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The Weekend is here. TPR’s Jack Morgan has a few ideas on how you can make it a good one.
First off, Friday night: it’s Summer Night City. Here’s Texas Public Radio’s Director of Events Tori Pool.
“Summer Night City is something that takes place at Texas Public Radio in TPR Plaza,” she said. “It's an outdoor, free weekly music series where we spotlight some of what we think are exciting artists in Texas. We have bands that are coming from as far as the Valley to play in the plaza area.”
It will likely be hot, but by the time the music kicks off, TPR Plaza will largely be in the shade.
“Food and drink will be available to purchase from Last Chance Market. They have several vendors, including Church Burger,” Pool said. “It's always a great vibe. We try to have a mix of music. This first one on June 12 will feature Luna Tropical and Ilo Zul for Cumbia style music.”
Admission is free, and if rain threatens, they’ll move it all inside the TPR building.
Also on Friday, musician Will Taylor is at Fredericksburg’s Rock Box Theater. For years he’s been putting on what he calls "Concerts in the Dark."
“We do like to bring the lights down as much as possible, but we do have some candles, and that lets people kind of feel a sense of immersion with the music,” he said.
Taylor’s group has gotten so popular that in Fredericksburg, they’re not just doing one show.
“We're actually doing two different shows, different themes,” Taylor said. “The first one's Beatles, early show, 6 o'clock, and then 8 o'clock is the 'Radiohead in the Dark.'”
Then on Sunday, the Esperanza’s Queer Voices will perform a tardeada. Here’s co-producer Anel Flores.
“We walk around kind of protecting ourselves often,” Flores said. “I think the audience will know, most of us, that it is tough right now. And so, when we have a space with queer voices, and we really hold that space, we can feel it. And then these writers and artists, after that night, they'll go out there and they'll keep doing that work.”
Queer voices has gone on for a decade, but this one marks a change.
“After the pandemic, I asked Chibi Ordoñez if he would be willing to co-produce Queer Voices with me, but we were going to turn it into a big, like a whole evening pachanga, like with a little festival, like more rounded,” she said.
