Ladyluck’s devilish debut at the scary shack 

By Lillian Jones

Local Music Director

On Friday, Oct. 13th, the DIY house venue known as Funny Shack, was transformed into the “Scary Shack” for a night of spooky, music-loving, flash-tattooing fun. The house adorned spiderwebs – real and fake – to set the tone for the night. Inside, you could find the three bands, Demure, Ritual and Ladyluck playing in the living room and the two tattoo artists, @florapokes and @galinflames on Instagram, in the Demure practice room.  

Demure 

Demure, one of San Marcos’ beloved local bands and residents of Funny Shack, were the first to adorn the makeshift stage in their living room. Though I wasn’t able to listen from inside for the majority of their set, Demure’s eclectic, slowcore sound reverberated throughout the house and entranced listeners for the entirety of their performance. The band recently made appearances on the KTSW YouTube for a Studio C session and Local Show episode that you can check out to get a glimpse of the band’s talents and personalities. 

Ritual

As my good friend Brendan Morrow once said, “It is 2009 and I’m in a basement in Ohio,” which basically sums up what seeing Austin-based band Ritual was like. By the start of their set, people were entering the house venue in waves – filling the living room all the way back into the kitchen. Despite the house being cramped beyond imagination, it was worth it. The crowd became chaotic during the third song, keeping up with the band’s high-energy set. If you like bands such as Deftones, you’re in luck as they include a cover of  “Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away),” and you should definitely catch them live! 

Ladyluck

ladyluck, a dreamy shoegaze project established by three former members of Crash Test Girls, returned from a four-month hiatus to a packed house. While still keeping the energy and charm fans grew to love, ladyluck has fully rebranded themselves. The San Marcos-based band’s new set has retired the Title Fight, Momma and Cocteau Twins covers, opting for a singular cover of “Here’s Where The Story Ends” by The Sundays. Vocalist Allie Jones made sure to dedicate the song to the horse girls in the crowd beforehand. The remainder of the set featured all-new ladyluck originals featuring more of Jones’ screaming (my favorite), heavier guitar and an overall cohesive sound thanks to the new drummer Francis Gray! If you weren’t able to catch any CTG shows don’t worry because Allie Jones, Sammy Smith, AJ Byers and their new addition Francis Gray ARE SO BACK!

Overall, the event was a great way to turn the traditionally unlucky night into a night full of luck. Many were lucky to get sweet new tattoos, a good view of the bands or even just the friendly presence that is the San Marcos music scene. This is all thanks to Distortion Media who partnered with Funny Shack to make the night happen! 

As always don’t forget to follow everyone on Instagram to stay updated! 

Demure – @musicdemure 

Ritual – @ritual_alt

Lady Luck – @ladyluck.shgz

Distortion Media – @distortionmediatx