Lite + Brite: 35 Ethereal Austin Events 3/28
Hello, what’s up, and welcome to the Lite + Brite newsletter.
If you feel that Lite + Brite adds value to your week, we’d like to ask you to do us a solid and nominate us for best online media outlet in the annual Austin Chronicle Awards. We are not so delusional as to believe that we might win, but we are so delusional as to believe that, with your help, we might be one of the top nominees, and then maybe more people would subscribe to this newsletter, and that would do wonders for our self-esteem.
Do we add value to your week? Well, that depends on whether you value knowing about fantasy performance art competitions, horror film festivals, immersive theatre on CapMetro, bookstore block parties, medieval quests in a ghost town, so many brass bands, Pee-Wee Herman-themed drag, children hawking homemade wares, or clown-based staged readings of the screenplay for the 2010 animated fantasy adventure film Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole. If you feel unmoved by the existence of all of those events, then feel free to not nominate us for the Austin Chronicle Awards.
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Let’s do fun stuff!
—Leila + Brian
liteandbriteatx.com
OUR STUFF
No Humans Allowed, Brian’s radio show on Kpiss.fm, took a return trip beneath the waves for a show full of undersea sounds. Clips of Jacques Cousteau narrating futuristic 1960s undersea hijinx mingled with aquatic disco, italo, + balearic sounds. You can stream 20,000 Gigs Under the Sea in the Kpiss archives, or catch No Humans Allowed live on Tuesdays at 6pm. Next week will be Kpiss’ annual Covers Week (check out this great flyer by Bad Conditions’ Brett Burton).
No Lights No Lycra is done for March but we’ll return in April on April 9th + 23rd. You can get advance tickets here or listen to a recording of this week’s NLNL. Full tracklist + more info below.
THE PLAYGROUND
// A true statement paid for by the sponsor of this week’s newsletter. //
Because we write this newsletter, we’re always keeping an eye out for good spaces around town. Community spaces, art spaces, third places of all kinds. Locally-owned venues with creative vibes, any place conducive to new ideas. The Workshop–a Govalle spot owned by an Austin sandtray therapist / miniature collector–is exactly that. And on the weekend of April 11 – 13, the Workshop will be home to an inspiring-looking creativity workshop / retreat, the Playground.
The Playground is hosted by Cecily Sailer of Typewriter Tarot, whose goal is to help people “rebuild their relationship with Creativity without the toxic sludge of extraction, perfectionism, and myths of productivity.” (This resonates hard with me, Leila, a person who feels constantly drenched in this sludge.) Guest facilitators include activist Becky Bullard (aka Democrasexy, whom we’ve interviewed here before) and yoga therapist Sam Pullen. The thoughtfully-designed weekend agenda includes individual and communal activities, which all work in harmony to reconnect attendees with their creative selves: sound baths, Tarot, sandtray play, journaling, self-portrait making, etc. It’s like going on a spiritual journey without having to physically journey more than one block off Cesar Chavez.
We consider ourselves to be creative people. (Leila writes, Brian DJs, and we both make up very good songs about our cats on a near-hourly basis.) But that toxic sludge is real and hard to shake. A weekend for play sounds like the creative reset we could all use. Just think how much better our cat songs could be after this.
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EVENTS WE’RE EYEING
Friday 3/28
- Legend of the Realms at Sky Candy
Drag + variety performers compete in a fantasy idiom - Goth Wave at Coconut Club
DJs wielding goth + darkwave tunes take over Coconut’s laser pit - Munster’s Playhouse at Elysium
Drag monsters pay tribute to Pee-Wee + our fave subversive 80s kids show - Quest Night at Scare for a Cure
“Immersive, medieval fantasy experience” involving dice + giant spiders - Honk!TX at various venues
A raucous outdoor celebration of brass with a LOT of bands from all over
Saturday 3/29
- Weird Wedding at Higher Vibes Studio
A series of celebrations with fire dancers, vendors, raffles, seed sowing - HipHop Without Borders at the Museum of Human Achievement
Kid-friendly workshops on world languages, breakdancing instruction - Ethereal Resurrection at Kick Butt Coffee
Horror shorts brought back from the dead and screened + live music - Austin Animation Showcase + Retro Action Clips at We Luv Video
Curated “weird animation” shorts followed by “schlocky retro action clips” - Opening Hours at the Sherwood Forest Zine Library
Read from Sherwood Forest’s extensive library of zines - Overheard on a Train on the Red Line
Participate in immersive theatre while enjoying public transit - Pottery Prom at Feats of Clay
Ceramics fundraiser w/aerialists, drag performers, live music, karaoke, + photo ops - Rise at Pease Park
Doc showing + panel discussion on Black communities in Austin + Juneteenth - Prick Up Your Ears at Elysium
DJs spinning early 00s dancepunk, indie, + electroclash sleaze - Cowboy Carter + the Two-Woman Drag Show at Cheer Up Charlie’s
Two drag artists perform all of Beyoncé’s latest album back to back - Time Travelers Vintage Expo at the Palmer Events Center
Big retro vendor market that tours across the US stops in Austin - From Light From Dark at Propaganda HQ
Introspective night of DJs + VJs exploring emotion + vulnerability - Trans Day of Visibility at Grassroots Leadership
Picnic while listening to trans musicians + perusing work by trans artists - Village Market Faire at Casa de Luz
Ren faire-themed event w/ceremonies, rituals, + speakers - Literary Lark at First Light
Live music, kid activities, author readings, + book drive - Drag Me to the Tavern at Tiny Minotaur
Drag kings, queens, + knights in fantasy costumes - Bike Story Night at UT
Hear or tell cycling-themed stories on UT’s campus - Solarpunk Forest Garden Plant Walk at Festival Beach Food Forest
Tour a food forest w/experts in regenerative gardening + permaculture - Quest Night at Scare for a Cure
“Immersive, medieval fantasy experience” involving dice + giant spiders - Austin Cactus + Succulent Show at Zilker Botanical Garden
Buy some succulents, or take part in raffles, auctions, expert advice, + plant show - Spring Reuse Art Market at Austin Creative Reuse
Buy goods from local vendors using reused components, + family activities - Honk!TX at various venues
A raucous outdoor celebration of brass with a LOT of bands from all over - (weekly thru 4/20) Sherwood Forest Faire
Central Texas’ renaissance faire w/medieval food, arts, fun, + dress - (weekly thru 5/31) Doom Metal Goat Yoga at Jester King
“We call out to the beasts of the land to come forth and JOIN US!”
Sunday 3/30
- Trans Day of Visibility at the Museum of Human Achievement
Drag + fruitful discussions from trans folks in the Austin community - Useful Plants of Texas Walk at Guerrero Park
Learn about the native edible + otherwise useful plants of central Texas - The Capitol Is a Drag… Show! at Cheer Up Charlie’s
Drag performances, panel discussions + info on surviving these times - Unsung at Mozart’s Coffee
Musicians perform musical theatre songs by woman + gender nonconforming songwriters - Austin Cactus + Succulent Show at Zilker Botanical Garden
Buy some succulents, or take part in raffles, auctions, expert advice, + plant show - Spring Reuse Art Market at Austin Creative Reuse
Buy goods from local vendors using reused components, + family activities - Honk!TX at various venues
A raucous outdoor celebration of brass with a LOT of bands from all over - (weekly thru 4/20) Sherwood Forest Faire
Central Texas’ renaissance faire w/medieval food, arts, fun, + dress
Tuesday 4/1
- Crazy Clown Time at Tiny Minotaur
“One-man show, with a non-actor cold-reading” the Owls of Ga’Hoole - One Page Salon at Radio Coffee + Beer
Hear local writers read their works in progress + published works - Umlauf After Dark at Umlauf
April Fools party w/DJ, cocktails, comedy show, + artist showcase
Thursday 4/3
- Create + Heal at the Carver Center
Exploring healing through African polyrhythms + various forms of dance
No Humans Allowed 228
20,000 Gigs Under the Sea
This week, No Humans Allowed returns to the high seas. Under them, specifically. We’ll delve deep under the surface for undersea bleeps and bloops. Pelagic italo, benthic disco, the occasional Jacques Cousteau sample + everything in between.
Stream 20,000 Gigs Under the Sea
Tracklist
Dreamfish – School of Fish
Robotiko Rejekto – Transformation Synthesis
Thomas Dolby – One of Our Submarines
Influx – Vs 128
A.T.R.O.X. – Against the Odds
Stephen Schlaks – Cascades
Cosmic Kids – Basin Adjacent
Marcella Bella – Nell’aria (Seedy J Edit)
Andras Fox – Ankle Snapper
Sweet Trip – Fish
Telephones – The Ocean, the Sand, the Lorenzo
2 Lost Diver – Land in Sight (Sirens Voices Mix)
Jürgen Müller – Chasing Submarines
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 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 181
w/Brian Blackout
Recorded live in the dark in 3rd Eye Meditation Lounge on March 26th, 2025
Listen to NLNL ATX 181 on Mixcloud
Tracklist
Desire – Darkside
Gorillaz – Andromeda
Risqué – Starlight
Janis Ian – From Me to You (the Starkiller Remix)
Marvin Gaye – Time to Get It Together (Super Value Edit)
Positive K – I Got a Man
Flamingosis – Momento
Scissor Sisters – I Don’t Feel Like Dancing
Fontaines D.C. – A Hero’s Death (Soulwax Remix)
LCD Soundsystem – 45:33 part 2
Diana Ross – I’m Coming Out
Roy Ayers Ubiquity – Running Away
Charli XCX – Boom Clap (Aeroplane Remix)
Jessie Ware – Night Light (Joe Goddard Remix)
Kylie Minogue – Can’t Get You Out of My Head
Goldfrapp – Rocket
Lady Gaga – The Cure (Initial Talk Remix)
Confidence Man – I Can’t Lose You
La Bouche – Sweet Dreams
Blue Hawaii – I Felt Love
Justice – D.A.N.C.E.
T-Pain, Yaeji, & Girl Talk – Believe in Ya
Psymon Spine – Ketamine Hot Tub (Lovetempo Remix)
Janet Jackson – Escapade
Fine Young Cannibals – Good Thing
Jackson Browne – Doctor My Eyes
Prince – I Wanna Be Your Lover (Dimitri from Paris Edit)
Home – All at Once
The Paradise – In Love with You
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 it in the Austin Chronicle. You can listen to the kind of music we play over on Brian’s Mixcloud.
PATREON THANKS
A huge thank-you to our Patreon subscribers Molly Fonseca, Lilly Ettinger, Michael Sales, Zach, Gino Scaramuzza, Erica Speegle, Jarrett Holtz, Thomas Refferson, Dale Markowitz, Bones Malones, Amy Hayes, Katie Green, Christina Jue, Colleen MB, Lena Long, Amalia Litsa, Alexander Freed, 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 seeing 75 bands at SXSW, DJing and co-hosting a party at the Sapien Center, and building a giant Lite Brite in our backyard. Follow Lite + Brite on Instagram to keep up with our adventures. We’re now on Bluesky too. Yay federation! 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, Concept Animals’ ATX Art for You for gallery openings + artist talks, 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, + 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.