Sissies, Comedy, Gay Bi Gay Gay, and a Bishop

Your legs ache, your throat feels like it's been replaced with low-grade sandpaper, and every bit of your emotional and mental being wants to sleep for a bit. Just for a few days. Just to take the edge off. Well you can't! You've got work to do, queer work - the Lord's work! Let's get into it...

Friday:

12PM-6PM: Girls Rock Camp Showcase w/ Viv Albertine (of The Slits!), Cafe Mundi (1704 E. 6th). One of the best programs for our young women in Austin, Girls Rock Camp provides girls the opportunity to form a band, write music and perform live in front of a discerning Austin crowd. For this showcase the rock camp girls have some pretty fab musicians lined up - oh! aaaand you can win a guitar autographed by the inimitable Joan Jett. Totally worth your support.

6PM-7PM: Amy Cook & Tosca String Quartet, Jo's Coffee (1300 S. Congress Ave). The song stylings of Amy Cook are never boring, whether she's doing her own thang or working with the likes of the good freaks of Gretchen's Disco Plague (It's Infectious!). For once and only she'll be playing with the Tosca String quartet, making her beautiful and rare music even more so.

10PM-11PM: Shunda K, Hot Mama's (2401 E. 6th). A member of Yo! Majesty, Shunda K is - and I say this with all sincerity - SICK! She will be turning it out for the ladies and the men. Whooeee!

10:25-11:40: Margaret Cho and Girl in a Coma, Buffalo Billiards (201 E. 6th). This lineup should sound familiar because this is the second year in a row that Austinites have been graced by the presence of Miss Cho and the San Antone lezbotronic rock outfit known as Girl in a Coma. Last year they made us blush – what will they do to us this year? I don’t know but we’re lining our undies.

Saturday:

12PM-2PM: “Where They At?” Art Exhibition, Birdhouse Gallery (1304 Cesar Chavez). This event warms the cockles of my heart because it’s the merging of music, art and education (my favorite “m”, “a”, and “e” words, respectively). On the same day as the Sissy Bounce Showcase (see below), you can attend this exhibition that puts the emergence of the Bounce form into its geographic, social and political context. Later, when you’re shaking your buttz to the fabulous music of Big Freedia & Co. you’ll have a much deeper experience. Guaranteed.

3PM-4PM: MEN (JD Samson, Michael O’Neil, Ginger Brooks Takahashi) @ The Mad Decent Carniville, Mexican American Cultural Center (600 River St). Last time MEN were in town Austin’s center of gravity shifted… and shimmied… and, we won’t lie, did the lawn mower a few times. Ok, was that just us? PROBABLY not, because these queerbos make dance music political and powerful. It feeds your body and soul. N.B. RSVPs were required for the Carniville, but perhaps showing up early on Saturday will get you in? Can’t say for sure.

5:00PM-9:30PM: South By Spring Equinox, Bookwoman (5501 N. Lamar). Feminist book stores, like for real feminist book stores, are exceptionally rare in this country, and so we’re lucky to still have BookWoman. Luckier still to be treated to the stylings of Kristi Rae, Nancy Scott, Annabella, Elizabeth Wills, and Chris Pureka.

6PM-7PM: God-des, Sister’s Edge II (113 San Jacinto). When a singer is as genuine and soulful as God-des there is little to be said for them, as the music says it all. God-des has been on my iPod for the past week or so! Come to Siss-E-Deux for a good time.

7:30PM-2:00AM: Perez Hilton Party, The Whitley (301 Brazos). Remember that time last year when KANYE WEST showed up to the Perez Hilton party and was like “yeah, I’ll do a set” and we were all like, “Yeah! Hooray! Kanye!” and he was all like “You shutup and listen to my music because I’m AMAZING” and then we were all like “Ok. Love you.” But in a whisper voice. Fun times and special guests abound at Perez Hilton’s shindigs, that is if you can gain entrance (even we here at the GP are unsure as to our status!)

8:00PM-2:00AM: New Orleans Sissy Bounce Showcase, Submerged (333 E. 2nd). If you didn’t read Thomas Fawcett’s excellent profile and interview with Big Freedia on the GP Blog already you should read it (and then go back and re-read it). Fawcett’s piece is a great entre into the world of Sissy Bounce. You know what else is a good entre? Going to this showcase and seeing Big Freedia in person, along with Ms Tee, Magnolia Shorty, Katey Red, Vockah Redu, Partners-N-Crime, and DJ Jubilee!

10:20PM-10:30PM: Tig Notaro, Esther’s Follies (525 E. 6th). A local favorite comes back to show us her funny. Oh, and Margaret Cho is opening for her.

11:50PM: Scissor Sisters, Stubb’s (801 Red River). Sometimes the Sisters go under cover and play small shows under monikers like Bridget Jones’ Diarrhea, but this ain’t no secret show. Be prepared to be sussed for a badge/pass/wristband or have some cash on hand. Never a dull moment with the Scissor Sisters.

Sunday:

12:00PM-1:00PM: The Right Rev. V. Gene Robinson, Rotunda, Texas State Capitol Building (1100 Congress). The Episcopalian Bishop came at the behest of Equality Texas Foundation and MyOutSpirit-Austin Magazine. He will be delivering an inspirational message to all that show up. Even this Jewboy is interested!

1:00PM-2:00AM: Gay Bi Gay Gay (4604 Kitty Ave). This is it! It’s here! For those of us at the GP Blog, this is what SXSW builds up to: a slew of queer folks and bands soaking up the sun and playing for free in an east Austin backyard. The show is all ages (and did we say Free? Oh yah, we did.) and includes national and local acts in musical conversation with one another. Gay Bi Gay Gay is a blissful, sweaty, lezbotronic, faggy, lovely, mind-expanding, rump-shaking, heart-breaking, social, special, groovy (in the 1960s sense of the word), excellent (in the 1990s sense of the word), trans positive, safe, holy, iconoclastic, warped, ripped, blitzed, bodacious, make-out instigating, heat-seeking love missile of a day. It’s the anchor of my year. Gay Bi Gay Gay, I love you. Too much, I think.

8:00PM: stABBA, Emo’s Main Room (603 Red River). ABBA + Costumes + Punk + Fun = Your mother’s worst nightmare. This ain’t Mamma Mia, and thank the good gods. You should go just for the name alone. Get me a TShirt while you’re there.

And check out the daily installations of the Gay Place in print in the Chronicle's SXSW Dailies. Kate X and intern Bruce are holding it down while poppin' off on all this megaqueerness.