JaRon Marshall + the Collective, Felt Out, and Jane Leo to Play the Chronicle Party at Hot Summer Nights

Like Free Week in the winter, the no-cost, high-temp musical festival Hot Summer Nights returns to Downtown Austin, Thursday, July 20 through Sunday, July 23.

For the sixth edition, the hosting Red River Cultural District invites The Austin Chronicle to throw a pop-party at the 13th Floor on Saturday, July 22. The Chron-curated lineup includes JaRon Marshall + the Collective, Felt Out, Jane Leo, and DJ Jake Garcia. Doors open at 7pm and music starts at 8pm for the free-admission show – held at Black Angels’ guitarist Garcia’s Red River venue (previously home to Beerland).

Set times are: DJ Jake Garcia (8pm), Jane Leo (9pm), Felt Out (10pm), and JaRon Marshall + the Collective (11pm).

Known as a keyboardist and collaborator for the Grammy-nominated Black Pumas, JaRon Marshall unveiled his talented Collective at this year's South by Southwest. After playing on impactful Austin City Limits episodes with both the Pumas and Adrian Quesada, Marshall delivered his jazz- and hip-hop-inspired debut album earth sounds. "I named it earth sounds because it's organic music," Marshall told the Chronicle in an April feature. "It's all analog instruments, even the synths. In a world where everything is digital, it means something to record to tape.”

Felt Out graced the Chronicle cover in April on the occasion of their second album Until I'm Light – with our admiration dating back to 2019's Superfluid, released under former name Emme. Of the synth-pop duo uniting Walter Nichols and Sowmya Somanath, the Chronicle wrote: “Until I'm Light unlocks new levels of lush, cross-genre play for Felt Out, as the self-described ‘melody-heads’ stack ear-catching, Auto-Tuned hooks atop acoustic chords.” At the time, Somanath said: "Balance, whether texturally, conceptually, or lyrically, is something we're always thinking about and crave, because the music we like is able to balance the very sweet with the very dark.”

Established Austin artists Jane Ellen Bryant and Daniel Leopold’s musical collaboration bloomed into a shared alt-pop nom de plume last year, Jane Leo. Recapping EP tracks that would later be tied into their self-titled 2023 debut, the Chronicle described: “The couple’s creative fusion solidified with October’s Big Life EP, a kaleidoscope of avant-garde lyrics and grandiose soundscapes [...] Additional standouts ‘Borderline’ and ‘The More You Know’ teased lush arrangements and pop-y drones.” Before performing at ACL Fest come October, Jane Leo joins L.A. electro-pop act Cannons on a month of major touring dates – including September 20 at Stubb’s.

The SIMS Foundation, KUTX’s The Breaks, and Howdy Gals also present HSN shows. Among the festival’s over 120 artists playing this weekend, other highlights include Amplified Heat, Kydd Jones, LeTrainiump, Mama Duke, Nuclear Daisies, and Sarah & the Sundays.

Spread among 13 clubs, the festival’s participating venues are: Barbarella, Cheer Up Charlies, Chess Club, Elysium, Empire, Flamingo Cantina, Mala Vida, Mohawk, Stubb’s, Swan Dive, Valhalla, Vaquero Taquero, and the 13th Floor.

Alongside a new Red River Kolsch beer from Central District Brewing, area restaurants also offer food and drink specials. Explore the full Hot Summer Nights lineup here, and RSVP here.