Fort Worth’s Amplify 817 Showcase Returns This Weekend at Birdie’s Social Club and The Post

Music venues are just one piece of the ecosystem that sustains local bands and songwriters. Monthly mixers hosted by Hear Fort Worth, along with performance opportunities organized through Amplify 817 — a Fort Worth Public Library program — give musicians the support and connections they need to grow, collaborate, and thrive.

Beyond organizing events, Amplify 817 maintains a roster of over 100 artists who are paid for the rights to be featured on Amplify 817’s growing playlists. In 2022, the group launched an annual showcase as an opportunity to bring together a group of Amplify 817 musicians for live performances. The fourth annual event, which is free to the public, runs this Saturday from 6 to 10 pm at Birdie’s Social Club and The Post.

We caught up with three musicians performing this on August 16 to catch up with their careers and what they have planned for their Amplify 817 Showcase sets.

Behind the Music With Tipps & Obermiller

Since 2022, Fort Worth-based Hilary Tipps and Steve Obermiller have fully committed to songwriting and performing. The married couple recently returned from their first tour of California — a trip that also took them through Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico. Meeting new people and sharing their music is one of the most enjoyable parts of being a musician, Tipps says.

“We are mostly obsessed with writing,” she continues. “If we could do that all the time, we would.”

The duo is currently working on their third album, which will be produced by Texas-based producer Taylor Tatsch. The singer-songwriters say they don’t plan to repeat past mistakes with their current long-player. Obermiller says past errors have included rushing recordings or not hiring someone to independently produce the album.

Tipps says she had long-wanted to be an Amplify 817 artist, partly for the opportunities they afford and because she’s a self-admitted “library nerd.” Obermiller loves the connection between the public library and promoting local music.

“I used to go to the library to check out music,” he recalls. “I would check out CDs and things like that. I think it’s a pretty brilliant idea to incorporate the live music scene into what they are doing.”

The couple plans to perform their new songs on Saturday.

88 Killa on His New Single and Being “Anti”

Notable rapper, vintage clothing connoisseur, and exotic BMW enthusiast, Fort Worth’s 88 Killa just dropped a new single, “On My Body,” that will be one highlight of his Amplify 817 Showcase debut. The song has garnered nearly 20,000 streams on Spotify and explores the qualities that attract people to 88 Killa’s music and superfly persona. The ethos that has guided his personal and artistic life has been to stay “anti,” he says.

“If I see too many people going left, I’m going right,” he says. “I don’t want to do whatever too many people are doing. The road may be longer, but it helps me know that I’m my own person.”

Saturday will feature several notable cameos from local singers and rappers throughout his performance, he says, adding that he hopes music fans and musicians will support Amplify 817’s efforts to support the local music scene.

“We’re definitely going to do the new single and maybe a couple of unreleased tracks,” he continues. “I’m going to use this platform for us all to get dressed up, rap, and sing. It should be fun.”