Backyard Beats
Building Community Through Music
Words by Sam Lauron Photos Courtesy of Bungalow East
Tucked away in the backyard of a quaint East Austin home, beneath a canopy of trees and the twinkle of string lights, a small group of people—some strangers, some friends—are sprawled out across blankets, eagerly awaiting the crooning and strumming that will soon commence just a couple feet in front of them.
The gathering is part of Bungalow East, a series of intimate live music shows that take place in East Austin homes.
Founded earlier this year by Erica Tello and Loleita Vatikani, the idea for Bungalow East stemmed from the pair’s shared love of live music and their appreciation for East Austin, where they both live. “We wanted to preserve live music in Austin and bring it to our own neighborhood and backyard,” says Erica.
The ‘bungalow’ in the name is not only a reference to the type of venue where the shows are held—each show is hosted at a different home around East Austin—but is also a symbol of the small and intimate space Erica and Loleita strive to create. The intimacy and neighborhood aspect of these live performances was the pair’s solution to what they believed Austin’s live music scene was missing. “There’s something to be said about walking into a home and feeling welcomed by someone,” Loleita shrugs and then adds, “A house show is a very tangible way of seeing the community come together.”
The pair met at a Galentine’s Day party and became friends immediately. They’ve since taken a collaborative approach to building Bungalow East. Many of their friends have contributed in some way, whether that’s by hosting shows at their homes, connecting them with sponsors, or suggesting an upcoming artist. Even the hand painted banner that’s displayed at each event is representative of the community effort involved behind the project. “It took us a couple weeks [to paint] the banner, but I think over 20 people had some sort of contribution,” Erica recalls.
While these backyard sessions are meant to bring people together, they’re just as much about the experience of an intimate live show as they are about providing a platform for local and on-the-rise artists.
Artists who have performed at Bungalow East span the genres: Americana, Indie, electric-pop and include names like Parker Chapin, LadyDan, and Cooper Greenberg, to name a few. The founders hope to introduce these musicians to a wider, more engaged audience. Musicians often say that, “having an audience of 70 people to sit and listen to my music is really hard to come by.” Erica adds, “The artists are just really appreciative of the space that we’re creating.”
For Erica and Loleita, their ultimate vision is to build an intimate and accessible community that supports the local music scene, all while highlighting East Austin’s neighborhoods.
“Music transcends many barriers,”
Catch a Show
Bungalow East hosts a live music performance at a different East Austin home each month. For upcoming show and location details, follow Bungalow East on Facebook or Instagram. Their next show is Sunday, October 27!
Contact:
@bungaloweast
