Carrie Fussell

May the Fourth was an interstellar blast Friday night at Cheer Up Charlies as live-looping, experimental pop sensation Sydney Wright screened her transcendental new music video, ‘Seiche’. The empowering ballad is the second single and title frack from Wright’s forthcoming album.

The video release party featured performances on both inside and outside stages at Cheer Ups.

“The bill is full of my incredible music fam and favorite local bands that I’ve gotten to run sound for,” stated Wright. “I’m really stoked to celebrate our hustle at my home venue, Cheer Up Charlies.”

Hot n’ heavy dream-pop duo The Please Please Me kicked-off the single release party on the outside stage with an immersive performance of alternative-pop, Americana and funky electronic while Calliope Musicals’ sunny frontwoman, Carrie Fussell, warmed the crowd inside. The eccentrically funky and always captivating Ladyfang brought out The Force with their jedi-infused performance and Otis Wilkins sang cosmic Americana stories on the inside stage.

Draped in a luminescent, intergalactic get-up and running around at lightspeed all night, Sydney Wright finally hit the stage to premier her beautifully reflective ‘Seiche’ video. The video is an otherworldly experience seeped in self-empowerment. Its urgency rises and falls stirring waves of emotion as the music builds in sweeping, anthemic proportions towards its ultimate climax.

“’Seiche’ is about rejecting the influences that are reflections of others and regaining freedom in our own choices and identity,” claims Wright. ‘Seiche’ is available everywhere now and the video will be officially released later this week.

Photos by: Demetrius Judkins @wolfspiritofthesun

The dreamy, psychedelic beach tides began to roll in as a Fool’s Moon rose over Cheer Up Charlies Wednesday night. Fresh off the release of her latest album, velvety-voiced, cult-pop singer-songwriter, Lolita Lynne headlined an evening of spellbinding performances from several of Austin’s leading ladies at the Red River favorite.

Still reeling from the disappointment of missing the Fool’s Moon album release last month, I was eager to catch a Lolita show and couldn’t think of a better venue than Cheer Up Charlies. And Lolita immediately soothed my misfortune with a memorizing performance complete with backing violin, trumpet and standup bass. She set the pace early with a relaxing guitar intro that led into ambient harmonies with violinist Alyssa Grace. Lolita played a couple of hits from Fool’s Moon including “I Want” and “Human” as well as a fan-favorite about astro projection. The most captivating moment came from hearing Lolita melodic cantillate “Lighting in my soul / Frighting and I know” over a very personal track before she closed with a silky guitar solo.

Preceding Lolita was Calliope Musicals’ rambunctious and pleasantly comical frontwoman, Carrie Fussell. The vivacious singer began the evening with a subtle down-beat twist on her usual party folk persona and threw in an added splash of nu-disco and looping vocals. She debuted a stripped-down, yet eccentric, new joint that was recently commandeered by Calliope Musicals for their next album and tossed in a John Dee Graham cover for good measure before signing off with a special dedication to her “Cat of the Year”, Crackers. Fussell’s performance was far more tame and intimate than the outlandish, celebratory flare we’ve grown to expect from a Calliope product but still possessed those humongous vocals we’ve fallen in love with.

The aforementioned, neo-soul artist Alyssa Grace was next to put her stamp on Cheer Ups with her hypnotic stage presence and luscious R&B-esque vocals. Grace was backed by a fantastic, one-man brass section that peppered her performance with smooth sax solos on “Little By Little” and a funky flute solo during “People”. You heard that right. A flute solo. Grace even debuted a new song “Heartache” while receiving a hailstorm of support on percussion from Michael Longoria before Grace joined Lolita on stage. The entire evening, from start to finish, was constructed around soothing, eargasmic melodies.

Check out the photo gallery below captured by Valerie Riels @photo.atx.