Fragile Rock’s cloth rock & rollers and Cloud Companion’s celestial embodiment of time, Bardo, have never shared a bill with another puppet act – but that’s all about to change at Howdy Gals’ Puppet Palooza, which goes down at Hole in the Wall on Friday night.
“I think there’s something to be said about holes,” muses Fragile Rock’s blue-haired bassist Nic Hole, drawing a connection between her last name and that of the venue and, of course, the arm-sized hole in the bottom of her figure that makes her a puppet. “More puppet bands, more holes,” she concludes cryptically.
The creator and songwriter of Austin’s self-proclaimed “third best emo puppet band,” Brently Heilbron, has his work cut out for him managing the group’s larger-than-felt personalities. An on-retainer therapist helps the group manage a near-constant cycle of onstage breakups and meltdowns often sparked by their frontman, Milo S., whom Heilbron describes as a “big-ego, little-self-esteem lead singer.”
“It’s not playing with other puppet bands that bothers me, it’s the audacity of a venue booking any other band besides us!” the long-faced puppet reports when asked about their upcoming performance. “You wouldn’t do that to auteurs like Morrissey or 311.”
“Satire is my only weapon that I know of, but it’s a potent one.”
Brently Heilbron
Alternating between puppet manifestos like “Socks Are Murder” and energetic emo parody as in “Bored and Sad,” the music itself is delightfully catchy and well-composed and the antics, however tumultuous for the self-serious marionettes, have given Heilbron an unexpectedly cathartic outlet.
“Satire is my only weapon that I know of, but it’s a potent one,” the actor, comic, and musician says.
After a 2016 America’s Got Talent performance deemed “without merit” by Howie Mandel, “too mean” by Mel B, and ultimately unairable by production, the whimsical group found themselves playing South by Southwest, then NPR’s Tiny Desk, and now, nearly a decade later, this puppet meeting of the minds launches their first tour.
“Touring is the great American road trip for bands,” says Hole. “Unfortunately we won’t see much of it from inside the Rubbermaid box we’re kept in.”
Bardo, an eternal figure who sees beyond the physical realm, dances alongside Cloud Companion. Dream pop songwriter Aaron Chávez interprets the ethereal being’s ancient celestial language, relaying his sentiments on the puppet gathering:
Puppet Palooza shall be a wondrous gathering
Of creatures and creators whose collective energy
may open a portal to new timelines and potentials
Which are presently unknowable –
What kind of dream do you wish to create together?
The eclipse-inspired visage first achieved corporal form by way of ritual at the VORTEX, celebrating the group’s psychedelic 2024 EP, Waking Up / Falling Asleep. Luckily, in the years since, the art collective has identified simpler ways to animate their towering friend.
“We found at some of our later live shows that even just getting everyone to chant, ‘Oh yeah,’ for a long time will bring Bardo as well,” smiles Chávez. He and puppeteer Emmilee Price met at another puppet-themed performance, and their ongoing creative collaboration guides the collective’s visual direction, which continues to expand alongside Chávez’s musical storytelling.
“The world that Aaron’s music exists in is such a fantastical world,” says Price, who describes Bardo as a way to pull audiences into that universe. Immersive elements and elaborate performance have always had a place in music, but Price sees their role expanding further.
“More and more people are reaching towards adding more tactile elements to live performance, especially at a time where AI is getting more popular,” says Price, thinking also of less puppet-specific elements like the Grandmaster, the Austin fusion band’s shrouded performer. “It just feels good to see tangible handmade things [onstage].”
Howdy Gals’ Puppet Palooza takes over Hole in the Wall on Friday, May 22.
This article appears in May 22 • 2026.
