Howdy there, Highballers! Can you believe it’s almost February? Even though we’ve got lots of goodies in store for you next month, including our Big Game Party, Valentine’s Dinner with the Copa Kings and Hollywood at the Highball, we’re making sure that your January goes out with a bang! Join us on Friday for ‘80s dance madness, or come by Saturday for some rip-roarin’ good music at the Sweetmeat CD Release Party with special guest Foot Patrol. Pack a ton of fun into the final day of January with the Throwback Launch Party, featuring tequila specials, a live dance performance from Austin City Showgirls, a candy station and more! And if you really want to end this month on a memorable note, stick around after the launch party for scandalous games at Tittie Bingo. It’s the perfect way to kiss January (and boredom) good-bye!

Join us for team trivia hosted by John W. Smith and James Pound! Quizzes cover everything from train wreck celebrities to comic books to current events. Form a team of your friends or show up and make some new ones while enjoying Happy Hour priced drinks. Don’t expect to simply answer questions, because Geeks Who Drink takes trivia to the next level with off the wall activities and potentially embarrassing contests. Winners receive prizes and eternal glory!

Rick Broussard’s Two Hoots and a Holler has been entertaining crowded dance halls for over 20 years with their unique style of revved-up country and roots rock music. Drawing on influences from everyone from Buddy Holly and Johnny Cash to The Cramps and The Clash, the band can play a mean classic country tune but with a unique punk rock twist. As one of the best-known bands in Austin, they’ve won numerous Austin Music Awards for Best Roots Rock Band and have been nominated for the Austin Music Awards Hall of Fame! Throw on your dancin’ boots and check them out for yourself during Texas Thursday when we offer local beer for $3 a pint and $2 Lone Star bottles.

Sweetmeat is a combination of musical talent from Austin bands Opposite Day, the Invincible Czars, and Mostly Dead/Mistress Stephanie. Their sound is new, fresh, eclectic and unlike anything in Austin right now. The lyrics are playful, the music is creative and intelligent, and the show is a high-energy sexy time. In celebration of their new album, Sweetmeat will be sharing the stage with Foot Patrol, a band that, according to the Austin Chronicle, “resuscitates the party-up vibe of early-1980s synth-funk via clever toe-tappers.” Don’t miss this outrageous musical extravaganza!

Join us for the Throwback Launch Party, hosted by Brass Tack Events and sponsored by Tequila Avion! Our ballroom will be packed with party goodness, with entertainment by Inner Diva Studios and Austin City Showgirls, a photo booth by Annie Ray, a candy station and body painting. Sip on specialty Tequila Avion cocktails and feast on this fiesta for the senses!

No offense to your house, but the Highball makes for a far better living room, especially when it comes to watching extremely important sporting events. We’ve got a big screen, copious amounts of tasty business and beverages, and you can access all of it without having to prepare beforehand or clean up afterward. Basically, you’re always welcome in our home, and we hope you’ll join us to watch the Big Game! We’ve partnered up with AM 1300 THE ZONE to bring you the ultimate viewing experience, complete with National Anthem & Madonna karaoke contests, door prizes at half time, special guests and more! Buy a $10 food/beverage voucher to reserve your spot in the ballroom and be automatically entered to win the Zone’s Man Cave Makeover!

From the folks who brought you Teen Angst Tuesday and the reenactment of The Prom episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer comes an all new brilliant reinterpretation! The Institution Theater proudly presents DR. HORRIBLE LIVE, an all singing, all dancing, incredibly super villain-y staged production of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-along Blog. Come out for live blogging by the infamous Dr. Horrible. Swoon for the intriguingly cheesy Captain Hammer. And fall in love with Penny, the cute, nerdy type. And there’s… Moist. He’s… moist.

Peace out, January!
Sarah
Programming & Promotions Manager