Lite + Brite Monthly: June
Hello, what’s up, and welcome to the monthly edition of the Lite + Brite newsletter.
June is Pride, and we’ve found tons of events to celebrate, as well as plenty of Juneteenth, summer solstice, and general summertime fun. Scroll down for some highlights. Also new this month, we have an interview with the founders of the Austin Salon, as well as a playlist of 2000s indie sleaze.
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Let’s do fun stuff!
—Leila + Brian
liteandbriteatx.com
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.
- June 6-7: Freak Chic at Sterling Stage
Burlesque performers pay tribute to Freaknik, Kappa Beach + Black Southern culture - June 7: Fight Opera: Wasteland Vacation at Austin Beerworks Sprinkle Valley
Pro wrestlers hit the wasteland for partying, wrestling, + lore dumps - June 7 + 21: Jaws on the Water at Volente Water Park
Enjoy classic nautical horror flick while watching for deadly lake sharks - June 13-14: Mortified at the Highball
Folks sharing their teenaged diaries in a new comedic light w/ASL interpreters - June 13-14: Friday the 13th at House of Torment
Explore a haunted house illuminated only by a glowstick in your hand - June 13-14: Four-Year Anniversary at Richesart Gallery
Prom-themed celebration w/DJs, art + fashion shows, boat party, + more - June 14: Stay Black and Live at the Carver
Juneteenth celebration w/symposia, live music, cookouts, + vendors - June 15: Tea Leaf Reading Workshop at The Serpent Tattoo and Occult Shop
Learn how to read tea leaves from the folks behind the Austin Séance - June 19: Juneteenth Bike Ride + Block Party at Rosewood Park
Learn about Austin’s rich African American history from yr bike saddle - June 20: TreeFolks Summer Solstice Party at Hold Out Brewing
Live music, tarot, petting zoo, tree walks, tree games, vendors, + a maypole - June 20: Art Island Solstice Soirée at Stargazer
DJs, collaborative crafts, art installations, “roaming performances” + more - June 21: The Majestic Ball at the Paramount
Ballroom + drag performers work the runway at a mythology-themed party - June 21: Uncanny Attractions: Knuckin’ if ur Buckin’ at Highland Lounge
“Celebrate queer art + joy through pro wrestling w/a side of drag” - June 21: Black Auteur Film Festival at AFS
A night of films by Black Texan filmmakers w/Q+A, raffle, + mixer - June 21: Lana Del Rave at an unannounced location
Celebrate LDR’s 40th Bday in a tunnel w/DJs spinning mashups - June 21-22 + 26-27: 24 Carrot Cabaret at the Vortex
“Satirical, sex-positive clownery,” burlesque, + lots of carrots - June 25-29: Austin Asian American Film Festival at AFS
Fest that “highlights new Asian and Asian American film” - June 27: Legend of the Realms at Sky Candy
Competitive fantasy-themed performances w/aerialists, burlesque, + more - June 28: Pride Picnic at Pease Park
Picnic in the park w/vendors, info, vinyl DJs, activations, + art installations - June 28: Party at the People’s House at City Hall
Live music, other performers, + art activities celebrate diversity in Austin - June 28: Austin African American Book Festival at the Carver Museum
Book fest focusing on preserving Black voices, empowering aspiring authors - June 28: Dead of Summer at Chess Club
Trade VHS tapes while you watch some of our fave bands + DJs in Austin - June 28: US Air Guitar Regional Championships at Jackalope
Shred some air for the chance to win a paid trip the national air guitar finals - June 29:Les Ballets Trockadero at the Long Center
Travelling male ballet troupe pokes fun at classical ballet tropes
00s Indie Sleaze + Electroclash Playlist
for Prick up Your Ears
A couple weeks back we shared this playlist of 00s indie sleaze, electroclash, + dancepunk that Brian made in the leadup to Prick Up Your Ears. We figured rather than inundate you with yet another playlist we’d re-share this one because we’re still bopping along to it in the L+Bmobile.
Listen on Spotify / Apple / YouTube
Tracklist
Of Montreal – Id Engager
Munk – Kick Out the Chairs ft. James Murphy (Whoemadewho Remix
Avenue D – Do I Look Like a Slut
Miss Kittin & the Hacker – You + Us
Tiga + Zyntherius – Sunglasses at Night
Pardon Moi – Rodeo Star
Chicks on Speed – Eurotrash Girl
Felix da Housecat – Ready 2 Wear
Vega – No Reasons
!!! – One Boy / One Girl
Ladyhawke – Back of the Van
Bag Raiders – Shooting Stars
Digitalism – Pogo
Soulwax – NY Excuse ft. Nancy Whang
The Rapture – Sister Saviour (DFA Remix)
The Juan Maclean – Give Me Every Little Thing
College – Fantasy Park (Moullinex Remix)
MGMT – Of Moons, Birds, + Monsters (Holy Ghost! Remix)
Starsailor – Four to the Floor (Thin White Duke Remix)
Moving Units – Anyone
Elefant – Sunlight Makes Me Paranoid
The Austinites Behind the Curtain: The Austin Salon
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.
This month, we’re speaking with Dale Markowitz and Nikita Namjoshi, founders of The Austin Salon. We try to go to this event whenever we can: it feels like your favorite liberal arts college discussion group, only without any assigned reading. Here’s how they make it happen…
Lite + Brite: Can you describe the Austin Salon for folks who aren’t familiar with it?
Dale Markowitz and Nikita Namjoshi: The Austin Salon is a social club for curious Austines. Once every other month, we gather at a venue on the east side, listen to an expert speak on something intellectual-y (science, philosophy, psychology, etc), drink, and discuss. Imagine a house party with all your smartest friends. And it’s completely free!
L+B: What’s the Austin Salon’s origin story?
DM + NN: When we thought about what defined our closest relationships, it came down to: who do we have the most thought-provoking, inspiring, nuanced conversations with? We created The Austin Salon to build a community around that.
L+B: What makes a topic particularly appropriate for the Austin Salon?
DM + NN: We look for topics and speakers that teach us something new, spark deep conversation, and don’t sell us anything.
L+B: Every salon is divided into three parts: the presentation, the first small-group discussion, and the second small-group discussion. Why did you design the format that way? What role do each of these parts play in the overall experience?
DM+ NN: Because we have short attention spans, we wanted to keep the presentations short: 20 minutes tops. As for the discussion sections, we wanted those to be as good as facilitating new friendships as possible, and I think they’ve been pretty effective at that. Saloners seem to dive right into discussion groups and get into the deep stuff fast. In a way, I think this helps people get to know each other faster than standard mixer small-talk. We switch up the groups up halfway to make sure no one gets stuck in a conversation they can’t escape, and to ensure everyone meets as many other Saloners as possible.
L+B: Every time we’ve been to the Austin Salon, the room has been full. What have you found works for you in terms of marketing?
DM + NN: Lite + Brite has been very effective at connecting us with would-be Saloners. [Editor’s note: We swear we did not ask them to say this.] The rest is word-of-mouth. We’re awed by the way Salon has grown organically. Recently someone drove all the way from San Antonio to attend a Salon because there was nothing comparable nearby!
L+B: If money and logistics were no object, what would be your dream Austin Salon event to organize?
DM + NN: We’d love a permanent clubhouse-coworking-space for Saloners. We’d love to pay for some of our favorite public intellectuals to speak… like the pop philosopher Stephen West? Or hacker Simone Gertz? Or journalist Jon Robson? Oh: and we’d love to start an educational retreat-slash-boarding-school in a gothic mansion. (Who wants to invest? Hit us up.)
L+B: What are some of your favorite Austin events or experiences that you don’t produce?
DM + NN: Tiny Talks! Those warm chocolate chip cookies at the end… who can resist?
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 with an afternoon when nothing special seems to be going on, you could consider checking out one of these evergreen options.
- Mesmerize
An interactive dream-like world made of site-specific installations by 15+ local artists - Hyperreal Film Club
A clubhouse for weird cinema, with oddball screenings four nights a week - 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 Robert B., Roman Gonzalez, Nick Ivons, Molly Fonseca, Lilly Ettinger, Michael Sales, Zach, Gino Scaramuzza, Erica Speegle, Jarrett Holtz, Thomas Refferson, 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.
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, like No Lights No Lycra and 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’s a playlist of some 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.