TJ WEST

Q&A With Newcomer to the LA Scene, Austin McCutchen

TJWEST-Austin McCutchen

TJ WEST Q&A With Newcomer to the LA Scene, Austin McCutchen

By Kim Grant

I first heard newcomer, Austin McCutchen’s music right after he moved to LA while sitting around a fire at a friend’s party. It was the perfect introduction to his dusty, twangy country that harkens back to the glory days of outlaw country music. Austin McCutchen graciously answered a few questions to help us get to know him a little better.

Please tell us a bit about yourself who are you and where are you from?
I’m a songwriter & I’m from the Midwest. I was born in southwest Missouri. Joplin. I was raised between there and Illinois. A good chunk of my upbringing was spent in the west suburbs of Chicago. We moved back & forth several times actually. All of my mom’s family is still in southwest Missouri but now my immediate family (mom, dad, bro, sis) live in Oklahoma.

How long have you been playing music?
My whole life really. I was raised in church so singing was just part of it. My dad played guitar a bit so kind fell in love with that at an early age. I didn’t really start working on it until I was a teenager though…trying to sing and play the guitar and all that.

AustinmcCHow would you describe your music?
Country & folk. Lots of stories. Road music.

What made you move to Los Angeles from New York and how are you getting along out here?
I didn’t immediately move to Los Angeles from NY. I spent a couple years drifting actually. I was feeling stagnant & restless with my music in New York. I had been sitting on a record for a little while & I had an idea that maybe I wanted to be in California. I spent a summer when I was younger working up in the Sierras so after spending 5 years in NYC figured I’d come back out with some new perspective and check that out. It turned out to be a lot of fun. I spent the spring of 2012 on this sort of month long road trip to check out some different cities on the way heading west… revisited Chicago, went through Austin, Tucson, LA, SF, Portland, & Seattle. Spent the summer of 2012 in the Sierras then was back in NY to play shows the winter following. That was enough to help me make up my mind. LA is somewhat a decision based on its proximity to the Mono Basin/Yosemite. I have such good friends up there and want to be close to them and close to the mountains while also getting to explore music in a professional environment. LA is a massive hub for that.

What neighborhood are you living in and what are some of the highlights of it?
Echo Park. The Lake is definitely a highlight. There’s a music scene here too. Young people making music. That’s a cool thing and it is happening here. Art. The Grand Ole Echo on Sundays, & Monday nights free shows at The Echo, Silver Lake Lounge, The Satellite etc. It’s fucking cool.

Do you think there is a real music scene in LA for Americana music? How does it compare to New York?
Big question. There is definitely a real scene in LA for Americana music. On the east side alone a good example is The Grand Ole Echo. That is a thing that is happening and growing. Every week as the summer cooks on it seems there’s more and more people out. I try to go every week cause It’s a fun hang with a lot of real nice folks, it’s close to my house, & it’s FREE. To be honest, I’m more of a country guy than an Americana guy so comparing NY to LA is kind of a tough one for me. I haven’t seen that much country music since getting out here. My buddy Sam Outlaw plays out a good bit and I try to catch him when he’s doing his thing. His music is pretty country. It’s really concentrated back east. New York in my mind is such a guitar-centric town and I think that’s largely a result of the jazz scene there. Also it is probably that way in my mind because that’s the scene that I sought out. That said, country is such a guitar-centric style of music so I think there’s this marriage in New York that is more specific to country rather than to Americana… This “who can play the style better than the next guy mentality.” I understand that there are a lot of heavy guitar players in LA. I think the scene is just more spread out. I’m meeting players all the time here and it’s really cool…they’re just not all in one place. I think what really makes this scene unique is the go-for-it mentality. Nobody is pigeonholed into one specific brand or style. I think there’s a real open-ness. It’s not just LA that I feel this spirit even…It’s a lot of the west.

What music have you put out so far?
I have a five song EP that I released back in 2010.

Are you making music with anyone in LA?
I’ve been singing with a good friend of mine Alana Amram. We met in Brooklyn. She was born and raised out there. Upstate NY. She and I do these classic duets together as well as original songs. We both kind of have these big voices so it’s fun to really belt stuff out. We’ve been talking about doing a “7 together… I’ve also started making music with another singer/songwriter, Marny Lion Proudfit. We’ve been doing these little demos of some different ideas and things we’ve just finished. It’s fun and low pressure. Aside for that I’ve been trying to flesh out some band arrangements with my buddy Steven Mertens. He’s a good musician and a killer bass player. Great ears & actually moved out last year from NY as well…seems like more and more people are migrating.

What’s up next for you?
I have some shows on the horizon that I’m excited about. I’m playing Echo Park Rising next month on the Grand Ole Echo Stage, August 17. I’ll have a band with me for that one. Also something in Sept. that I’m putting together in Silver Lake. Excited for that but waiting for all the details to fall into place. Aside from the live stuff, I still have this record I need to release. It’s all there. Also I have this entire record with another band that’s finished. That group is called The White Bark Pine. It’s acoustic music. Stuff that sounds good in your living room or around the campfire. I also have new stuff I need to record… How am I gonna get all this stuff done? One thing at a time…
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August 17 @ The Echo (back porch). 4pm 1822 Sunset in Echo Park, CA
Visit Austin McCutchen online at austinmccutchen.com and on FB.

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