Austin, TX
Rainbow Kitten Surprise at Moody Amphitheater in Austin, TX – Loud Hailer Magazine
On a warm March night, alternative-indie rock band, Rainbow Kitten Surprise, thrilled eager fans with their return to Austin, TX.
Rainbow Kitten Surprise is known for their eclectic influences and unique sound. They are made up of musicians Ela Melo (vocals), Darrick “Bozzy” Keller (guitar/vocals), Ethan Goodpaster (guitar), and Jess Haney (drums). They have been making music since 2013, and their most recent release was a single titled “Sixteen.” In total, they have five studio albums and are hopefully working on another.
Opening for Rainbow Kitten Surprise is Southern California-based band Common People. The band consists of members Nicky Winegardner (vocals/guitar), Konrad Ulich (vocals/bass), Cormac Cadden (drums), Asher Thomson (guitar), and Sam Belzer (guitar). Their garage-rock sound caught the eyes of Red Light Management, and in addition to Rainbow Kitten Surprise, they have opened for big-name artist Cage The Elephant. Their debut single “Thank You” gained traction last year, in 2025. Since then, they have released a few more singles, but fans are still eagerly waiting for an EP or debut album.
Common People came onto the stage with great energy. They performed their song “Ready or Not,” along with a few other originals. Mid-set, they took a second to thank and praise Rainbow Kitten Surprise for having them join them on tour. Sadly, Austin will be their last stop on Rainbow Kitten Surprise’s tour. Following, they performed an awesome cover of The Pixies’ “Where Is My Mind?” At around the 40-minute mark of their set, they closed with their newest single, “Dear Worry.”
Rainbow Kitten Surprise opened their set with “Hell Nah” from their most recent album, bones (2025), and “Our Song,” a single from 2020. Many fans at the barricade held signs that applauded the band. They also waved LGBTQ+ and Transgender Pride flags. Ela announced to fans that this would be the last stop on their 2026 bones Tour before they took a well-deserved break. At the end of May, Rainbow Kitten Surprise will pick back up their tour in Europe and before returning to the US for a few more shows. Their set continued, and they played songs such as the newer 2025 single “Espionage” and the throwback “All’s Well That Ends.”
Before beginning their latest single, “Sixteen,” Ela introduced it as the most emo song they’ve ever made. Towards the end of their show, they performed a quick three-song acoustic run of “Texas Hold’em,” “Bare Bones,” and “First Class.” As the night came to an end, Rainbow Kitten Surprise shut it down with an encore of the closing track from bones, “Tropics” and “It’s Called: Freefall,” their 2018 top-hit from the album How To: Friend, Love, Freefall.
Fans can expect their favorite band to come to Austin sometime soon, as it seems Rainbow Kitten Surprise tours here pretty regularly.
RAINBOW KITTEN SURPRISE
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COMMON PEOPLE
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MOODY AMPHITHEATER
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Austin, TX
Texas Pride events 2026: Parades, festivals and more happening this June
AUSTIN, Texas – Pride Month is celebrated each June.
It marks the anniversary of the Stonewall uprising that started in late June 1969. The protests are seen as a turning point in the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. It inspired marches across the country in the years that followed.
More than a dozen cities and towns across Texas are celebrating with everything from parades to festivals to concerts and more.
A Pride flag is seen held up in a crowd during preparation for a Queer March to the Texas State Capitol on April 15, 2023 in Austin, Texas. (Brandon Bell / Getty Images)
Here’s a look at some of the dates and places Pride events are happening around the Lone Star State this month:
Austin also has a Pride celebration, but it is scheduled for Aug. 22.
The Source: Information in this story came from various sources, including official websites for events. AI was used to help assemble the list of events.
Austin, TX
UC Santa Barbara Baseball Drops 6-4 Nailbiter to Texas at Austin Regional Final
Red-hot Rowan Kelly came to the plate with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning with a chance to extend the Gauchos season, but a thrilling comeback was not to be.
The UC Santa Barbara baseball team battled to the end, but fell to host Texas 6-4 in the Austin Regional final on Sunday afternoon.
“I think our guys gave a really good effort,” Checketts said. “Kellan’s start was outstanding, set the tone for us, gave us a shot. We came up short against a very good baseball team.”
UC Santa Barbara (40-20) held the lead through six innings behind a strong start from pitcher Kellan Montgomery and continued offensive production from Kelly. However, Texas (43-13), the tournament’s No. 6 national seed, scored four runs over the final three innings to secure the victory and advance.
Montgomery, a Santa Barbara native, delivered one of his strongest outings of the season. The right-hander retired the Longhorns in order in the first inning and held Texas scoreless through five innings while allowing only a handful of baserunners. Kelly provided early offense with a solo home run in the first inning, his second home run of the day after homering earlier against Tarleton State.
“I think just trusting myself and the guys behind me. The last couple outings haven’t really been what I wanted, so just not making it anything bigger than it is,” Montgomery said. “This is my first time in playoff baseball, so I’m just trying to enjoy every moment with a really special group. It was just trusting myself and the seven guys behind me.”
Texas broke through in the sixth inning, loading the bases before a sacrifice fly by Adrian Rodriguez and a two-out single by Ethan Mendoza drove in two runs and gave the Longhorns their first lead of the game at 2-1. Relief pitcher Van Froling entered and recorded the final out of the inning.
The Gauchos responded immediately in the bottom half. Consecutive walks by Liam Barrett and Kelly set the stage for a sacrifice bunt attempt by William Vasseur that resulted in multiple Texas throwing errors. Barrett scored on the initial errant throw, while Kelly later crossed the plate after another misplay, giving UC Santa Barbara a 3-2 advantage.
Texas regained control in the seventh inning. After a runner’s lane interference call erased a potential scoring play, Aiden Robbins hit a two-run home run four pitches later to move the Longhorns back in front. Texas added two more runs in the eighth, including one on an RBI double and another following a failed pickoff attempt, extending its lead to 6-3.
UC Santa Barbara narrowed the deficit in the bottom of the eighth. Kelly doubled off the top of the left-field wall and later scored as the Gauchos cut the lead to two runs. The inning ended with the potential go-ahead run still at the plate.
The Gauchos mounted one final threat in the ninth. Xavier Esquer and Cole Kosciusko opened the inning with singles, and a hit batter loaded the bases with two outs. Kelly came to the plate with the tying run in scoring position, prompting Texas to make a pitching change.But Longhorn starting pitcher Luke Harrison made a rare relief appearance to record the final out and preserve the victory.
Austin, TX
Austin Pets Alive! gets $10K donation, pet beds
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin Pets Alive! (APA!) received a $10,000 donation and 30 pet beds on Thursday.
The donation was from Robert Thiele, an Amazon delivery driver and owner of Clark Courier Services, which was named in honor of his late bulldog, Clark, who passed away this spring after a battle with cancer.
“I named Clark Courier Services after Clark because just like our drivers, he delivered smiles every single day. In a world full of best friends, Clark was the bestest,” said Thiele.
According to Amazon, the donated pet beds were given a second life through Amazon Re:Turn, which repurposes textiles from customer returns that could not be resold or donated.
As a surprise for Thiele, APA! unveiled memorial plaques dedicated to Clark on shelter kennels, which were inscribed with his name and the words “forever delivering.”
“Our Delivery Service Partners are local, small business owners embedded in the communities they serve. Robert’s been delivering in Austin for nearly seven years, and he’s not just moving packages. He’s showing up for the people, the pets, and the neighborhoods around him. That’s what this program is about,” said Emma Crowley, Amazon spokesperson. “Today, we got to give a little back to someone who has and will continue to give so much to others.”
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