Taylor Swift has been ridiculed, lied about, made fun of, and downright hated in the media since she became famous nearly two decades ago. There was the narrative that she was a “serial dater” that all her exes became material for songs, there was the Kim and Kanye “snake” drama, and a million micro aggressions alluding to her weight, her fashion, and every little thing about her.
So, even though all the major “news” sources are writing about it, are tweeting about it, are using it for clout and clicks, we will not be commenting on Taylor’s love life. Taylor’s personal life is just that: her personal business. Not our business. And although we feel like we know her through the song lyrics she writes, we don’t know everything about Taylor. We know one side of her, the celebrity side. And so whether or not this is true, we’ll let Taylor talk about it when she is comfortable and ready to. And for now, we’ll sing along to Eras Tour videos and stream Midnights.
Last night, Erez, ford. and Elderbrook brought the groove to Emo’s in Austin, Texas. Elderbrook kept the audience entranced with a steady stream of melodic beats and a strong stage presence, impressively singing while also mixing on two consoles–providing not only production but also a performance. He adjusted synth pads and played keyboards while cycling through danceable song after danceable song. One notable song mid-way through the set that the crowd particularly loved was the catchy tune “I’ll Be Around.” Elderbrook came back for an encore and closed the house with “All My Love.” Check out the photos below, taken by Gaby Deimeke.
Arlington, Texas turned into a Swiftie party this weekend as Gayle, Muna and Taylor Swift graced the stage for the iconic Eras Tour. Taylor played hits from all of her Eras and put on a spectacular show. Check out the photos below, taken by Gaby Deimeke.
Austin, Texas based band Woodward and Parker chatted with us about how they got started, where they gather inspiration, and the process of making their latest album. Check it out below for all the details, and links to their music at the end.
Crowdsurfer: How did you come to play together as a band?
Woodward and Parker: We started as friends in college at St. Edward’s, and for the first few years we would play music together, occasionally showing each other songs we were writing. When we were seniors we decided to try making music together as a group, but all we really had were three guitarists. So instead of looking for other people to play bass, drums and keys, Christian got a drum set, Julian got a keyboard, Alan got a bass, and they set about learning to play them as we were writing songs together. I think that really helped us get closer as friends and make the music we wanted to with each other and for each other.
CS: What was your goal with creating your newest album, Through A Broken Window?
W&P: For a couple years a few of us rented an old house together in North Austin. We had an extra room we weren’t using, so we turned it into a recording studio. That’s where we recorded Carriage House, and as we were approaching the last year of our lease we knew we wanted to get at least one more project out of that space we spent so much time and effort to build for the band. We also had watched ourselves mature as artists and musicians, and we really wanted to create something that would showcase that development. I think TABW accomplishes that, sonically, lyrically, and in terms of production value.
CS: How is this sonically different from your first album, Carriage House?
W&P: Probably our biggest practical goal with recording this new album was to capture the feeling of our music when we play it live. To do that, we recorded the drums, bass and rhythm guitar for every track at one time with 8 microphones running on two audio interfaces. We also didn’t use a metronome on any of the songs because we wanted them to flow and breathe more naturally. From a songwriting perspective, this album is a lot more cohesive and explores darker themes and arrangements than on our previous recordings.
CS: What’s your songwriting process like?
W&P: Generally our process for this album was to take outlines of songs that Bennett and Christian had written and spend hours in the studio together trying to flesh them out into a full, five-piece arrangement. Working on them all together like that was difficult and often frustrating, but I think it led us to a more cohesive artistic sound.
CS: Where do you gather inspiration from?
Christian: I pull inspiration from small moments in my life that involve the people close to me. I really try to put parts of myself in the songs that I write. It’s very cathartic.
Alan: I find that music is a way for me to understand the external world internally, and for me to express my internal world externally.
Julian: I was inspired by the darker themes on the album. I tried to lean into the feeling of being happy in the dark.
Bennett: I drew inspiration from the urban environments around me and my connection to them, as well as the macabre – which can frequently have a lot in common.
Kenny: I found inspiration by sitting out in nature with my guitar, under the pecan tree in our backyard, watching as the seasons changed.
CS: What’s next?
W&P: You’ll have to stay tuned to find out: we’ve got a lot of things coming.
You can check out Woodwind and Parker on Instagram and Spotify:
A surprisingly impressive lineup just dropped from local Austin, Texas music festival Illfest. Featuring over 50 EDM artists over 4 stages, and not complete without crazy visuals and art installations, this will for sure be the place to be in September.
We’re most excited to see Louis the Child, Jai Wolf, Slander, and Boogie T on Saturday, and Cheat Codes, Chromeo, Griz, Madeon and Kayzo on Sunday. Check out the lineup below for the full list of acts, and head to https://www.illfest.com/ to grab tickets.
Luck Reunion is a one-day, laid back country music festival turned musical family reunion hosted by the Willie Nelson Family and held on their private ranch in Luck, Texas, just outside of Austin. Held on St. Patrick’s day, this was the 10 year anniversary for Luck Reunion, and we thought it was a heck of a good time.
The backdrop for the music is actually an old western movie set — it was built in 1975 and served as the backdrop for the film adaptation of Nelson’s Red Headed Stranger. The biggest names in Texas outlaw music appeared, including Charlie Crockett, Vincent Neil Emerson, a surprise performance from Jason Isbell, and of course a headlining set from Willie Nelson and his sons.
There was an open bar for all who purchased tickets to the event, along with food trucks and free Melt ice creams and Topo Chico to quench your thirst during the heat of the day. The VIP area had a Gibson guitar pop-up, a tattoo artist, signed guitars, fresh Oysters, and tintype photos. Folks sported country western fashion, with cowboy hats, boots and everything in between.
One of our personal favorite moments were the stripped down acoustic shows from Tre Burt and Vincent Neil Emerson, held in a small chapel that held less than 50 people, and another in a two-story saloon.
A popular choice for shopping was the little shop selling “Willie’s Remedy” and various hemp products, along with a “Weed Legal” neon sign. Across the dirt road, a barn held a display of artifacts and photos from previous years at the ranch.
It was a perfect summer day in Texas for live music and a fun day overall, a breath of fresh air and a step outside from the chaotic SXSW events this week. To end the night, Willie got a lively reaction from the crowd by singing this song during his headlining set— “If I die when I’m high, I’ll be halfway to heaven.”
Life is Beautiful music festival was this past weekend in Las Vegas, back since 2019 and better than ever. Check out the gallery below for a full recap of all the fun. Images by Megan Dirksen and Gaby Deimeke.
For our readers that might not know, talk a little bit about how you got started with music.
Yes, hi! My name is Eraste and I’m an alt-pop musician! I didn’t have a huge upbringing in music, and it was mostly me listening to whatever was popular on the radio and (since I’m from texas) country music. I think the great thing about not having a lot of musical influences growing up is that I’ve had the opportunity to create my own tastes, and a lot of them were albums I loved in my teenage years of course lol. I grew up leading worship and connecting with people through music, and I found out I actually really love pop music. From the beginning, I naturally gravitated toward pop hits and so being a pop artist felt really natural. I didn’t really have anyone to teach me how to be a musician or singer, so everything I did was from having a good ear and passion for music and I think that’s what sets my music apart from a lot of other musicians.
Tell us about some of your musical influences and favorite artists you derive inspiration from.
For sure! So like I said it’s a lot of albums I loved in my teenage years, such as Melodrama by Lorde for one, and Badlands by Halsey. One person I have loved longer than anyone else is none other than Taylor Swift! I love her story-telling and the way she can craft an idea, she is easily the best songwriter of our generation. I also grew up watching her bend between genres and make her career match however she was feeling at that time in her life. She won a Grammy in THREE different genres! Like hello? Simply phenomenal. Lorde is someone that really taught me the importance of one-liners and painting a picture with your words, she’s great at using really specific details and weaving them into a broader story to create something meaningful AND relatable. Halsey is the first person that made me completely fall in love with electro-pop music, that album really shaped a generation (shout-out to 2014 Tumblr culture for taking that and RUNNING with it haha) that was the first time I listened to music and thought “WOW I didn’t know music could be THIS GOOD!” I gravitated towards it and their music is still my favorite to this day.
How has your writing and producing style developed over time?
OOoh I love this question, I love talking about songwriting! Yeah, so I think working with more established producers gave me a perspective of approaching my songwriting through a really “professional” lens. It was great to gain those skills of co-writing in a room with other songwriters, and that’s something I definitely want to do in the future! But with the songs I’m writing right now it was really important to me to do it on my own, and prove I could write amazing music without the help (or pressure) of anyone else, and it’s definitely been the best songwriting of my career so far. It’s great to learn from other people and try out their processes, but at the end of the day, it’s best to listen to yourself and what works for you.
Tell us about “Crashing Every Party” and how you crafted that EP.
Right yes! So speaking a little more on that I got fortunate to work with some experienced producers. I had just lost my job due to coronavirus and everything happened by pure chance. They moved back to Texas because of the pandemic and we just decided to make some music! I didn’t go into the experience with any kind of expectations, and I only wanted to make something honest and explore everything I thought I was capable of doing. I really pushed myself to be uncomfortable with the EP and I think that’s what sets it apart as something honest, scary, and adventurous. We got into a room and wrote a lot about a lot of topics and at the end of the day, I’m so happy with what it became. I wanted to make a little pop music and country music and kind of everything in between, and I think when people hear it they realize how much fun we had in those sessions!!
What’s your favorite song you’ve worked on so far?
That’s a hard one! I love all of my songs and it’s so hard to choose one haha! I think I would have to say my debut song “Break My Own Heart” though! I wrote it with my good friend Good Guy Levi and we honestly have so many similar experiences that it was really easy to write with him. He’s someone I trust so much and we frequently give each other advice on music and life! Some people you meet and it’s like you’ve known them for years and that’s definitely how we are. So when I had this idea for a song it didn’t feel like work to get it out, and it was really raw and I loved it! The songs that tumble out and don’t feel like work are always the best. That song will always have the most special place in my heart (pun intended haha)
Your songs have a chill, easy going vibe to them. Do you feel like that represents your actual personality or is that more of a persona?
I think it represents who I am! I try to be as honest and relatable in my music as possible, and that stays true to how I live my life. I try to be welcoming and easy-going with new people I meet to make them as comfortable as possible, and I pride myself on that! The most important thing we can do is make the people who are important to us feel seen and heard and so that’s what I do with my music. I am like… irritatingly honest haha. And so when you hear experiences or stories it’s definitely from my life and perspective!
What are the current projects you’re working on? What’s the plan for this year (after all the corona craziness?)
I am working on some singles for sure! I don’t really have a plan yet besides write and write and WRITE! I feel like with the pressure gone from my debut ep, I have a ton more freedom to do whatever I want to! So lot’s of fun things in store. Hopefully I can play some shows on my EP soon too! I am VERY VERY excited for what the future has in store!
Where can people find you?
I am on ALL social media and streaming platforms under the name Eraste! I am active the most on tiktok and twitter @eraste ! I can’t wait to interact with ya’ll! And special thanks to Gaby for doing the shoot for my upcoming single “favorite secret” !
crowdsurfermag.com 