Live music preview: 13th Floor hosting art and music benefit for SIMS Foundation Saturday with Satalights, Semihelix and The Stayres
This Saturday, 13th Floor on Red River is hosting a SIMS Foundation benefit featuring art and live music by Austin musicians at the venue. Live music by Satalights, Semihelix, and The Stayres with tunes by DJ Dead Flowers will begin at 8 p.m. In addition, four musicians; Conrad Keely (And You Will Know Us by the Trail of the Dead), Anna Troxell (Mugger), Ruben Mendez (Coconut Coolouts) and Wes Coleman will be presenting their visual art for sale, all to benefit The SIMS Foundation, a music mental health organization that provides mental health and recovery services to Austin area music industry members and their dependent families. Keely has also made a design for t-shirts that will be available for purchase as well. The event will be an incredible night of music and art that will bring together Austin music community members and fans. Advance tickets can be found here.
The event will be co-presented by The Cosmic Clash and Play to the Plants, a cannabis and plant-themed booking and promotions company that decorates stages with beautiful plants made available though a partnership with East Side nursery, Tillery Street Plant Company. Plants will also be available for purchase for attendees to take home.
Semihelix bandleader, Geannie Friedman has led the booking and planning of the show. She is a SIMS Foundation Advisory Board member. We asked Friedman how she got involved with SIMS Foundation, “I got involved with The SIMS Foundation starting off volunteering, teaching yoga for DJs at The Line Hotel, along with collaborating on booking for “SIMS Saturdays” starting in 2019. I am now on the Advisory Board. SIMS has helped me and so many musicians, they are essential. I also have a background in social work, and have lived experience with mental health issues. I’m very passionate about increasing mental health awareness, making mental health and recovery services accessible, and making it a natural thing, just as important as seeing a medical doctor.”
Headliners, Satalights have recently released a new album, Veluga. The new record was released May 31 with their first single, Sirenas (officially out August 16, 2023). Watch the official video for the track below. The multinational act’s previous album, Little Star (2020) was a Cosmic Clash staff favorite and made our list of Best Austin Albums four years ago.
Semihelix has enjoyed a steady, upward trajectory over the past several years as the dreamy, shoe-gaze, indie rockers have released consistently great music. TCC site founder, Mike Cosmic plays bass with the band along with Friedman (guitar, vocals) and Valdemar Barrera (drums). The trio are 13th Floor veterans having played the beloved club for multiple bookings since the venue relocated to Red River post-Pandemic. Semihelix’s video for single, “Downstream” is a great listen and watch. The video was directed by former Kay Odyssey drummer, Virginia M and Marissa Pool. More from Friedman on the show Saturday, “We’re going to have a special performance! Semihelix will have guest stars: Jake Garcia (The Black Angels), Steve Marsh (Evil Triplet), Kelsey Wickliffe (The Et Ceteras) and Allison Harden (DJ Dead Flowers) on a Rolling Stones song, this version has never been performed live!”
Post-punks, The Stayres open the show. The group consists of trio, Mike Nicolai (guitar, vocals), Hunter Darby (bass, vocals), and Travis Garaffa (drums, vocals). Music fans might recognize Nicolai if you’ve been into independent record store, Love Wheel Records. He and his wife own the shop. The band’s self-titled full-length was released September 29, 2023. We hear shades of Social Distortion in the opening track. Listen below.
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