Lite + Brite: 40 Golden Austin Events 5/23

Hello, what’s up, and welcome to the Lite + Brite newsletter.

Welcome to Hell, aka 100-degree temperatures in May. A handful of city pools have opened, but if none of those are convenient for you, you can just swim in a pool of your own sweat. 

If you’re up for braving the heat, there are plenty of excellent reasons to do so, starting with tonight’s special all-80s edition of No Lights No Lycra, our dance party which is in the dark (and also in the air conditioning!).

This weekend, Contracommon is hosting their annual Summer Arts Festival. (On their website, they said they chose Memorial Day weekend for this fest “in hopes of beating those hot summer temperatures.” Oh, well. Good effort.) Local queer icon Erica Nix is busy with both a screening of her “psycho-lesbian fever dream” and her weekly poolside aerobics class. The Glass Coffin is hosting their last big event before they “close the coffin lid” in August, in what will surely be an enormous loss for the local vampire community. ColdTowne will be hosting a full long weekend of sketch comedy; meanwhile Commedia dell’Arte troupe La Fenice’s latest show mashes up Charlie’s Angels and The Golden Girls. (Having seen a previous show—in which they mashed up Harry Potter and Raising Arizona—I can confirm this is next-level weird.) When Hozier said “Take me to church,” I don’t think this event is what he meant. And Brian said I (Leila) needed to list fewer Taylor Swift dance parties in this newsletter, but he said nothing about Taylor Swift-themed wrestling matches. Scroll down for details on all this and more.

We don’t often talk about Austin’s thriving live music scene here, but we’re really excited about local indie/synthpop act Holy Wire’s upcoming debut album (and album release party at Hotel Vegas). Brian interviewed Holy Wire frontperson Alain on this week’s episode of his radio show, which you can check out here. Also, we compiled a playlist of some of our favorite new music (including Holy Wire), which you can listen to here.

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

TONIGHT, No Lights No Lycra, our dance party in the dark, returns to West China Tea for a special all-80s edition! NLNL is supposed to be about hearing a varied mix of music, but we figured you can still get that even if we just stick to one single (incredible) decade. We’ll have all kinds of music from the decade, ranging from anthemic cheese, to classic new wave and post-punk, to lesser-known yet still exceedingly 80s-sounding moments of the decade. Wondering what NLNL tends to sound like on a normal week? Listen to Brian Blackout’s DJ set from the last edition here, or scroll down for more info.

As we mentioned in our intro, No Humans Allowed this week features an interview with Austin-based Holy Wire. Alain and Brian discuss floppy disks, synthesizers, lyrics, the passing of our beloved felines, SxSW, Austin vs other cities, DAF, Kuruki, New Order, and LCD Soundsystem. You can stream the NHA Interview with Holy Wire from the Kpiss archives here or scroll down for the tracklist. 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 5/24

  • Erica’s First Holy Shit at the Future Front House
    Our fave workout guru / mayoral candidate screens her psychedelic film
  • PowerPints at the Highball
    Make Clippy proud w/comedic presentations + pints of beer
  • Winnebago Man at Cloud Tree
    Watch a doc about one of the first viral videos: profanity laden Winnebago sales
  • Games Y’all May Meetup at the Museum of Human Achievement
    Powerpoints about making indie games + digital art
  • Kaleidoscope at KMFA
    Modern dance focusing on color + works by living composers
  • Austin Greek Festival at Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church
    Celebrate Greece w/traditional food, music, + dancing
  • Charlie’s Golden Girls at Butterfly Bar
    The Charlies Angels / Golden Girls mashup theatre performance of your dreams
  • ATX Sketch Fest at Coldtowne
    A multi-day celebration of sketch comedy

Saturday 5/25

  • Slam Portal at Central Machine Works
    Taylor Swift-themed pro wrestling by one of the successors to PWR
  • Carpet Church at MASS Gallery
    ”Straight world cosplay” mixing the ridiculous everyday w/Christian symbols
  • World Dracula Night at the Glass Coffin
    “Wrestle in a pool of blood,” + live music, DJ, spooky vendors
  • Summer Arts Festival at Contracommon
    Family friendly art activities + live music performances
  • Night Market at Distribution Hall
    Asian-style night market w/live music, dancing, + painting, vendors
  • GUTS+ at the Museum of Human Achievement
    “Immersive media showcase inside of a repurposed city bus”
  • Ney Day at the Elisabet Ney Museum
    Ney Day heyday celebrating women in arts + sciences
  • Texas Roller Derby at the Palmer Events Center
    Roller derbyists murderously crash their way through a banked track
  • Overheard on a Train at the Downtown CapMetro Station
    Participate in immersive theatre while exploring public transit
  • Doom Metal Goat Yoga at Jester King
    “We call out to the beasts of the land to come forth and JOIN US!”
  • The Children at EastSide Cinema
    Watch a film about radioactive zombie children (do NOT hug)
  • Harrogate Gardens at Old Bakery & Emporium
    See some crazy British millinery (hats) by the “Mad hat-tress”
  • Glam and Greenery Sale at the Vortex
    Shop clothes, costumes, frogfruit plants, + a custom bookcase
  • Mycological Night Walk at Austin Beerworks
    Light up mushrooms w/UV light + learn about fungi
  • Living Funeral Ceremony at Yoga Common Studio
    Embrace your own mortality in a gentle supportive environment
  • Cool to Care Clothing Swap at Moontower Cider
    Trade your underused clothing for new duds
  • Plant Party at South Austin Beer Garden
    A curated market of plant vendors + gardening accessories
  • Here Be Monsters at Radio East
    Local indie classical musicians performing original compositions
  • Cabarex 3: Futurx at the Vortex
    Harnessing cabaret, dance, + comedy to explore Latin-American history
  • Kaleidoscope at KMFA
    Modern dance focusing on color + works by living composers
  • Austin Greek Festival at Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church
    Celebrate Greece w/traditional food, music, + dancing
  • Charlie’s Golden Girls at Butterfly Bar
    The Charlies Angels / Golden Girls mashup theatre performance of your dreams
  • ATX Sketch Fest at Coldtowne
    A multi-day celebration of sketch comedy
  • (weekly) Open Hours at the Stuffed Animal Rescue Foundation
    Meet, greet, adopt, + pet stuffed animals

Sunday 5/26

  • Texas Mushroom Conference at UT-Austin
    Fun guys n gals giving talks about mushrooms + other fungi
  • Collage and Connect at Austin Creative Reuse
    Learn collage making + practice mindfulness at the same time
  • Here Be Monsters at Radio East
    Local indie classical musicians performing original compositions
  • Cabarex 3: Futurx at the Vortex
    Harnessing cabaret, dance, + comedy to explore Latin-American history
  • Austin Greek Festival at Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church
    Celebrate Greece w/traditional food, music, + dancing
  • Charlie’s Golden Girls at Butterfly Bar
    The Charlies Angels / Golden Girls mashup theatre performance of your dreams
  • ATX Sketch Fest at Coldtowne
    A multi-day celebration of sketch comedy
  • (weekly thru 6/23) Splash Dance at the Austin Motel
    Poolside aerobics with Austin’s most creative aerobics instructor

Monday 5/27

  • May Market Closing Day at Blue Genie Art Bazaar
    Your last shot (until December) to browse n buy art from local artists
  • ATX Sketch Fest at Coldtowne
    A multi-day celebration of sketch comedy
  • (weekly thru 6/24) Hyperreal Film Club at Hotel Vegas
    Watch a whimsical Chinese film about mermaids all around us

Wednesday 5/29

  • Tomorrow Is Canceled at the Jones Center
    “Ritual performance exploring the constructive use of violence”
  • Group Therapy at Crashbox
    “It’s not real therapy, it’s dance/theatre” about therapy

Thursday 5/30

No Humans Allowed 192
Interview with Holy Wire

This week we’re excited to feature an interview with Alain Paradis from Austin’s own Holy Wire who’s on the doorstep of releasing his debut album. We discuss floppy disks, synthesizers, SxSW, Austin vs other cities, DAF, Kuruki, New Order, and LCD Soundsystem.

Stream Interview with Holy Wire

Tracklist
Holy Wire – Phantom Nihilism
Grauzone – Eisbær
Kuruki – Crocodile Tears
Black Marble – Feels
Don’t Get Lemon – Pop Star Salvation
Sculpture Club – Drive Too Fast
Automatic – Automaton
LCD Soundsystem – Someone Great
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark – Souvenir
D.A.F. – Brothers
Holy Wire – Lost

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 nearly 200 episodes now streamable in the archives on topics like and Beach Simulations, Roomba dance parties, undersea adventures + Cyber Texas.

No Lights No Lycra ATX 167
w/Brian Blackout

Recorded live in the dark at West China Tea House on May 9, 2024.

Listen to No Lights No Lycra 167

Tracklist
Joe Bataan – Call My Name
John Forde – Atlantis
Marvin Gaye – What’s Going on (Cole Medina Rework)
Rudy Norman – Back to the Streets (Flying Burrito Bros Refrito)
Sebastian – Love in Motion
Thin Lizzy – Johnny the Fox
Scissor Sisters – I Don’t Feel Like Dancing
Destiny’s Child – Lose My Breath (Initial Talk Remix)
Róisín Murphy – Something More (Soulwax Remix)
The Who – Baba O’Reilly (717 Boys Edit)
LCD Soundsystem – Tonite
O. Wake – Riper Than Ripe
A-ha – Take on Me
The Cure – Just Like Heaven
Oppenheimer Analysis – Don’t Be Seen with Me
Psymon Spine – Channels
Hot Hot Heat – Talk to Me, Dance with Me
Foster the People – Helena Beat (Build Remix)
Chilly Gonzales – You Can Dance
Daft Punk – Digital Love
Maxxi Soundystem – Criticize
Ariana Grande – Yes, and ?
Breakbot – 1 out of 2 (Oliver Remix)
Jamiroquai – Canned Heat
Home – All at Once

PATREON THANKS

A huge thank-you to our Patreon subscribers Bones Malones, Amy Hayes, Katie Green, Christina Jue, Colleen MB, Lilly Ettinger, Lena Long, Amalia Litsa, 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 found us watching brass bands at HONK!TX, watching the eclipse at Bobo’s Snack Bar, and watching dancing forklifts at The Way of Water at Onion Creek. 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 are Leila + Brian. We make this newsletter. We do our own events, most often No Lights No Lycra (every second and fourth Thursday of the month), + also BYOT, a party where we share very good YouTubes (here’s a playlist from the last one). We go very hard seeing bands at SxSW (here are playlists of our favorites from 2024). We once got called “local Austin couple” by KXAN. 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.

SEE YOU NEXT WEEK, CHAMPIONS

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