Local radio station KUTX, promoter Resound Presents, and legendary photographer Pooneh Ghana joined forces for the first annual Holiday Hootenanny at RADIO/EAST, with day one in full swing.
Austin continues to prove their undying love for live music and this winter micro-festival proved that as concert goers came out in doves to attend the first annual Holiday Hootenanny, a music festival consisting of a multitude of different artists and genres, delectable food trucks, and vendors varying from tattoos, to handcrafted goods, to messages, and plenty of activities to keep everyone busy between sets. Although the weather was spotty and the rain was inevitable, as to be expected from an outdoor event in December, that didn’t stop the crowd and performers from making the most of the weekend and showing out for the one thing that brings all Austinites together, music!
HAHA Laughing
The day began with one of Austin’s finest experimental hip-hop groups, HAHA Laughing performing on the smaller pavilion stage. The duo consisting of musicians Jay Dilick and Aby Oviedo, put their all into their live performances with their incredible chemistry, wild stage antics, and signature stylish raincoats that seem to change color from one show to the next. You can hear the creativity from the duo that oozes out through each track if you’ve ever had the chance to listen to their recordings with their heavily distorted production, crazy flows ranging from traditional boom bap to aggressive rage rapping styles, and amazing assortment of instruments used in their catalog.
Their creativity was only amplified by their live performance as they hit the stage with asstounding dominance playing their single “Sometimes, I Wish I Were A Slug” while Jay hyped the crowd up on stage, Aby rocked out in the crowd donning a yellow slug mask. The artists carried their amazing stage presence throughout their set as they bounced around on stage, traded places jumping into the audience, and switched between their many instruments from the sax, to the drums, to their production boards. They were a fantastic choice to start the show with and showed just how weird Austin could get.
Faerybabyy
Next, hitting the “Big Stage” was the LA based Faerybabyy. Faerybabyy, moniker of the mastermind Payton Morse, was a low tempo dark wave/post punk project that shifted the tone completely from hyphy hip-hop energy to mellowed out, vintage goth vibes. FB put on a great performance as well with Payton’s haunting vocals, the echoing guitar riffs, and the rhythmic, dark production coming from the drum machine. The short, yet sweet, 2 minute songs flowed right into each other as the artists created a mood of their own, and surprisingly enough, spread the word of Jesus throughout their set which created subtle confusion among the crowd but made for a great show nonetheless.
Lulu.Wav (of Frost Children)
Going back to the pavilion stage, Lulu.Wav of the Frost Children shifted the tone once again with an uplifting energetic DJ set. NY based hyper pop group the Frost Children have been building momentum among their peers, even having worked with headliner Danny Brown and coming fresh off a large tour themselves, playing multiple festivals this year already and making appearances overseas. This was the second time this year the Frost Children made their way to Austin but instead of both halves making an appearance, Lulu.Wav decided to perform a special solo set, and he did not disappoint.
Hyperpop, a relatively new genre characterized as exaggerated pop music, usually consisting of heavily distorted vocals over fast bmp production, has been taking over the US over the past decade thanks in part to groups like 100 Gecs and more recently, Frost Children, giving ravers and pop fans a whole new genre to dance to. Many loyal Frost fans were in attendance for Lulu’s set, having posted up right in front of the stage. While Lulu didn’t play much original Frost children music, he did play many hyperpop remixes to classic Y2K pop songs from the likes of Katy Perry and Lady Gaga, and the fans went absolutely crazy for it as they sang along to every song and danced their hearts out. It was incredibly fun to watch and be a part of this out of the box set.
Water From Your Eyes
At the main stage for the fourth set of the day was the Brooklyn based indie pop group Water From Your Eyes. Consisting of singer Racheal Brown and guitarist Nate Amos, the duo decided to add a drummer and bassist to the mix to liven up the sound and make for a more full sounding concert experience. With mellow vocals, catchy and soothing lyrics, thumping basslines, and smooth guitar licks, it was clear that this band had a knack for making very palatable and easy listening indie pop tracks.
Having high praises from music outlets like Pitchfork for their last release and turning out a large audience during their show, its evident that their time spent in the DIY circles has payed off for them as they pulled off a very cohesive and sharp performance. The set was well placed giving audiences a light and easy listening band, in between two highly energetic artists.
Tear Dungeon
No social media and no interviews to be found on whatsoever, Tear Dungeon is a very IYKYK type of band, but the local Austin punk rockers didn’t get an insane reputation and put this high on the bill for nothing. Playing at the pavilion stage, the ferocious force of chaos that is Tear Dungeon is no holds barred, anything goes type of band where fake blood, spit, and moshing is inevitable. The best way to describe the band would be the sound of the Melvins, the spirit of the Sex Pistols, and the look of a budget Slipknot. Judging by the look of the audience, it wasn’t clear that everyone knew what they were in for, but as soon as the show started the crowd fell in line and all hell broke loose.
Coming out the gate the band, dressed in all white with black gimp masks, immediately began spitting fake blood on concert goers, some even wearing all white and ponchos to take the bulk of the impact. The mosh pit went ballistic as lead singer Andrew Cashen found creative ways to cause destruction, jumping into the pit with the crowd, getting on audience members shoulders and riding them around, and jumping from the highest point on the stage. The show was everything you could want and more from a sweaty, grimy, dirty punk concert and in true punk rock fashion, the stage and gear was destroyed before the band had left, with a giant blood stain marking the screen behind them, which stayed throughout the entirety of the festival.
Health
Undoubtedly the most anticipated act of the night, drawing in the largest audience of the evening, with the largest percentage of the crowd rocking their merch, LA based Health hit the big stage to adoring cheers and excitement. Hiding beneath a large mask of fog, lights and lasers, the experimental industrial rock group made their show as much about their visuals as they did their sound and they delivered on both fronts making for an interesting artistic expression of a cohesive, well rounded concert experience.
The group draws influences from predecessors like Nine Inch Nails, mixing their heavily electronic dark and reverberating sound with somber yet powerful vocals. From the visuals to the music, to the instruments to the vocals, there was a distinct focus on every piece individually making for a perfect goth rock industrial stew as the group belted out their “sad songs for horny people”.
Bayonne
Last artist to hit the pavilion stage was Austin’s own electro indie pop producer, Bayonne. Marrying melodic, experimental pop instrumentation with harmonizing high pitched vocals, Bayonne paired his excellently crafted music with a stellar light show which his drummer and him were engulfed in throughout the set.
Painting pictures beautifully with his words as well as his music, the colors and striking light show complemented the vibrant lyrics and sounds echoed from the stage. With only his production board and drummer to accompany him, Bayonne did so much with so little and you could feel the impact being made throughout the crowd.
Danny Brown
The Detroit icon, spontaneously and historically wild rapper Danny Brown closed the night out with a uniquely diverse line up that somehow also feels so right for Austin. The legend from the D, now Austin based rapper, Danny Brown has calmed down quite a bit since he first hit the mainstream back in 2011.
His age and wisdom coupled with a food illness from the previous day that slowed him down severely, made for an entirely different show than what most fans may be used to from the artist, but that didn’t stop Danny from giving the audience what they came to see and giving it his all. Fans young and old gathered around the front of the stage to watch the performer play his classic hits such as “Ain’t It Funny”, “Really Doe”, and “Smokin’ and Drinkin’” as the audience rapped every word and gave the OG his flowers.
Overall Experience
Despite light drizzles throughout the day, the first part of the hootenanny was a complete success. Fans from all backgrounds and lovers of all genres from rap, punk, indie, and electronica, were given an experience to remember and a show curated for them. While the variance was much heavier on the first day than it was the second, there was still plenty of anticipated acts to see and so much to do on day two of the Holiday Hootenanny.
I’m a photographer currently based in Austin after recently relocating from Denver, CO. I graduated from the University of Colorado, Denver in 2019 with a degree in Business Management. I love music of all genres and have been going to live shows since I was 5 years old. Some of my favorite artist currently include Freddie Gibbs, Lola Young, Ivy Lab and Knocked Loose, but that is always subject to change.
