Festival season is bringing nonstop activities into the city — and onto our list of the best things to do this weekend. Enjoy the delicious flavors of Hot Luck Fest or laugh it up during the inaugural People of Color Comedy Festival. For a full list of events, visit our calendar.
Thursday, May 23
Hot Luck Fest Food and music collide for a Texas-sized festival fit for Austin. Co-founded by Aaron Franklin, Hot Luck is a four-day mashup that showcases world-class culinary talent, live music performances, and a feast of curated flavors that highlight the diverse cooking community of the Lone Star State. Attendees can enjoy a la carte, picnic-style bites, open-pit demonstrations, musical performances, and plenty of party vibes. Visit the festival website for a full schedule of events.
Friday, May 24
Thompson + Hanson Garden House presents Spring Market Day Celebrate the season in full bloom with the family at Kerbey Lane Village. Spring Market Day guests can explore a variety of vendors specializing in sweet treats, savory bites, fresh flowers, and other unique goods while enjoying live acoustic music by Dave the Band. Market Day partners include Two Hives Honey, Green Hen Farm, Earl Grey Floral, Tiny Boxwoods | Milk + Cookies, and others. Admission is free.
Blackbear in concert Hip-hop artist Blackbear comes to Austin in support of his new album, Anonymous. Since releasing his first EP in 2008, the singer-songwriter and producer has worked with countless big names in music, including Justin Bieber, G-Eazy, and Billie Eilish. Select tickets to the ACL Live show are still available.
Lucky Chaos Productions presents People of Color Comedy Festival A diverse roster of comedians bring fresh — and funny — perspectives to AISD Performing Arts Center. The People of Color Comedy Festival is a two-day event featuring improv, storytelling, and stand-up performances. Festival highlights include ¡ESCÁNDALO!, an improvised bilingual Spanish-English telenovela, and Sugar Water Purple, Austin’s first and only all-black male improv troupe. For tickets, visit the festival website.
Sunday, May 26
Circle Brewing Co. presents Pints & Poses Deep breathing and ice cold brews come together at Circle Brewing Co. as part of the ongoing Pints & Poses yoga series. Attendees will experience an hour-long detoxifying Hatha yoga class lead by a certified instructor and finish the morning in the Tasting Room with a freshly tapped pint. Tickets include a reserved space for yoga and one pour following the flow. Guests are encouraged to bring their own mat.
Aaron Franklin, James Moody, and Mike Thelin team up for another installment of Hot Luck Festival.
Photo by Alison Narro
Aaron Franklin, James Moody, and Mike Thelin team up for another installment of Hot Luck Festival.
Austin's Mama Duke is set to showcase her original rap on America’s Got Talent.
Austin musician Mama Duke is no stranger to the limelight, but her journey to becoming a multifaceted artist has been anything but conventional. Now, she’s taking her artistry to a national stage, representing Austin on America's Got Talent (AGT). Her audition will air June 17 at 7 pm on NBC (locally on KXAN).
With deep roots in storytelling and a genre-defying sound, Mama Duke embodies creative evolution. Hopping between rap, pop, and other genres, her music is a testament to her love for bridging communities and celebrating individuality.
Music has always been a force of connection for Mama Duke, and that journey started early. Growing up in a household where rap wasn’t allowed, her mother instilled a love of storytelling through other genres, sparking her passion for lyrics and meaning. Now, the musician's refusal to be boxed into a single genre is central to her identity as an artist. She describes herself as being “in the middle of everything,” a reflection of her life experiences.
Her upcoming appearance on AGT marks a milestone in her career, one that she views as an opportunity not just for herself, but for all the communities she represents.
CultureMap took some time with Mama Duke to learn about her artistic point of view and audition on America's Got Talent. This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
CultureMap: You've been in and around music since childhood. What is it about the medium of music that you love?
Mama Duke: "I grew up on the Mexican side of my family, and so my mom didn't let me listen to rap growing up, and I always was listening to, like, just oldies. And I owe my mom so much. But every time we listened to a country song, she'd turn it off and be like, ‘What do you think that was about?’ We talked about songs. And so it is just storytelling that I am so excited about. Obviously music performing, but also telling other people's stories ... pulling that out of you, that's what I love."
CM: You're often defined as 'genre hopping.' How would you describe your music to someone who's never heard it before?
MD: "I'm in this weird space for lack of a better word. I sometimes I don't know what to say. I love pop music. But then if somebody just introduced me as pop artist Mama Duke, or even when people say 'she's a rapper,' I'm like, that does not feel good, you know? And so I think I'm still developing that. I feel like I want to give you an answer. I don't have just one."
CM: That's part of what makes your music unique, too. You can hear the genre hopping, even in individual songs. Can you tell me more about your desire to mix styles?
MD: "For me, it's just like I am a bridge to a lot of different things. I'm half Black, half Mexican, right in the middle. I'm also a masc presenting queer woman. I am literally in the middle of all these communities. And so for me, it's like, I love being a bridge. It's something that doesn't turn off. I always say rap music got me here. Universal did a songwriting camp in the pandemic, and that's when I started making songs with people from Brazil. You know, I love bridging worlds."
CM: You're about to perform on America's Got Talent. What does it mean to you to represent Austin on the AGT stage?
MD: "Oh, man, it is literally for everyone. I mean, I would say triple whammy, right? I'm a part of so many minority groups, you know, and then you add artists in there. We're all trying just have some sort of spotlight on us. ... To be seen by such a big platform is — I can’t explain it. Imagine if you won the lottery and you cannot cash this until next February. You’re still moving. But you eat different things, treating people different. Traffic feels different. News feels different. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity to feel like this; feel invincible, you feel invited to the table."
CM: What are you most excited for the world to see when your performance airs?
MD: "I hope people can see me beyond the performance, beyond my story. You know, like if you didn't like the song, you liked me. If you didn't like me, you liked the song, or you appreciated my outfit, or you laughed a little. I want people to see that a starving artist from Austin, Texas, is touching ... Simon [Cowell] or Scary Spice. I was always the Black girl. I always had to be, like, even if I wanted to be Sporty [Spice], I think, gladly, was always that loud Black girl. And so to be seen there, it's crazy."
CM: What was the turning point for you in moving from just listening and consuming to actually making music?
MD: "When I was younger, my mama had this software on her computer. Horrible mic, horrible, horrible, horrible. But it worked, and she had a CD burner. So here I am, 14 years old, rapping on this rinky dink mic, burning it and selling it in the hallways. I really didn't know you could be anybody and get paid for it. It was just, I love to do it. Then I went to the Art Institute for photography — that was my first love. I heard that Austin was the Live Music Capital of the World. Moved to Austin, started performing, and I was like, ‘People pay for this?' Even $50? You want to give me $50 to do the song I made in my closet? ... I was just winging it."
CM: What advice do you have for musicians in Austin trying to make it to where you are?
MD: "I mean, it's a little lonely for anybody out there in the early stages or middle stages. Your blueprint is not going to look like mine. You're really precious. ... Truly, to have this golden ticket to go audition, it's like every 'no' mattered. The day after my audition airs, [I'll go to work at] the YMCA... I could be mad about that, like, dang, I got this opportunity, and I still got to clock in the day after. [But] I get to do that, and I'm okay with that. Your story is your story. You have to love that part of it, to love this part. If you are truly an artist, this is what we do. We struggle and fall in love with that part."