If you’ve ever wondered what SXSW in Austin feels like behind the scenes, let me tell you: it’s equal parts chaos, talent, heat, nerves, music, and people trying to hold it all together with adrenaline and very little downtime.
On Sunday, March 15, 2026, I worked backstage at the Do512 Lounge Sessions in South Austin, giving green room haircuts and style-outs for artists, managers, crew, and whoever was ready to sit in my chair. Do512 hosted Lounge Sessions as an invite-only event featuring Sun Room, Susannah Joffe, and more.
And honestly, it ended up being even better than I expected.
That morning, I made a decision not to overcomplicate the day. Normally I would have put too much pressure on myself, tried to make the outfit perfect, built the whole thing up in my head, and made it harder than it needed to be. I still changed clothes four times, because that's me... eventually I settled down, grabbed my gear, and headed to my suite to get everything together.
I arrived at the Do512 lounge off South Lamar right before the first performances got going. The first thing I noticed when I walked into the green room, was how unglamorous and human it all felt. People were laid out on couches, glued to their phones, conserving energy, mentally preparing for whatever came next. It didn’t feel polished. It felt real. Tired people, talented people, people in motion.
So I did what I do best.
I walked in, introduced myself, offered haircuts and style-outs, and started building my little station on top of two stacked ice chests by the ping pong table. Not exactly luxury salon furniture, but I’ve never needed perfect conditions to do good work.
They had Tito’s around, pizza from Home Slice; Home Slice’s South Congress location is one of Austin’s better-known pizza spots and has been a local staple for years.
At one point, while trying to catch the first band, I got distracted by the vintage vendors set up outside in the gravel lot, which felt extremely on brand for me because I love old stuff, weird stuff, beautiful junk, all of it.
I met Corbin from Rotto! Americana, who was a total sweetheart and clearly one of those people who genuinely loves the hunt. He handpicks vintage pieces himself, and I loved hearing him talk about how he travels and brings things back from different countries! I also met the woman behind ALR Vintage Vault, who had this super warm, outgoing, inviting energy that instantly made me like her.
She wanted a haircut, but timing didn’t work out. I did get to cut her friend’s hair, though, and that ended up mattering more than I realized in the moment.
He had attempted to buzz it himself and needed some help. I gave him a tight skin fade and cleaned everything up in a way that made the areas he felt insecure about much less obvious. Once that first haircut was done and people could see I actually knew what I was doing, the whole room shifted.
That’s the thing about hair. Sometimes all it takes is one person trusting you.
What surprised me most was that the first person to officially sit in my chair in the green room wasn’t an artist. It was a young band manager with thick dark hair who trusted me to even out a haircut that had been done by a friend while she was traveling. That kind of trust means a lot to me, especially in a setting where nobody knows you yet and everybody is moving fast.
After that, I worked on another woman from the same team and gave her soft curtain bangs, reshaped things a little, and styled her out with texture powder. From there, it started snowballing.
More people noticed.
More people asked.
More people got in line.
Most of the people I ended up cutting that day were women, and honestly, I loved that. It gave me a chance to show range in an environment where people might have expected something quick, basic, or rushed. Instead, I got to do what I actually do best, which is read the person in front of me and figure out what would make them feel more like themselves again.
That’s a huge part of the way I cut hair.
I don’t just listen to the words people use when they explain their hair. I study the way they say things. I watch their mannerisms. I pay attention to the way they touch their hair, the parts they keep pointing at, the look on their face when they know something feels off but they don’t quite know how to describe it. A lot of people cannot fully explain why their haircut feels wrong. They just know it doesn’t feel like them. Part of my job is reading between the lines and translating that into something better.
One of my favorite moments from the day was meeting Austin artist, Susannah Joffe. She was on the Do512 Lounge Sessions lineup that day, and she absolutely stood out the second she walked in.
She came in looking like Princess Toadstool’s cooler, more dangerous cousin, in the best way. She had on this amazing wig and such a strong presence that I clocked her right away. I told her if she wanted a haircut, or even just needed me to brush out the wig for her, I was around.
She went onstage, did her thing, absolutely killed it, and then came back and let me help make her hair feel a little sexier and more lived in. She was sweet, grounded, clearly exhausted from the pace of SXSW, but still completely down to earth. I remember telling her to keep going, not even fully realizing yet the momentum she was already building!
That moment kind of summed up the whole day for me.
Everybody was talented.
Everybody was tired.
Everybody was trying to keep the vibe together. And somehow, I got to be part of that.
After Suzannah sat in my chair, it felt like everybody wanted in line. I had artists, team members, and people moving in between sets trying to squeeze in a cut, a cleanup, or a style-out before they had to be somewhere else. I actually love that kind of chaos. I’m good at it. I can keep track of who’s next, what each person needs, and how to move quickly without making the work feel rushed.
Did I forget my hand mirror? Yes.
Did I forget a broom and dustpan? Also yes.
Did I still make it work? Absolutely.
I softened and balanced out bangs for the lead singer from Fine Food Market. I cleaned up a punk mullet for Riot Act. I evened out shapes, refined details, and made the most of the time, tools, and weird little setup I had. Nobody was getting some checked-out, assembly-line haircut from me. Even in that environment, I care too much for that.
Later in the day, I finally got a second to step back, eat pizza and actually watch some of the bands perform. I wish I had gotten more footage for social media, but honestly, I’m glad I stayed present for most of it. Sometimes if you document every second, you miss the actual experience.
And this one was worth feeling.
The day before, on Saturday, I had walked around SXSW after work. It was crowded, hot, and a little overwhelming, but it still felt good to be back out in the city and in the middle of it. That mattered to me more than people probably realize. Just getting to move through Austin again, hear the music, feel the noise, and be part of South by in any way felt meaningful.
Then Sunday gave me something even better. It gave me a place in it.
Instead of just watching SXSW happen around me, I got to contribute to it. I got to show up with my skills, help artists and creatives feel better before going onstage or heading back into the crowd, and be useful in a room full of movement, nerves, talent, and noise.
That’s a damn good day.
I’m incredibly grateful to Michael Brown for inviting me into the opportunity in the first place. I’m also grateful to Jimmy Stewart and the Do512 team for being welcoming, kind, and accommodating. And to everybody who trusted me with their hair in the middle of SXSW chaos, thank you.
To the manager who trusted me to fix an uneven grown-out haircut.
To the assistant who let me shape curtain bangs and style her out.
To the friend from ALR Vintage Vault who gave me a shot with his skin fade.
To the Fine Food Market crew member whose bangs I softened and balanced.
To the Riot Act musician who trusted me with a punk mullet cleanup.
To Susannah Joffe, who brought the energy and let me help shape the look.... Thank you.
Most of all, thank you Universe for continuing to put me in rooms I once only hoped I’d get to enter.
SXSW 2026 was loud, hot, creative, overwhelming, inspiring, and completely Austin.
And this year, I got to be part of the backstage version of it.
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