Book Smart: Four Young Bookers Fueling Austin's Collegiate Music Scene
Behind the unjaded lineups of Happen Twice, Howdy Gals, Moonbby, and Beary Good
By Rachel Rascoe, Genevieve Wood, Kriss Conklin, and Wayne Lim, Fri., Aug. 18, 2023
As Austin haunts like Hole in the Wall push 50, the scene soldier handing out artists' checks at the end of the night may very well be barely aged for entry. After a sleepy pandemic interlude, the 2022-23 school year musically slapped back like one of those toy sticky hands. For proof, hear from four bookers who fuel, select, and develop the fountain of youth on curtained stages and backyards across Austin – delightfully unjaded and raring to go. – Rachel Rascoe
Moonbby's Cristina Mauri
Wondering how DIY continues to thrive in the skyscraper-littered streets of West Campus? Meet Cristina Mauri, the 21-year-old booking wizard responsible for resuscitating co-op live music culture post-COVID.
Mauri's productions revolve around bizarre, boisterous themes that tailor to the alternative collegiate crowd. Shenanigans from recent events include wrestling in kiddie pools filled with baby oil, offering a cigarette buffet to concertgoers, and dyeing Pearl Street Co-op's pool bloodred. "I try to create the most perfect, random nights that people won't ever experience ever again," says Mauri. "At the same time, we have these wonderful musicians sharing their art."
Behind the anarchy lies Mauri's meticulous planning and keen eye for up-and-coming local talent. As a freshman at UT-San Antonio, Mauri fell for DIY culture as an organizer of punk house shows. After transferring to UT-Austin, she quickly took the reins as the in-house event planner for Pearl Street Co-op. Now a senior wrapping up a degree in English, she points to the co-op music scene's judgment-free attitude as its greatest strength.
"At other venues, you have to stay calm, cool, and collected, but at the co-op you can express yourself in any way you want, as long as you're respecting everyone around you," says Mauri, also a KVRX DJ. "You can dance insanely. I've seen people crawl on the floor and do push-ups to the music. Whether you live at the co-op or just go to the shows, it's the type of place where you can go up to anybody and say, 'Hey, do you want to be friends?'"
Curating co-op shows opened doors for Mauri to pursue a career in the music industry outside of West Campus. As Moonbby Presents, she books regularly at Electric Church and beyond. Despite her lack of experience with a camera, Mauri spent the summer traveling as concert photographer for local alt-rock groups Daydream Twins and Sad Cell on their cross-country tour.
"That's the nature of DIY culture," she laughs. "I didn't know how to throw shows at first either, but once you start figuring things out for yourself, you realize you can learn how to do anything." – Genevieve Wood
Moonbby DJs at Mohawk on Friday, Aug. 18, during the sold-out West 22nd release show. Find more on Instagram @moonbby6.
Beary Good's Addison Williams
For a music-loving Tennessean far from home, current UT-Austin senior Addison Williams found her own within the university's burgeoning indie rock sphere. When campus reopened post-lockdown, the communication studies major immediately flocked to student radio station KVRX and music magazine Afterglow. Through the latter, Williams got her first taste of the Austin music scene, where she cut her teeth booking campus haunts and curating jangly singer-songwriter lineups for 18-and-over Pitchfork followers.
"A huge part of college is how you spend your weekends," says Afterglow's head event coordinator. "I could be out on Sixth Street or going to frat parties, but no, I want to hang out at Hole in the Wall or Ballroom. You have work, home, and a third place. That's the third place to me."
After planning Guayakí Yerba Mate-sponsored socials, booking cumbia-rock Chronicle cover girls the Tiarras at Mohawk, and throwing print launch parties on Fruth Street, Williams had finally found her footing. In March, she set her sights beyond the extracurricular and started Beary Good, an independent promoting project where the 21-year-old aims to create "a space that doesn't feel like every bar in Austin."
Williams places an emphasis on centering femme energy and creating lineups beyond the white, indie, male scope. "I would love to uplift those voices that aren't on bills every weekend," she says. "There's so much more to offer in Austin, and it definitely motivates me to make something cool and not exactly the same as it always feels."
Between juggling dual summer internships in Los Angeles and curating "none of the hits, all of the time" as DJ Paris, Williams certainly keeps a full calendar as she ramps up events for Beary Good and Afterglow this fall. Potential highlights include booker collabs, costumed concerts, tattoo and vendor pop-ups, and a femme-punk dream show.
"I don't know how the music scene was before COVID, but I feel it's just getting younger and younger and cooler and cooler," Williams laughs. – Kriss Conklin
Beary Good presents Muñe, Nova, and Modern Sophia at the Ballroom on Thursday, Aug. 17. Find more on Instagram @bearygoodatx.
Howdy Gals' Tiffany Chung
Most cool college efforts – one-off festivals, short-lived zines – burn bright and fast, rarely surviving members' graduation. Now over five years old, Howdy Gals has officially outlived a typical undergrad's matriculation. Their concerts keep churning under 24-year-old Tiffany Chung, who inherited Austin operations and has helped grow the collective.
"We were trying to figure out how to continue Howdy Gals, because for a period of time, it was just [Belicia Luevano] and I," says Chung, who met the co-founders during an interview for UT-Austin student mag Afterglow. "We started bringing on people slowly, because we wanted to book more. After that, we obviously needed structure on the team, so I took on a bigger role in November."
Far-flung early members Luevano and Shannon Wiedemeyer occasionally book in San Francisco and New York, keeping up the mix between live-oriented Austin bands and touring selects. In town, the 10-person team's weekly offerings range from the all-ages Mohawk indoor stage to campus-area gigs, often under Ballroom talent buyer/Howdy Gal Catalina Pozos. Chung's first fully-wrangled show landed at Hole in the Wall in June 2022.
Displaying her read on the indie rock/pop arena, the lineup looped in Lainey Gonzales, Hall Johnson, sleep well., and Eli Josef. Chung recalls: "From beginning to end, I booked all the bands, even had like a special drink menu, found some sponsors, like really curated ... I basically do everything besides the singing-and-playing-the-instruments part."
The cheery organizer earned her stripes with university group Headliners, where she chose TC Superstar and the Irons for a battle of the bands, plus Aly & AJ for a pandemic-canceled Forty Acres Fest.
"Graduating during COVID was kind of crazy, because of all the gaps and everything," says the advertising grad. "I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do throughout college, and then towards the later half, I really focused on music. That's what I've just been trying to carry on doing, and I think I've finally found a good balance."
Chung now works full time as a marketing assistant at Antone's Nightclub. Howdy Gal by night, she navigates plenty of band submissions after their biggest unofficial South by Southwest ever.
"A lot of people wanted to play a show with us, and that was really cool and empowering to see. Our goals were just to have fun and book shows – we had no idea it would take off like this," she says. "It's kind of crazy when I go out now and people are like, 'Oh, are you in Howdy Gals?'" – Rachel Rascoe
Howdy Gals presents EXOTIC FRUITICA’s album release with Pleasure Venom and Telecom at Hotel Vegas on Friday, Aug. 18. Find more at howdygalsatx.com.
Happen Twice's Chandler Christopher
When Chandler Christopher moved from San Antonio to Austin in 2018, he shared music with his new friends via a hodgepodge playlist, named after Detroit singer-songwriter Mark Whalen's song "Happen Twice." The 24-year-old's multifaceted music-sharing efforts now go by the same name. After establishing himself as a booker with an eye on the college scene, he's stepped up production this summer by placing rowdy bands poolside at the swanky Austin Motel for free monthly shows.
"I book more of the younger acts, because I like the up-and-coming, the undiscovered, the underground," says Christopher, who manages area rocker Eli Josef. "One thing that has been really fulfilling about the progression of Happen Twice is being viewed by a lot of these artists as a resource, inspiring different thoughts and ideas, and keeping young, independent artists motivated to create."
Christopher's recent run also includes Juan Wauters at the Ballroom and a Texas tour for established NYC-based bedroom-pop act JW Francis. As a cassette outlet, Happen Twice has made tapes for Austin acts like Deezie Brown, Daydream Twins, and San Gabriel. Soon launching an artist management company called Cave Club with Trevor Stovall (Hall Johnson, Dress Warm), the entrepreneur ultimately aims to turn Happen Twice into a full-blown label.
"A lot of bands here feel like they need to leave Austin in order to make it. There is a reputation that Austin musicians live and die in Austin," says the St. Edward's grad. "A goal I've had since the beginning is to be somebody that really does bring people to industry. To bring the local scene to a national level, [and make it] a little bit easier than it is right now for artists."
In that pursuit, Christopher speaks fondly of the camaraderie among new promoters in Austin, particularly the support received from Howdy Gals after he started booking in March 2022..
"The young bookers in town are really just trying to do it for all the right reasons," he says. "We're creating fun good times, not only for the artists, but for ourselves." – Wayne Lim
Following New York and Philly shows for the Austin band Redbud, Happen Twice presents yungatita, Never, Danny Bonilla, and Midnight Navy at Feels So Good on Tuesday, Sept. 19. Find more at happentwice.com.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated that the first show Tiffany Chung fully managed for Howdy Gals took place at Long Play Lounge East. The show actually took place at Hole in the Wall.
