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Hundreds of comics enter, only one comedian leaves … with the crown that means they can call themselves the Funniest Person in Austin. Who will ascend to the throne currently being kept warm by last year’s winner Dylan Carlino? We won’t find out until the finals later this year, but there are still plenty of chances to discover your favorite new funny-hilarious local talent in these opening rounds. With as many as 16 of Austin’s best funsters on any night, it’s all jokes, no waiting. – Richard Whittaker

Childhood trauma-monger Don Bluth struck again with this soul-crushing tale of the immigrant struggle masquerading as a kid’s movie. I mean, check out this adorable animal story! Who are we kidding, this is one of the classic Nineties cartoons that radicalized a generation, as it deals with the manipulation of an immigrant mouse family by literal fat cats ruling the city through intimidation and voter fraud. Family-friendly fun for all. But seriously, for a tearjerker with gorgeous animation, it doesn’t get much better than this. Besides, there are worse things than having “Somewhere Out There” stuck in your head for weeks. Bring a hanky and prepare for a serious post-movie talk with your children. – Cat McCarrey

Running till August 16, Xavier Alvarado’s solo exhibition at 2324 Gallery features one of the most enduring themes in art: love. Raised in Texas “with deep Trinidadian roots,” as he notes on his website, Alvarado has collaborated with big names like Austin FC and Louis Vuitton, and his work spans multiple different media from painting to installation. With both new and old pieces in the show, Alvarado emphasizes “the transformative power of sharing in relationships and communities,” the exhibition text reads. Alvarado says this body of work “represents the heart’s capacity to connect, give, and enrich others” and “invites reflection on how sharing shapes our experiences of love and deepens our understanding of the heart.”– Lina Fisher

Caleb De Casper teases that “Sik Culture,” his first single since 2022 album Femme Boy, boasts a “fresh, dark, and bold approach.” Strap in, then, because De Casper wasn’t exactly a shrinking violet before. We’ll be eager to hear this promised reboot to De Casper’s synthy sexy groovers, which have already captured the darkest corners of the dance floor. The release at Vinyl Beauty Bar features complimentary cocktails (and, thus, is 21+ only), chair massages, and mini-manicures from the combination music venue/record store/spa and salon. – Abby Johnston

On June 7, Charlotte Emma Aitchison changed the world for chain-smoking bisexual former-Tumblr gorls everywhere. Then Lorde changed it again with the “Girl, so confusing” remix. It’s taken some time to recover from such slays as those, especially considering the immediately iconic music vids for “360” and “Von Dutch,” and Brat Summer indeed persists for many of us. Ballroom knows that, and thank god they’re throwing a Brat night for anyone who missed the listening parties, or is simply still in Charli’s choke hold. DJ Boyfriend will be bumpin’ that iconic album, along with ARCA, Slayyyter, Shygirl, SOPHIE, 100 gecs, and more. Wear your best smudged eyeliner and cropped white tank top, or else. – Lina Fisher

Who is the monster in François Ozon’s twisted and sweaty reimagining of the Hansel and Gretel fairy tale? Is it Luc (Jérémie Renier), the young killer who has no idea how closeted he is? Is it the mysterious “man of the woods” (Miki Manojlović), the strange hermit who seemingly gives him refuge after he slays a classmate, Saïd (Salim Kechiouche), but then shows intentions toward Luc’s own body that could be carnal or cannibalistic? Or is it all really Alice (Natacha Régnier), whose criminal obsessions set the whole sordid affair in motion? Ozon’s misanthropic edge overweighs hints of misogyny in this New Queer French Cinema classic. – Richard Whittaker

RDCWorld isn’t just about goofing on YouTube and Twitch. It’s about how the Texas gaming and anime crew – more formally referred to as Real Dreamers Change the World – have built a community. And what’s a community if you can’t come together in person? After years of holding Dream Con in Waco, these hilarious standard bearers of Black nerd culture in the Lone Star State have now relocated to Austin for their weekend celebration of all that is geeky, from series-specific cosplay events to making paper dolls and even an adults-only cabaret. – Richard Whittaker

After last month’s kickoff, “Austin’s last single-screen movie theatre” Eastside Cinema and go-to record shop End of an Ear continue ENDSURROUND, a mash-up of local bands and essential offbeat films. On this pairing, perfectly fuzzy ATX bubble-grungers On Being an Angel – led by EOAE vinyl-slinger Paige Applin – play ahead of John Cassavetes’ devastating tour de force A Woman Under the Influence, independently released 50 years ago. It’s a prime opportunity to check out the Millennium Youth Entertainment Complex-housed theatre’s throwback digs, reopened in January by the team behind Blue Starlite. Even with live music, ticket prices stick at $10 (with an extra checkout option for popcorn and candy). – Rachel Rascoe

Sometimes partners in life can create on-screen magic, and never was that more true than with Gena Rowlands and John Cassavetes Maybe they thought their collaboration peaked when Rowlands made a guest appearance on Cassavetes’ short-lived detective series Johnny Staccato, but their 10-movie run of character-driven wonders ended up winning her two Oscar nominations for Best Actress: in 1980 for crime drama Gloria, but first in 1974 for A Woman Under the Influence, which also snagged Cassavetes a Best Director nod. Talk about bringing out the best in each other. Make sure to get there early for a special set of shoegazey rock from On Being an Angel at this special screening, sponsored by End of an Ear as part of their Endsurround series. – Richard Whittaker

Inspired by the first wave of British heavyosity – as evidenced by naming themselves for a Judas Priest teeth rattler of the same title – Ottawans Exciter came together in 1978 and proved a key influence on thrash. Labeled speed metal and still anchored by stickman and eventual screamer Dan Beehler plus bassist Allan Johnson, the trio bristles far more primordial in hindsight. Raw and revelatory, Exciter seethes like Venom on seminal 1980 bow Heavy Metal Maniac. Need proof? Look no further than the headliners supporting them here: Cleveland’s contemporary blackened thrashers Midnight, whose new sixth LP, Hellish Expectations, shrieks Exciter-esque. – Raoul Hernandez

Is there anything more Austin than a dual album release and farewell show? After 10 years, the Golden Roses are packing it in, but not before dropping one last platter with third LP Heartbreak Fixer Uppers. Although the pedal steel-raked quintet led by John Mutchler can load a dance floor, they truly excel in dripping classic honky-tonk heartbreak and barstool ruminations, especially in Heather Rae Johnson’s fiddle and aching vocals that mark the title track and standout duet “Five Years Too Long.” Aaron McDonnell sets it up early, and Gus Clark & the Least of His Problems close it down. – Doug Freeman

Proving trans people throw excellent parties with every event they organize, dynamic duo the Trans Era and Jasmania get Chups nice and wet this weekend. In addition to an appearance by this summer’s biggest star, aka Cheer Ups’ waterslide, catch local drag by Jenna Talia, Sir Beau Elliot, Venus Rising, Monica Monae Davenport, Gothess Jasmine, Bobby Pudrido, Azucar, and MK Ultra. DJ Ruby Knight provides the night’s soundtrack. Plus: This’ll be Jasmania’s final show before packing up and out of Austin, so make sure to give ’em a hearty “Bon voyage!”– James Scott

The Vortex is a bastion for fearless theatre. For over 30 years their summer youth program has passed that torch to middle and high school students, teaching them to explore the boundaries of what live performance can deliver. This year the talented teens have diligently worked on Thrive, or What You Will, a Shakespeare-inspired introspection on identity. Main character Jeanne changes actors throughout the performance in this feminist take on taxonomy, botany, and one’s place in the world. What a perfect chance to glimpse the universal adolescent struggle. – Cat McCarrey

There is, perhaps, no better living historian of the versatility of country and blues than Swamp Dogg. Over his six-decade career, he’s explored bouncy, hip-shaking funk and R&B, and tears-in-your-beer blues tinged with his signature “country soul.” This year’s album Blackgrass: From West Virginia to 125th Street leans into the more overt overtures to country roots – putting a razor-sharp point on Beyoncé’s message with Cowboy Carter: Black people were the originators of the wide-ranging country genre. Catch the original Dogg for the Antone’s show Friday night or an interview and record signing at Waterloo earlier in the day. – Abby Johnston

Local synthpop legend Vestite is releasing an album and you’re invited to the party. It’s sure to be a celebration of not just the album, but local electronic music, which doesn’t get its due as often as indie does in Austin. But it does here – before the headliner, there’ll be performances by Misty Days, Meddah, and Gleaming. In an Instagram post announcing the album and a single cover of Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Bad Thing Twice” on June 28, Vestite writes of the album process: “[At] some point in 2022, I was feeling like I was in a creative rut and decided to make a cover of one of my favorite songs (by one of my favorite artists) to kinda snap myself out of it. It was meant to just be a one-off live performance, but after showing a demo to a couple friends, I felt encouraged to record a studio version.” The ensuing album was financed in part by the City of Austin’s Live Music Fund Event Program; Vestite writes, “I couldn’t be more grateful to live in a city like Austin, TX.” You can listen to lead singles “God Bless America” and “Tear It Apart” now on streaming.: – Lina Fisher

Hoo-wee! Does anything feel better than a dip in the pool during a hot Texas summer? While some among us may be privileged to own private watering holes, most of us get to enjoy the great Austin PARD’s work at the 44 public aquatic facilities to choose from this summer. You’ve got regional, neighborhood, and community pools; a wading pool; splash pads; and the crown jewel: Barton Springs. Check austintexas.gov/pools-splashpads for up-to-date info on which pools are open, what their entry fee is, and whether you have what it takes to be a public pool lifeguard. Now, outta the way if you don’t wanna get wet: I’m gonna do a cannonball! – James Scott

Regine Malibiran is a woman of passion. She pours her soul into every project she undertakes – creative and entrepreneur, activist and advocate. Now as the founder of forth space productions, she has taken all of her passion and experience to forge a path for artists to express their truths fearlessly and with the support of forth space, whose mission and name derive from the “sociological concept of the fourth space as a realm where meaning is made and all the potential that lies between here and forward.” “BUMUO,” from the Tagalog for “whole,” is an exhibition that centers the strength and artistic brilliance of the Filipino community. Six artists tell the connective story of the Philippines, reclaiming their history, rejecting the manipulation of the colonizers who inhabited their home for four centuries, and building a future of healing and empowerment. On view through July 27. – Cy White

Thanks to Seventies funk band War, the word “lowrider” often calls to mind the unforgettable sax riff of the band’s 1975 No. 1 single. But lowrider can mean a snazzy customized car with hydraulics or a person who works on such a vehicle, and the culture around these cars has strengthened Mexican American communities in the Southwest since the Forties. Learn more about them at this exhibit featuring an interactive touchscreen mural, cars and bikes on display, and stories about the people who make lowriding a community. A member reception takes place May 18. – Kat McNevins

We’re in that liminal space of summer, where life is lush and blooming, right before it succumbs to death by heat. Big Medium’s curator Coka Treviño has collected an exhibit full of garden scenes representing that magical explosion of garden growth. In her own words, it’s a way “to forget how heavy it feels to be a human.” There’s constant discovery in the wide variety of works, from dozens of artists like the established Dawn Okoro and up-and-comers MuthaGoose. Join the opening reception this Friday to view interpretations of glorious greenery. – Cat McCarrey

Taylor Davis might have the coolest job description I’ve ever heard. She’s an independent curator (dream) and a landscape designer. So basically, she finds beauty in everything she touches. For “Bending Light,” Davis has accumulated work by four BIPOC artists, multidisciplinary masters “illuminating the nuanced experiences and collective memories of queerness and femininity in Black cultural production,” to quote the exhibit description. A weighty task, but one the artists – Kaima Marie Akarue, Ciara Elle Bryant, Catherine Martinez, and Chandrika Metivier – pull off with fascinating aplomb. Through mediums including but not limited to sculpture, video, collage, and photos, the viewer glimpses unique experiences. It’s a fresh reflection of this world. – Cat McCarrey