Forbes trotted out a "Most Toxic" survey, and proudly crowned Atlanta the Queen of Dirty, with Detroit coming in as runner up (can they ever be the best at anything?), and Houston, Chicago, and Philly rounding out the top five. And by "toxic" they don't mean backstabbing and trash talking, so unfortunately they're not referencing NeNe, Kim, Lisa, Kandi, or Sheree. Instead, the survey focuses on air quality and the amount of toxic chemicals released into the water and air in the metro areas. Atlanta takes the top spot because of its dirty immediate neighbors -- Forbes is quick to point the finger at Sandy Springs (holla Sheree!) and Marietta.

No one's arguing the superiority of our beloved New York, but pockets of coolness are also speckled from coast to coast. Take Austin, for example. Even amid the honkeytonk wasteland of the Lone Star State, interesting things are going on. Award-winning mixologist Bill Norris, who can be found behind the bar at local fave Fino, takes inspiration from his surroundings. He shares some thoughts and a favorite recipe with us, featuring Zirbenz Stone Pine Liqueur of the Alps, an artisanal liqueur derived from the fruit of the arolla pine.

How did you come up with this drink?
When I first tasted the Zirbenz, it reminded me of the way the Hill Country outside Austin smells. We call the cedar allergy season here "Cedar Fever," and I was looking to come up with a drink that brought the sense memory of the Hill Country to life in a glass.

When Richard Linklater directed School of Rock -- the first truly commercial success of his career -- you’d think he’d stay in the world of profitable, A-list comedy. After all, the paychecks are bigger than what you’d make for say, directing a film that features Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy discussing abstraction and truth, uninterrupted on the streets of Paris. But Linklater has always followed his own path, and despite making some of the most memorable films of the last twenty years (Dazed and Confused, Waking Life), the director still struggles to get projects off the ground. I recently had the chance to speak to Linklater from his home in Austin, where we discussed his latest documentary, his upcoming period piece Me and Orson Welles starring Zac Efron and Claire Danes, and anything and everything about the movie business.

I spoke with Cage the Elephant for the first time at Spin magazine’s SXSW 2009 party. They were slated to open for Silversun Pickups at Antone’s later that evening, but I wasn’t sure if Matt Schultz’s vocal cords were up for it after the workout they received from the three shows earlier that week. They sounded brittle, like cooked spaghetti that had hardened. I almost asked him to stop talking, but my tape recorder wanted him to continue. He waxed on about his family’s involvement with a religious commune in Kentucky’s hinterland and how it expanded his definition of “weird.”

Whether you’re planning your first SXSW pilgrimage or simply escaping the Wall Street collapse, you’re obviously in need of that perfect Austin crash pad. Nothing too pretentious, nothing too shoddy. Well, South Austin’s Hotel San Jose might just be where it’s at. After literally driving past the place three times (it likely would have required three or four more passes, had I not called the front desk-jockey for some help), my relationship with the San Jose certainly got off to a sticky start. Expecting some sort of structure that actually resembled a “hotel,” I was more than a bit bummed out when I finally pulled into the lot of what seemed to be little more than a ramshackle motel. I suppose, had I done my homework prior to making my reservation, this would have been a non-issue; but needless to say, the curb appeal was less than stellar.

“This song is about vampires,” said Eric Elbogen when introducing a track towards the end of his set last Saturday at The Bell House. Then for the song right after, the same introduction. In fact, in 2006 the former music critic and one-man machine behind the Seattle-based band Say Hi (formerly Say Hi to Your Mom) released a whole album centered around vampires, with other previous albums infused with robots and science fiction imagery. In Elbogen’s sixth album Oohs and Aahs -- released on Barsuk early this month and played from beginning to end last Saturday -- he forgoes the metaphors for a more straightforward approach of simple, sweet, synth-infused songs of romance and heartbreak. This time the bloodsuckers are real, but lucky for us they still make for catchy tunes. Say Hi is currently on tour with Telekinesis, but Elbogen took some time out from the rock star life to tell us about Prince and Gossip Girl in our Pop Quiz.

Sitting across from Theresa Andersson at the Starbucks in downtown Austin’s Omni Hotel, I couldn’t help but notice how her eye makeup (hot pink shadow and cerulean eyeliner) really popped against the beiges and browns of her cardigan. The bold color combo didn’t surprise me. Everything I read prior to meeting Andersson painted her as a free spirit whose aesthetics and musical sensibilities are affected by color, textures, layers, and recreated sounds. Her kitchen in New Orleans, where she recorded the album Hummingbird Go! (Basin Street Records, 2008), is painted a light blue. She hand-stitched scraps of felt to create 1,500 album covers for I the River. Instead of buying a xylophone, she chose to save money by creating one out of glass bottles filled with water. She doesn’t perform with a band; instead, Andersson is backed by an intricate set of loops, pedals, and instruments (all played by the Swede’s capable hands, and at times, bare feet). Over coffee, I tested Andersson’s five senses -- sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch -- with a little game. Needless to say, she kicked ass.

Randall Jamail, president of Justice Records (Trail of Dead, Willie Nelson, Ian Moore) knows a thing or two about the recording industry -- also about SXSW, one of the biggest music, film, and tech festivals of the year. With a twang as slick and steeped in Texas roots as a lap steel guitar, the troubadour spoke with us about his not-so humble beginnings, his second start, and what it was like to party as a 10-year-old with football demigods and the Red-Headed Stranger.

If its first leaked track is any indication, Abnormally Attracted to Sin, Tori Amos' 10th studio album ranks somewhere between a 5 and a 6 on a scale where 1998's From the Choirgirl is a 9 and 2005's The Beekeeper skewed closest to 3. And if she remotely cared about what perpetually cranky critics like me had to say, she would've swapped her Bösendorfer for an acoustic ax long ago, ultimately ending up like Jewel: No longer Dancing With The Stars. Moreover, at 17 tracks, Sin is an odyssey whose enormity can hardly be summed up in one song. Which is why it's a boon for fans and pugilistic naysayers alike that she showed off her chops at SXSW, performing new tracks alongside old favorites last night. Set list and video of her performing one of her more overwrought classics after the jump.

Everybody knows that the real reason to hit the SXSW festival in Austin is to mack on cute indie girls who are pierced (but not too pierced), tattooed (with suitably ironic logo or symbol), smart and witty and cute (or at least two of those three), and not going back to the same city as you when the fest wraps. If you didn't make it, or did and struck out, photog Alexander Wagner assembled a collection of pixies for you to moon over and mope about what might have been. See full gallery.