Steve Austin, the founding vocalist/guitarist for long-running visionary metal outfit Today Is The Day and renowned engineer of his Austin Enterprise studio, begins a new chapter in his musical journey, humbly unveiling his new classic outlaw country/bluegrass act.
Having toured and made records since 1993, Steve Austin has recorded and produced some of the biggest hard rock and metal bands of our time, including Deadguy, Converge, Unsane, former Dead Kennedys vocalist Jello Biafra, Grammy nominated Lamb Of God, and the massive Today Is The Day catalog, among many others. But a different type of heavy vibe pours forth from his new solo venture.
Echoes of his heroes such as Hank Williams, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Townes Van Zandt, David Allan Coe, Merle Haggard, and The Outlaws can be heard in the songs of Steve Austin. Armed with an old Martin D-28 and music bleeding from the heart, the songs are a combination of traditional classic country and bluegrass. Austin’s songwriting hearkens back to the golden days of real, rocking, country music and bluegrass.
The material that would eventually embody the debut album under the Steve Austin moniker, Marked Cards And Loaded Dice, began to take shape during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. A time of great reflection and isolation from touring, it was the perfect setting to begin this new path. With the album written, and life returning to normal, Austin commissioned a cast of talented players to flesh out an incredible lineup to complete the album, including Dana Flood on pedal steel guitar, who has toured and performed with Johnny Rodriguez, George Jones, Willie Nelson, and many other country legends.
Austin reveals about the launch of this band, “I started writing these songs as a tribute to my father, Tillman Austin. He taught me how to play music and write songs when I was just a kid. He was an amazing country music singer/songwriter that toured during the 1950’s. He and I would play for hours, doing all the classic real country songs. I grew up with the songs of my dad, Merle Haggard, The Outlaws, and all the greats that made their mark on country and bluegrass. This album is a tribute to my father, Tillman Austin, and all my Austin family in Chestnut Mound, Tennessee.”
The finishing touches are still being put on Marked Cards And Loaded Dice, which Austin will then master and finalize for release in the very near future. In the meantime, a video of a live in-studio version of one of the forthcoming album’s songs, “So Far Gone,” has been released. With Steve Austin handling lead guitar and vocals, he’s joined by Ben Chapman on drums, DJ Cox on bass, and Ryan Carter on guitar and backing vocals.
Steve Austin will take some of the album’s songs onto the stage for the very first time this week, taking part in a St. Patrick’s Day Celebration in Bangor, Maine where he’ll be joined by the same lineup as in the video. They’ll be performing with the Tyler Healy Band, The Bangtown Blues Band, Kim Archer and Ryan Carter, King Sully, Shawn Munch, with special guest Logan Rouse performing mind reading and comedy.
(Photo – Hannah Austin)
