Wagons' Mason wheels in
STICKY CARPET Wagons' guitarist Chad Mason returns from Nashville with a new single under his arm.
The Crate: Willis Earl Beal
CHRIS JOHNSTON Willis Earl Beal's 2013 album Nobody Knows is slow motion but heavy with emotion.
August: Osage County: Meryl Streep is the mother of reinvention
Jenny Cooney Carillo It was the advice of a friend that convinced Meryl Streep to play a venomous family matriarch.
Switched on to the beat
Lauren Ziegler Former heavy metal guitarist Will Sparks is now a rising star on the electronic scene.
Ring masters: Sydney's summer circus bonanza
ELISSA BLAKE From the silly to the sexy, circuses are taking over this summer.
What Baroque could learn from rock
Dave O'Neil Classical music concerts could do with some showbiz grunt.
Tours de force: Earl Sweatshirt, Dan Sultan, Nine Inch Nails, Bruce Springsteen in 2014
Craig Mathieson If you can only get to a few gigs this year, make it one of these showstoppers.
Seattle's no-fuss survivors
Patrick Emery With irreverence intact, Mudhoney has defied the odds and stuck to its punk rock ethos.
Rich pickings in desert blues
Peter Vincent An African herdsman from a troubled area is inspired by a Western master.
Colin Farrell
A lyrical melancholy
Jenny Cooney Carrillo Irish actor Colin Farrell felt a great empathy for the character he played in Saving Mr Banks.
Enduring duo turn the sound dial to originality
Brett Woodward For electronic dance band The Presets, the song comes first.
Melbourne film listings
Philippa Hawker and Jake Wilson New release this week: Julia Roberts and Meryl Streep star in August: Osage County.
Melbourne film listings
Philippa Hawker and Jake Wilson New releases this week: Philomena, The Railway Man, Short Term 12 and more.
Live venues forced to shut on New Year's Eve
STICKY CARPET Live music venues in to stay closed or start early to meet licensing regulations for a Tuesday.
The Crate: Daft Punk's Get Lucky
CHRIS JOHNSTON What is Get Lucky? A pop song? Or a dance song? Or a rock song? It is, basically, everything.
An accidental rock star
Andrew Watt Hanni El Khatib has come a long way since making his first record in his bedroom.
Hit for six by cricket's great gents
Cal Wilson An evening with cricket's great raconteurs can turn out to be unexpectedly marvellous.
England's most wanted
Ed Gibbs Jeremy Irvine is making the most of his newfound clout on screen, Ed Gibbs writes.
Finally at front-of-stage
Bernard Zuel On the eve of his first solo tour of Australia, former Smith's guitarist Johnny Marr says he considers himself a lucky man.
Making magic
Craig Mathieson Illusionist Dan Sperry gives a modern edge to an age-old craft.
Scientology church gig sham
John Bailey UK comic Russell Howard takes to Twitter to clarify: 'I'm not a Scientologist; I'm a Jedi.'
Summer sensation
John Bailey At a time when many companies are in recess, St Kilda's Theatre Works is in full stride.
Warm, immersive sounds - distinctively Koze
Annabel Ross German DJ Koze is one of the more playful and inventive producers in the business.
Believing the magic
John Bailey 'Tis the season of kids' shows, but why are some labelled 'ages three and over' while others are suggested for eights, 10s or 12s? It's something theatre makers take very seriously.
Best music of the year: Daft Punk, Lorde and the class of 2013
We name our top 10 albums, the best songs and explain why Kanye and Beyonce had a great year.
A study of one family's suffering
ELISSA BLAKE Feted British playwright Simon Stephens' rich writing has reunited an award-winning team.
Evangeline Lilly
A word in the right ear
Jenny Cooney Carrillo A chance encounter with Peter Jackson made former Lost star Evangeline Lilly's elf dreams come true.
Music
French connections
CRAIG MATHIESON It has taken 15 years, but Mick Harvey is finally ready to put his Serge Gainsbourg project on tour.
Why Christmas matters
Rhys Muldoon Christmas is a time for forgiveness but it's tricky when spaghetti is involved.
My perfect weekend . . .
Sarah Thomas ''Friday and Saturday nights, more often than not I'm working, but if I'm not, I like to sit at home and do nothing, which is quite sad. It's nice for my wife, Tahnee, and I to spend quiet time together. I love going out but I don't hit it hard any more. I have two children, Adelaide, 5, and Fletcher, 3, and they're ready to go at 6am, so I'm thinking ahead - getting terribly drunk is not a good idea.
Pump up the volume
PETER VINCENT Future of the Left's Andy Falkous likes it loud (and he won't turn it down).
Box office
Top of the box-office movie flops in 2013
GARRY MADDOX When it comes to box-office flops, The Lone Ranger grabbed headlines this year, but some widely released Australian films also disappointed.
Love and other forests at Christmas time
Barry Dickins Barry Dickins recalls a Christmas when Errol nearly came to visit.
Surprise exit for North Fitzroy's Empress
Mary Mihelakos The Empress - home to live music in the inner-north for more than 27 years - shut this week.
Deeper and more tribal
Andrew Drever Being commercial just doesn't sit well with New York DJ Danny Tenaglia, writes ANDREW DREVER.
A night at the feet of a god
Dave O'Neil While Barry Humphries mocked the average Aussie, Paul Hogan was the average Aussie.
Helen's win loses its shine
John Bailey Helen Mirren's gong at the Evening Standard awards marred by claims of dodgy votes.
Drinking Buddies
Workplace crush, with beer
STEPHANIE BUNBURY Forty crew, 20 actors, no script: it's mumblecore king Joe Swanberg's recipe for love in a brewery.
Shortlist weekly album reviews: greatest hits
This week: a wrap of greatest hit releases, including Sunnyboys, Paul Simon, and The Killers.
Melbourne film listings
Jake Wilson New releases this week: Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, and Personal Tailor.
Brush with Deth
Samuel J. Fell Megadeth's Dave Mustaine has spent 30 years at the top of thrash metal and he's still helping to define it.
Critics' picks
A powerful documentary play, Coranderrk relates the story of an early landmark in the struggle for Aboriginal land rights in this country. Redeveloped since the show played at the Opera House in 2012, and featuring a cast including Kelton Pell and Jack Charles (pictured), this co-production by Belvoir and Ilbijerri Theatre Company enables the voices of the past to speak directly to unanswered questions in the present (until January 3, Belvoir, 9699 3444, tickets $45-$65).
Eclectic dreams: the Models return
CRAIG MATHIESON After a traumatic few years the Models are recording once more.
Music
In search of a raucous crowd
STEVE DOW New York performance artist Lady Rizo is a class act who doesn't mind getting a little dirty.
My perfect weekend . . .
Matt Bungard ''My perfect weekend relies pretty heavily on live music, being a musician. It also involves lots of good friends, good food, good wine, that kind of thing. In an ideal weekend, I'd probably go up to Toko (490 Crown Street, toko.com.au), my favourite restaurant, get a belly full of scallops there, and maybe laugh at all the hipsters lining up at Messina (389 Crown Street, gelatomessina.com) for an hour.
Snowball effect
CRAIG MATHIESON It's been a big year for US indie-rockers Paramore who have swapped covers for chart-topping success.
