Lite + Brite: 46 Cosmic Austin Events 5/9
Hello, what’s up, and welcome to the Lite + Brite newsletter.
Flash floods? More like flash in the pan! We’re no longer getting warnings to stay at home unless it’s an emergency, which means you should take this opportunity to get out of the house in a non emergency setting.
Pun enthusiasts nationwide are coming to Austin looking for a fight at the O. Henry Museum Pun Off World Championships. One of them is staying in our guest bedroom! Even if you’re not competing we can watch and take in all the puns. That’s not all we’ve got laid out in the feast of springtime events. Take your mom to see some enchanted pigs. Practice using terms like “think outside the box” while slathered in sunscreen at a leopard print billiard table. Learn about the history of electricity while learning what an electric bassoon sounds like. Hear plankton in four directional sound. Take part in an assortment of jiggling activities (activititties?) Watch a film where a guy in a zombie suit wrestles an honest to god shark, set to a live score by a master of Italian synth soundtracks. These are just a few highlights, there’s much more in store. We truly live in amazing times.
Don’t forget blast our summertime playlist before we all get washed away, + we’d love to see you at our penultimate No Lights No Lycra this Wednesday. Till next week!
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
As we’ve been saying, we’re winding down the regular editions of No Lights No Lycra at 3rd Eye Meditation Lounge, but you’ve got two more chances to come dance in the dark. The first is coming up this week on May 14th. Stream our last edition here, or reserve a spot for one of our May dates here.
Later this month, Brian will be joining the Prick Up Your Ears DJs over at Elysium on May 29th. Prick Up Your Ears is our favorite Austin party for hearing indie + electro 00s songs we love, and we should know, we were there. If you doubt our love for the decade, check out this mix Brian did for No Lights No Lycra a while back and keep your eyes peeled here for a playlist soon.
We took a trip to the virtual beach this week on No Humans Allowed, Brian’s radio show on Kpiss. Synthesized wave sounds, recordings of people comparing windsurfing to sex, + beachy italo disco conjured the sights and sounds of the beach. Listen to Beach Simulator 3008 in the Kpiss archives here or tune in live Tuesdays at 6pm on Kpiss.fm.
EVENTS WE’RE EYEING
Friday 5/9
- Bring Your Own Beamer at dadaLab
No BMWs involved, this is a chance to project your own visual art - Brittany Britney at Elysium
Drag performers pay tribute to two 90s teen icons - Secret Garden at Contracommon
Immersive art installations, live music, artist studio tours, + vendors - Amaging! at the Vortex
Hear about aging from five 65+ LGBTQIA storytellers - Thee Gay Agenda at Crashbox
Justice system-themed “queer variety show” w/drag, DJs, + costumes - Adventure Party: TPK at the Vortex
Theatrical production inspired by fantasy TTRPGs + video game RPGs - Venus in Fur at Sterling Stage
A cerebral play about the nature of dominance + masochism - Austin Fashion Week at the Domain
See some runway looks at “the biggest fashion event in Texas”
Saturday 5/10
- Pun-Off World Championships at Brush Sq. Park
Pun lovers nationwide flock to Austin to be crowned the punniest - Slam Portal at Central Machine Works
Interdimensional wrestling wreaks havoc after tax season - Overheard on a Train on the Red Line
Participate in immersive theatre while exploring public transit - IMOLE at Tiny Minotaur
Vendors, performances, quests about “Black mysticism, fairy tales, folklore, + joy” - Austin Witchfest at the Palmer Events Center
“A day full of workshops, shopping, divination, entertainment + more” - Corporate Cookout at the Flower Shop
“Leopard print billiard table,” poolside DJs + hot dogs, + w/an incredible website - Varta Festival at the Hampton Branch Library
Puppets, podcasts, dancers, + more around the theme of SE Asian storytelling - Woodland Faerie Trail Grand Opening at Zilker Botanical Garden
Explore artist-crafted faerie homes throughout the park - Art-O-Rama at the Dougherty Arts Center
Futuristic eco-friendly art party w/themed installations, workshops, activities, more - Spark at Studio A
Learn about the history of electricity through narration + electric bassooning - The Sound Around Us at dadaLab
Fusebox + dadaGeek combine for “quad audio, immersive sound, + plankton” - Gary Floyd Retrospective at Pershing Hall
Art + photograph exhibition for Austin’s 80s “homo punk” icon - Makers + Muses at 2324 Studios
“Hands-on workshops, artists experiences, + wellness services” - Open Studios at Art Hub ATX
Check out art + artists in their own studios, w/collage activities - Makers + Bakers at Clover + Maven
A vendor market packed with baked goods - Texas Roller Derby at the Buda Thunderdome
Roller derbyists murderously smash their way through a banked track - Amaging! at the Vortex
Hear about aging from five 65+ LGBTQIA storytellers - Thee Gay Agenda at Crashbox
Justice system-themed “queer variety show” w/drag, DJs, + costumes - Adventure Party: TPK at the Vortex
Theatrical production inspired by fantasy TTRPGs + video game RPGs - Venus in Fur at Sterling Stage
A cerebral play about the nature of dominance + masochism - Austin Fashion Week at the Domain
See some runway looks at “the biggest fashion event in Texas” - (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!” - (weekly) Come @ Me at Fallout Theater
An improv comedy show built around your social media presence
Sunday 5/11
- Mothers Day Tour at Central Texas Pig Rescue
Hike around + meet some friendly piggies - Cosmic Bloom at the Museum of Human Achievement
“Blended reality installation” w/performances, “multimedia cosmic garden” - Les Nouveux Jeunes at Studio A
Classical musicians perform works by early 20th century French composers - Nurturing the Nurturers at Pershing House
Family gathering-themed party w/line dancing, vendors - Venus in Fur at Sterling Stage
A cerebral play about the nature of dominance + masochism - Austin Fashion Week at the Domain
See some runway looks at “the biggest fashion event in Texas”
Monday 5/12
- ATX Short Film Showcase at the 29th St. Ballroom
The films are short, the filmmakers are Texan + of varying heights - The Jewel Box Dancers at Sterling Stage
Floral-themed bellydancing ending in live drum jam
Tuesday 5/13
- The Austin Salon at 1109 Angelina St.
Discussions about income inequality + ways to rethink it in the future - Zombie: The Composer’s Cut at Come and Take It Live
Italian synth wizard performs live soundtracks to horror classics - Astronomy on Tap at Celis Brewery
Gather and talk astronomy w/UT profs while surrounded by beer
Wednesday 5/14
- No Lights No Lycra at 3rd Eye Meditation Lounge
Our second-to-last regularly scheduled dance party in near complete darkness - Dungeons and Drag at Vigilante Bar
“The fiercest drag pirates you’ve ever laid eyes on, battling mythical pirate lords” - Friends Fair Launch Party at the Contemporary
Live music, “bespoke poetry,” + video art on a rooftop - Twerking for Titties at Double Trouble
Drag, burlesque, poetry, twerk contest, + various kinds of jiggling - Greetings from Queer Mountain at Cheer Up Charlie’s
Storytelling w/show + tell by drag queens, kings, + sketch comics - Popped Art at the Dougherty Arts Center
Watch a documentary about Warhol + make some pop art - Cine Las Americas at AFS
View films of all kinds made by Latinx filmmakers from Texas + beyond - Adventure Party: TPK at the Vortex
Theatrical production inspired by fantasy TTRPGs + video game RPGs - Venus in Fur at Sterling Stage
A cerebral play about the nature of dominance + masochism
Thursday 5/15
- Queer TV Theory at the Highball
Queer Film Theory folks examine the small screen for a change - Friends Fair at the Loren Hotel
Galleries local + abroad curate hotel rooms with contemporary art - The Affordable Art Fair at the Palmer Events Center
A large-scale art fair focusing on affordable art pieces for sale - Cine Las Americas at AFS
View films of all kinds made by Latinx filmmakers from Texas + beyond - Venus in Fur at Sterling Stage
A cerebral play about the nature of dominance + masochism - (weekly thru 5/29) Movies on the Lake at Mozart’s
Paddle out onto Lady Bird Lake + watch a classic blockbuster
No Humans Allowed 234
Beach Simulator 3008
Once again we’re revving up our Beach Simulator and downloading a new patch. What features could it have? Remember it doesn’t matter if it’s cold or if there’s a flash flood warning and you’re not supposed to leave your house, Beach Simulator is always there, ready for you to engage with. We’ll have simulated waves, hyper-tropical drinks, and real italo disco. Maybe it’s better than the real thing? Press play to find out.
Tracklist
Khazali – Dance on the Rain
Keep Shelly in Athens – Fokionos Negri Street
Ruf Dug x Private Joy – Don’t Give in
Krazy Baldhead – Surabaya Girl (Tropics Remix)
Gaznevada – I.C. Love Affair (Munk Edit)
Funky Family – Funky Is on
Quincy Jones – Betcha Wouldn’t Hurt Me (Rayko Re-Edit)
Beatmistress – Dominate the Rhythm
No Zu – Phone Call Meltdown
Sabrina – Boys
San Giovanni Bassista – Summer Sweat
Danuta – Touch My Heart
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 183
w/Brian Blackout
Recorded live in the dark in 3rd Eye Meditation Lounge on April 23rd, 2025. NLNL is designed to keep you on your toes with lots of genres and between the better known and lesser known, so these mixes jump around accordingly.
Listen to NLNL ATX 183 on Mixcloud
Tracklist
Região Abissal – Feminina Mulher
Gorillaz – Andromeda
The Pool – Dance It Down
Dr. Dog – Heart It Races
Donna Lewis – I Love You Always Forever (Curtis Vodka Remix)
Tatsuro Yamashita – Love Talkin’ (Honey It’s You)
The Notorious B.I.G. – Mo Money Mo Problems
Fontaines D.C. – Starburster
The Breeders – Cannonball
The Phenomenal Handclap Band – Do What You Like
Greg Wilson – Two Sides of Sympathy
Tilly and the Wall – Beat Control
Fitz & the Tantrums – MoneyGrabber
RAC – Let Go ft. Kele Okereke & MNDR
Annie Lennox – Walking on Broken Glass
Jens Lekman – That’s the Way Love Is
Sophie Ellis Bextor – Murder on the Dancefloor
Sky Ferreira – Everything Is Embarrassing (Krystal Klear Remix)
Black Box – Strike It Up
Confidence Man – I Can’t Lose You
Calvin Harris – The Girls
Chromeo – Jealous (I Ain’t With It)
The Dare – Good Time
LCD Soundsystem – All My Friends
Home – All at Once
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 2025). 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.