Lite + Brite: 41 Reverberating Austin Events 4/17

Hello, what’s up, and welcome to the Lite + Brite newsletter.

I (Leila) am writing the intro this week because my birthday is Monday and so I got dibs. (Am I an Aries? A Taurus? No one knows! I defy categorization!) We’re halfway through Fusebox and still have so many more sound installations, walking tours, stargazing sessions, and attempts of seances left before us. In the world beyond Fusebox, our Ren Faire comes to a close, while a busload of quasi-trained cats arrives in town. Tiny Minotaur continues to dominate the category of best party themes with an evening celebrating both Prince (the artist) and prince (the male heir to a monarchy). Whether it’s Aries season or Taurus season, it is certainly springtime, and so trees abound—go enjoy them by bike or at a picnic. Marvel at many beautiful old homes and one very old landmark. Take in South Asian culture at a film festival and a dance competition. Appreciate our local record stores and our local public transportation. And, if you’re wondering: yes, there will be more puppets.

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

WHAT WE’VE BEEN UP TO

Much like normal humans, we enjoy a good evening in at L+B HQ every now and again. But not this week! This week we got very, very engaged with some of the most L+B-appropriate events we could find around town, thanks largely to Fusebox. Last night we watched the devil and four demons delightfully break every rule of comedy and engage in an uncomfortable amount of crowd work, complete with a lighting crew that had flown off the rails. (You can catch a second performance tonight at 11). The night before we caught six bright young students from the Texas School for the Blind performing Kraftwerkian tunes on a wide array of Korg modular synths. 

The pièce de résistance, though, was maybe one of the craziest events we’ve ever attended. It got announced so last minute we couldn’t include it in last week’s newsletter, but we did clue y’all in on our Discord as soon as we heard. The event in question featured Fusebox alums Poncili Creación, identical twin brothers who put on the most insane puppet show I have witnessed. Puppets launched off our heads. Puppets were torn to shreds and then consumed by the puppeteers like a La Barbecue beef rib. Puppets were giant unwieldy beasts that careened through the audience. Puppets were tiny birds that popped out of other puppets. Puppets were made of the audience’s shoes, which ended in dozens of shoes having a shoe orgy. The finale ended in scandalous yet happy-as-punch puppet suspended from one of the brothers’ junk. If you want to catch a little of that chaos, they will be performing in a collaborative capacity tonight at the Fusebox event Novelas de Niñas.

Also this week, No Humans Allowed, Brian’s radio show, went back into space, full of cosmic disco, prog rock, and the occasional Unicron sample. You can go on your own journey through space on the Kpiss archives.

EVENTS WE’RE EYEING

Friday 4/17

  • Welcome to Hell at Ground Floor Theatre
    Hellish performances promise the “worst things about live comedy”
  • Sign “O” the Medieval Times at Tiny Minotaur
    Prince- and prince-themed costumes, bards, + symbology
  • Ghibli Night at Ani’s Day + Night
    Bonsai workshop + Studio Ghibli-inspired vendors, snacks, + surprises
  • Poolboy at The Museum of Human Achievement
    “Immersive party + performance” explores submission + surveillance
  • The Lonestar Roundup at Travis County Expo Center
    See vintage cars from many eras + hear live music
  • Bloodthirsty at Sterling Stage
    Saucy blood + vamp-themed drag, pole + belly dance, + “literal blood bath”
  • Quest Night at Scare for a Cure
    “Interactive medieval action adventure” w/giant monsters + puzzles
  • Fire Dancers + Drone Show at Pioneer Farms
    Choreographed combination of drone light show + fire dancers
  • Lemonade Float Fest at Reveille Peak Ranch
    Watch athletes on vehicles way too X-treme to be called unicycles
  • Instructions for a Seance at Bass Concert Hall
    Immersive séance where you contact Houdini to escape your own existence
  • Fusebox Festival at venues throughout Austin
    Musical, arty, experiential, + communal performances by local + int’l folks
  • The Happiness Gym at the Vortex
    Theatrical production about mental health, working out, + pancakes
  • The Fireraisers at 311 W 7th Street
    Critically acclaimed absurdist comedic play in a secret room

Saturday 4/18

  • Overheard on a Train on Austin’s metrorail
    Participate in immersive theatre while exploring public transit
  • Spacetime Rodeo at Hampton Inn Parking Garage Rooftop
    Stargaze + hear eclipse-inspired classical / pedal steel music
  • Odditree Ride along the Boggy Creek Greenbelt
    “Gentle, reflective” ride through town to meet some cool trees
  • Record Store Day at record stores throughout Austin
    Celebrate the love for all things vinyl w/exclusive releases
  • The Best Man Show at Ground Floor Theatre
    One-man comedy show about a best man speech gone awry
  • Legends Dance Championship at the Long Center
    Collegiate south Asian style dance teams compete to win
  • 150 Year Celebration at the Old Bakery + Emporium
    Live music, art, + photos from the loooong history of the venue
  • Earth Day Printfest at Make at Rosie
    Make or watch printmakers create shirts + art prints
  • PowerPints at the Highball
    “Drink + learn things” at comedic talks on a variety of esoteric topics
  • Sherwood Forest Faire in McDade
    Central Texas’ renaissance faire w/medieval food, arts, fun, + dress
  • Preservation Austin Homes Tour at historic houses throughout Austin
    Explore homes in Austin w/notable history + architecture
  • Poolboy at The Museum of Human Achievement
    “Immersive party + performance” explores submission + surveillance
  • The Lonestar Roundup at Travis County Expo Center
    See vintage cars from many eras + hear live music
  • Bloodthirsty at Sterling Stage
    Saucy blood + vamp-themed drag, pole + belly dance, + “literal blood bath”
  • Quest Night at Scare for a Cure
    “Interactive medieval action adventure” w/giant monsters + puzzles
  • Fire Dancers + Drone Show at Pioneer Farms
    Choreographed combination of drone light show + fire dancers
  • Lemonade Float Fest at Reveille Peak Ranch
    Watch athletes on vehicles way too X-treme to be called unicycles
  • Instructions for a Seance at Bass Concert Hall
    Immersive séance where you contact Houdini to escape your own existence
  • Fusebox Festival at venues throughout Austin
    Musical, arty, experiential, + communal performances by local + int’l folks
  • The Happiness Gym at the Vortex
    Theatrical production about mental health, working out, + pancakes
  • The Fireraisers at 311 W 7th Street
    Critically acclaimed absurdist comedic play in a secret room

Sunday 4/19

  • Rainforest Reverb at State of Texas Garage A
    32 channels of audio transform a parking garage into a rainforest
  • Texas Mushroom Conference at UT-Austin
    Get scientific with fungi experts in topics like “mycoremediation”
  • Hello, I’m Your New Neighbor at an undisclosed location
    “Site-specific walking performance” where you follow the performers
  • Ethereal Resurrection Film Fest at Hyperreal Film Club
    Curated genre films like scifi, horror, + the supernatural
  • TreeFolks Picnic at Live Oak Brewing
    “Ask-an-arborist,” dunk tank, flash tats, DJ, vendors, tarot
  • Sunday Funday at Austin Beerworks
    VHS swap, vintage vendors, physical media, + kitschy video screenings
  • Sherwood Forest Faire in McDade
    Central Texas’ renaissance faire w/medieval food, arts, fun, + dress
  • Preservation Austin Homes Tour at historic houses throughout Austin
    Explore homes in Austin w/notable history + architecture
  • Lemonade Float Fest at Reveille Peak Ranch
    Watch athletes on vehicles way too X-treme to be called unicycles
  • Instructions for a Seance at Bass Concert Hall
    Immersive séance where you contact Houdini to escape your own existence
  • Fusebox Festival at venues throughout Austin
    Musical, arty, experiential, + communal performances by local + int’l folks
  • The Happiness Gym at the Vortex
    Theatrical production about mental health, working out, + pancakes
  • The Fireraisers at 311 W 7th Street
    Critically acclaimed absurdist comedic play in a secret room

Monday 4/20

  • High Horse at Sagebrush
    Drag tributes to Willie Nelson, THC bevs, DJ + linedancing lessons
  • Dazed and Confused at Top Notch
    Drive in + watch the Austin classic Linklater flick at the place it was filmed
  • (weekly thru 5/18) Kicking the Bucket Listening Club at Hampton Branch Library
    Combine basket weaving, group audiobook listening, + end-of-life discussion

Wednesday 4/22

Thursday 4/23

  • Puppet Ruckus at the Vortex
    They had us at “multimedia musical puppet production”
  • Threshold at Texas Immersive Institute
    UT students’ immersive scifi project w/spatial audio, generative AI
  • Denim Prom at Elysium
    Break out a Canadian tux for linedancing, prom contests, + vendors
  • Latte Art Throwdown at Hole in the Wall
    Latte art bracket for prizes + karaoke
  • The Amazing Acro-Cats at the Rollins Theater
    Cats: the world’s least cooperative acrobats
  • Indie Meme Festival at AFS
    A film fest celebrating independent Indian + South Asian cinema

NHA276
Cosmic Journey V

It’s time for another Cosmic Journey. No Humans Allowed takes another trip into the depths of space featuring cosmic disco, prog, library + italo from the late 70s through late 80s.

Stream Cosmic Journey V

Tracklist
Stars ’n’ Bars – Stars & Bars
Novalis – Du Bist Schön (Basso Edit)
Anthony King – Filigree Funk
Richard Wahnfried – Time Actor
The Alan Parsons Project – Mammagamma
Goblin – Danza
Charanjit Singh – Raga Malkauns
CTI – Dancing Ghosts (Midnight at Robinwood Mill)
Lucifer’s Friend – Stardancer (In Flagranti Edit)
Mort Garson – Musiic for Advertising #7
Boney M – Gadda-da-Vida (Soft Rocks Edit)
Robert Schroeder – Galactic Floor
Future World Orchestra – Casablanca Nights (I:Cube Edit)
Kanji – Dancing Star (Cap’ Edit)

No Humans Allowed is Brian Blackout’s award-winning, 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 Liz, Melissa Dunn, Kat, James Gray, Emily Heddleson, Andrew Creswell, Robert B., Roman Gonzalez, Nick Ivons, Molly Fonseca, Lilly Ettinger, Michael Sales, Zach, Gino Scaramuzza, Erica Speegle, Thomas Refferson, Bones Malones, Katie Green, Christina Jue, Colleen MB, Alexander Freed, Kristen Backor, and Timon A. 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 attending a dance party in a storage unit, marching in a Greek mythology-themed Halloween parade thrown by a bat crew and a rat crew, and watching a troupe of gigantic leftist puppets from New England. 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 and Side by Sideshows for live music, The Darker Side of Austin for goth and metal stuff, Concept Animals’ ATX Art for You for gallery openings + artist talks, ATX Theatre for plays, 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.

SEE YOU NEXT WEEK, CHAMPIONS

Subscribe