As part of our official reopening celebration, The Front Market and Festival, we’re collaborating with Cheer Up Charlies for a weekend of nighttime showcases featuring women and queer musicians and filmmakers across Texas.
On August 20, you can join us at Cheer Up’s for the weekend’s opening party. From 7 to 10 PM CT on August 20 for intimate outdoor performances by Kam Franklin of The Suffers (Houston), Lorelei K (Dallas) and more.
To close the night, DJ Bragglights (Austin) will spin us out. ❤️Tickets are $15. Masks required.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Produced by Future Front Texas and powered by you, The Front exists to put women and queer creators at the front of our lineups. On August 20, our schedule includes:
7:00 PM CT — DOORS
8:15 PM CT — LORELEI K (DALLAS)
9:15 PM CT — KAM FRANKLIN (HOUSTON)
10:30 PM CT — BRAGGLIGHTS (AUSTIN)
HOW TO ATTEND
To attend this nighttime event, RSVP now with a $15 donation. Free or by donation tickets for the festival’s daytime markets on August 21 and 22 are available now, too.
When you RSVP, you have the option to donate to our work. Every pledge made with your ticket will directly benefit the administration of our Creative Future of Texas Fund, a micro-grants program for emerging creatives and small business owners.
Name your own ticket price at check-out below:
MEET OUR LINEUP:
Kam Franklin (she/her) is a singer-songwriter, activist, writer, motivational speaker, and actress from Houston, TX. She is best known for her work with the gulf coast soul band, The Suffers, but Kam began performing in public at the age of five. A three-time recipient of the Houston Press Music Award for Best Female Vocalist, Kam has performed on five continents and has performed with the Suffers backed by The Houston Symphony in addition to being featured solo.
Both Forbes and Vice have featured Kam for her activism and business ventures that seek to create an inclusive environment in the arts for female artists working in all mediums and from all backgrounds. Kam’s unique style and fashion-sense
has also been covered by Buzzfeed, Refinery 29, and Nylon. Fronting The Suffers, Kam has performed nationally on The Late Show with David Letterman, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, and Jimmy Kimmel Live in addition to speaking about The Suffers with Ari Shapiro on NPR’s All Things Considered.
At home, Kam remains a very active participant in the Houston music scene, producing events that have featured up-and-coming acts from around the Houston area while leveraging her and The Suffers’ international platform to represent the City of Houston and champion her entrepreneurial approach to finding success in the arts for women.
Lorelei K (she/her) is an artist and musician from Dallas, Texas, known for composing and performing avant-garde darkwave music with arresting vocals.
Yvonne Goodwyne (they/them), uncommonly known as Vonne, is a composer, musician, and music producer currently based on Tonkawa land (or what most know to be Austin, Texas). Music and performance have been an innate pursuit for Vonne as their earliest memories include performing in church musicals, ripping cassette mixtapes from rock and pop radio stations, and emulating every last one of their favorite vocalists. At 16 years old, Vonne released their first single and soon after their self-produced and recorded debut EP ‘Foreign Affairs,’ which holds up today as formative reflections on romance and drug use through a robust pop landscape. Vonne is currently recording and writing music in their co-operative home in Austin for their next project.
Bragglights (she/her) is an Experimental Techno/Dance Music project produced & performed by the artist, Jenna Herrington. Cast as a black sheep during her childhood in South-East Texas, her creative direction derives from the “Lights of Saratoga” aka “Bragg Lights” which are most famously known as mysterious lights that wander the forests & railroads of her homeland.
Orya (she/her) is a high energy, unhinged DJ based out of San Antonio. She loves to play pop and hip hop and has been known to climb on things she’s not supposed to and headbang. Orya emerged into the Austin scene in May and has terrorized the city since. Her sets will leave you bruised, sweaty, and out of breath. Don’t let her sexy looks and charming demeanor fool you, she’s a menace on the boards.
BEHIND THE FRONT MARKET AND FESTIVAL
The Front Market and Festival has emerged from what was formerly known as BABES FEST and craftHER Market—two spaces that were designed around sustaining communities that care about gender equity and supporting homegrown businesses, creatives and organizations. Active from 2016 to 2020, BABES FEST and craftHER Market saw more than 30,000 guests and supported more than 2000 creatives and business owners.
Now, after a year of shutdowns, pivots and existential realness, The Front Market and Festival will carry that work into the future.
We will continue platforming emerging talent across the state of Texas. We will continue to work cross-collaboratively with partners to host workshops, build community and provide opportunities to creatives and small business owners year-round.Thank you to all of our supporting brands, organizations and collaborators:
As our first flagship production, we are so grateful for your support. <3 If you are interested in becoming a partner in 2022, please email us at hello@futurefronttexas.org.
MEET THE PRODUCERS, FUTURE FRONT TEXAS
Future Front Texas is a 501c3 nonprofit, homegrown in Austin, Texas. We started as a grassroots meet-up series called Boss Babes ATX (bbatx) in 2015.
We are run by a four-person staff and a network of amazing volunteers, each committed to showing up for the spaces we want to see in the world.
Alongside our members, collaborators and partners, we nurture creativity, community-building and professional resilience in Texas. We cultivate spaces where women and queer creatives, founders and leaders can grow together.
Currently, we produce The Front Festival and Market, a year-round learning club and conference, as well as multiple community-care initiatives. You’re invited to join us, of course. You can learn more about how it all works, our team and what we do: futurefronttexas.org
PREPARE YOUR VISIT TO THE FRONT MARKET AND FESTIVAL
VENUE LOCATION + ACCESSIBILITY — The Front Market and Festival will be held at Fair Market, which is located at 1100 E 5th St, Austin, TX 78702, as well as Cheer Up Charlies at 900 Red River St. Austin, TX 78702. Both venues are wheelchair-accessible and all activities will occur on the ground floor. The outdoor lawn within Fair Market is located on a slope and may be difficult to access without additional assistance, so do reach out to us for support: hello@futurefronttexas.org.
PARKING — We highly encourage utilizing rideshare or carpooling as there is limited self-parking available onsite. Both venues are easily accessible by Austin public transportation, too.
AVAILABLE LANGUAGES — ASL interpreters can be provided upon request. Si necesita traducción al español para participar en este evento, envíenos un correo electrónico a hello@futurefronttexas.org.
OUR CURRENT HEALTH AND SAFETY PRECAUTIONS —
Capacity will be limited to reduce crowding.
All sessions will be held in outdoor and open-air spaces.
All guests will be required to practice mutual respect and social distancing.
All guests are required to follow APH’s Stage 5 Guidelines:
Fully vaccinated individuals should:
Wear a mask.
If you are high-risk with underlying conditions or feeling ill, avoid large gatherings.
Partially or unvaccinated individuals should:
Get fully vaccinated.
Stay home and avoid gatherings.
If you have a question about the building's accessibility or anticipate needing assistance, shoot us a line at hello@futurefronttexas.org. We're happy to help and will get back to you. :)