A lot of folks in Austin (and beyond) recognize the frog, and its friendly greeting: “Hi, How Are You?”
The benevolent, alien-like froggy face went from obscure art by the late Daniel Johnston to an iconic image after millions saw Kurt Cobain, a big Johnston fan, sporting the design on a t-shirt. (Extra nerd alert you weren’t looking for, but your AMM host wanted to share: The lead shredder of this band wore a black tee with that very design at their ACL Fest Oct. 4 2019 performance.)
The salutation carries extra special meaning now, in regards to mental health awareness: To ask “Hi, how are you?” is to reach out, check on your friends, neighbors, or family, to see if they’re okay, to be there for them. It’s a campaign led by an ATX nonprofit with the same name, the Hi How Are You Project, educating the public on mental health, and promoting inclusivity in accessing mental health care.
In support of their work in the community, the Project presents the Hi How Are You Day benefit show, rescheduled from its original January 22 date to tomorrow night, Wednesday May 4, at ACL Live at The Moody Theater. The huge line-up includes Grouplove (featured on today’s AMM), Madame Gandhi, The Polyphonic Spree, Kate Davis, Ley Line, and the 5th Wheel warrior himself, Deezie Brown, opens the show. Doors at 6 p.m., and the music starts at 7:30 p.m. Find ticket info at the ACL Live website.