HOT, TEXAS music.
On September 2, join us at Cheer Up Charlies for The Front Festival’s annual Music Showcase.
This year, we’re welcoming songwriters, musicians, DJs and drag artists with deep roots in Texas and the global South. Come through for a curated lineup of emerging independent acts from Austin’s music scene and a Houston-meets-Cheer Up’s drag show.
Presale passes available. Scroll for details.
2023 MUSIC SHOWCASE SCHEDULE + LINEUP
✰ 7 PM — Doors + Opening Acts ✰
Head to Cheer Up Charlies in the Red River Cultural District for The Front Festival’s Annual Music Showcase. Our night opens with two rising acts from Austin’s Latin and R&B music scenes: a DJ set by rapper and ballroom commentator BabiBoi and a mariachi-soul performance from Brandix.
✰ 9:30 PM — Grace Sorensen ✰
Grace Sorensen and takes the Cheer Up Charlies outdoor stage for a headlining performance.
✰ 10:30 PM — Leyendas Latinas present An Evening in The South: A Drag Show ✰
Curated by Houston’s Southwest Sisters (January & Whitney Screwston)—a drag & DJ duo born and raised in the neighborhood of Alief in Houston, Texas—Leyendas Latinas is an homage to Latin Pop stars past and present. Accompanied by electrifying avante garde performances by local Houston/NYC drag queens January and Viva Vidalia, this showcase is dedicated to all the femme, trans and gender non confirming individuals who give inspiration and strength for simply daring to be themselves.
✰ ALL NIGHT — Good Food & Cocktails ✰
Enjoy festival cocktails by Tito’s Handmade Vodka and Desert Door Sotol, a pop-up menu from Chef Cibelli, plus food trucks and drinks curated by Cheer Up Charlies.
Stop by the Future Front shop for merch and ways to support what we do year-round.
MEET THE LINEUP
Grace Sorensen (she/her) is one of the fastest-rising independent R&B artists in the Austin. Dubbed "Austin's Wonderkid" by the media, in her young career she has already landed features on both projects by Empire Record's BLK ODYSSY, opened for Diana Ross and surpassed 500k streams on her single "Digits.”
January is a Salvadorian-American performing artist and classically trained dancer from Houston, Texas that has been performing in drag for over 8 years in NYC. Using drag, dance, and music to compel her audience through storytelling she provides electrifying and high-energy performances. Through her drag showcases in 2019, digital livestreams in 2020, and upcoming events in 2023, January continues her collaborative efforts in the arts. She aims to bring attention to social issues affecting marginalized communities, including advocating for HIV testing. Each showcase centers and honors the work of LGBTQIA and BIPOC local drag queens, designers and multidisciplinary artists.
Whitney Screwston (she/her) is a Salvadorian American disc jockey who has broken into the NYC scene thanks to her musical taste and talent. This Texas bred Brooklyn-based southern shawty uses an open format style to effortlessly flow between dembow, dancehall, amapiano, ballroom, R&B and hip hop to get the audience moving. Her DJ sets prioritize women in music hoping to honor their legacies and their contributions by cultivating community at her events.
Dorian Delafuente, a.k.a. Babiboi, is an Austin-based, San Antonio-raised rapper, artist, and Ballroom commentator for ballroom collective House of Lepore.
Brandix is a queer Mexican-American vocalist and musician raised along the Texas-Mexico border. She performs an extensive setlist of diverse genres ranging from Nu-Metal to Neo-Soul to Mariachi. She creates genre-bending experimental music centered around themes of healing, self-exploration, and planet Earth.
Viva Vidalia is a Houston-based Drag performer of nearly 15 years. She began her career in Long Island, NY performing whenever and wherever she could and soon started performing regularly all throughout New York City. She is known for her high energy performances, her colorful costumes and wicked sense of humor whilst hosting. In 2018, Viva began a small costume design business that very quickly grew. Her costumes have been seen on TV shows such as RuPauls Drag Race, Dragula, Camp Wannakiki and Dragnificnet as well as Drag and Burlesque performers all over the world. Currently you can find Viva Vidalia performing and designing costume all through Houston TX as well as Austin, San Antonio and New York City.
HOW TO ATTEND
One-day passes* for the music showcase are $15 pre-sale. Weekend passes* for the entire festival are $40 and include access to both Music and Film Showcases, as well as opening and closing pool parties. This event is 21+.
*Passes are free for Future Front members.
Name your own ticket price at checkout to donate below.
All donations throughout the festival will support the administration of our Creative Future of Texas Fund, a $5,000 fund for emerging women and LGBTQ+ creatives in Texas.
BEHIND THE FRONT FESTIVAL
The Front Fest is an end-of-summer festival, featuring performances, films and creative experiences curated by Future Front. Hosted annually in Austin, we put Texas women and LGBTQ+ artists of all kinds at the front of our lineups.
Every year, over the course of a weekend, we celebrate the power of community and fundraise for Future Front’s Creative Future of Texas Fund. Formerly known as BABES FEST, the festival has seen more than 5,000 guests and showcased more than 500 women and LGBTQ+ artists since 2016. Learn more at thefrontfest.com/why.
If you are interested in becoming a partner this year, please email us at hello@futurefronttexas.org.
MEET THE PRODUCERS, FUTURE FRONT
Future Front is a 501c3 nonprofit, homegrown in Austin, Texas. We nurture spaces where women and LGBTQ+ creatives, founders and leaders can grow together. Currently, we produce The Front Market and Festival, host year-round workshops and meet-ups, as well as create resources for resilience in creative industries. You’re invited to join us, of course. You can learn more about how it all works, our team and what we do here.
PREPARE YOUR VISIT TO THE FRONT FESTIVAL
VENUE LOCATIONS + ACCESSIBILITY — The Front Festival will be held across three venues in 2022: The Line Hotel Austin, the Future Front House and Laguna Gloria. All activities at all venues will occur on the ground floor and can be accessed by a wheelchair and other walking devices.
PARKING — We highly encourage utilizing rideshare or carpooling as there is limited self-parking available onsite. All venues are accessible by Austin public transportation, too.
WHAT TO BRING — Bring your ID. Cheer Up Charlies is a 21+ venue.
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 COMMUNITY SAFETY GUIDELINES —
All FFTX staff, volunteers and guests will be required to practice mutual respect, as well as demonstrate an alignment with Future Front’s code of conduct and values.
All sessions are held online or in outdoor, open-air spaces. Capacity is limited to reduce crowding of any kind.
All guests are required to practice mutual respect and social distancing, as well as follow APH’s COVID-19 Guidelines, which currently include:
At all levels, people can wear a mask based on personal preference, informed by their personal level of risk.
People with potential COVID-19 symptoms and/or exposure to someone with COVID-19 should wear a mask, regardless of a negative test.
People with a positive COVID-19 test and/or not fully vaccinated should not participate in an in-person Future Front event or visit a Future Front location until they test negative and/or they are fully vaccinated and no longer at risk.
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. :)