“If I were going to a show like this, especially a prom-themed show, I would want a little extra pizzazz,” says Big Bill vocalist Eric Braden. It’s a good thing to hear from the co-founder of the prom-themed show, now in its eighth year. Bill Ball 8 takes over Radio/East this Saturday, Nov. 22, with a touch of frill, some appropriately eccentric pomp and circumstance, and plenty of art-punk-inspired acts.
The organized dance theme, there from the very beginning, is more festive accentuation than nostalgic reenactment, to Braden and his bandmates’ eyes.
“Bring a date, dress up, have fun,” the singer instructs casually, adding that Eli Deitz – drummer of Porcelain, also on the bill – will lead speed dating before the music gets started for those still looking for a special someone to twirl with in the mosh pit.
“It’s a love letter to Austin,” Braden says of the one-day festival. “To our existing fans and our home city and our scene.” He gushes about the local lineup, curated with help from photographer, booker, and TODO Records co-founder Pooneh Ghana. “Whenever I see a band that brings such ferocity, and at the same time, fun, and not taking themselves seriously, that is everything we love,” he says, exalting haha Laughing and Froggy Style’s farcical genre-jumbled rap, CorMae’s egg-punk attitude, Queen Serene’s earnest rock & roll swagger, and Porcelain’s airtight connectivity.
In past years, the politically comedic songwriter reflects, the group has booked a wider range of genres and styles, but this year, as Big Bill celebrates the release of their fourth album Sick Myth, they homed in on artists that share some of their punk-spiced, rock-based, irony-loaded secret sauce.
“We applied that same lesson to our new record,” he muses. “[On] our previous records, we were always trying to explore multiple sounds and not get stuck in one place, but with this record, we kind of flipped it. We were like, ‘Let’s give them what we feel like we’re best at – distilled.’”
The new approach met the moment for the 13-year-old band, now adjusting to Braden’s move to Philadelphia and facing the self-imposed pressure of aging as musicians.
“We get older every time. Our record is coming out, and I think we’ve learned a similar lesson each time, which is: focus, learn from what you’ve done,” says Braden. As event organizers, the same education applies. Even from far away, the busy musician says all things Bill Ball – a special burger to match Sick Myth’s album artwork, a cartoonist, vendors, performers, and gimmicks galore – are ready to roll.
Bill Ball 8 welcomes Big Bill, Porcelain, Queen Serene, haha Laughing, CorMae, and Froggy Style to Radio/East on Saturday, Nov. 22.
This article appears in November 21 • 2025.
