Super Sad Song Show Hosts Invite You to Feel at Spinster Records

Get ready to jam — and cry it out.

At Super Sad Song Show, the founders, Ashton Edminster and Piper Byers, aim to showcase local musicians’ most personal work. Edminster first conceived the idea for the series in 2023, born from a need for catharsis.

“I was going through some personal stuff in my life, and I had just been writing so much,” Edminster says. “I was sending all of these audio files to all my friends, and they were like, ‘This is some of the best stuff you've ever written. I can't wait to hear this live.’ And it occurred to me that in all my 10-plus years of singing live, every single venue was always like, ‘Can you do happy, upbeat covers?’ They never really wanted to know what was really going on in the mind of a songwriter who lives their life day-to-day.”

To test the forlorn waters, Edminster threw a personal show at a friend’s home, for which she invited a select group of friends and fans. Her setlist comprised of some of her more vulnerable material. In the audience was fellow singer-songwriter Byers, who had just returned to Dallas after a stint in New York City. As a gigging musician, Byers had also received similar requests to perform more upbeat material from her catalog.

“Sad songs kind of have this bad rep in live music,” says Byers. “When I went to Ashton’s show, I went up to her afterward, and was like, ‘How do I be a part of this?’ Like, at the very least, I just want to do one of these, because I also have dozens of sad songs that are not seeing the light of day that I would love to play and have them be perceived in a good way — loved, and not just be a downer in a set.”

Super Sad Song Show would have had its inaugural show this past February at Opening Bell Coffee, which Edminster says is “ground zero” for Dallas-based singers and songwriters. Since its launch, artists like Kolton Fields, Remy Reilly and Kelvin Thomas have blessed audiences with their sad songs.

“I felt less alone [after playing Super Sad Song Show] because what we don’t remember is everyone is living the same life in different fonts,” says Reilly. “And someone will always find a way to relate to one of your songs. I felt so appreciative of Piper and Ashton for starting this amazing series, as I’ve known the two for so long. It’s so cool to see them work together on something so special and bring all sorts of people together through sad music.” The show’s most recent iteration took place back in July at Wayward Coffee in the Design District. On this particular line-up was Thomas, Mollie Danel, and Austen Robertson — better known as A Joke and the Old Folks Home.
The coffee shop was set up with dim lighting as rain coincidentally poured down outside, symbolizing an outpouring of feelings and a refreshment in the middle of a cruel summer.

“[Edminster and Byers] put on an incredible show and bring their image to each venue,” says Robertson. “I really feel like they’ve positioned themselves as something far beyond just a pop-up show, but are developing the Super Sad brand both online and offline through merch and content. I honestly can’t put into words how unique of an experience they’re creating.”

As the series rises in popularity, Edminster and Byers are constantly looking for artists to feature. Artists are also eager to express themselves in ways other performances haven’t allowed.

“We have an open email for people to send their demos in,” says Edminster. “There's always one person that we kind of know that we want to see a different side of them musically, and then maybe someone that we don't know as much that followed us through social media and reached out and said, ‘I want to be a part of this.’ But more and more, the artists that are on the lineups are people who have just straight-up submitted. It went from being a thing where we were asking our friends to do it to help us out. Now, it’s like ‘Oh shoot,’ we have all these people submitting. We need to listen to their demos and pick them out.”

The mission of Super Sad Song Show isn’t to make artists or the audience sad, but rather, to let them feel. And to also introduce fans to deeper cuts from their favorite local artists' repertoire. Both Edminster and Byers note that artists have told them that they feel better, not sadder, after having the opportunity to perform their rawest works. “They could be a seasoned musician, someone who plays every weekend, but they're playing a very vulnerable song for the first time in front of 50 people that they may or may not know,” says Byers. “So now everyone knows the backstory of the song, and you watch the artist sink into the song and become so comfortable. And that's a really, really cool thing to witness.”

Super Sad Song Show with trvr?, Amanda Victoria and OB will take place on Friday, Sept. 12, at 10 p.m. at Spinster Records, 408 N Bishop Ave #102. All ages. Tickets are available starting at $18.93 on Prekindle.