R2RB Podcast - Women Entrepreneurs and Indie Artists Series

Austin Davis- Indie Artist/Singer/Songwriter - Balancing Music, Family, and Faith

• Deb LaMotta

Share episode

Send us a text

Join us on the R2RB Indie Artist Podcast as we catch up with Austin Davis, an independent artist from Wisconsin, who shares the remarkable evolution of his music and the eclectic influences that shape his sound. From his dream of meeting Taylor Swift to impress his daughter to his quirky dependence on a weather app for his fishing trips, Austin’s journey is anything but ordinary. Learn how his transition from rock to acoustic and singer-songwriter styles reflects the boundless creative freedom that indie artists thrive on. Plus, Austin gives us an inside look at the heartfelt creation of his debut solo single, "Circles Around You," co-written with his wife, Jessica (Jay El Dee), and inspired by none other than Billie Eilish.

In the second half of our conversation, we dive into the collaborative synergy between Austin and his wife, Jessica, in their Christian music endeavors. Discover how their songwriting process has evolved, with Jessica initially leading on lyrics and Austin focusing on production. We also discuss how they juggle their busy lives and the pivotal role social media plays in their careers, thanks to Jessica's diligent management. As a tech director at their church, Austin’s technical expertise shines through, bridging his media production background with his musical talents. Don’t miss out on the inspiring messages embedded in their songs and get ready for Austin’s upcoming release, "Bet on Us," set to drop in July. This episode promises a heartfelt glimpse into the world of an indie artist balancing solo ambitions and collaborative creations.

Support the show

https://linktr.ee/deblamotta

Speaker 1:

Hi and welcome to the R2RB Indie Artist Podcast. This evening I have with me Austin Davis. And Austin, how are you?

Speaker 2:

I am well. How are you?

Speaker 1:

I'm good thanks. I'm so glad that we finally connected. It took us a minute, but we did it.

Speaker 2:

That's all right. Sometimes it takes time.

Speaker 1:

Right, exactly. So I always like to ask two questions to get us warmed up. What music artist would you like to meet in person?

Speaker 2:

Oh man, well, might be a little weird to say, but Taylor Swift, then I can be cool to be cool to my daughter.

Speaker 1:

Oh, there you go. Oh my gosh, I like that. She's a big Swifty fan.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, she's, she's 10. Taylor Swift's her favorite artist, so well.

Speaker 1:

I have to say Taylor Swift, yeah, she's 10. Taylor Swift's her favorite artist.

Speaker 2:

Well, I have to say, Taylor Swift is definitely Nothing else compares.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, she is a great artist and you know it's somebody to look up to. That is a good one, absolutely. What's your favorite app on your phone and why?

Speaker 2:

Favorite app on my phone, maybe the weather app. That way I know what I'm looking at here the next day. I like to fish, so getting out in the lake, it's good to know what the weather's going to be like Cool and you're out in Minnesota. Wisconsin, wisconsin.

Speaker 1:

Okay, I knew it was that way somewhere.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, somewhere over in this area, more more West than what you are.

Speaker 1:

Oh, definitely All right. So who's Austin Davis, the indie artist?

Speaker 2:

All right. So who's Austin Davis, the indie artist? Well, I am. I've been involved in music for a very long time as a as an artist, I'm still finding myself in a lot of ways. I've been and been interested in a lot of different styles. Mostly rock has been like a cornerstone, but been diving a lot more into the indie acoustic world more and I don't know all the genre names, there's way too many genres to count Right. Can't keep that straight, but my wife would probably be better at that. But listening to more what I would call chill music or acoustic flavored music, singer, songwriter a lot more than I used to. So that's something that I think is what my sound is more like now, whereas I used to be more all about the electric guitar, rock and roll, heavy drums, big stuff, big sounds. I still like those things.

Speaker 1:

The indie artists. I think one of the things that you all do so easily or effortlessly is just kind of cross the borders of all the genres and bring it into whatever style you are.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, that's true. I guess there really isn't always a cookie cutter formula for it. As an indie artist, I guess the mainstream guys, they typically have their formulas that works, what sells and all that. We tend to just do what comes from the heart. That's where I'm at.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely. Oh my gosh. Your first solo single came out in the beginning of April Circles Around you, which is absolutely a beautiful song featuring JLD and congratulations, it is such an awesome song. Thank you, you are welcome. So tell me about it. Where did it all come from?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, so that song was written, written in. I guess a day I just sat down at the piano and I was actually inspired a little bit by billy eilish and and that type of her softer songs, the one actually written for the barbie movie it's kind of funny. Uh, the, the popular one for that, uh, but and and that, that flavoring. I just that, you know, I wanted to, I want, I wanted to try to create something with a beautiful melody, um, instrumentation, something that really just just moved you and uh, so that that's. I started, started sitting down and at the piano and trying to come up some chords and then started singing the, the verse, uh, melody, and put words to it and then, maybe half an hour later, I uh at that point I had a, had a verse and a chorus at least called my wife in from the other room uh, jld, who that is?

Speaker 2:

My wife asked her if she wanted to finish writing it with me. And, yeah, about an hour later, I think, we had something pretty much locked in and then it took. Sometimes I move quick when I'm motivated, other times I don't move quick at all, but I was motivated and we got it finished in, you know, I think like a week or two. Then it was ready to release. I released it in early April. I think wrote it beginning of March.

Speaker 1:

Wow, yeah, so this is your first solo single, correct?

Speaker 2:

The first solo single. Everything else I've done has been a part of a group or with someone else. This is the first thing that is solo. There are other songs that I've written and this is all working towards something. Time frame wise, I like to say, you know, within the next year, 12 months, but you know, realistically, there's that ebb and flow of motivation that I think a lot of us struggle with Absolutely. It finds me pretty easily.

Speaker 1:

Me too. Sometimes I totally get that, Absolutely. So when did you know that you, that music was going to be a part of your life?

Speaker 2:

I would say in definitely in high school up until around 11 or 12. I really didn't listen to music that much. Moved around the country, my dad was in the Navy but I spent a good chunk of my elementary and middle school years in California and I was outside all the time At the time. You know CD players were a thing and obviously cassette tapes and whatnot, but I didn't have a good CD player or anything that didn't skip a lot. You know, maybe have what? What was the? What was good those days? Five second Andy's skip or something. It wasn't, it wasn't much. So I just and I was skateboarding a lot and riding my bike, so I just didn't listen to music.

Speaker 2:

You know we'd sit in the car and my parents listened to country music, you know, when we were in the car or something like that, and so I know a lot of the 90s country and I like it a lot. Good music. It annoys my wife, but I love the 90s country music. I do too. You know I'd never really thought much about it at the time. It was just playing and it wasn't until I think Backstreet Boys in 2000, the Millennium album that was the first CD I think I ever had, and you know I'm not ashamed to say it, I love the backstreet boys. That was a great album it was. I still rock and roll all those songs. Play them at the piano and the kids don't even know what they're listening to.

Speaker 2:

But right that's okay, yeah, so around that point. That's that's when I started actually getting into music. But then in middle school is when I started playing instruments and developing, developing that side. So I started on aophone and then I picked up an electric guitar. Parents got it for me for Christmas one of those sixth grade year, seventh grade and it sat in my closet for about a year because I was intimidated by it. And then when I picked it up after a year of having it and went through my saxophone sheet music book and started playing Yankee Doodle on it not usually everybody, that's not a typical first electric guitar song. Most people are learning Smoke on the Water or Crazy Train or something like that. I was doing Yankee Doodle but yeah, it's got to start somewhere.

Speaker 1:

Nothing wrong with that.

Speaker 2:

And then my brother started playing the drums and from that point on, and going into high school, and then, of course, meeting my wife, which we'll probably talk about later I knew at that point that music was going to be cornerstone in my life. To what extent I wasn't sure, still not sure, but I know it's a cornerstone.

Speaker 1:

And you're doing something right. So you got through high school and then, after high school, when did you get into Christian music?

Speaker 2:

Well, I didn't become a Christian. I didn't accept Jesus in my heart until 2018. So I'm fairly I guess it's not that new anymore. But if all through college, I graduated in 2013. So all through college I was, I considered myself agnostic up to that point. So my my wife is has been a Christian for a very long time, but we never really talked about faith or religion all that much outside of some debates here and there Conversation, but yeah, so Christian music wasn't until much later in my life you know, 2018.

Speaker 2:

I had been going to our church that we're going to now for a couple years and started working with them on their sound side of things on the tech side, um, prior to becoming a christian, because they needed help and I was there and willing and able. You know, once I accepted christ, then I started getting more involved in the worship side and that's kind of where that started to what it's become now.

Speaker 1:

Nice place to start.

Speaker 2:

My wife and I are now worship leaders there at the church we write and play original music.

Speaker 1:

So your wife Jessica Davis, aka JLD. You are a husband and wife duo in the Christian genre and you write beautiful music and I love the message that you share through your Christian songs as well. Do you write the songs together?

Speaker 2:

We do so. Early on I kind of defaulted to Jessica's lyrical prowess. My lyrics weren't the greatest early on. I've improved in that area. I produced, she wrote the song you know and that, and that we came together, you know. Now it's it's more uh of a mixture. She's actually doing a lot more producing on her own now, um, which is great that she's picking up that side of things, right, she doesn't have to wait for me to have motivation anymore. Um, yeah, but I have written a couple of our songs, uh, that are currently on spotify. Uh, I will, which is the newest one, yeah, which is not that new anymore.

Speaker 1:

No, but it's a great song.

Speaker 2:

But yeah, that one, that was one that the Holy spirit just downloaded to me one night and then I stayed up all night tracking it in my office. You know, by the next morning I was like, oh Jessica, come hear this. She was actually I didn't know, but she was actually sitting out there in her chair for a few hours just listening to me play the guitar solos. Wow, you know, and like why is he doing it a hundred times? I mean, that's kind of how I operate. I'll record the same thing 50 times again just to find the perfect one.

Speaker 1:

You produce, you put it all together, you do all that engineering, you do all that mixing, all the sound tracking. How did you get into that part of it all?

Speaker 2:

That's actually what my degree is in. I went to college for music media production. It's a Bachelor of Science. So my degree I can at least say I'm a scientist to some extent. You know, it looks good on the resume but when you look at the major it's music media production. That's not really helping me get into any sales jobs or anything like that. But that's what I went to school for. Started picking that up in high school I, you know, had a little little multi-track recorder it's kind of my intro into it then started getting into computer recording. It was all in an effort to, you know, record some of the stuff we were doing in high school with our band and I had always had some interest in tech and that's clearly progressed now so obviously it's paid off for you.

Speaker 2:

Yes, actually I'm the musical, I'm the tech director at our church too, so that's the other side. Oh wow, so I do. Actually I do have a job in music production.

Speaker 1:

Oh, you do so. You do that as well.

Speaker 2:

Yes, yes.

Speaker 1:

I have to say, the indie artists, including you and your wife as well. You all work pretty much 24 seven. So if it's not your music, it's your family time, it you know it's always something. How do you and, and, and and just work that out?

Speaker 2:

Well, uh, you know we navigate as best we can. You know there's there's not without arguments, not without, you know, stressful times Uh, sometimes it's without. You know stressful times uh, sometimes it's. You know I'm a pretty needy guy. So you know, maybe I'm just feeling like I need someone to talk to and she's busy with music, so then, vice versa, I can get sucked into stuff too.

Speaker 2:

So oh my gosh, my god, like I said I, I fish, so I've been doing that a lot. That's, that's been my, my. Uh, when I, when it's just me and she wants to do something, then then I go out and fish.

Speaker 1:

There you go. I like it. Do you all do something to unplug from it all? Do you all take that time off and just say we're shutting down for a few days and walk away from the social media, so forth and so on?

Speaker 2:

Well, I would say for me I'm not very good with social media anyway. Specifically, if you probably looked at my accounts, I don't really I'm not super active, can't say I'm trying or have any intentions to try harder.

Speaker 1:

It's a lot.

Speaker 2:

But Jessica, she I don't know, I think she's always on, she's 100%, she lives for it, Not the social media, but like she, that's what brings her energy. Is that side of things For me? Yeah, I don't really get too wrapped up in it, otherwise it's. It's a little dangerous, cause I can also be the guy that just veggies the whole time.

Speaker 1:

Scroll on Facebook if I'm not careful. Yeah, I agree, because I actually have to, like shut the tab down that says Facebook. Otherwise I find myself scrolling and answering and posting and you know you do, you get swept up into, into it and the next thing I know it's like all right time to shut it off. Oh my gosh, is there a highlight of your music career that stands out above the rest?

Speaker 2:

at this moment, probably, you know circles around you and doing a solo thing uh, that's. That's never really been something that I had considered doing before. I always, I always tied myself to jessica, just considered that we were always going to be a duo and I never really thought that it could be both or that what I had to offer vocally or musically was enough on its own. But the response circles around you has been really great and supports been really great. Fortunately, because Jessica is so good at social media, I've got to benefit from her community of wonderful indie artists, friends and connections who have, you know, just embraced me as well. Even though I'm not super active, it's okay. So it's been great.

Speaker 1:

That is awesome. So did Jessica kind of push you into the solo artist category.

Speaker 2:

She supported it. I would say you know, I think we've been together long enough to know that neither one of us is going to, you know, get pushed. We've been together long enough to know that neither one of us is going to get pushed by either one. You know we can make suggestions and when it comes down to it, I'm going to do what I want to do. She's going to do what she wants to do. She supported me, though. Definitely she always has, and I assume she always will.

Speaker 1:

Exactly. Oh my gosh, when you're not doing music besides fishing and fishing, what a Challenger, so I drive that around.

Speaker 2:

I used to have a motorcycle, drive that around, plan to get another one at some point Playing with kids.

Speaker 1:

What did you have? What motorcycle?

Speaker 2:

I had a Cruiser. It was a Yamaha 97 Royal Star. Eventually I'll probably get into a Harley at some point, but priorities Right now the boat gets most of the love.

Speaker 1:

Oh nice, that's good Things like that. And then you have the kids.

Speaker 2:

The kids of course, basketball out front, that sort of stuff. They're in school, so we've got lots of school things, Sports. They're starting to get into these different activities Musicals, band, and all of our kids are very musical. They all sing much better than I ever did at their age, or even in high school when I started singing. They all sound so much better than me now at seven and 10 and four that's awesome. Wow, so three kids keeps you busy, that's for sure.

Speaker 2:

We like to camp and we've got some vacations planned to do that as a family and with some friends. We are together a lot as a family, so there's a lot of time spent together, even if it's just singing around the piano or you know doing something.

Speaker 1:

That's so nice. That's so nice to hear too, cause you know it's so hard these days for families to I don't want to say find the time, but just to have the time to be all together, to be able to do things together, to be. You know that that family structure is very important.

Speaker 2:

We are. We are blessed that I get to work from home and Jessica is at home too. So outside of traveling for work, you know, sometimes to Denmark, like I was recently, most of the time it's somewhere in the U? S, but other than that I'm home.

Speaker 1:

No, that's great, that. That is really great that both of you can be able to do that. Let me ask you, going back to collaborating with Jessica on Circles Around you, do you have any plans for collaborating with somebody else and what's in the works for you now?

Speaker 2:

I got to. If I do it, most likely it would be someone that that comes to me, you know, that would ask this moment. I don't know that I would have the capacity or bandwidth to think too hard on that outside of with, you know, collaborating with Jessica. Of course. There, there is a more in the works. I do have a song which I told you about earlier, I believe that's coming out. I haven't actually released it yet or send it to the distribution yet, so it may end up being early July before I actually release it, but that that'd be song single number two, and I'll give you the title of it. It's, it's called bet on us, it's a well, I'll let you guys hear it when it comes out.

Speaker 1:

All right, I would love for you to send it to me so I will spin it and give it airtime. Oh, that's great. Wow, yeah, so July is really just around the corner.

Speaker 2:

It is. I intended to release it. You know, actually the end of May I need to wrap up a couple of things and this is where the motivation comes in. You know I got to wrap up a little bit on the vocals and then it needs to get, you know, a final mix and master done. So it's very close.

Speaker 1:

Oh cool, very good, very good.

Speaker 2:

How do you know when it's done? Right, you know that's. That's one of the issues. I think a lot of us indie artists and artists in general, I think, overall categories you don't know when it's done, so it just feels like it's done.

Speaker 1:

Until you listen to it again and do you say well, wait, I could just kind of tweak it there.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I mean it's for me, it's it's. I have gone as far as I can go with my capacity to keep working on it where I've finally made myself bored working on it, and it's got to be done, that's it.

Speaker 1:

Is this totally solo with you, or do you have somebody in the background?

Speaker 2:

This one is 100 percent, so there's no, no, no featuring on this one. Jessica is a co-writer on it, but but it's not featuring her for this particular one.

Speaker 1:

Awesome, all right, well, is there anything else you'd like to share that I haven't touched on?

Speaker 2:

No, well, definitely feel free to send me, you know, if you're another indie artist out there, send me some stuff to listen to.

Speaker 1:

I need to get better at that and check out JLD and you know, davis uh on apps and whatever the places are you go for that social medias and such right and to find, and then to find you and jess, and to find you and jess under the christian um genre. Where do they find you for that? So?

Speaker 2:

that we we go by austin and jessica davis, so it's search. Actually, if you search either one of our names or Austin and Jessica Davis, it should come up on Spotify. And we actually have a whole lot more on that side of things that we haven't recorded or laid down, but we have. We have an album's worth of music on that side that just hasn't been prioritized yet.

Speaker 1:

No, I, when I first heard of you, which was Christina from Vox and Sticks gosh, um many months ago, had posted about you, austin Davis, and to give you some likes and shit, comments and shares, and that's when I first got in touch with you. And so from there you've you've come this far now with your solo and I didn't know who you were then. But when I was doing my research I came upon the Christian music and you and Jess have a powerhouse of music on that side. It's beautiful and the message that you share through it is just really and with everybody that's listening, please go check the music out on the Christian side, because it is beautiful and it is a beautiful message.

Speaker 2:

Thank you so much, and now all glory to God, absolutely. I'm definitely blessed to be able to share that with everyone.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, it is so great.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, so Spotify, itunes, facebook, instagram you can find Austin Davis on all the streaming platforms, on all the social medias. I'm probably going to have to thank Jessica for all that she does for Austin. Yes, yes.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, she's my manager at this point. There you go, there you go, she's her manager too.

Speaker 1:

You two are a great duo, austin. Thank you so much for talking with me. I've really enjoyed this and I'm looking forward to the new release Bet on Us coming out in July.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely Hold me to it.

Speaker 1:

I'm holding you to it.

Speaker 2:

I'm going to be bugging you Caterpillar buddy, there you go.

Speaker 1:

I'm going to be bugging you the week before.

Speaker 2:

Please do, please do.

Speaker 1:

All right, Austin, thank you.

People on this episode

Contributor

Debra LaMotta

Host