Lite + Brite Monthly: September
Hello, what’s up, and welcome to the monthly edition of the Lite + Brite newsletter.
If you’re new to Lite + Brite, welcome! Grizzled L+B vets know that this project is a labor of love run by two people (us) who love finding, creating, and sharing events. After a summer hiatus, our chief export, No Lights No Lycra—a dance party in near complete darkness—will be re-launching on Wednesday, September 25th, at a new venue, 3rd Eye Meditation Lounge. We’re so excited about this that we’ve devoted our monthly playlist to No Lights No Lycra—scope the tracklisting below. Scroll further through this email to get to a whole big list of September events. You may have noticed that we’re two months out from Election Day, and so in this issue we’re also running an exclusive interview with the founder of Democrasexy about making civic engagement fun. And if you need hard proof that it’s September, here it is: We’re starting to gather events for our annual epic Halloween spreadsheet. (Note that if you join us on Patreon you’ll get access to the spreadsheet before anyone else.)
If you’re not already a subscriber to this newsletter and you want to be, click here. We send out one email a week, usually on Fridays, plus this bonus monthly edition around the start of each month. 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
L+B – My Love Grows in the Dark
This month’s playlist is full of songs you might hear at No Lights No Lycra, starting with a favorite by Louisville’s Ssion. It’s a mix of many genres + musical eras, cheesy + sublime, known + unknown. Some of these are songs you’ll regularly hear at No Lights No Lycra, and some we picked just for the playlist. If you’ve never been to NLNL before this will give you a taste.
Listen on
Spotify / Apple / YouTube
Tracklist
Ssion – My Love Grows in the Dark
Clio – Faces
The Alan Parsons Project – Games People Play
Chromeo – Don’t Turn the Lights on
The Phenomenal Handclap Band – Do What You Like
Amerie – 1 Thing
The Rapture – Sister Saviour (DFA Remix)
Charli xcx – Guess ft. Billie Eilish
Jackpot – Ragazza
Hercules + Love Affair – Blind ft. Anohni
Tony Joe White + the Flying Mojito Bros – ‘Bout to Dance (in My Pants)
The Doobie Brothers – Long Train Runnin’
ABBA – Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (a Man after Midnight)
Change – The Glow of Love ft. Luther Vandross
Pineapples – Come on Closer ft. Douglas Roop
Captain Hollywood Project – More and More
D-Mob – C’mon and Get My Love ft. Cathy Dennis
Confidence Man – C.O.O.L. Party
Cassius – Cassius 1999
Cut Copy – Lights + Music
Looking Ahead to Upcoming Events
Our weekly newsletters will include many more listings, but here are a handful of events that we know are planned for the next month. We’re giving you the heads up now in case you want to pre-buy tickets or block off the time.
- Sep. 5: Medici Coffee 18th Birthday Bash at Springdale General
Bday celebration w/free beer, latte art contest open to all, + vendors - Sep. 5-7: The Texas Tribune Festival at various downtown venues
Big names in national + state politics descend onto Austin for talks - Sep. 6-8: Armadillo Con at Austin Southpark Hotel
A convention for “SF, Fantasy and Horror Readers + Writers” - Sep. 6-8: Volumes at Distribution Hall
Art installation w/lights + visuals triggered by live musicians - Sep. 7: Moonlit Glamour at the Vortex
A one-of-a-kind drag show w/lineup of all deaf drag queens - Sep. 7: Used Book Market at Community Garden
Buy used books from local booksellers while a DJ spins records - Sep. 7: Bat Fest at the Congress Ave. Bridge
Celebrate bats (the winged kind) w/costume contest, live music, + kid activities - Sep. 7: Community Day at the Long Center
Long Center’s block party w/food trucks, live music, kids’ activities - Sept. 7, 14, 21, + 28: Honey Bee Hive Tour at Two Hives Honey
Suit up in protective gear and learn about beekeeping - Sep. 8: The Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival at the Far Out Lounge
Gather under the blazing sun to guzzle hot sauce. What could go wrong? - Sep. 8: Song Confessional Live at the Highball
Give a confession for a chance to turn it into impromptu live music - Sep. 12 + 17: WaterWork at Seaholm
Artists make “colossal projection” onto riverside building - Sep. 13: Chai Day the 13th at Dark Horse
Celebrate Friday the 13th w/tea + flash tats, vendors, + barber - Sep. 13: Fat Bottom Cabaret at Sky Candy
Aerialists + “plus-size” burlesque artists in erotic-themed show - Sep. 13-15: Hacksfest at Fallout Theater
A computing-themed festival of sketch comedy - Sep. 14: Snakefessst at San Marcos Discovery Center
Fest w/herp walks, “snake-themed music,” “Snake Yoga,” + lecturesss - Sep. 14: Paper Dragon Small Press Fair at Cloud Tree Auxiliary
Read, buy, + meet with creators of DIY zines and small print books - Sep. 14: Contrasting Threads Opening Party at Highland Collective
Local textile + paper artists’ pastel-themed opening w/tattoos - Sep. 14: WildShape Night at Tiny Minotaur
Dress up like a bug + LARP like only arthropods do - Sep. 14: Viva Mexico at Pan Am Park
Mariachis, traditional dances, vendors, + kid friendly art activities - Sep. 14-15: Pecan Street Festival on East Sixth St.
Downtown shuts down to make way for vendors + live music - Sep. 17: Tiny Talks at Regal Rooms
Short stories + talks on “unique passions, pursuits + experiences” - Sep. 19: Latino Moonlight Serenade at Lady Bird Lake
Float on the river under moonlight listening to live Latino music - Sep. 20: ConnectiQuest at the Museum of Human Achievement
Local game developer meetup w/swag + quests (main not side) - Sep. 20-21: Spelling Bee at the Dougherty Arts Center
Spelling bee-inspired site-specific modern dance performance - Sep. 21: Slam Portal at Hi Sign Brewing
The wrestling ring meets the ring of the Zodiac for some comedy wrestling - Sep. 21: Le Freak at Tiny Minotaur
“A drag show that’s a little freaky. You will see filth, horror, and glamour” - Sep. 22: Austin Museum Day at museums throughout Austin
Free admission + activities in museums across Austin - Sep. 22: Songs in the Skyspace: Highway Lights at the Color Inside
Live atmospheric ambient music in UT’s lovely James Turrell installation - Sep. 25: No Lights No Lycra at 3rd Eye Meditation Lounge
Our dance party in the dark returns at a new space - Sep. 27: Can I Kick It? at Republic Square
Watch Black Panther w/DJ creating a new hip hop + soul score - Sep. 27: Geekgasm Revue at Kick Butt Coffee
Burlesque, drag, + variety performers pay tribute to Saturday cartoons - Sep. 27-28: Austin Mediterranean Festival at 408 E. 11th St.
Traditional Mediterranean food, vendors, + dancing plus kids’ activities - Sep. 28: Scare for a Cure Preview Night at Ghost Town Austin
Support charities by getting creepy in a haunted library in a ghost town - Sep. 28: East Side Mini Open at various eastside bars
An ephemeral DIY mini golf course scattered across Austin - Sep. 28-29: East Side Kings Festival at 12th + Chicon
Live music fest helps preserve African American Blues, Jazz, + Gospel - Sep. 28-29: Austin Coffee Festival at the Palmer Events Center
A celebration of all things coffee including talks, latte art, + live music
The Austinites Behind the Curtain: Democrasexy
We love spotlighting local creatives who are responsible for the events that we list. Remember, there would be no pig parades, facial hair competitions, dance shows in quarries, or sound installations in tree houses without the individual people who organize and promote them. You can read some of our previous interviews on our website.
This month, we’re speaking with Becky Bullard, founder of Democrasexy. As election season kicks into high gear, we asked Becky to tell us how and why she produces pro-democracy events in Austin.
Lite + Brite: Can you describe Democrasexy for subscribers who aren’t familiar with your work?
Becky Bullard: Democrasexy is all about making democracy sexy so more people do it. I produce events, build community, and create content that makes it feel good to get involved in movements for change. I’m a “pleasure activist,” inspired by adrienne maree brown, who defines pleasure activism as “making the pursuit of justice and liberation the most pleasurable experience we can have.” I also call myself a “civic witch” because I incorporate mystical practices like tarot and astrology into my civic engagement work.
L+B: What’s Democrasexy’s origin story?
BB: On September 1 of 2021, Texas’s six-week abortion ban went into effect. People were used to coming to me for advice on how to take action on the issues they care about because I had previously co-hosted a weekly Texas politics podcast called The Rabble. So when we essentially lost our abortion rights in Texas, people kept coming to me in despair asking, “What do we do now??” To which I responded, “I’m going to throw a party.”
So in October of 2021, Democrasexy hosted its first event, Texorcism: “casting spells, casting ballots, casting out the demons in the Texas Capitol.” We all dressed up like witches and gathered by candlelight at The Cathedral. Brigitte Bandit performed a drag number, Sister Temperance did a tarot card reading for the state of Texas, Latin Grammy nominee Gina Chávez performed, and we also had a panel of abortion rights experts including former Texas State Senator Wendy Davis explaining how we lost abortion access and what we could do next.
So many people came up to me at the end of that first Texorcism with tears in their eyes telling me they had felt every emotion throughout the night but ultimately landed on hope. That is exactly what I’m trying to accomplish with my work—it’s not about bypassing the hard stuff, it’s about working through it together so we can access the true joy that is to be found in changemaking.
L+B: Obviously there are SO MANY political events, fundraisers, emails, and social media accounts out there. It can be easy for folks to get overwhelmed. How do you make your political events stand out?
BB: When I plan an event, I’m trying to throw a fun party that anyone would want to come to regardless of whether they consider themself an “activist” or “political” or not.
Go to our website to read the rest of our interview with Becky, including what Democrasexy has going on this election season, info on Becky’s newest event series for bisexual and pansexual Austinites, and a story about what made Y’allentines Day 2022 so special.
All-the-Time Austin Artsy Fun
Our weekly newsletter features upcoming events, but sometimes the activity you’re looking for isn’t an event at all—it’s a place that’s always there. Next time you find yourself on an afternoon when nothing special seems to be going on, you could consider checking out one of these evergreen options.
- Tiny Minotaur
Drinking and costumed LARPing, Dungeonsynths performing in the dungeon w/lots of lore - The Eureka Room
Uniquely goofy, silly, + fun immersive games you play with a group. No spoilers! - Escape the Box on South Congress
So you think you can escape boxes. Sure, but what about time traveling boxes? - We Luv Video
The Alexandria Library of video rental. It’s community-run, you can rent movies or watch them in a cinema while literally surrounded by VHS tapes and DVDs. - The Goats at Jester King Brewery
More a theme park geared towards folks who like refermented cherries in their beer (me) than a brewery. I have not experienced the Goat Experience, but I have seen their goats, and I approve. - Cathedral of Junk
A towering achievement to collecting weird old stuff that will spark nostalgia and cause you to wonder at your last tetanus shot timing - West China Tea House
In addition to their events, West China is a wonderful place just to chat with interesting and welcoming people and drink some delicious tea - Mayfield Park and Nature Preserve
A lovely park + nature walk that is protected by a crack corps of dedicated peacocks and peahens. Good luck escaping without some flashy, feathery displays. - Laguna Gloria
The Contemporary Austin’s outdoor sculpture garden. Culture + Nature = Profit. - Austin Creative Reuse Center
A nonprofit shop where you can get any art, craft, or office supplies you can imagine for literal pennies. Eat your heart out, Office Despot. - Museum of the Weird
It’s right there on Dirty 6th but worth a visit. From famous fake paleontology to recreations of horror film sets, there’s lots to see. - James Turrell’s Skyspace
Like Turrell’s best works, this is an art experience which unfolds slowly over time. Watch as the changing colors of sunset remake the space.
Thanks to our Patreon subscribers
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 Wednesday 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.