The sun sets peacefully as a subtle gentle breeze blows from the North. Your feet shuffle through the fresh fallen leaves as your senses pick up the wafting smoke of a fireplace, your hand warm with the hot apple cider that was just made. The comfort of the heavy sweater upon your shoulders brings you a deep soul comfort. This isn’t Houston because of course it’s still 87 degrees but you did just get some new open toed slides. So there is a positive and you just fixed your AC in your car. We have a few dozen projects and events to indulge in and we are excited about the new programming this month has brought. Sit down for a reading or park it on the Menil Lawn for some classic sounds, this week with Hidden Agenda is a solid 10/10!

Monday, 10/20

They, Who Sound | 7:00 PM

Lawndale Art Center | 4912 Main St

The beloved weekly series for experimental sound-making, improvised music, noises, the sounding of art, and the performance of art.

Featuring:

Angel Garcia (Houston) - drums, percussion, voice

Mlee Marie (Houston) - saxophone, electronics and a surprise musician. Maybe it’s John Zorn! You’ll have to go to find out. Mostly go for it’s always guaranteed to be a great evening.

Tuesday, 10/21

Talk: Ignacio Sánchez Prado | 7:00 PM

Basket Books | 115 Hyde Park Blvd

Another great reading to attend at a Basket Books. The well curated book store programs well curated talks and this round is not to be missed.

“Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things. Taco is a deep dive into the most iconic Mexican food from the perspective of a Mexico City native. In a narrative that moves from Mexico to the United States and back, Sánchez Prado discusses the definition of the taco, the question of the tortilla and the taco shell, and the existence of the taco as a modern social touchstone that has been shaped by history and geography”.

Wednesday, 10/22

Film Screening and Director Talk: 'Earl.' – A Portrait of Composer Earl Kim | 7:30 PM

Asia Society | 1370 Southmore Blvd

This Wednesday at Asia Society join for a live performance and powerful storytelling celebrating American composer Earl Kim. Earl., a documentary by Emmy Award-winning director Ty Kim, traces Kim’s extraordinary journey — from the son of Korean immigrants in rural California to a student of Arnold Schoenberg, a World War II combat intelligence officer who flew over Nagasaki after the atomic bomb, a collaborator with Samuel Beckett, and a fiercely independent educator at Princeton and Harvard who refused to sign the McCarthy-era Loyalty Oath. Featuring rare archival footage, performances by the Sejong Soloists, and interviews with brilliant peers including Itzhak Perlman and John Harbison, Earl. reveals the life of a composer whose radical, uncompromising work defied convention and demands to be heard.

Thursday, 10/23

The Menil Archives at 25: A Conversation | 7:00 PM

The Menil Collection | 1533 Sul Ross

In celebration of the Menil Archives’s 25th anniversary, panelists, including the museum’s first archivist Geraldine (Geri) Aramanda and author Don Quaintance, discuss the past, present, and future of the Archives.

InConversation: Tomashi Jackson, Dr. Gerald Horne, and Nia Evans | 6:30 PM

The Contemporary Art Museum Houston | 5216 Montrose Blvd

Dive deeper into the exhibition Tomashi Jackson: Across the Universe with a discussion between the artist herself and Dr. Gerald Horne, moderated by Nia K. Evans. The conversation will center on themes driving Jackson’s practice, including histories of Great Migration families, who moved from Texas to California.

Friday, 10/24

Opening: Wayward Lines | 7:00 PM

Throughline Collective | 3909 Main St

Opening this Friday is an exhibition of new mixed-media exploring beauty, lush spaces, and all that dwells in between. Artists Jonas Criscoe and Trent Teinert investigate human touch and tactile experiences using both found and generated materials. Environments, Landscapes, and within the gaps where margins meet. ”The tenuous and lively territories where material and perceptual structures fall apart into one another“.

19th annual No Idea Festival 2025

October 23 > Dallas

October 24-26 > Austin

No Idea Festival 2025 presents artists working in the peripheries of Free Improvisation, Composition, Free Jazz, Noise, and Sonic Intervention. To highlight artists' working methods, musicians move through No Idea’s format of established groups, emerging collaborations, and festival curated first-meetings.

Artist Lineup:

Fred Moten • Brandon López • Joe McPhee • Michael Foster • Richard Kamerman • Bhob Rainey • Juan García • David Watson • Christina Carter • jiu DROMEZ • DJ Mutarrancho And more

For information on the festival, artists, bios, and venue locations for each city follow the link and see what peaks your interests. Explore one event or catch them all.

Saturday, 10/25

12th Annual Magnolia Park Dia de los Muertos Festival & Parade at Hidalgo Park

9am Parade, 10am to 4pm Festival

Hidalgo Park | 7000 Avenue Q

Houston’s Día de los Muertos celebration in the East End with a free festival and parade, including food, kids activities, cultural performances, and live music. 9am parade; 10am to 4pm festival.

Sunday, 10/26

Sounds to Live By | 3:00 PM - 7:00 PM

The Menil Collection, Menil Lawn | 1533 Sul Ross

Either this changed or was mistakenly included last week? Either way…

Enjoy an afternoon of music on the Menil’s east lawn. Sounds to Live By is an annual outdoor listening event organized by Peter Lucas featuring music selections from a variety of Houston artists, musicians, and DJs. This year’s guest participants Jamire Williams, Jamal Cyrus, Tierney Malone, Jackson Allers, Gracie Chavez, and Jason Woods (Flash Gordon Parks) will be spinning vinyl records from their personal collections.

Diwali Lights | 3:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Asia Society Texas Center | 1370 Southmore Blvd

Celebrate one of India’s most cherished holidays in at a family-friendly festival of lights that includes vibrant Indian fashion, food, hands-on activities, and a captivating Ramayana performance at 5pm. RSVP required. 3pm to 7pm.

Día de los Dangerous