Lite + Brite: 54 Fluorescent Austin Events 10/20
Hello, what’s up, and welcome to the Lite + Brite newsletter.
Let us be the first to acknowledge that this week’s newsletter has an absurd number of events. Usually we aim for a sweet spot of between 27 and 36. But the rule is just that we’ll keep going until we run out of time and/or good events, and this week that happened at 54.
What can we say? It’s peak October! Halloween is in full swing with séances, drag, cabaret, ghosts, pumpkin carving, pumpkin painting, pumpkin smashing, and, of course, Vampirates of the Caribbean. (We are suckers for a good portmanteau.) You can celebrate the holiday on bike or on foot. Is that not enough Halloween options for you? Then visit our Halloween spreadsheet, which has well over a 100 spooky events with more being added every day. As you can tell, this is not the season of our best self-restraint.
Speaking of our Halloween spreadsheet, y’all, KXAN interviewed us about it! How cool is that?!
If you feel like Halloween should be a one-day occasion for children, firstly of all you are wrong, and secondly of all we have plenty of non-Halloween events for you. There are so many animal encounters to be had. We’ve got pigs! Goats! Dogs racing! Dogs in costume! Dogs with facial hair! Fungi, which, as previously mentioned, is not technically an animal but is still much more sentient than I personally am comfortable with!
Do you want *items*? Well, this week you can also acquire art created by people experiencing homelessness and art created by incarcerated people, as well as more VHS tapes, vintage costumes, goods made by local Filipino businesses, and the 29th issue of a local nudie mag. For details on all this and so much more, scroll down. You see now why this week’s issue is so damn long!
If you’re not already a subscriber to this newsletter and you want to be, click here. We do one newsletter a week, usually on Fridays, plus a bonus edition around the start of each month. If you enjoy this newsletter, please support us by contributing to our Patreon and by forwarding this email to your friends who enjoy things like listening to music and leaving the house sometimes.
Let’s do fun stuff!
—Leila + Brian
liteandbriteatx.com
OUR STUFF
Our dance party in the dark, No Lights No Lycra, is back next Thursday 10/26 at West China Tea for an extra-dark Halloween edition. It gets good and dark in there and guest DJ Phildoesit will be spinning spooky tunes with his many PA speakers of darkness. Wondering what sort of music you might hear? Listen to a live recording of our last edition here or scroll to the bottom of this newsletter for a track listing.
No Humans Allowed got caught up in indie sleaze which led to a fairly sleazy episode full of early 00s dancepunk and electroclash. Listen to SCSI Sleaze in the Kpiss archives. NHA broadcasts live every Wednesday at 6pm CT on kpiss.fm.
What is No Lights No Lycra?
Austin’s twice-monthly, 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. It’s produced by us, your kindly L+B overlords, and usually one or the other of us is on the hook for DJ duties. Read more about us in the Austin Chronicle. You can listen the kind of music we play over on Brian’s Mixcloud.
EVENTS WE’RE EYEING
Friday 10/20
- The Austin Séance at Ani’s Day and Night
Take part in a Victorian-style séance + learn about their history - Compositions at Revival Coffee
Art responds to art, live music, immersive silent disco - Fluorescent Forest at Circle Acres
Bioblitz, Scavenger hunt, + find fun fungi after dark - Drag Supreme of Halloween at Elysium
Drag performers compete for a Halloween-centric crown, judged by Louisiana Purchase - Halloween Dance Walk at Casa de Luz
Terrorize the neighborhood by getting in some good healthy exercise…spookily - Haunted Austin Bike Tour at the Texas State Capitol
Cycle around Austin and learn of its sordid + haunted past - Halloween Variety Show at Barrel O’ Fun
A wide yet spooky mix of short films, plays, music, storytelling, + music videos - PowerPints at the Highball
Make Clippy proud w/comedic presentations + pints of beer - Future Landscape at Crashbox
“Live performance, polka, and piano” - All Souls Cabaret at Austin Playhouse
Live performances of spooky classic musical theater - 17th Anniversary Comedy Carnival at ColdTowne
Improv comedy, circus games, + karaoke - (weekly thru 10/27) Tiny Minotaur Fantasy Movie Drive-In at the Museum of Human Achievement
Watch cult fantasy flicks in a drive-in setting w/the Tiny Minotaur crew
Saturday 10/21
- 9th Annual Dog Beard and Mustache Competition at the Little Darlin’
See dogs compete to out-beard ZZ Top - Salvador Dali’s Naked Feast at the Vortex
“Graze from elegantly designed food art on naked bodies” - Community Art Bash at the Elisabet Ney Museum
“Artist interventions, theatrical performances, + musical expressions” - Pinewood Derby at Buzz Mill Coffee
If you’ve never carved + raced a tiny wooden car have you even lived? - Slam Portal: Snapmare on Slam Street at Central Machine Works
Halloween-themed comedic cross-dimensional pro wrestling - Texas Roller Derby at the Palmer Events Center
Two tough teams battle in a banked track roller derby - Forest Bathing at Bull Creek District Park
Swim + meditate deep in the forest (could be the start of a horror film) - Inside Books Project 25th Anniversary at 3016 E 14th 1/2 St
Buy books + inmate art, hear live music, eat + drink for free - Public Tour at Central Texas Pig Rescue
“A guided walking tour of the Enchanted Pig Forest” - Vampirates of the Caribbean at Elysium
Vampires + pirates are not enough, it’s time for vampirates. We hear they’re into DJs + burlesque - Pumpkin Carver at the Carver Museum
Kids + art activies, costume + carving contests, pumpkin carving, + face painting - Peachfuzz Magazine 10 Year Birthday Party at Radio East
Local “nudie mag” celebrates w/burlesque performers, live music, vendors - Rocky Horror Aerial Show at Sky Candy
Rocky Horror Picture Show-themed aerial performances - VHS Swap at Austin Cinemaker Space
Support local video store + swap obscure VHS tapes - Hyde Park Storytelling at Batch Craft Beer and Kolaches
Rapid fire storytellers ply their trade in a local craft beer spot - Paranormal Investigation at Pioneer Farms
Investigate some spirits on a moonlit living history farm + environs - Pumpkin Painting with Baby Goats and Mini Pigs at Le Muse
Painting a pumpkin is nice, but pairing it with some adorable farm critters? Even better - Texas Arts and Music Festival in Brenham, TX
Travel out to Brenham to take in artist duels, live music, + live street art - Art from the Streets at Blue Genie
See + buy works by artists experiencing homelessness - Future Landscape at Crashbox
“Live performance, polka, and piano” - All Souls Cabaret at Austin Playhouse
Live performances of spooky classic musical theater - 17th Anniversary Comedy Carnival at ColdTowne
Improv comedy, circus games, + karaoke - (weekly) Come @ Me at Fallout Theater
Improv comedians tackle the intricacies of online life / social media
Sunday 10/22
- Tree of the Year Bike Tour on the Boggy Creek Greenbelt
Check out the crème de la crème of Austin’s trees on your bicycle - Cthonic Salon at Velvet Casket
Learn about demonic pacts + get advice on making deals with the devil - Ouija Workshop at Ani’s Day and Night
Learn the history of ouija in this ouirkshop + ask the spirits some questions - ClimateCon at the Cathedral
Yoga, art builds, games, + letter writing to help protect the environment - Filipino Day Market at Austin Beerworks
A market of Filipino-American + community vendors, plus drinks + eats - Pumpkin Painting with Goats and Mini Pigs at Vista Brewing
Painting a pumpkin is nice, but pairing it with some adorable farm critters? Even better - Great Pumpkin Smash at Central Machine Works
World got you down? Take it out on some hollow gourds with a big ol hammer - Vintage Costume Yard Sale at Coco Coquette
Vendors selling vintage costumes, costume upcycling, + “wig whisperers and makeup magicians” - Howl-o-ween at Cheer Up Charlie’s
Brigitte Bandit hosts a pet costume contest w/vendors + food - Texas Arts and Music Festival in Brenham, TX
Travel out to Brenham to take in artist duels, live music, + live street art - Art from the Streets at Blue Genie
See + buy works by artists experiencing homelessness - All Souls Cabaret at Austin Playhouse
Live performances of spooky classic musical theater - 17th Anniversary Comedy Carnival at ColdTowne
Improv comedy, circus games, + karaoke
Monday 10/23
- Flood of Spirits at the Driskill
An immersive theatrical performance depicting a real flood where 50 Austinites died - Hyperreal Film Club presents: Ringu at Hotel Vegas
Check out the film that got everyone terrified of VHS tapes for at least a decade
Tuesday 10/24
- Frenchie Races at Skinny’s
The latest in Austin’s long tradition of non-racing breed dog races - Carrie in “This Mother’s Cave” at Co-Lab Projects
Watch a bloody film surrounded by art speaking to maternity, childhood, + generational trauma - Boys II Them at Cheer Up Charlie’s
Drag kings redefining boy bands all across the gender spectrum - Pumpkin Painting with Goats and Mini-Pigs at Vista Brewing
Goats and small pigs will hang out while you paint pumpkins - (weekly thru 10/31) Dungeons and Drag at Oilcan Harry’s
We expect what it says on the tin: drag + DnD fantasy fun times
Wednesday 10/25
- Werewolf Costume Contest at Meanwhile Brewing Co.
Dress up your furry friend for a costume contest, + doggy tarot, vendors, DJ
Thursday 10/26
- An Extra-Dark No Lights No Lycra at West China Tea
Dance to Halloween-themed tunes in near-complete darkness w/DJ Phildoesit - Malum Malus: Samhain Burlesque at the Vortex
Samhain-themed “occult-based burlesque performance art” - Lumber Society Pumpkin Carving Contest at Buzz Mill Coffee
Team-based competitive pumpkin carving - Austin After Dark Film Festival at Central Machine Works
“Gather your courage, my darlings” for a night full of short horror films - Ventana Ballet Presents: Undead at Factory on 5th
Watch some zombified ballet performers before their rigor mortis sets in - Austin Film Festival at various Austin venues
Our city’s dedicated festival for moving pictures + those who write them
No Humans Allowed 167
SCSI Sleaze
This week on No Humans Allowed, we’re investigating the sleaze with the scuzziest (or SCSI-est) turn of the millennium electro and dancepunk. Press play + be sure to bring a clean towel.
Tracklist
Condor – Gleaming the Cube
Crossover – Phostographt
Goudron – Grand River Ver.1
DMX Crew – End of the Night
Fairlight Children – Falling Out
Lifestyle – Secret Club
WhoMadeWho – Rose
Jolly Music – Radio Jolly (Adult. De-funked Remix)
Kaos – Lessons in Love (ft. Erlend Øye)
Chicks on Speed – Eurotrash Girl
Antonelli & Miss Kittin – The Vogue
The Juan Maclean – Give Me Every Little Thing
Black Leotard Front – Casual Friday
No Humans Allowed is Brian Blackout’s award-winning, dodgy European news coverage receiving, weekly robots-themed radio show on internet station KPISS.fm. Machine vibes 4 machines. Songs for robots, androids, mandroids, cyborgs, AIs, cylons, skinjobs, roombas, wifi routers, smart devices, anything colored Bondi blue, and virtual assistants. Humans not required. Broadcasts live every Wednesday at 6pm CT on kpiss.fm, with over 150 episodes now streamable in the archives on topics like and Beach Simulations, Roomba dance parties, undersea adventures + Cyber Texas.
No Lights No Lycra ATX 156
w/Brian Blackout
Recorded live in the dark at West China Tea House on October 12, 2023.
Listen to No Lights No Lycra 156
Tracklist
The Preatures – Is This How You Feel? (Classixx Remix)
Ten Fé – Twist Your Arm (Lindstrøm & Print Thomas Remix)
Justin Timberlake – Love Sex Magic (demo)
Fontaines D.C. – A Hero’s Death (Soulwax Remix)
Carly Simon – Tranquillo (Young Pulse Rework)
Eddie Kendricks – Goin’ up in Smoke (Super Value Edit)
Donna Summer – On the Radio
Kelis – Bossy (Alan Braxe & Fred Falke Remix)
Cassie – Me & U (Eli Escobar Remix)
Waffles – 007A
C+C Music Factory – Just a Touch of Love
Haddaway – What Is Love
The System – You’re in My System (Kerri Chandler Remix)
Mylo – In My Arms
Tatsuro Yamashita – Silent Screamer (Max Mason & Nayla Rework)
Eiffel 65 – Blue (Da Ba Dee)
Kate Bush – Suspended in Gaffa
Japanese Breakfast – Be Sweet
!!! – One Girl / One Boy
Talking Heads – This Must Be the Place (Psychemagik Naive Edit)
Home – All at Once
PATREON THANKS
A huge thank-you to our Patreon subscribers Lilly Ettinger, Lena Long, Amalia Litsa, Jacob Rosenberg, Alexander Freed, Spencer, Kristen Backor, Timon A., Kate Murray, and Amy Wilde. We’re deeply grateful for your support, which allows us to do things like “pay our Mailchimp fee” and “spend hours researching Austin events when technically we should be working.”
If you’d like to support us on Patreon and get access to exclusive member-only benefits, you may do so here.
SOCIALS
Recent weeks brought us to a Round Rock parking lot to observe a flock of Purple Martins; the Mesmerize workshop to help build out their Creek Show creation; and the Eureka Room for a closing party. Follow Lite + Brite on Instagram to keep up with our adventures. And come chat with us and the rest of the L+B community on our Discord server!
ABOUT US
How do we choose which events to feature?
Honestly, it’s pretty random. We might include anything in Austin that we, personally, would conceivably want to go to, generally excluding normal concerts, comedy shows, and movie showtimes because there are many other good resources for finding those. (We especially recommend Showlist for live music, The Darker Side of Austin for goth and metal stuff, and the 60+ Weirdest Things in Austin for exactly what it sounds like). This list is by no means exhaustive; it’s just stuff that caught our eye this week. If you have an event that you want us to consider including, send it over.
Who are we?
We make this newsletter. We put on No Lights No Lycra every second and fourth Thursday of the month. 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 liteandbriteatx.com, and support us on Patreon if you like what we do.