Written by Shelby Schulz | February 18, 2026

To kick off the month of February, the Austin Asian American Resource Center hosted an “Evening with Tones”, a mixed media performance featuring three Asian-American artists: Guest Rooms, Phoebe Murphy, and Albeit the Maze. Towards the back of the ballroom where the performance was held were several rows of chairs, in the front, blankets and rugs were laid out, encouraging visitors to sit up close. There were also several snacks laid out for the audience to enjoy along with the performances.

Guest Rooms went first and performed his set perched atop a beanbag chair with a busy pedalboard laid out in front of him. Before starting he told the audience how glad he was to have everyone here and that all of the songs he would be performing are new and not currently recorded. The transitions between songs were smooth and he didn’t speak much except to thank the crowd and announce the title of the next song. The ambient backing played almost nonstop, bridging the gap between tracks. The combination of background drones, recorded speaking tracks, and fingerstyle guitar playing contributed to the pleasant, calming vibe of Guest Room’s music. “Father’s Song” was especially wholesome as Guest Rooms dedicated the song to his family and the track; he played along with featured sounds of children speaking and laughing over the speakers.

*Phoebe Murphy | Photos by Shelby Schulz*

Next up, Murphy shared two of her written works with the audience. The first was an excerpt from a novel she is working on and the second was a short story. The novel excerpt followed a character who was being released from a hospital, trying to reach their sister with the hospital phone. Phoebe told the audience that her novel is currently about two thirds of the way done and she hopes to have the first draft finished before the end of the school year. The short story she read was titled “Kissing with Teeth”. This story follows someone whose online dating bio asks others to take them wherever they would like on a date. This time however, they are taken to a restaurant that serves human meat. Phoebe’s writing was very captivating, and she is skilled at being descriptive to the point that listeners can visualize the story she is telling.

*Albeit the Maze | Photos by Shelby Schulz*

Albeit the Maze was the final performance of the evening. Much like Guest Rooms, she utilized fingerstyle guitar playing and her music was very soothing. However, unlike Guest Rooms she filled the room with just the sound from her acoustic guitar (and at times her songs took on more of a haunting feel). Albeit the Maze wasted no time and jumped immediately into her first song: “Victim of a Threat”. Afterwards she explained the song was the title track on her EP of the same name which was released in September of 2025. She then continued on to play the next two tracks off her EP before moving on to a couple unreleased songs. One of the new tracks Albeit the Maze prefaced by saying she doesn't “really write love songs”, however this song was “a love song… or rather a breakup song” which got some laughs from the audience. She ended her set with the appropriately titled last song on her EP: “Epilogue”. Albeit the Maze’s set was not only soothing but haunting at times too, and her music is the kind that makes you want to close your eyes and just exist in it.

To close out the night there was a brief Q & A with the performers, then audience members had the opportunity to speak individually with the artists before leaving.

Thanks to the cozy setup and the artists sharing their personal work and stories behind them, it was a very special and intimate night.

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