What do music and hot sauce have in common? They both cause your body to release endorphins. Those brain chemicals are linked to killing pain, elevating your state of mind, and decreasing the negative impacts of stress. You can cool your mood with a double dose of dopamine this Sunday at the Chronicle’s 32nd annual Hot Sauce Festival.: Soundtracking this year’s capsaicin celebration, which runs from 3-6pm and fundraises for the Central Texas Food Bank, are a pair of hometown pop headliners. TC Superstar’s deep-voiced, indie-leaning, synthwave combines with creative choreography for a display so irresistibly exuberant you might not notice Connor McCampbell singing against consumerism and life’s mundanity. Their dance party commences just before Luna Luna, whose groovy, swoony sound – fusing contemporary R&B with synth-pop – has transcended Texas ears to grow a national streaming presence. Founded as a solo effort from Colombia-born songwriter Kavvi, the bilingual band quickly evolved with the addition of charismatic keyboardist/singer Danni Bonilla – though drummer Kaylin Martinez emerged as a fan favorite at their packed August appearance at Empire.: Earlier in the day, recent Chronicle cover star Mama Duke scorches tongues with her hip-hop lyricism that spans braggadocious raps and “sad girl shit,” while KindKieth flexes instrumentally with jazz-studied, beat-oriented R&B that’s compositionally dense, sonically melty, and introspective. Between sets, bonafide pepperhead McPullish DJs dubby sounds from around the globe.
Sun., Sept. 11, 3pm. $10 online, $15 at the door.