Artsy holiday parties

Holiday B Scene at the Blanton: The uglier the sweater the better

Whoever thought up the ugly holiday sweater party was a genius: it's the perfect excuse to wear the nastiest piece of holiday clothing you own with pride. CultureMap Austin and the Blanton Museum of Art would love to see the tacky sweaters you've been hiding in your drawers this Friday, December 2 at the Holiday B Scene at the Blanton.

Not only will you get to sport your battery-operated Christmas tree hoodie in the ugly sweater contest (with sweet prizes provided by CultureMap), you'll also have a chance to show it off on the karaoke stage while belting out your favorite holiday tunes. (Don't worry, there will be liquid courage available for purchase.) For those who'd rather leave the music to the professionals, The Lucky Strikes will keep the party going with their 50s-inspired lounge and swing music.

Hundreds are expected to take part in this holiday celebration that includes tours of current Blanton exhibit El Anatsui: When I Last Wrote to You about Africa, a major retrospective of internationally-renowned artist El Anatsui organized by the Museum for African Art in New York City.

The Holiday B Scene is one in a series of quarterly events that began in 2006 when the new building opened. Over the years the B Scene has grown to be one of the most popular recurring parties in town, drawing crowds of more than 1,500 people.

"At the time, museums around the country were just beginning to do these 'art party'-type events and were drawing people that had not been to museums before. The main goal is to have someone come and have such a great time that they come back and bring their friends and family, or become members," says Brady Dyer, Public Relations and Marketing Manager for the Blanton.

"We wanted to create a more social event that included music, activities and drinks/food so that visitors could interact with each other and engage with the museum in a casual, fun way," Dyer says.

And what's more fun than roaming the halls of the Blanton after hours, wearing a glow-in-the-dark reindeer fleece?

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Tickets to Blanton B Scene can be purchased online or at the door on Friday, December 2.

Sonic Boost

Musical gala spotlights 20 Austin acts including Nemegata, Quentin Arispe

Nemegata Austin

Photo courtesy of Spaceflight Records

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On January 18, charitable organization Sonic Guild will award $150,000 in grants to 20 deserving local bands and solo artists at the Sonic Guild Ball. For the first time ever, tickets are available to the public for this ceremony and show.

This is the 11th year this organization has supported the Austin music scene, though readers might know the organization by its previous name, Black Fret. This public charity is headquartered here in Austin and is on a mission to support artists here (as well as in Seattle and parts of Colorado, now) with a publicly available annual membership.

In return for annual dues, members get to see a bunch of shows and attend private events; and their memberships support local music with grants. Over these years, the group has awarded grants and payments to local musicians, venues, and music businesses totaling over $6 million.

This year's grant recipients are:

Rob Baird
West 22nd
Cactus Lee
The Point
DAIISTAR
Parker Woodland
Nemegata
Deer Fellow
Elijah Delgado
Grocery Bag
Quentin Arispe
Shelley King
Geto Gala
Next of Kin
promqueen
Lew Apollo
S. L. Houser
Harvest Thieves
TV's Daniel
Stella and the Very Messed

These artists were selected through a year-long process where Sonic Guild members, advisors, and prior grant recipients nominated, lobbied for, and finally voted on their favorite artists.

These 20 winners will receive not only grants at the upcoming Sonic Guild Ball, but also mentoring, and will be paid for any performance they do for Sonic Guild audiences in the future. In fact, half of the awarded bands will be performing at the ball itself.

In between performances there will be videos and live testimonials telling the stories of how past grant winners have used their funds to boost their music careers with album recordings, tours, instruments, and more.

“Naming these 20 2024 Sonic Guild Artists puts us at over 200 individual acts we have recognized with a Sonic Guild grant,” said co-founder and Executive Director of Sonic Guild Austin Matt Ott in a press release. “Every member that joins Sonic Guild sends a powerful message to our city’s musicians that their contributions to our culture matters. We must support our music scene as our great city grows to make sure it thrives for generations to come.”

The 2024 Sonic Guild Ball will be held at the Long Center for the first time ever. Individual public tickets are available online and range between $24 and $130 depending on the seat.

Austinites can also become members of Sonic Guild and have access to more than 30 live shows this next season, and will get to vote for the lucky artists that will be awarded with grants at next year's Sonic Guild Ball.

galas fundraisers music live music

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