Feted by Fusebash, the Fancy Fundraiser for Fusebox Festival

Entire ziggurats of infused Jell-O, that's what we saw on Saturday night in Downtown Austin. Ziggurats! You know: like those pyramids of deep history, but not the Egyptian style of pyramids. More like the ancient Mesopotamian pyramids? Where they go up in steps, one level at a time?

That kind of ziggurat, with five such complex structures rising toward eye level, each composed of a bright and colorful profusion of gelatin shots arranged atop the glowing tables in the front of Distribution Hall, the East Austin venue serving as interior epicenter for this past weekend's Fusebash.

Fusebash is, of course, the annual fundraising soirée for Austin's free-to-all Fusebox Festival (April 15-19), and the event's theme this year was Electric Jell-O Jungle. The theme explains both those ingestible (and alcohol-infused and hella tasty) ziggurats of variously sized gelatins (some the size of a thimble, others as big as a bocce ball) and the giant inflatable plastic beasts and plants that added a surreal flavor to the happily crowded front lawn of the place.

Had to have such outrageous decorations, if only to match the wild splendor of performances by Frank Wo/Men Collective and House of Kenzo and MC Erica Nix and her aerobically fit cohort. Had to have the party so creatively dolled up to not be overshadowed by the cocktail-dress stylings of so many arts-loving Austinites peacocking around and tripping the night fantastic until the family-style dinner by L'Oca d'Oro chef Fiore Tedesco and Olamaie pastry chef Jules Stoddart drew everyone to the festive dining area deeper in the complex – where a live auction of experiences wrangled much money from the wallets of well-heeled revelers.

Experiences? For instance, the bidding surpassed three grand for an offering from Austin's own Rubber Repertory: "Victory Lap." That's where, during this year's Summer Olympics, each time Team USA wins a gold medal, some guy wearing only a Speedo will show up at your residence and run five victory laps around your house. No, really – this is Rubber Rep we're talking about, after all, and we wouldn't be surprised if Mr. Speedo was Matt Hislope or Josh Meyer, depending on the day and time of the wins.

Yes, that's the kind of night it was at the Fusebash, and it was a perfect harbinger for the odd brilliance of this year's Fusebox Festival, coming to inundate our city with vibrant (and free-to-the-public) creativity of all kinds, shortly after a little ol' thing (*cough* South By *cough*) has passed through our burgeoning metropolis once more.