Interview with Beau Austin

Hey guys so this week I was joined by Los Angeles native, and now residing in Cincinnati Beau Austin.  He was kind enough to take some time out of his busy schedule (between, writing, recording, and playing shows) and was able to do an interview with me. Beau is a folk singer/songwriter who writes and records all his own instruments and material. He is a very talented musician who lets his music do the talking. He has played with numerous bands in the US (which we will get to) and now is doing his own thing, enjoying every step of the way. Because if you don't enjoy doing something you love, then why do it right? So lets get to know Beau.

ITS - What was your inspiration in pursuing a career in music?

 

Beau - "It's been my passion since I was 8-9 years old & through all the phases kids go through it was the only constant thing that never left me. After a good yet very unconventional childhood & thinking only "rockstars" have careers I discovered punk rock & DIY ethos. learning that you can literally make your own destiny regardless of what anyone says encouraged me to pursue it as a career no matter what happened & a lot has but I've never looked back."

ITS - Originally you are from LA, now in Cincinnati, talk about the differences and challenges in the music scene

Beau - "The absolute biggest difference is cost of living, I have a historic house in a beautiful historic neighborhood for barely a quarter of what I paid for a Tiny bachelor apt w/ no kitchen in a rough neighborhood in LA. In LA it's hard to live & truly dedicate 100% to your art, you always have 3 different jobs just to make rent, buy a few groceries & maybe car insurance & no time for creating all while competing for shows with 9 bands on the bill that's all pay to play. Living in Cincinnati has afforded me the time to spend on my craft more than anything else, I can also relax a little from time to time as your not always worried about parking tickets & rent. The music scene however in Cincinnati from what I've discovered is mostly cover bands however I'm sure there's some amazing scenes here I just haven't found them yet. Cincinnati also has a beautiful real "city vibe" to it you feel like your in a city vs. LA when a lot of the time you feel like your in a giant suburban wasteland, not knocking on Los Angeles in any way though, it's where I'm born & raised, my friends & family are there & my heart will always belong there, I'm sure l find my way back eventually. As far as music scenes it's obviously without a doubt LA has an amazing scene it's just bands need to get out of the city to gain exposure, seems like a lot of bands just think you play the whiskey & labels are gunna start knocking, more bands just gotta tour. As far as Cincinnati's scene as I mentioned earlier I haven't discovered much as of yet as the biggest reason for living & staying here is the proximity to most of the country, west coast as amazing as it is has very few markets compared to the east coast/ mid west, in LA you have to tour for a couple months to hit everywhere & make it worthwhile, on this side of the country I can hit the road for a few days maybe a week in any direction & be home for a couple days before heading out again which is pretty cool when you have loved ones at home."

 

ITS - What plans do you have for 2014?

 

Beau - "I'm currently recording my first solo full length record. I'll be releasing a couple songs as a digital EP in nov/oct on iTunes & such with the full length coming out in jan available digitally & physical copies. Other than that I'll be doing shows all around the east coast/ mid west to get ready for a full US tour in Feb/March of 2015"

 

ITS -  What bands have you played guitar in, and have toured with?

 

Beau - "Hmm a few people may know & a few they probably won't, I'll go from first to present haha, The Tipplers, the riots, Cheap sex, frisky ammo, the scuffs, the ignorant (best band & time of my life) cutting back (very fun short lived band) Revolutions pride (amazing band that's still around, some of

My best friends & singer Diego was singer of the ignorant)

 

ITS- Talk a little about your song "Crazy" what exactly does that song mean to you?

 

Beau - "This song means a lot as it talks about the state of the world we live in, the overwhelming greed, lack of gratitude for the simplest things we take for granted everyday, just kind of how most of us just turn a blind eye to what's really happening & the judging too many do without knowing what it's like in the world. An eye opener of sorts I guess."

ITS - Final question- a fun question I like to throw in, if you could choose one type of food to live off of, what would it be, and why?


Beau - "I'm gunna say pizza haha, so many different varieties/ styles, you can eat hot or cold & it'll never suck, you can have it for any meal of the day, any occasion hahaha from little Caesars to fancy high end Italian restaurant pies, I've even worked at pizzerias, the BEST pizza in LA is actually Papis pizzeria in downtown LA where I worked for a bit. I'll just say with New York style cheese pizza you'll never go wrong :)"

If you want to find out what is going on with Beau you can check out all his social media info on his website, www.BeauAustinMusic.com

Check out his newer single called "Crazy" here https://soundcloud.com/beauaustin/crazy and if you enjoy it head to http://beauaustin.bandcamp.com/track/crazy and purchase the track.