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A talk with Lord Friday the 13th

On the left, Felix Lenz wears a red tank top, spiky hat, and leg warmers with dramatic makeup. On the right, Sloane wears a red dress and mismatched knee-high socks.

Siblings Felix and Sloan Lenz said they started the band to push the boundaries of “good” and “bad.” | Photo by ATXtoday

If you like bands that keep Austin weird, you’ve come to the right place.

Meet Lord Friday the 13th, a “trash-glam punk” band fronted by siblings Felix and Sloane Lenz.

Growing up in East Texas, the pair said they were “raised as twins,” despite their two-year age gap, and shared a love of performing arts and musical theatre from a young age.

While working in filmmaking and costume design in Austin, the siblings banded together to create Lord Friday the 13th as a type of performance art. With songs like “Bigots Beware,” “Wallace & Vomit,” and “Patent Leather,” the band is happy doing things their own way.

We sat down with Felix and Sloane ahead of their final festival performance this Saturday, March 18, to talk about what their music means to them.

What was your mission statement for starting Lord Friday the 13th?

Felix: We’ve always been different in ways that are complementary. We were trying to be playing the role of like, “bad people.” So I had cigarette earrings, I would wear biker gear, and just be rough and tough because I am so meek.

Sloane: Growing up, everyone (thought) we were goody two shoes. We don’t drink, we don’t do drugs, we really very plain.

Felix: I wanted an outlet to be angry, and ugly, and bad. I used to model and I got very tripped up with appearance issues, felt hideous, and wanted all this plastic surgery. Then I was like, “This is not going to work,” so I wanted to be as ugly as possible to fully let that go. It has gotten progressively more chaotic, for sure, as I’ve gotten more comfortable.

You still have time to see Lord Friday the 13th live for SXSW at midnight on Saturday, March 18 at Esther’s Follies.

GET TO KNOW THEM

Asked

Do you typically attend SXSW?

A. Yes — I buy a badge
B. Yes — I like the free events
C. Sometimes, depending on the lineup
D. No, I prefer to avoid the crowds

TELL US HERE

Events

Thursday, March 16

Love, Tito’s Retail Store’s Spring Music Series | Now-Saturday, Mar. 18 | 1-5:30 p.m. | Love, Tito’s Retail Store, 215 Lavaca St., Austin | Free | The store’s Spring Music Series is back with Miggy & Zack, Maddy Hatchet, DJ Coy O Te and more.
Creed III | Thursday, Mar. 16 | 5 p.m. | Bullock Texas State History Museum, 1800 Congress Ave., Austin | $13-$15 | Continue the Rocky legacy on a screen the size of Texas.
Women’s History Month Panel with NASA’s Webb Space Telescope | Thursday, Mar. 16 | 5:30 p.m. | Bullock Texas State History Museum, 1800 Congress Ave., Austin | Free | NASA professionals will discuss the Webb Space Telescope.

Friday, March 17

Chef & Friends: The Happy Crane Noodle Making Demonstration | Friday, Mar. 17 | 6 p.m. | Commodore Perry Estate, 4100 Red River St., Austin | $95-$125 | Join San Francisco-based Chef James Yeun Leong Parry at the Commodore Perry Estate for a noodle-making demonstration with light bites and wine.
Drag Queen Bingo | Friday, Mar. 17 | 7-9 p.m. | Jester King Brewing, 13187 Fitzhugh Rd., Austin | Free | Grab a bingo card and enjoy performances from Nico de Gallo, Jess Velour, Miss Adrienne Park, and Debbie Cakes.

Saturday, March 18

Honky Tonk Hangover Brunch | Saturday, Mar. 18 | 11 a.m.-1 p.m. | Hotel Vegas & The Volstead, 1500 E. 6th St., Austin | Free | Get some much-needed R&R with drinks and brunch bites.

We have a calendar filled with events and activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.

Click here to have your event featured.

100+ MORE EVENTS

News Notes

Weather

78º | Thunderstorms | 71% chance of rain

Festival

Bad luck — the Luck Reunion music festival has been postponed to Friday, March 17, due to potential for inclement weather. All tickets and parking passes will be honored for the new date.
SXSW is moving today’s free Community Concert series from Lady Bird Lake to the Austin Convention Center due to threat of thunderstorms. View the new schedule.

Award

NASA awarded Cedar Park-based space exploration company Firefly Aerospace a $112 million contract to deliver supplies to the “dark side” of the moon. The mission will require multiple trips using the company’s new Blue Ghost spacecraft. (KXAN)

Development

Opportunity Austin and San Antonio-based organization greater:SATX have formally partnered to drive business to Central Texas. The groups will focus on creating and retaining competitive business in the “mega region.” (Community Impact Austin)

Closing

Tex-Mex restaurant Z’Tejas will close its 1110 W. 6th St. location after 33 years with a going away party on Saturday, April 1 — no, we’re not joking. Join them in celebration with $5 house margaritas and a live DJ from 6-10 p.m.

Watch

Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson are making a new comedy set in Texas. The Apple TV+ show will have 10 half-hour episodes, is yet-to-be titled, and follows the pair living together on Matthew’s Hill Country ranch.

Tech

Looking for a new laptop that checks all the boxes without breaking the bank? Enter: the Acer Chromebook 311. This lightweight laptop is decked out with all the essential Google apps — like Google Chrome and Google Calendar — it’s quiet, and it has up to 10 hours of battery life.

Development

🏗 ICON wants you

An organic-looking 3D-printed home that is fully furnished.

ICON’s designs often involve walls with fluid movement, and a lack of right angles. | Photo by ICON

ICON, Austin-based 3D-printing construction company, is calling on you to design its next housing project, but there’s a catch: it has to be built for $99,000 or less.

Called Initiative 99, registration for the contest will open to all architects — including students, firms, and individuals — this summer. The year-long competition has several phases, potential for multiple winning designs, and $1 million in prize money on the line.

A kitchen with a 3D-printed island and barstrools. — CEO Jason Ballard said he hopes this concept shifts the idea of affordable housing.
|
Photo by ICON

This isn’t ICON’s first foray into the affordable housing sphere — in 2019, ICON gifted a batch of homes in Nacajuca, Mexico to families living in poverty. A little closer to home, ICON has been working on building homes for Community First! Village since 2020.

ICON CEO Jason Ballard said the rubric will include taking “beauty, aesthetics, comfort, sustainability, and resiliency” into account. Once designs are in, a panel of architectural practitioners — including several Austinites — will weigh in.

GET DESIGNING

The Wrap

Today’s Edition By:
Figi

From the Editor

Did you know there are 6.5 million fewer single-family homes than we need to house everybody in the US? That figure is one million higher than last year, and ICON CEO Jason Ballard said Initiative 99 is “a call to arms” at its Moonshot for Affordable Housing SXSW panel.

Click here to learn more about the competition.

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