Lite + Brite: 48 Quixotic Austin Events 9/19
Hello, what’s up, and welcome to the Lite + Brite newsletter.
September is a big month for anniversaries for us. We launched this very newsletter at a house party back in September 2019, with listings for Party World Rasslin’, No Lights No Lycra, a drunken (buzzed) spelling bee, and Splash Dance with Erica Nix. Six years! We also just celebrated five years of Brian’s radio show No Humans Allowed by broadcasting live from a backyard party this week, which you can listen to here. We are nothing if not creatures of consistency. Thank you for reading + listening to us for all these years!
Last night Leila visited Terry’s Hi-Fi Kissa for the first time. What a dream of a third space! Such spots are vital to the community, and we love that we can have them here in Austin. Then Leila went on to see the current Blue Lapis Light show, which is running this weekend and next. This is your best (perhaps only?) opportunity to see acrobats literally dance on the sides of buildings. Meanwhile Brian went to Games Y’all, a monthly meetup for developers and fans of indie games. Then on the way home we met a tiny kitten whom our friend rescued from the street. The moral of the story is: There are so many good things to be experienced when you leave the house!
Coming up in house-leaving opportunities, we’ve got free museum entry all over town, local community organizations bringing arts experiences to underutilized downtown spaces, a floating installation, a runway show of fashion made entirely out of reused materials, “biblically accurate angel coloring books,” a live performance of Leila’s favorite podcast, a séance to kick off spooky season, emo puppets, and so much more. Scroll down for details.
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
If you follow the L+B Instagram you may have seen that we celebrated five years + 250 episodes of Brian’s radio show, No Humans Allowed. We invited some friends over to the backyard for a little live radio show featuring all the best music from NHA over the years. It’s now up in the Kpiss archives to listen to here. Kpiss also celebrated a big 10 year anniversary this month in Brooklyn with a party featuring a John Travolta impersonator who danced up a storm to live bands + DJs. If you live here in Austin and you’ve been mulling the idea of starting your own John Travolta impersonation business, we’d say the world is pretty much your oyster, so get on that.
EVENTS WE’RE EYEING
Friday 9/19
- Shadowrun at Tiny Minotaur
Fantasy cyberpunk / techno goth shenanigans-themed costume night - Far Far Away Kiki Rave at Cheer Up Charlie’s
Shrek costume theme + cash prize contest w/DJs, drag, + dancing - Anime Rave at Kick Butt Coffee
Dance party where anime soundtracks meet hip hop heat - The Show Goes On at Coldtowne
Raise money for abortion access at comedy + variety show - VIBE Downtown on E. 6th St. at Red River
Downtown arts takeover featuring DJs, drag, slow fashion, + mosaics - Android Dreams at Sterling Stage
“Cyberfloral imaginings through pole dance, burlesque, + more” - Alluvius at East Side Performing Arts Center
Modern ballet performance set to metal + hard rock soundtrack - Quixotic States at Zilker Hillside Theater
“A free immersive sunset performance of dance + sound” - Austin International Drag Festival at Holiday Inn Midtown
“The world’s largest and most diverse International Drag Festival” - Urban Dreaming at RBJ Residences
“Immersive movement opera” which “fuses contemporary + aerial dance” - The Man from Earth at Paper Plate Gallery
Pay-what-you-can outdoor theater about a professor’s mysterious past - The Wizard of dOgZ at the Vortex
Family-friendly retelling of Oz with puppets, aerialists, circus arts, + dogs
Saturday 9/20
- Oita Japan Festival at the Long Center
Celebrate Austin’s sister city w/sumo, Japanese culture, music, + dance - Flaming Tides on Ladybird Lake
“Paddle up” to floating artwork, fire spinners + DJs on the water - Reuse on the Runway at Branch Park Pavilion
DJ, silent auction, glam station, + fashion show of reused materials - Art Erotica at Distribution Hall
Erotica-themed art opening, auction, + charity event - Textile Politics at the Museum of Human Achievement
Learn how to protest the state of the world via sewing. Repair/remix your clothes + swap em - From the Heavens at the 13th Floor
Live bands accompanied by dance troupe, live visuals, + biblically accurate angel coloring books - Touché at 29th St. Ballroom
Touring DJs bring the sounds of French filter house “from Daft Punk to Justice” to Austin - Over the Rainbow at Cosmos Ranch
Examining the Wizard of Oz with an ecological lens, discussion, film, DJ, + sound healing - Los Caminos de la Vida at dadaLab
Hispanic Heritage Month-inspired fashion show w/live musical accompaniment - Square Dance and Jam at the French Legation
Picnic lunch and square dance w/live music + callers - Cartoon Crushes at Showpony Lounge
Nerdlesque performers inspired by our collective cartoon crushes - 10th Anniversary Celebration at Slow North
Candle studio tour, free snacks, gifts, + a raffle - VIBE Downtown on E. 6th St. at Red River
Downtown arts takeover featuring DJs, drag, slow fashion, + mosaics - Android Dreams at Sterling Stage
“Cyberfloral imaginings through pole dance, burlesque, + more” - Alluvius at East Side Performing Arts Center
Modern ballet performance set to metal + hard rock soundtrack - Quixotic States at Zilker Hillside Theater
“A free immersive sunset performance of dance + sound” - Austin International Drag Festival at Holiday Inn Midtown
“The world’s largest and most diverse International Drag Festival” - Urban Dreaming at RBJ Residences
“Immersive movement opera” which “fuses contemporary + aerial dance” - The Man from Earth at Paper Plate Gallery
Pay-what-you-can outdoor theater about a professor’s mysterious past - The Wizard of dOgZ at the Vortex
Family-friendly retelling of Oz with puppets, aerialists, circus arts, + dogs - (weekly thru 11/29) Goat Yoga at Tiny Minotaur
“We call out to the beasts of the land to come forth and JOIN US!”
Sunday 9/21
- Austin Museum Day at museums throughout town
Museums across town open up for free self-guided tours - Beitna Launch Party at Ani’s Day + Night
Art, cocktails, + live music from the traditions of the Middle East - Screening Festival at Cheer Up Charlie’s
Lots of Austin bands perform, music video premieres, + “big surprise” - Rhinestones + Leather at Cheer Up Charlie’s
“Drag, DJs, live music, vendors + glittering looks for Rhinestones & Leather” - Splashdance at the Austin Motel
Poolside aerobics with Austin’s most creative aerobics instructor - EastxEleven at Old Thousand
AAPI-inspired brunch, raffle, + BIPOC vendors - Clothing Swap at Sky Candy
All-gender clothing swap donating to a good cause - Quixotic States at Zilker Hillside Theater
“A free immersive sunset performance of dance + sound” - Austin International Drag Festival at Holiday Inn Midtown
“The world’s largest and most diverse International Drag Festival” - Urban Dreaming at RBJ Residences
“Immersive movement opera” which “fuses contemporary + aerial dance” - The Man from Earth at Paper Plate Gallery
Pay-what-you-can outdoor theater about a professor’s mysterious past - The Wizard of dOgZ at the Vortex
Family-friendly retelling of Oz with puppets, aerialists, circus arts, + dogs
Monday 9/22
- JK’s Just Kidding Variety Hour at Trinity St. Playhouse
Equinoctial variety show w/live music, ballet, comedy, film, + art opening
Tuesday 9/23
- Fantasy Costume Swappe at Tiny Minotaur
“Who among us does not have a pile of unused fantasy costume pieces”?
Wednesday 9/24
- Normal Gossip at the Paramount
Live taping of a podcast about anonymized juicy gossip - Crazy Clown Time at Tiny Minotaur
“Jocose tales of yore” read by clowns + potentially a clown-dressed you - Dungeons and Drag Kings at Elysium
“Grab your joy cons” for video game-themed drag kings - That’s Knot Art! at the Dougherty Arts Center
“Learn to make knot art + sing along to sea shanties” - Records to Read to at Carpenter Hotel
Quiet reading set to author-curated records + drinks - Bike Story Night at Hold Out Brewing
Bicycle-themed storytelling + group bike ride - The Wizard of dOgZ at the Vortex
Family-friendly retelling of Oz with puppets, aerialists, circus arts, + dogs
Thursday 9/25
- The Austin Séance at the First Spiritualist Church of Austin
“An evening of experimental spirit communication” w/hands-on tools - Wild and Scenic Film Festival at AFS
Film fest “aims to inspire environmental activism” through nature docs - Robert Fulton Retrospective at We Luv Video
See experimental films covering themes of nature + wilderness - Booty Quest 2 at Kick Butt Coffee
Interactive fantasy-themed drag, burlesque, trivia, + variety - Fragile Rock Album Release at ACL Live at 3TEN
A live band of puppets perform new sensitive rock songs. Zero Fraggles - Glamp Glamp at Lynny’s
“Queer performative weirdness” a la camp talent shows - Nerd Nite at Barrel O’ Fun
Hear nerdy high-caliber talks on a variety of bug-related topics - TUBU Fest at Ground Floor Theatre
Theatrical short works that feature creatives with disabilities - Levitation at the Palmer Events Center + on Red River
Annual fest brings a killer lineup, takes place in Palmer AND downtown now - Alluvius at East Side Performing Arts Center
Modern ballet performance set to metal + hard rock soundtrack - The Wizard of dOgZ at the Vortex
Family-friendly retelling of Oz with puppets, aerialists, circus arts, + dogs - Urban Dreaming at RBJ Residences
“Immersive movement opera” which “fuses contemporary + aerial dance”
No Humans Allowed 250
Five Years of No Humans Allowed
We celebrated five years and 250 episodes of No Humans Allowed with a little party in our backyard. The episode is a selection of some favorites of ours from the last five years, with a live audience.
Stream Five Years of No Humans Allowed
Tracklist
Chris Polcyn – Spectral Vision
Azul y Negro – The Night
Jimmy Edgar – My Beats
(Don’t Ask) – Clocking off
Prince – My Computer
Ford & Lopatin – New Planet
Dhuo – The Baby Was You (Cap’ That Banger Edit)
I.B.M. – Computer Love (Ric Piccolo Rework)
Arteficials – Turn Me on
Gary Low – You Dream a Lot (Hysteric Edit)
Soulwax – Waffles 007A
Locussolus – I Want It
Snuten – Claws Against Knives (Todd Terje Remix)
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.
PATREON THANKS
A huge thank-you to our Patreon subscribers Andrew Creswell, 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, Alexander Freed, Kristen Backor, Timon A., 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 getting ready for Prick Up Your Ears, watching the Buda Wiener Dog Races, and experiencing a toy art exhibit at Collection Rert. 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 (where we sometimes post stuff early too).
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.