Join Audio Staffer Abigail Koenig as she dives into the world of student band and DJ bookers, uncovering the behind-the-scenes efforts that bring music to life at co-ops. This episode was hosted and edited by Abigail Koenig. Photo Cover is by Ricardo Lopez.
*Party noise*
Abigail Koenig: It’s a vibrant Friday night in Austin, Texas, and the residents of West Campus are buzzing with anticipation, eager to shake off the week’s assignments and dive into the weekend. As they wrap up their last-minute homework and head back to their homes, the question lingers: what’s next?
In a city known for its nightlife, there’s never a dull moment. But when students are ready to get out and have fun, they can’t help but wonder where their $10 fee is going. That’s why in West Campus, many students prefer events for students, by students.
Whether it’s KVRX showcasing the freshest local musical talent or the co-op houses like Pearl Street and 21st Street hosting parties that pulse with life and feature heavy-hitting acts, the student bookers have mastered the art of planning shows.
*Band music*
Dillon Aitala: For Pearl, I just love getting super loud, rowdy acts. It definitely brings out a bunch of awesome people that will pay to see cool bands and whatnot.
Koenig: That was Dillon Aitala, a third-year sustainability studies major. He’s the mastermind behind the booking for KVRX, UT’s student radio station, and also serves as the booker for Pearl Street Co-op, one of the cooperatively run houses nestled in West Campus.
Just a quick seven-minute stroll from the University of Texas, Pearl Street is home to 110 residents who are always ready to party. The co-op operates on a unique model where each resident commits to four hours of labor weekly to keep their home run smoothly. Dillon holds the role of Fundraiser, amongst other responsibilities.
Aitala: I also have to correspond with bands, reach out to them. I have to motion the party date at our meetings and whatnot and pass money from our house budget to pay our sound guy and stuff.
Koenig: When all is set in stone and the day of the party arrives, Dillon says
Aitala: I’m working my tail off from 12 p. m. to 3 a.m., just running around setting stuff up and getting everything in order so that the party can happen.
Koenig: Last fall, he interned under the previous booker and now UT alum, Christina Mauri. He attributes much of his knowledge and skills to the experience he gained working alongside Mauri.
Aitala: I met Christina at a South by Pearl show in March and she showed me everything from then on out and just getting to watch her work and do all that stuff was very inspiring.
*Band music*
Koenig: Right down the road from Pearl Street is 21st Street co-op, another cooperatively run house that embraces a slightly different approach. The co-op has been around since 1974 and welcomed generations of students into its home. 21st Street, however, benefits from having three Fundraisers instead of just one. Joy Ream, a fourth-year business major and one of the Fundraisers, explains that their responsibilities include
Joy Ream: All the boring stuff. I do the permitting, I do the finances, I do the logistics and make sure that all the loose ends are tied up. I pretty much taught myself how to do booking, taught myself how to file for permits with a little bit of help from the previous person who was doing that process.
Koenig: Each co-op holds elections to decide on various labor positions, ensuring that every member has a say in how the house operates. For the Fundraisers at 21st Street, their compensation is directly tied to the financial success of the events they organize.
Ream: If you run for Fundraiser, you have an incentive to do more events and make more money for the house because you’ll get more money. It’s not a lot of compensation. To be honest, it’s so sad because we put so much hours in and we really don’t get that much, but still it’s rewarding because we get to raise money for the house and also put it on our resumes because we are doing so much event planning, logistical planning and financial stuff.
Koenig: The other two Fundraisers include Dre Griffin who focuses on booking bands, and Lilli Reynolds, who focuses on booking vendors, a trend unique to 21st Street.
Lilli Reynolds: The fact that like you can go to a party and not just meet people and have fun and dance to music you can like look at people’s art and actually gain little souvenirs from the time that you spent at the parties. I think that’s really really important. I really love it, like it makes me so happy. I’ve met so many cool people through them, like through like reaching out to people like like and like just meeting people. I love my artists. I love all my vendors. You guys are so awesome and you make me so happy to be alive and be a part of this and if it weren’t for you I would not be doing this at all.
Koenig: With a spacious yard, 21st Street provides an ideal setting for party-goers to mingle and explore before heading upstairs for the live music. Each event features at least five vendors showcasing their crafts outside, offering a mix of items ranging from artwork to clothing to handmade jewelry.
Reynolds: We don’t charge a vendor fee like ever because I don’t believe in that. I understand why some venues do it obviously because they have to pay for the space, but since we like really don’t have to pay for the space, I just think that it’s unnecessary. I have never like really seen like any other co-op before consistently do vendor markets at every single party, and our house is so perfect for it.
Koenig: Lilli is also in charge of the 21st Street Instagram account. They post and promote their party flyers consistently, starting up to two weeks in advance. They create the flyers out of stitched together felt.
Reynolds: I just recently discovered that if you make flyers that are, like, different and new and, like, people have never seen this kind of, like, flyer before, they will pay attention.
Koenig: Lilli also attests that
Reynolds: I recently discovered that the secret to promoting shows on Instagram is just being kind of really annoying on Instagram.
Koenig: When it comes to choosing the themes at 21st Street, the three Fundraisers work together to brainstorm ideas. According to Dre, who is in charge of communicating and booking the bands,
Dre Griffin: We try to do it between the three of us. And, it’s funny how much we’ll talk about themes and just go back and forth, and it’s kinda, it’s hard sometimes, but we do our best.
Koenig: 21st Street places a strong emphasis on reflecting the diverse backgrounds and identities of its residents through its event programming.
*Band music*
Reynolds: Right now, we are focusing a lot on more diversity in the bands. I tried to get diversity in genres last year, but then Dre really pointed out to me that there was not diversity in gender and color, and so we’ve been focusing on getting more femme fronted bands, more queer bands and especially more people of color at our shows.
Koenig: When it comes to scouting for bands and DJs to book, each booker employs their own unique strategies to stay connected to the local music scene. One point of consensus among the bookers is the importance of experiencing live performances firsthand.
Griffin: I try really hard to book bands that, I’m able to kind of vibe check them, either I’ve seen them in person or I know people who know them or I’ve just seen their stuff online and like hopefully interviews or things like that and they’re bands that give a fuck. I mean, they’re not just in it for the music, but they’re in it for to create something that’s meaningful or to be a part of a community that’s meaningful.
*Band music*
Koenig: Dillon’s approach to discovering talent remains consistent; he finds bands primarily through live shows.
Griffin: If I see a band live that I think is really good, I’ll keep them in mind and I might reach out to them for future parties or whatever.If I can’t get your vibe from your Instagram page, or if it just seems dead I don’t really want to book you.
*Els Brady DJ music*
Koenig: Not only do co-ops spotlight local bands, they give a creative space for local DJs as well. Musician and third year Arts and Entertainment Technologies major, Els Brady, got their start in performing through the co-ops.
Els Brady: The first show that I played was Worm World, and that was booked by Christina, Moonbby6. She was a booker here and put on a lot of cool stuff, and booked me for this show that was a Worm News event, which is a multimedia news outlet, DIY run by Mason and Christina. But so they booked me for that, and that was also Mason’s first time DJing. I think she booked both of us for that because she knew that we had made music. We didn’t know how to dj actually until that happened. We both said yes, and then I got a controller and learned for that gig. I was 17, I think, and that was really cool. They were all really supportive, and as like a young artist, that’s like all I could have asked for. I love Pearl, for sure.
*Cheering*
Koenig: Since their performance at Worm World, Els is now a member of True Step, a sound system collective that actively hosts events and performances in the area.
Brady: We have a lot of young people who are looking to spend time in a place where they feel welcome and where they feel like they can be themselves, and be around other people looking to do the same. Whereas, like, in Austin as a whole, I feel like it’s a lot of high barrier to entry high ticket prices, at least at large venues. But there are a lot of wonderful musicians and music lovers in all of Austin that make it a welcoming place for DIY music.
*Music*
Koenig: While the music scene may appear welcoming from the outside, the bookers at 21st Street face challenges in navigating the logistics of hosting events. One big hurdle is the necessity of obtaining a permit for each event, which costs $800.
Ream: They just last year added a 200 application fee, 200 to not even get a permit, just to maybe get a permit. The city of Austin doesn’t give a fuck about live music, they just want to help the little venues so that there’s less house shows, less DIY events. It’s frustrating because this city says they’re the city of live music, but they make it so hard to do busking, they make it so hard to do house shows, and it’s honestly just, it’s really sad and frustrating.
Koenig: In addition to the challenges, responsibilities, and commitments that come with booking, the student bookers must juggle their academic coursework and maintain their grades. Dillon emphasizes the demanding nature of the role, noting that it often leaves little room for extracurricular activities or personal hobbies.
Aitala: This semester, it’s especially hard taking five classes, booking for the radio station, booking for Pearl. I have a job on the weekends. I have a girlfriend that I need to give attention to. It’s pretty hard to juggle all of it, plus I do want to have a social life so. And I feel like part of being a booker is being Or having some sort of social life, like going to parties, going to venues, going to shows, meeting people, and networking and all that. The balance, I’m not very good at balancing it. Either I do too much of one thing or too much of another thing, so I’m still sort of figuring it out, but I hope to have it down by next semester, honestly.
Koenig: Despite the challenges, being a booker in the West Campus area provides students with experience that can pave the way for future careers. Dillon plans to use his experience toward opportunities in record distribution or working for a festival company. On the other hand, Joy expresses uncertainty about finding the same level of excitement in another job as they experience at 21st Street.
Ream: One of the reasons why I haven’t necessarily looked into booking opportunities around town yet is because this is the only place that I will get to completely cater the vibe I get to choose we get to choose dress up themes and the names and we get to choose all the bands, and which bands we don’t want to have which bands we do want to have. And we also, this is the only place where we’re going to have as much people going rowdy in the crowd and showing up to actually have a good time. If I book somewhere else I would still enjoy it, but I wouldn’t have as much control over the events.
Koenig: Maintaining an inclusive scene, the West Campus venues provide local students with an affordable space to have fun and foster a sense of community. These venues not only offer student bookers a valuable look into the music industry, but they also serve as a platform for students to connect through music and creativity.
Reynolds: Be passionate about it. Really put your all into it and really think about the fact that you’re not just throwing parties you’re building a community of people that like you can enjoy have fun with meet new people, dance with and just care about it really like that’s all you really need to do.
Koenig: This has been a production of The Daily Texan Audio Department. If you like this episode, make sure you subscribe to The Daily Texan on your streaming platform of choice and follow us on Twitter @texanaudio. This episode was hosted and edited by me, Abigail Koeing. Editing was done by me and accompanying pictures were taken by Ricardo Lopez. To see more from the Texan, head on over to www.thedailytexan.com. Thanks for listening!
