I wasn’t expecting that

Mother Falcon. Photo by Holly Aker

In a random series of events, a friend and I ended up at a house party off Live Oak Street on Saturday night. But this wasn’t the kind of house party you’re probably thinking of, and it definitely wasn’t the kind of house party I thought it was going to be. This was a benefit party for Texas After Violence.

Texas After Violence is a non-profit organization that advocates for public education about such topics as human rights violations, the death penalty, and, according to their website, “a society that recognizes and affirms the dignity and value of every human being.” The organization also collects individuals’ personal stories about these topics and and shares them with the public. The party on Saturday night was held to announce the organization’s latest success: the Human Rights Documentation Initiative of the University of Texas Libraries will now be assisting Texas After Violence by posting full interviews and  transcripts on its website.

My favorite part of the night was the entertainment. Mother Falcon, a young, local Austin band with at least one member from St. Edward’s University, serenaded the party for about an hour with their unique sound that I can only describe as modern classical music with jazz sprinklings scattered here and there. The band is compromised of 13 (unfortunately only nine could make it to this particular gig) of the most talented musicians I have ever seen: every musician played at least two instruments and played each with great proficiency. The whole crowd was very receptive to Mother Falcon, and many people were begging to know when they could hear the band next.

With such a great cause and a great band, the night should have been a great one, but unfortunately, it ended on a sour note. Soon after the band’s set ended two girls approached my friend and me. Apparently this event was not only a benefit party for Texas After Violence, but it was also an anniversary party for one of the organization’s founders. These girls informed us that since we didn’t know the couple and weren’t invited, we should leave. Although my friend and I had been invited by a friend in Mother Falcon, we had no idea the party was also an anniversary party, so we decided not to push it and quietly leave. However, I don’t want to dwell on this sour part of the night. The rest of the evening was so wonderful, I’m just going to happily remember the good parts and laugh about the weird, awkward parts.