to town, along with other standup stars such as Maria Bamford, Bill Burr and the bacon-obsessed Jim Gaffigan. Really, the entire lineup is completely stacked from top to bottom. And, just like last year, the festival will be sure to give the spotlight to some locals from the comedy scene, including Matt Bearden, Ramin Nazer and Chris Trew.

The 2013 lineup may be considered another step forward for the Moontower Comedy Festival, but there will be a few tweaks to the festival itself that organizers hope will improve it.

A few venue changes will be made to allow badge-holders the chance to easily walk from one location to the next. Now eight of the 10 venues will be within a five-block radius, allowing for easier pedestrian commutes for festival-goers.

Badges are already on sale, and with that selection will be a new badge meant to occupy the Goldilocks Zone of festival badges. The new Ace Badge will allow access to all non-single-ticketed events, but will also guarantee entry and prime seating at four headliner shows at the Paramount Theatre. Festival organizers seem intent on making sure attendees will have plenty of options on the table when it comes to seeing their favorite acts.

Single tickets for Jim Gaffigan and Bill Burr are already on sale with other single show tickets going on sale February 19. Whether you go to one show or spend your whole weekend downtown, from April 24 – 27, the Moontower Comedy and Oddity Festival will give you the choice of how many laughs you would like experience.

Dana Carvey

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New

Historic Austin museum will close for more than a year for restoration

Photo courtesy of the City of Austin

The Elisabet Ney Museum will close at the end of 2024 and reopen in mid-2026.

Every building needs some maintenance here or there, and the historic Elisabet Ney Museum needs some extra-special care. Formerly the art studio and residence of its namesake, it's been standing since 1892. It'll spend 2025 in relative solitude, as it undergoes renovation for a year and a half with no visitors allowed.

The museum will close to the public December 30, 2024, and open again in the summer of 2026 if all goes according to plan, a news release from the City of Austin shares. It'll be a quiet period compared to the 21,000 people visiting from around the world each year.

According to a museum overview on the city's website, Elisabet Ney, a European portrait sculptor, bought the property and called her new studio Formosa. She worked on sculptures depicting important Texans like Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston, and collected works of European contemporaries.

The building at 304 East 44th St. includes 3,700 square feet of museum space, which was converted by Ney's friends after her death in 1907. It retains its unique look that juxtaposes a Neo-Classical main studio from 1892 with a later addition from 1902 including a tower for her husband, Edmund, to write in. It is also on 2.5 acres of land, which has largely been restored to its natural state with native species.

A press release lists these tasks (verbatim) within the scope of the new work, referred to as the Capital Improvement Project (CIP):

Restoration of original exterior wood doors and windows
Upgrades and replacement of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system
Replacement of the exhibit and general lighting systems
Repairs to the roof, masonry, plumbing, and interior finishes.

There will also be work to do outside of the building. Workers will replace the pedestrian bridge across Waller Creek, stabilize a 20,000-square-foot portion of the bank, and make the grounds more accessible by adding new pathways.

Funding comes from several sources, according to a release: "the 2012 Bond, Proposition 14, the Parkland Dedication Fund, the Historic Preservation Fund, Partners in Preservation through the National Trust, and contributions from the Friends of the Elisabet Ney Museum."

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