Daniel Leopold, half of Jane Leo, polled the Austin Chronicle party crowd: “Do you know how lucky we are to be inside tonight?”
The 13th Floor’s interior still sizzled on Saturday, alongside a string of pleasantly populated shows up and down the Red River Cultural District’s annual Hot Summer Nights. This paper’s first-ever participation looped in JaRon Marshall + the Collective, Felt Out, and Jane Leo. Club owner (and Black Angels guitarist) Jake Garcia DJ’d between sets with on-point vintage vinyl selections.
From Jane Ellen Bryant’s ponytail to Leopold’s biceps, the duo delivered serious Barbie and Ken energy on the zeitgeist-packed weekend. Fresh off a plane from California, where they’re recording with Lockhart/L.A. producer Danny Reisch, Jane Leo worked from cinematic 2022 track “The More You Know” to upcoming single “Wow.” Moody exhales, and the chants on “Borderline,” hit extra hard under the twosome’s self-titled neon sign.
Next up, Felt Out’s large round table set places for two, plus an organized mess of wires, synths, and a saxophone. Between soaring pop tracks, Sowmya Somanath scribbled notes and Walter Nichols knelt down to work more knobs. Well-timed waves of intensity made for an experience equally interesting to watch and hear, upped by invitingly experimental sounds off latest Until I’m Light. “Closer” wrapped, with a joke about the set-closer.
Leading his own quartet outside participation in Black Pumas, JaRon Marshall exhibited tons of playful charisma behind two keyboards. He levitated a Korg off the stand, made a fake phone call, and freestyled: “The 13th Floor, do you want more?” A rowdy bassist, suave trumpet player, and rock/jazz drummer (who hit a glass cup on one stand) supported Marshall’s wild double melodies. The Collective’s all-instrumental set wrapped with “constellations,” and the maestro’s IG caption later recapped: “psychedelic hip hop.”
Check out more photos below.
This article appears in July 21 • 2023.