Buda's Birthday Kick-Off w/ Jim Franklin & Suzanna Choffel (FREE SHOW)

We're kicking off Buda's Birthday with a free evening of entertainment sponsored by the City of Buda. The event opens with storytelling and artwork by Jim Franklin, and then the incredible Suzanna Choffel and friends continue the celebration with live music! 

• Free
• All ages
• Capacity is limited
• This is a seated event
• Consessions are available for purchase
• Doors @ 5:30pm
• Guests must arrive by 6:15pm, or they forfeit their tickets to walk-up patrons

Artist Talk:

Jim Franklin, a Texas-born artist and illustrator, gained fame for his iconic poster art created for the Armadillo World Headquarters, a psychedelic music hall in Austin. Known for his surrealistic illustrations of armadillos, Franklin collaborated with musicians like Shiva's Headband and 13th Floor Elevators, becoming the primary poster artist for the Vulcan Gas Company. His armadillo drawings, originating in 1968, became a symbol of the Texas hippie counterculture, prominently featured in album art and posters for various bands and events, making Franklin a significant figure in the state's artistic and musical history. See complete bio below.

Live Music:

Suzanna Choffel, an Austin native, is a versatile musician known for her unique voice and reggae-inspired guitar style, creating a sound that blends Beat poetry, soul grooves, and indie-pop. With a career spanning two decades, she has graced renowned stages like ACL Music Fest and SXSW, and appeared in movies such as "Catfish" and NBC's The Voice. Choffel, a prolific songwriter and award-winner, has collaborated with diverse artists, experienced significant life changes, including a stint on reality TV, and is set to release her fourth studio album recorded in Los Angeles with longtime collaborator Davíd Garza. See complete bio below.

COMPLETE BIOS:

Jim Franklin (born 1943 and raised in LaMarque Texas) is an artist, illustrator, and underground cartoonist best known for his poster art created for the Armadillo World Headquarters, He is also known for his detailed, surrealistic illustrations of armadillos.

Franklin studied at the San Francisco Art Institute. Returning to Texas, he teamed with musicians and artists to open a psychedelic music hall in Austin, called the Vulcan Gas Company.  Franklin lived in the club and was its primary poster artist for bands such as Shiva's Headband, 13th Floor Elevators, Conqueroo, and Canned Heat. At the Vulcan, Franklin and Gilbert Shelton worked together for the first time.

Franklin began drawing armadillos in 1968 and they became a symbol of the hippie counterculture movement in Texas. He used this armadillo motif when creating the album art for Shiva's Headband's first record, Take Me to the Mountains and poster art for the Armadillo World Headquarters. Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen's live recording, Live from Deep in the Heart of Texas, features Franklin's armadillo art, as do the Freddie King albums, Texas Cannonball and Woman Across the River.

Franklin's surrealistic armadillos and other art often appeared on the cover of Austin's underground newspaper, The Rag. He made the armadillo a folk hero the likes of which hadn't been seen in Texas since Davy Crockett days.

Suzanna Choffel: Known for her distinct voice and reggae-inspired guitar technique, Austin native Suzanna Choffel's music has been described as "a unique sound equal parts Beat poetry, smoky soul grooves and indie-pop eccentricity." (Jim Derogatis). Having made appearances at ACL Music Fest, SXSW, Voodoo Fest, as well as on screen in movies like "Catfish" and NBC's The Voice (earning singular praise from Rolling Stone as "the only artist you'd want to listen to a complete album from"), Choffel feels equally at home singing in a dimly lit club as she does front and center in front of (literally) millions.

Over the course of her two decade career Choffel has shared the stage with a diverse array of artists like Buena Vista Social Club, Suzanne Vega, Crystal Gayle, Solange, Davíd Garza and many others. As a songwriter she has won multiple awards in both the John Lennon Songwriting Contest and the International Songwriting Contest and her albums have appeared on top 10 lists across Texas.

Choffel was born and raised in Austin and cut her teeth as a teenager singing in beloved hometown haunts like Saxon Pub and Broken Spoke. She moved away to Santa Fe to study music at a small “hippie college” as she likes to call it, improving her guitar & songwriting chops, moved back to Austin & recorded her first album Shudders & Rings and hit the clubs hard, developing a following at places like Momo’s, Strange Brew, (both have closed) and Cactus Cafe.

Since that time life has had huge changes for her; she did a short stint on reality tv (NBC’s The Voice), moved to New York, toured in France, had children, recorded more albums and became a radio personality/DJ on Austin’s Sun Radio (100.1FM). Her unique “radio” voice landed her a gig as the voice of Whataburger in 2023 and she is now set to release her fourth studio album which she recorded in Los Angeles with longtime friend & collaborator Davíd Garza.