Article and photos by Lauren Lyman
The progressive and experimental music community in Austin continues to grow. As we gear up for the 2016 Voyager Music Festival, we wanted to provide our readers with a recap of the 2016 season of events, from VoyagerFest and beyond.
– In early 2016 VoyagerFest was officially approved for Texas non-profit status! With this designation, we are able to apply for funding to host charitable events, workshops, and serve the community with state and city support.
Kicking off 2016 with Voyager Nights
VoyagerFest began hosting a concert series to promote for the annual festival and to also provide more platforms for our experimental artists. On January 24, 2016, we held our first Voyager Night at Stateside Theater. eBurner opened the night, and then Ponytrap performed their multi-media production, “Promethean Waltz.” It was a great turnout and success!
Experimental and Progressive Music at SXSW
Bands we love and support made some incredible music during SXSW. Chasca kicked things off at The Highball on the opening Saturday, and Descendants of Erdrick performed at Ugly Fest at Cherrywood Coffeehouse midweek. While there is always much activity going on in Austin, some of the progressive circle migrated to San Marcos for SMFest! This was their first annual gathering down in the hilly college town. Another de Sade did an early set on the Friday of that weekend at Gold Crown near the Square, while Black Ladder entertained the crowd at pizza joint, Valentinos. eBurner hit the stage at Stonewall Warehouse later that night.
Documentary Premiere Party
The second Voyager Night was on April 16, 2016 at The North Door, and this was also the release of our documentary, featuring commentary from last year’s artists. Descendants of Erdrick opened the night, we showed the documentary on the projector screen, and then Circling Drones closed the evening. We are very proud of this short film, and we encourage our readers to share the link!
Austin’s Progressive Music Community Keeps on Growing!
In the interim, the progressive music scene has been busy! Stop Motion Orchestra and Opposite Day teamed up for one of the last shows at Salvage Vanguard Theater; Transit Method‘s EP Release Party was at The Sidewinder in May, coinciding with an event hosted by 101X; more studio work for Proud Peasant at Ohm Recording Facility; and The Aaron Clift Experiment has been nominated for the Progressive Music Awards 2016 while staying active in progressive rock shows throughout Austin.
HAPPENING THIS WEEK
– The Aaron Clift Experiment, Thirteen of Everything, Seven Circles, and Black Ladder will be at Lucky Lounge on July 22, 2016! Check out the Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/169750743441518/
– Groove Think, Opposite Day, Transit Method, and Jam Therapy will be sharing the bill for Groove Think’s Tour Kickoff on July 23, 2016 at The Sidewinder! Check out the Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/150969178647031/
For continuous updates, please check our Facebook page, or you can check out our articles written here by Walter Daniel, Andy Roach, or myself – Lauren Lyman. Also, you can check us out on Twitter and Instagram too!
We are really looking forward to all of these events and the festival, and we thank you all for your support!
