Since the doors opened at The Highball several months ago, I have been treated to a 3D party, countless concerts and after last Friday night, I can add Carnivalesque to that list! Obviously a step outside the box for me, but a fantastic experience nonetheless.

The show incorporated elements of not only burlesque dancing, but poetry, comedy, acrobatics and so much more. The concept behind the show is quite creative: take a sexy burlesque show, but set it in a carnival-type setting.

Skits featured haunting clowns, a strong man and belly dancers with snakes. The cast included members of Smoke & Mirrors Cabaret, and although there were a couple of rough spots in their performance, they covered well and improvised comically —  much to the delight of the crowd. We, of course, managed to get some great shots from the event and they are included below. Also included is a video from the acrobatic portion of the show.

www.thehighball.com

This Thursday (4/29) at The Mohawk, you’ll get the best of both worlds. A solid night of music and the chance to help out a great cause. “Show and Tell” (presented by Do512 and Southside Sanctuary) boasts live performances by one of Austin’s most exciting new bands SPEAK along with Crash Gallery, Hot Britches, FM Campers, Castle Nova, Sons of Sherri and the amazing Redboys. The entire show will be benefitting Austin’s Groundwork Project – a local non profit that facilitates music education for preschools that lack the funding for their own programs.

The Happy Hour at the show will be from 8-9pm with free drinks from Lone Star Beer and Austin’s new sweet-tea flavored Deep Eddy Vodka. For one hour, you can come drink for free, but there will be specials on both throughout the night!

In addition to the music, one of Austin’s favorite photogs Trevor Ray will have a spectacular photo booth set up for those of you who wish to document your evening with some epic pics. Southside Sanctuary Printshop will be rolling out the big guns (in this case, their old school El Camino mobile printshop) and will be stationed out front giving away FREE SHIRTS. And to top it all off, raffle tickets will be available for $2 (or 3 for $5) to give everyone a chance to win more free prizes, including a pair of tickets to see NEIL YOUNG at Bass Hall (donated by Texas Performing Arts).

Do512 and Southside Sanctuary present Show and Tell

Thursday April 29th | The Mohawk

$10 at the door | $5 with Do512 [RSVP]

Set Times:

8:15 – 9:00 Sons of Sherri (inside)
9:00 – 9:10 The Redboys (outside)
9:15 – 10:00 DJ Hot Britches (outside
10:00 – 10:10 The Redboys (outside)
10:15 – 11:00 Crash Gallery (outside)
11:15 – 12:00 SPEAK (outside)
12:00 – 12:45 FM Campers (inside)
1:00 Castle Nova (inside)

Bands: Mothfight!, Ume, Haunting Oboe Music, The Eastern Sea

When: Friday, September 4, 2009; 9:00 pm

Where: Emo’s; 603 Red River

Tickets: This show could very easily sell out, so buy your tickets in advance for $6.

Official Show Page

This Sunday, September 6, head over to Speakeasy for their annual Labor Day Bash and the RED Party (red attire is highly encouraged). Everything kicks off around 10:00 (you don’t have to work the next day and you’re not going to the lake either, so no excuses). Vallejo on the main stage. Toddy B up on Terrace 59 and CK’s birthday in the Kabaret Room. What more do you need?

If you want to reserve a table or bottle service, email Trena at events@47party.com.

Speakeasy

412 Congress Ave.

Website

Saturday, September 5; 7:00pm – 9:00 pm: Faythe Levin will be signing books alongside Austin artists that are featured in the film (Whitney Lee, Jennifer Perkins, Magda Sayeg, Kathie Sever). DJ Bullet is spinning, free beer from Live Oak, kick-arse raffle and all kinds of cool stuff. Location: DOMY BOOKS. Free. Information here.

Sunday, September 6; 1:30pm & 4:10pm: The film’s Austin premiere at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar. Q&A to follow with Faythe Levine and several of the films’ subjects. Get tickets here.

Sunday, September 6; noon – 6:00pm: Craft bazaar featuring some of Austin’s most talented up and coming artists, craft demos and giveaways. The vendor list includes: Sublime Stitching, Adaptive ReUse, Austin Artisan, BabyBolt, Bottle Up & Explode, Illustrated Pink, Little Grey Goose, Made with Sweet Love, Model Citizen, One Creative Girl, Pomme Frites, Ramonster, Squid Ink Collective and more. Location: Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar. Free.

Sunday, September 6; 6:30pm – 9:00pm: Post Screening Shebang. Join all the folks at the post-screening party at Austin Handmade. More crafty goods, drinks by Treaty Oak Rum, snacks from Nada Moo and tunes. Free. Information here.

Dress Shop is exactly that: everything from your next little black dress to something sleek for an interview. Leslie carries lines like Yoana Baraschi, Prairie New York, Laundry by Shelli Segal, Sweetees, Suzi Chin, MM Couture and more. Price points range from under $100 to $400. You can also check out accessories from Seasonal Whispers and La Vie Parisienne along with intimates and hosiery by Yummie Tummie, Hanky Panky and Falke Hosiery.

Even better, you can party with the Dress Shop crew this Thursday, September 3 as they celebrate their official grand opening. The party starts at 6:00; fashion show at 8:00. If you’re one of the first 100 through the door, you even get a sweet little goodie bag. Hair by Amaz, makeup by Taylor Looks, apps from Sagra, 42 Below cocktails from Speakeasy and desserts from III Forks. Solid night.

Dress Shop

315 Congress Ave. (above The Elephant Room)

Event: September 3, 2009; 6:00 pm

Website

We’d love to hear your feedback about it! Please write us

We’ll use this blog to keep you updated and to post our Twitter feed (that’s coming soon). Also, you should follow us there (@launch787).

Coming soon: A full calendar of events thrown by us and others. So, keep checking back.

Make sure you sign up to receive our weekly emails. Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be adding things to those emails (weekly deals at local businesses, a monthly “discount deck” to some of your favorite places, announcements about upcoming Launch787 events and more!) that won’t be printed on the website — they’ll be exclusive to subscribers.

Again, thanks for checking it out and we’ll be adding more stuff to the site virtually daily for awhile!

Matt Swinney