Lite + Brite Newsletter 4/13

Hello, what’s up, and welcome to the Lite + Brite newsletter. All those Austin events that we list in more carefree days—you know, the backyard variety shows and science experiment-themed dance parties and pirate parades—they only exist thanks to our local event producers. So during this time when events are on hiatus, we’re going to be introducing you to some of our favorite event creators. The more creative, DIY, and community-oriented they are, the more we want to know about them. This week we’re taking to Jeremy von Stilb, aka Mouthfeel, an Austin queer party icon and one of the creative forces behind the Contrast Film Festival and the Double Scorpio raves. Check out our full Q&A below. Meanwhile, if you’re looking for a virtual dance party, tune in to our every-Monday streaming No Lights No Lycra live tonight at 8pm CT. (Literally the only way we have of knowing what day of the week it is.) Our NLNL DJ Brian Blackout is also now doing an internet radio show called No Humans Allowed on KPISS – the Golden Stream, that is dedicated to music for robots. You can listen on Thursdays at 10pm, all the info is here. If you’re looking for another sort of creative activity, check out Leila’s choose-your-own-adventure-style play-at-home storytelling game Ada and the Lost Horizon. If you’re not already a newsletter subscriber, click here. Also, please support us by forwarding this email to your friends who enjoy things like listening to music and thinking about leaving the house (but definitely not doing it). —Leila + Brian https://liteandbriteatx.com/DJ StuffNo Lights No Lycra, our weekly dance party in the dark, has moved to an online home for the duration of the Covid-19 crisis. DJ Brian Blackout will be on Twitch, broadcasting his signature mix of indie, electropop, synthpop, disco, dusty rock + R&B records, regular funk, future funk, synthwave, new wave, many other waves, and much more live from his living room. Turn off the lights in your home (or don’t), stop checking Twitter for one hour, and dance like no one’s watching, because truly, no one can see you. Join us here tonight and every upcoming Monday from 8pm-9:30pm CT. Put it as a recurring event on your calendar or RSVP to the facebook event to get reminders, because we have all lost any sense of time and it’s hard to remember when it’s a Monday at 8pm CT versus when it is literally any other time or day at all. If you can’t make it to the party live, you can always listen to the playlist we post here each week. Sometimes it’s missing a few songs that are hard to find and it’s not mixed by a DJ, but it’s still got all the music. You can listen to last week’s playlist on YouTube Here. Lastly, if virtual dance parties aren’t your thing or you want more Brian Blackout in your life, he’s now doing an online radio show on KPISS‘ “Channel 2” every Thursday night at 10pm CST. The show is called No Humans Allowed and it’s dedicated to music for robots, cyborgs, androids, mandroids, cylons, skinjobs, etc. You can tune in live or stream old episodes of the show here. What is No Lights No Lycra? Austin’s weekly judgment-free, substance-free, high-impact dance thing in the dark. It’s a DJ night that’s not at the club, a workout that’s not at the gym, a personal meditation that’s anything but silent. Read more about us in the Austin Chronicle. Want to hear what No Lights No Lycra sounds like? We’ve got a ton of recordings of our resident DJ Brian Blackout’s sets up on Mixcloud you can listen to, and we’re regularly adding more.The Austinites Behind the CurtainIn this series, we’ll be getting to know some of the Austinites who produce our favorite local events. This week, a Q&A with queer party icon Jeremy von Stilb, aka Mouthfeel.  L+B: Tell us a little about the Austin events that you produce. Jeremy von Stilb: I produce a number of different events around Austin, mostly with a queer bent. With my friends I produce the Contrast Film Festival, which celebrates boundary-pushing art by female and queer artists, and the Double Scorpio rave which is total free-for-all that happens in a CrossFit gym. I also do all sorts of one-off events. Last year that included This Is Not A Cult, which was a multimedia self-help show that stars conceptual aerobics guru Erica Nix and took place at the Austin Motel pool with the audience floating on pool noodles (how was that for a run on sentence?), and Butch Queen, which is hosted by Louisianna Purchase and features people who have never done drag before getting paired with an experienced queen to put together a performance and compete for a cash prize. [Editor’s note: I went to This Is Not a Cult, and it was excellent. That sort of event is, like, this newsletter’s raison d’etre.] L+B: What’s the most memorable or unexpected thing that’s ever happened at an event you produced? Jeremy von Stilb: Some friends and I got together and organized a dance party on the front lawn of the governor’s mansion to protest the anti-transgender bathroom bill that was being proposed. We had DJs and choreographed dancing. About 500 people showed up in costumes and with signs showing their support for trans youth.  Leading up to it we got some national press which was exciting, but what was strangest was that InfoWars sent an undercover reporter to do a hit piece on the event. A woman dressed in a wig and colorful tights going by the name “Rainbow Snatch” came with a camera crew. She was trying to pose as if she was sympathetic to the cause and was asking gotcha questions to queers who were participating in the protest. It felt both a bit violating but also validating, because it meant we were reaching beyond our usual audience.  L+B: Tell us about an event you’ve produced that you were particularly proud of. Jeremy von Stilb: It’s called Magical Realness, and I’ve done it four times in eight years. It’s a drag ball with open runway categories and then a drag competition, and it has always been rooted in creating awareness around HIV prevention and treatment. Eight years ago HIV rates were on the rise, and this felt like the best way to reach people at that moment.  Back when I did the first one it felt really raw and wild. Drag still wasn’t super popular in Austin and so for a lot of the people participating they were trying something new. There are a number of people there who were trying performing out for the first time and are still out there doing shows today. It was such a messy night, and I nearly had a nervous break down putting it on, but it did turn out to be magic. It also took my life in an unexpected direction: that was my first HIV awareness event, and it ended up leading me to working in HIV advocacy full time. Never underestimate the power of a ratty wig and too much makeup! L+B: For how long have you been producing events here? Jeremy von Stilb: I got my start nine years ago throwing weekly dance parties at Cheer Up Charlies. Each week had a different theme. One was an incognito event in which everyone was asked to show up in disguise, another was for Freud’s birthday party and featured two unlicensed, professionally unsound people offering dream interpretations to guests. That sort of thing. L+B: Is there any sort of unifying theme, idea, or aesthetic behind all your events? Jeremy von Stilb: I think there’s always been a political angle to what I do. Sometimes it’s overt, other times it’s more subtle, but the anger I feel about how our government treats us fuels me to create spaces for people to shine within. The most important element of what I do is that it is all collaborative. I’m a small part of this larger thing and I’m really, really lucky to be friends with so many talented people. I’m just building a stage for these incredible people to blow everyone’s minds. L+B: Who are some local event producers whom you admire, or favorite venues to work with? Jeremy von Stilb: My favorite spots are the Museum of Human Achievement, Cheer Up Charlies, and Coconut Club. Fusebox also bends my brain in half year after year. I learn and grow so much every time I attend one of their events. Also I’m so stoked on p1nkstar and y2k. They went from zero to 60 in like two years, and are really reinvigorating the club scene and bringing opportunities for new and young performers.   L+B: While we’re all stuck at home, are there any streaming events that you’d recommend? Jeremy von Stilb: CHORIZO FUNK! He is streaming three or more nights a week, totally different vibe each time. Super trippy cumbia, disco, reggaeton. He is going in! I’m proud of him and find it really inspiring that he has been so on top of streaming. Plus he plays beautiful music that will make you happy, which we all need right now.NLNL 056 PlaylistHere’s what we played at last week’s living room edition of No Lights No Lycra. If you missed our streaming session last Monday, you can listen to the playlist on YouTube here and join us for this week’s party here. Risqué – Starlight Tiger & Woods – 01:00am Bill Withers & Grover Washington Jr – Just the Two of Us We’re Almost There (DJ Spinna Remix) – Michael Jackson Larry Tiger – Eagle Ten Fé – Twist Your Arm (Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas Remix) Lou Rebecca – Bonbon (Johnny Jewel Remix) George Clinton – Atomic Dog Good Thing (Go Go Bizkitt Remix) – Tritonal Woolfy vs Projections – West End Girls Electra – Are You Automatic (Franz Scala Edit) Kat Mandu – Don’t Stop (TV’s re-rub) Hot Chip – One Life Stand International Music System – Dancing Therapy Co-Real Artists – What About You (in the World Today) Phoenix – (You Can’t Blame It on) Anybody Tears for Fears – Everybody Wants to Rule the World (Lepaux & Blackout’s halfway edit) AWITW – Evening Sky (Wait and See Remix) Alex Metric – Scandalism Fleetwood Mac vs Black Van – Stevie’s Black Van the Weeknd – Blinding Lights Joe Jackson – Steppin’ Out (PhDJ ReEdit) Candi Staton – Young Hearts Run Free the 2 Bears – Bear Hug the Whitest Boy Alive – Golden Cage (Fred Falke Remix) Home – All at Once Who are we? We make this newsletter. We put on No Lights No Lycra each week. We do some other stuff here and there. We love going out to creative events in Austin, and we want you to join us. Visit us at https://liteandbriteatx.com/

SEE YOU NEXT WEEK, CHAMPIONS.  Subscribe