1st Annual Bat to School Bash

The Austin Bat Cave proudly presents an evening with Bill Callahan—live and onscreen, Friday, September 14, at the Stateside Theater, 719 Congress Avenue, at 8 pm. The show will mark the first annual “Bat to School Bash” for the Austin Bat Cave (ABC), a nonprofit that teaches kids writing.

The enigmatic Callahan is a long-time critical darling who for years recorded and toured under the name Smog, releasing 10 albums. Callahan moved to Austin in 2004 and has released three albums under his own name. The latest, last year’s Apocalypse, is one of his best, an album that is both spooky and sweet, stripped down but also weirdly rollicking. Apocalypse got rave reviews in Rolling Stone, the New Yorker, and Pitchfork, which said Callahan is “making the best albums of his career.”

In 2011 Callahan toured the world to promote Apocalypse, and Austin filmmaker Hanly Banks went along with a camera. The result is “Apocalypse: A Bill Callahan Tour Film,” and ABC will offer its Texas premier on September 14. The night will feature the documentary, a performance by Callahan, a short video of an ABC song-writing workshop with kids and Callahan, followed by a reception with artist and filmmaker. Callahan hasn’t played in Austin since March, so this show will be a singular musical and cultural event.

This marks the first annual Bat to School Bash for ABC, which connects a diverse population of young writers with adult volunteers in Austin. ABC’s numerous workshops and programs are free. But in order to truly fulfill its mission, ABC needs a brick-and-mortar space where kids learn and volunteers teach. This future writing and tutoring center will offer free writing programs for kids. At the moment, the organization is very close to realizing this vision, with more details to come! This fundraiser will help pay for yearly operating costs for our center as well programming.

For more info call the Stateside Theater at (512) 474-1221 or contact Katie Angermeier kangermeier@austinbatcave.org

Tickets are $17 and can be purchased in advance at austintheatre.org