Interview with Austin Lucas - Podcast 88

Hello, this is Austin Lucas, and you're listening to Sound Scene Revolution.

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I've been back from the fest now for about a week, and we're running our second show, but it's our first fest show. And if you could tell by the sound of my voice, I'm currently getting over a wonderful case of fest AIDS, which is the wonderful disease that everybody at fest gets. I was actually sick Friday when I showed up. It got better throughout the weekend, was really pretty good by Sunday, and then by Wednesday when I got back, I felt like shit again. So I don't know what happened. It was in remission, and then it came back. But we're hanging out, and we got an interview while we were in fest. We got a couple, so that's what we're going to run for the next few weeks. But this one is with Austin Lucas, who is originally from Kentucky, Louisiana, Alabama.

He's from the South. I'm insulting him by not knowing where he's from, but it's Southern. Maybe he's from Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Great Britain. But then he moved to Prague for a little while, but now he's back, and he lives in Portland. So we're excited to have him back. Portland, Indiana. Portland, he was from Portland, Indiana?

No, he lives in Portland, Oregon, Sound Guy and Airman. Well, that's because his MySpace is all wrong. He was from Indiana. He lives in Portland now, Sound Guy and Airman. And I'm pretty sure I said Indiana at some point in my list of states. It's not in the South. Where's in? It's South-ish.

It's like the northernmost. He lived in the South, Maine, maybe, Alaska, South. He's hunting grizzlies from his fucking helicopter. That's what you do in Alaska. Oh, Alaska. You provide endless amounts of entertainment. Anyhow, so we got this interview with Austin Lucas. He's a super rad dude. There's a video on YouTube of him playing in our hotel room at the fest. He's really, like, he was an amazingly hospitable, amazingly nice guy. I can't say enough good stuff about him, and I love his music, so you should totally check him out. This week, we're going to keep running our MC Chris interview, and we're going to open up a new interview for Austin Lucas. Oh, yeah, not MC Chris interview, MC Chris contest.

Correct, Sound Guy Nairman. This is why you make the big money of podcasts. But we're going to open up a new contest for Austin Lucas for an LP of his first album, The Common Cold. So listen and learn how to win that, and maybe I'll tell you at the end. All right, so we're going to go into the first part of the interview, and we're going to start with some music from Austin. Haven't picked the track yet, but I have all his albums, so it's going to be a good one. Promise you. So listen to it, enjoy, and we'll be back.

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Say hello. Hello, how are you? I'm doing all right. How are you? I'm good, I'm good. I just saw a really good show. Dude, that was a really good show. Yeah, Forensics was awesome. I have to say, I was really excited that they covered Hey Jealousy. I felt like I was the only one who knew that that was a fucking Gin Blossoms song. Dude, I've become more aware of the Gin Blossoms in the past probably six months, and they seem to be everywhere. Yeah, really? I guess people are getting into them again, I don't know. They played in Santa Cruz for free, so I saw that. Oh, yeah, how was it? It was okay. They played seven or eight songs no one really knew, and then they closed out with their four big hits. And so that's pretty much what everyone was hoping for.

That sounds good. But it wasn't as good as Forensics playing it. That was, yeah, I was really into it. They started to play, and I'm like, that sounds like Hey Jealousy, and then they got into it, and I was like, it is, and no one else was excited. I was singing the whole thing. I sang every goddamn word to that fucking song. And no one else got excited, and I'm like, should I not get stoked? Would it be wrong if I got really into it? Are they going to laugh at me? Are they hipsters going to think that I suck? It's a great, that was a great song. Yeah, it was fucking funny. All right. So I guess I should ask you some questions about you. So you've had a pretty diverse, I guess, musical career. I don't know.

The word career makes it sound a little. You can use career. I'm comfortable with that. Okay. You've had a pretty diverse musical career. Do you want to kind of give us the brief overview of it all? Where do you want me to start? I don't know. How far back does it go? Do you want me to start from a little kid, or do you want me to start from a teenager? Well, I don't know, because the little kid gives a background, I think, more on what you do now. I think so. I don't know. I was born to a musician father and artist mother. They were crazy, radical hippies and folk musicians and artists. They lived on a commune. I was conceived on a commune. Whoa. And my dad, I don't know, he was a folk singer and a bluegrass picker and a psychedelic rocker also.

You know, he did all that stuff. I don't know, man. I grew up going to my dad's shows and hearing him play old-time music. And going to contradances and stuff like that. And I don't know. That was kind of my musical beginning. And then... All right. And then... Do you know that guy? No, I don't know that guy. I think it's really awesome. He's definitely one of the Japanese kids that's here at the fest. A guy just came up and... I guess they knew who you were, probably. No. No doubt. A guy just came up and took a photo. I think it just looks important. So, not to interrupt. It just kind of caught me off guard. Are you saying that? Are you doubting my famousness? That's why I was like, do you know him? Maybe he was a fan.

So, I mean... It doesn't know me, I guarantee you. I don't know all the fans, you know. That's true. There's too many to counsel. That's right. That's right. All right. I'm sorry. That's cool. Anyway, so, yeah. And then my parents put me in choir when I was six. I did that for six years. I sang in operas. And I sang a lot of classical choral pieces and all that stuff. And then when I was 12, I quit and I started... I got a mohawk. And I cut holes in my jeans. And... Didn't even get them naturally? You were like... No, of course I couldn't wait. Yeah. Yeah. And I started playing in a punk band. And then... Nice. Played in a lot of punk bands. Mostly crust, like anarcho, hardcore bands. I don't know. And then about 2000, my band Rune kicked me out.

It was this grindcore band. And I'd already been kind of toying around with some songs, like in my room or whatever. But that was when I kind of decided, okay, I'm going to start singing pretty. Because I really fucked up my voice screaming. Yeah. And I wanted to get my voice back, you know, because I really felt sad about it for a couple of years, you know. And, yeah, I just started writing songs that were acoustic and started singing and trying to get my voice back. It took me a long time to get my voice back. I still think it's not as good as it could have been if I had never done that. If you hadn't been yelling. Yeah. For so many years. Yeah. Well, you also have a cigarette in your left hand at the moment.

Yeah, but that just improves the whole entire thing. That adds character. Yeah. Exactly. Yeah. And so about 2000, you started working on that. And that's kind of more or less the music you've been playing since then? Yeah, yeah. Yeah. It was a little bit different at first. It was a little bit more, I would say, erratic. You know what I mean? Like, a lot of weird time changes and stuff like that. I was still, like, kind of caught in this, like, technical music kind of thing. But after a couple of years, that was completely over. Yeah. You know? Like, I think the big change for me was I bought a Songs Ohio record. I don't know if you know who they are. I do not. This guy, Jason Molina, is an incredible songwriter.

And then I also met this guy, David Dondero. And he just played today. Actually, I went and saw him play. And I don't know. Like, both those guys, like, their records had an influence on me. And I started really stripping it down. Plus, I had, like, all the old-time, like, music that I had been listening to as a child. You know? And I got way more into that. You know? This is, like, 2002. You know? And, like, so that's how it evolved. And, you know, it is what it is. I think it took me at least, you know, from 2000 to 2003, at least, before I found my own voice. You know? Before I stopped imitating other people. Yeah. And just kind of started writing my own thing. But, you know. Cool, cool. Yeah. So, obviously, you grew up with that kind of music.

It was kind of your background and everything. It's definitely, it seems to have had a resurgence lately. I mean. Yeah. I mean, I would say that the O Brother Where Art Thou movie was a big deal with it. Also, when Johnny Cash died and everyone fucking flipped their wig over fucking Johnny Cash. It kind of, you know, that brought the country music to, like, the limelight or whatever in the United States. And people started really thinking about it a lot more. I mean, yeah. I mean, it's something that never left my life. I mean, I was always really into it. I mean, those old, like, you know, Johnny Cash and Hank Williams, like, and Waylon Jennings recordings and all that stuff. I mean, I'm going to listen to that shit, like, even when I was in high school and just, like, only cared about punk music for the most part.

But that stuff was always something I never could, like, shake, you know. Yeah, yeah. So, yeah, I mean, I watched that happen. My dad actually has some bitterness about that, you know. Oh, yeah. He's always like, oh, it's so trendy to be, like, you know, a folk musician these days. It's so trendy to be a country musician, you know. And, you know, to me, I'm just kind of like, well, you know, you ride the wave and that is what it is. But you keep doing what you're doing. And, you know, like, people, you know, like, it's like either it goes out of style and nobody gives a shit or it just gets bigger, you know. Or you just keep doing it until the next time it comes around, you know. It's like if it's what you love, you know, like, you can't, I don't know.

I mean, I'm definitely not hopping on top of something that's already been going on. In fact, I went to Europe and I didn't even know that it was so popular here, especially in the punk scene. I mean, I thought it was completely, like, I thought I was, like, the only one. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, like, and then, you know, like, I got hooked up with Chuck Reagan, you know, like, and I found out that that was not the case. There's, like, all this stuff going on, you know. Like, and I was kind of, like, completely taken aback by the whole thing, you know. I mean, living in Prague kind of put me in, like, media blackout, you know, in a lot of ways. Yeah, now you moved to Prague. When did you move to Prague?

I moved there in 2003. And what was the reasoning behind that? Oh, my brother owns a bar there. He asked me to come and help him out because I used to be a bartender and a bouncer and blah, blah, blah. So I did, and then I was going to go for eight months, and I just kind of stayed. Stayed there for five years. Eight months turned into a year, turned into five years. Well, my brother had a baby. Like, he got his girlfriend pregnant about, I would say, five months into me being there. And then I was like, you know, no way in hell I'm not sticking around for the birth of my niece, you know. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then, you know, my niece was there, and then I was like, no way in hell I'm not sticking around to see her grow up.

Yeah, yeah. You know, and then it just got, like, the music got a little bit too busy, you know. Like, and I was doing too much stuff in the United States, and I realized, you know, it would be much more intelligent of me to be based out of here and then go to Europe on tour once a year, rather than coming to America to tour a whole lot and be based in Europe and touring there only once a year. Yeah, exactly. So. Absolutely. So, where do you, when you move back to the U.S., where are you stationed at now? I'm living in Portland, Oregon. Portland, Oregon? Yeah. Okay. Now, is there a particular reason for Portland? Yeah. My cross-band guided cradle from Czech, I told them that it was over, that I was going to move back to the States.

Yeah. And I was really sorry. And they were kind of like, look, we were thinking about moving to the States anyway. If we move to Portland, will you go there and we can keep playing? And I said, yeah, yeah, great. So. Wow. Yeah, so that's what happened. That was why I decided Portland. And it was definitely on the, you know, like in the top five. Yeah, the short list. You know, yeah, it was on the short list of places I would go. So, yeah, I mean, that's just how I ended up there. That's awesome. Yeah. So, I guess moving back to music, you do, I mean, the music, it has a traditional folk sound to it. But some of the themes, I mean, you deal with some pretty heavy drug use themes and things like that. And I mean, I'm assuming that's from personal experience and things like that.

A lot of it is from personal experience, but don't, like, make no mistake, a lot of that is just things I've seen. I mean, I've been in rock and roll for a long time. Yeah, yeah. And, you know, like, whether or not, you know, it's DIY punk, that doesn't mean, there's drugs everywhere. So, hey, Will, what's up, dog? How are you? That's Will Dandy from Clean Plate Records. He put out the first Rune 7-inch, my grindcore band. Oh. Anyway, I see him once a year, you know. Yeah, you got to say hi. You can't ignore him once a year. No, no, not even for a prestigious podcast interview. Yeah, and this is big time, believe me. There will be five to 12 people at a time. It's unbelievable. But, anyhow. So, yeah, I was going to ask about some of that.

Is that just, I mean, you felt you should write about that? But, I mean, because it doesn't, I mean, to put in context to what a lot of people recognize with this kind of music, Chuck Reagan seems to sing the much more traditional style. And, I mean, you do the traditional bass music, but it seems to have very modern themes. Yeah, I think my music is much more traditionally based than his is, you know, but his themes are a little bit more. I mean, like, I was just on the Revival tour, and I was always, like, telling people the difference between us, like, because people would say, like, hey, you guys are, like, you know, you guys are all different a little bit, but the same. And, you know, like, he goes, well, I mean, the only thing that we really have in common is that we all play acoustic music.

I mean, Chuck, I mean, in my eyes, Chuck is kind of, like, my dad calls him the preacher, you know, like, because he, like, people, what he says, people listen to, and he speaks in really plain fucking English, you know, and it's really easy for people to access what he's doing, you know. Yeah, yeah. And, like, he's, and to me, he's, like, he's, like, a union organizer or something like that. Like, he's got this fire, and he's got this, I don't know, this, like, magnetism, you know what I mean? Like, and everyone can really relate to him and, like, can rally around him. And so, to me, he's, like, kind of a union folk singer. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know what I mean? Like, that's what I get from him, you know.

I mean, like, like, Tim Berry is, like, more of a Freight Hopper Depression era, like, Woody Guthrie style, like, storyteller, and he speaks, like, he tells all these stories, you know, like, that are just incredible, in my opinions, you know. And then, like, you got Ben Nichols, and he's, like, more of, like, a roadhouse country guy, you know. Like, and he tells, like, these really crazy kind of, like, you know, he's almost like a modern-day cowboy or something like that, you know. Like, I feel like, you know, he would be, like, a gunslinger if he had been, like, born in the Wild West or something like that. If he was born in a different century. He would have been, like, a fucking blackjack player and, you know, like, you know, like, in some, like, you know, whorehouse somewhere, you know what I mean?

Like, that would have been Ben Nichols, you know, so. Would have been a good time. Yeah, probably, probably. I mean, you know, and I got to say, like, I mean, everyone is coming from a different place, like, completely, you know. Yeah, yeah. But, I mean, that was, like, the beauty of that tour was, like, the respect and, like, the love that we all had for each other, you know, like, when we were playing together. And how much we realized, how much we had in common, but how much we really had to offer as different performers to, like, the entire tour. Absolutely. You know, so. I guess, like, in, like, getting back, because I definitely went off on a fucking tangent there. That's all right. Getting back to, like, what you said, you know, like, they always, I don't know, I always say write what you know.

You know, you can tell, like, a first-person story as if it's you, but really you're talking about someone else, which I do that every so often. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But, but really, you know, like, the furthest thing away from what I know that I've ever written a song about is a song called Hollywood, which is about the war in Iraq. And I don't know, man, like, I wrote that, though, because living in Europe, I knew a lot of service personnel, and I just was hearing all these stories. And, you know, my bandmate from Guided Cradle, Ethan, his brother, is a helicopter pilot, and he kept getting recalled against his will. You know, like, because he's, like, you know, really old veteran, amazing fucking, you know, like, experienced helicopter pilot.

And they're just putting him in danger, in danger, in danger. And he's got a new baby. You know, my friend Ethan was so worried about him. I felt like, you know, you know, like, it touched me. And, like, knowing all the other service personnel telling all these stories about how their tours were up and how the Army was, like, forcing them to come back. Yeah, yeah. You know, like, and all these people, like, saying, like, how much they hate George Bush and how much of an oil for war or for oil. A war for oil it is. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And all that stuff. I just, it touched me, and I made me write that song. Yeah, yeah. But other than that, I mean, almost all the stuff that I write about is either me or, like, somebody, you know.

Like, I was never a drug addict per se. You know, like, I used to do a lot of speed, you know. But I was able to, like, get out of it, you know, like, and unscathed. But I watched a lot of my friends doing heroin and doing speed, like, you know, overdosing and, you know, like, flushing their lives away. And so, like, those, like, songs about drug use, you know, like, those are some of the most personal songs, even though some of them are not about me. Yeah. You know, they're about other people. But they are, like, some of the most hurtful for me to sing at times. Oh, yeah. Absolutely. So, wow. See, that's a bummer. Now, I can't. That's a tough question to answer now. I can't hop from that to something lighthearted.

No. Yeah, I feel like that'd be wrong. You got something else heavy, maybe? If I'd be like, so. A little bit less heavy. Yeah, I'm like, do you get chicks now on tour? Like, I can't go into that. No. All right. Middle section here of the interview. Just taking a quick little break.

Twice, or only once thus far in the interview, because apparently a man with earphones talking to a guy where they're both holding microphones is fairly conspicuous, and apparently it's also a sign of celebrity at the fest. So, I just burped. I was pretty excited about that. But, anyhow, so, yeah, neither one of us is really famous, but apparently all you need to do is look like you're doing something important, and everyone thinks you're famous. So, that was pretty sweet. Like I said, tune in at the end. We'll have a chance to win an LP of Austin's first album, The Common Cold, and we'll tell you how to enter to win that. In the meantime, here's some more music and the rest of our interview with Austin Lucas from Indiana and Portland area of North.

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So, you've released You had the 10-inch on Hometown Caravan Well, that was my last record that I put out Other than Bristle Ridge Yeah And that came out right after Bristle Ridge did And technically in Europe Actually, they were released within the same week Yeah But, yeah, that was my last solo record by myself And then, before that, I had Putting the Hammer Down Yeah And then I had the Common Cold, the first LP And in between that, me and Chuck did the split 7-inch Yeah And then now, like, I've got Bristle Ridge out And I'm going to record my new record, Somebody Loves You, in December And that's going to be on Suburban Home? Yeah, it's going to be on Suburban Home So, how did you hook up with Virgil? Do you know a guy named Mike Hale?

He plays in Gunmole He's actually from California Yeah, well, he lives in California He's from Florida, yeah Yeah, he got signed to Suburban Home really recently Yeah, yeah And I don't know how my name came up with them Actually, you know, to be totally honest with you I don't know, like, maybe Mike Hale was just talking about how we were buddies I don't know, like Or maybe Virgil was like, have you heard Austin Lucas? Like, asking him if he knew who I was or something Yeah, yeah, yeah You know, like, and actually, maybe because Virgil asked me last year, around this time, to do a Under the Influence Yeah, yeah, yeah, you know, 7-inch The split 7 And I said, what about Mike Hale? And maybe that's how he, like, you know, because we're not doing it together, actually I think I'm doing it either with Ben Nichols or Lucero Okay But, basically, like, I think that maybe he said, like, oh yeah, Austin asked to maybe do it with you And even, Mike Hale's doing it with Joey Cape, so he was, like, off-limits Yeah, yeah, yeah, you know, but I think that maybe that's how it came up And then Mike was like, yeah, I'm friends with him I don't know, I mean, this is all fucking hypothesis Yeah, speculation You know, like, I don't know Anyway, he said, like, I guess, Mike was like, yeah, actually, I know Austin really well And he's searching for a label, kind of, I mean, he's been with Magic Bullet And he really likes them a lot But, you know, he, you know, like, I think he's thinking about, like, you know, maybe moving up Because Magic Bullet, like, I talked to Mike about it And I love that record label, actually You know, I love them I love those people But they don't have any bands for me to tour with on their label Yeah You know, they do a lot of post-rock and a lot of, like, more heavy stuff It'd be a little awkward to see out there, but this will destroy you Exactly, exactly I mean, that would be cool I mean, I'm sure that I would play in front of people, but most of them wouldn't like me Yeah, they wouldn't really You know, so I just kind of realized that it was, like, I don't know It was a good idea for me to try and find some place where I would fit in Yeah, yeah As, like, far as an artist on the label, you know So, yeah, I've been telling Mike, and Mike was like, I think Austin might be interested So Virgil called me up, and he was like, hey, I wouldn't mind doing a record with you sometime Like, maybe a 7-inch or something like that And I still want to do the Under the Influence record And I was like, what about an LP?

And he was like, I didn't want to ask, but I was really, really, like, hoping that you would say that Yeah

We were talking on the phone, and we agreed I called up Magic Bullet and asked them how they felt about it Yeah, yeah And they were just really stoked That's awesome They were like, fuck yeah, go for it, go for it You know, like, and they were excited for me that I would, you know, like, have an opportunity to play, like, you know With a bunch of other bands on a label that, you know, suited me and be able to put out a record on a label that, like, you know Really was kind of in that, like, in the midst of, like, the folk and country punk movement, you know So, I kind of, I don't know, like, that's it I jumped on it, and that was it, you know And then I went out to Colorado the next week and, like, hung out with them at the Suburban Home 13th Anniversary Party And had, like, an amazing time And it was, we knew, like, from immediately that we were going to be family, you know I don't think I've ever heard anything bad about Virgil Like, everyone who's ever worked with him says And that's what everybody says He's just the most amazing But let me tell you something I'm just kidding Let me fill you in No, he's great He's absolutely amazing Amazing, dude Awesome, awesome So, you're going to be recording that I'm sorry, Sid, when are you going to be working on that?

What's that? When are you going to be recording your job? In December In the beginning of December It'll be out by March Okay Yeah Alright, I'm going to hold you to that You better, because I leave for tour at the end of February with Tim Berry And if you don't have anything recorded I need that new record Yeah, I need that new record So, obviously, I imagine there's a lot of people stateside At least in this circle Like, people who are at Fest Who probably have started to hear about you a lot more once the Bristol Ridge LP came out Yeah, yeah How has that been for you? Because, I mean, it's When I've heard it, it's not a I like it a lot But I don't feel it's exactly representative of either of your work 100% Like, it's not a Chuck Reagan record And it's not an Austin Lucas record, 100% No, I think it's a little bit more representative of what I do Yeah, yeah I mean, because it's like, you know It was me and my dad and Digger Barnes You know, like You know, like And we all play together Yeah, yeah You know, like me and Digger play together Me and my dad record together and play together You know, so it was kind of like I think it's a little bit more representative of the direction that I was going in Anyway, if you listen to some of the songs on Putting the Hammer Down It's like pretty obvious that I was going like in that direction You know, but I still had like these kind of back songs that I was like putting in the record to To get out there or whatever But like, you know, as far as that stuff, I mean Is concerned I mean, I think that you can expect it kind of to be a little Somebody that loves you to be a lot like Bristle Ridge Oh, yeah In some ways Obviously, it's not going to be the same Because it's not going to have Chuck's influence on it Yeah, yeah, yeah You know, like And that will obviously be missing But like, you know, it's not going to be my Like, it's not going to be that far of a cry from it Because really, honestly, like the first Common Cold I was like trying to kind of go for that But I was recording it in Prague And my dad came and visited And we kind of like threw it all together You know, like in these like two days of sessions, you know Like trying to get it together And then we put it out, you know And like, and then like putting the Hammer Down I was like, I don't know I recorded it like almost right after Common Cold Like, you know, came out Yeah, yeah, yeah You know, like it was like eight months afterwards Or something like that So like I didn't have as many new songs You know, like And I didn't have as like, you know Like so much of like I don't know I was like still like kind of relying on some back catalog stuff To like fill in the record You know, like And also me and my dad It was our first time in a studio actually together Making the whole record Yeah, yeah You know, like so We weren't sure what we were going for It was like kind of like A lot of that record was like experimenting And doing all that stuff And by the time Bristle Ridge came around You know, like we had already figured it out You know, like we knew what we were going for And Chuck wanted to make that kind of record You know, like I think that that was like His idea Why he wanted to record with me and my dad Is because he knew that that was going to be The end result You know what I mean?

Like it was going to be like a more traditional And like bluegrass You know, old time sounding record Yeah, yeah So like, yeah I mean I mean, you're very right in a lot of ways That it's not representative of like Me by myself or him by himself It's like really much a collaboration You know, like But like I would have to say That it's kind of been the direction That I've been trying to like head in You know, like That I've been like chipping away at You know, like And kind of like figured out what I'm doing Yeah You know And I mean Obviously it's not going to be nearly the same You know But it's definitely like along those lines You know Someone who hears that And then hears your new album Isn't going to be completely like thrown off Oh no, no, completely I mean They're not They're going to know that You know, like Yeah Cool, cool So how has the reception been since I mean, like I said There's probably a good number of people Who they know Chuck Reagan from Hot Water Music Yeah And they've kind of picked up on this From your work with Chuck Reagan I mean, I've read a lot of negative reviews Really?

Well, I mean Just like people being like This is nothing like Chuck Reagan stuff Yeah, yeah And then other people being like You know, I wish you'd stop doing this shit And go back to Hot Water Music And you know, like all that stuff But then most of it has just been like Uproariously good And I mean, that's kind of how it is I mean, like every record that I've ever put out Has mostly been people like Saying really nice things And then a couple people being like Yeah You know, and like That happens, you know Like you're always going to have a hater or two You know, in the mix And that's totally okay Because I mean, music is subjective And you like Everybody likes different shit Yeah, yeah, yeah You know, like I actually should have asked you If I can cuss on this Yeah, yeah, no problem It's the internet It's the internet Yeah, we can do what we want Don't worry So, yeah, I mean But yeah, everyone's been Really, really like supportive Especially since The Revival Tour started Because I think a lot of people Knew my name But didn't know who I was Yeah, yeah They'd never heard me play live And they'd never like You know, seen my face Yeah, yeah You know, so when Like the Revival Tour started I just like felt this Like snowball effect You know what I mean?

Like where And now like being here At the Fest Like, you know It's like every other person's like Hey, you know Like Bristol Ridge is great Or, you know It's like on the Revival Tour Best tour, you know All this stuff And it's actually really crazy To me hearing people Say that stuff Because I mean like I've always felt like I'm just happy with people Like think it's cool Yeah, if they come And they see it You know, like if they're like Come and see it But like to have people Be like so supportive Has actually been like I would say that there is Poop in my underwear right now It's basically like How I felt Like I mean Yeah, yeah No joke I mean I know People say that kind of stuff And I think that I think the reason why they say it And it sounds kind of cliche Is because it's true Yeah You know like I think that if you come From a place Especially me Where I've been playing In DIY punk bands For I don't know Like fucking 17 years You know Like in anarcho-punk bands And crust bands Like touring bands For like going on 12 years now Yeah, yeah I've been playing in like Basements And like squats And like you know Like just the worst Of the worst venues And some of the best venues You know like as well In that realm You know Like on that level And then to have Like play Like go to playing Like these like 500 room Like venues That are sold out You know Like are bigger You know And have people going Like so crazy Like it just It doesn't feel Like natural Like the first The first day I got on We have a guy here Trying to take the microphone From Austin I don't know It's up to you Awesome Jesus fuck Awesome Good Do you know him Me there No Wow No We're popular Over here I know we are I think we just look Really really really Conspicuous You think with me Wearing headphones And you holding The microphone Anyhow But I don't know What the fuck Was I even saying I think it was How humbling it is To kind of Oh yeah Yeah Yeah It's You know I was going to say That the first day I got on the revival tour I pulled into the parking lot Of the venue In North Carolina And the bus was parked In the front And it took me Like 45 minutes To get on the bus Because I was like Scared of it You were like Whose bus is this I knew that There was going to be a bus But until I saw it I actually felt Like you know It wasn't real You were like I'm not going to be on the bus No And like I felt like I really didn't belong Like I had to have The tour manager Be like Get on the bus dude And I thought It was going to bite me Like I was like That thing is staring at me funny And I like It's not right Yeah You're like There's a I'm going to be in a van Or a trailer or something Right You guys are just going to Throw me in there I know You got me falling along In a pinto Yeah Yeah I was really Really taken aback by it I got to say And like You know You know Next spring I get Or like End of winter Early spring I get back In a van again With Tim Berry You know Like in a week I leave for a tour Of the east coast With my other band Guided Cradle And that's going to be Like the same thing I've always been doing But you know Like that first taste Of that was so crazy Like this last Couple of months Has just been insane For me You know I mean like Unspeakably insane In fact like Almost to the point Like nerve wracking You know Because like So many people Saying nice things to me And I don't know How to take it I don't know How to like Talk to them You know And I want to Like I really Really want to You know But like Somebody says Something nice to me And I don't I don't even know How to take it I'm used to people Saying I'm an idiot And an asshole And like You know what I mean Like I can say You don't seem Like an asshole Well That's very very nice Of you to say We can let the listeners Be the judge I might come off Sounding a little bit Pompous What a dickwad No Everyone's very Everyone seems Pretty cool Well that's like I mean this year At the fest You're playing Common Grounds Which is The second biggest Venue they have I mean granted I'm playing second All the day But Whatever But it is actually When I found out I was playing Common Grounds I was really surprised Really excited about it You know And then also We played there On the revival tour Oh yeah You know And I only ever Bound to shows At the Common Grounds You know Never thought you'd play I never I mean I figured maybe One day I might play But not like Twice in a month Yeah You know what I mean Like that's kind of like You know A little bit weird That's awesome Yeah I mean it's got to feel good I mean Regardless of how long it lasts It's kind of like At least someone's Paying attention now You know Yeah right now And it feels really really good I can't say anything But really really good stuff And like Even though I feel nervous And weird around Like fans when they start Talking to me Yeah You know Like it's Like it's not Because I have a problem With people coming up To me randomly It's because I just feel Nervous when people Say nice things to me Like I don't know I really don't know How to take it Yeah You know Like all I can do Is say thank you You know Like I really appreciate it But it's like I sound like a broken record And I feel You say it enough times That I start to feel insincere And it really bothers me You know Like I don't want to be that guy Well there's not much else You can do If someone comes up And like you know Putting the hammer down Is one of the best Records ever You can't be like I know I wrote that Believe me I've gotten wasted Before though And like I've had enough People say it to me That like in a night That I've been like Yep It's pretty fantastic It's pretty cool I know But that's only just because I get drunk and cocky And I'm just like I get it I hear it enough That like I almost think That that's like More sincere Than the sincere thing Which is like Thank you But I mean Those are I mean Really those are your two options I mean You could also probably say No no it's crap But I mean You're too real Nobody likes to hear that I mean like You know I've played some really Shitty shows in my life And I've told people afterwards Everyone gets mad They're like Shut up You were amazing Or whatever And I'm like Oh I play like shit You know They're like God you're a dick And they make You know Like if you're honest You tell them Like your opinion Of what Like what actually happened In your eyes It makes you seem Like more of an asshole Than just being like Yeah Great I know it was a great show Like Because everyone's probably Just stoked to see it Yeah You know Like We're doing the hotel show tonight And I can guarantee you Just because of the way it's set up It's not going to be a great show Like no one's going to play fantastic Everyone's going to be drunk Probably going to be fucking wasted Yeah Everyone's going to be drunk That might be totally fantastic You know That's the thing Is everyone's going to be drunk and tired And I don't think anyone's going to play You know Phenomenally No one's hitting all the chords But Yeah Everyone's going to be there Oh I'm hitting all the chords Alright I'm holding you to that I don't know about that I'm going to be like Solo Solo it Yeah But that's the thing I mean it's You know I guess it's in the You know The fans eyes It's great So But anyhow I think it's great And I'm excited For everything that's going on And you've got the new album coming out Yeah Anything else you want to plug Before we wrap up here Oh Websites Anything like that I got MySpace It's backslash AustinLucas1 Now was there another AustinLucas On MySpace There was Yeah That's why I couldn't That's why I couldn't He was just a guy Just some dude So yeah It blocked me from just doing AustinLucas And I was pretty bummed But then I just did one You should have written him And been like Can I please have your Domain name Give me my name Yeah And then I've got a website Which is AustinLucasMusic.com So you know Awesome If people would like to Check those out That would be cool And I don't know Stop by Write me I'll write back Yeah And you've got the Tours coming up The album I've got the tours coming up Yeah I've got a tour In February with Tim Berry Going until the end of April And then I'm going to Europe In May And then I come back And Maybe the Revival tour Next year Maybe not I don't know We'll wait We'll see what happens It's all in the year Yeah Awesome But for sure I'll be back on the road Starting August I think After the summer Cool cool cool Yeah Well we look forward to that And all the best With the rest of the tours And everything man Alright well Thank you so much For doing this interview I really appreciate it Thanks to anybody Who actually listens to it I hope that it wasn't Too boring No it was fine man Thanks for taking the time Alright thank you Alright That's it End of story That's a wrap So Like I said We have a chance to win An LP of Austin's First album The Common Cold Yeah It was out of a run Of 500 Done by Hometown Caravan Excuse me Which is actually Record label And it's out of print And as far as I know It was only I don't think There was a US run Of Common Cold So this is your Only chance to find a copy And it's pretty rare And I'm pretty awesome For giving it to you Just trust me So to enter Send us an email SoundSceneRevolution At gmail.com And put Austin Lucas Contest in the subject line And here is Your question Austin Lucas Used to play And actually I think he still does He says In a couple of Grindcore bands Or I guess Grind Maybe not Grindcore I don't know How the fuck I don't listen to A lot of grind I'm gonna be honest Anything that's Named after a dance move That you do with a fat chick When you've had a few Too many to drink Is really not A type of music I'm into But point being Used to play In a grind band Now he does folk rock A bunch of other people Do you know Solo acoustic music Maybe not folk based But who is your Favorite artist Who used to play In another band And now does Solo material It doesn't have to be Their full time gig But like You have too many To pull from You have Chuck Reagan From Hot Water Music You have Tim Berry From Avail You have Ben Nichols From Lucero You have Tom Gable From Against Me There's a whole Fucking shit slew Of people Who you Hold on Soundgarden Airman Has an input That he wants to give me Michael Jackson From the Jackson 5 Ooh He did do some Amazing acoustic tracks But uh My point No It could be anything He works He did some He did some Alright solo material I think maybe When he sold An album or two Maybe you've heard Thriller I think it charted In like Germany But uh You know Anything of that nature I'll even let you do Uh You know If you were going For Ricky Martin And Minuto Though if you like Minuto You're a douche That's That's a scientific fact Douche Nudo That didn't work But uh So End of the contest We'll catch you next week We're gonna leave you With a track From Austin Lucas Enjoy Uh Check him out Listen to his solo material He's got an album Coming out I think he said In March On Suburban Home Records And it's gonna be awesome So check it out Bye bye

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