Austin English: Just Enjoy the Ride

For Austin English, music started with something as simple as a high-school talent show and a teenager hoping to meet a few girls. More than a decade later, that spur-of-the-moment decision has grown into a career shaped by hundreds of shows, songs rooted in real people and places, and a deep connection to the Texas music scene he still calls home. Raised in Elgin, Texas, English has carved out a sound that sits comfortably somewhere between country and rock, carrying the storytelling spirit of Texas music while refusing to be boxed into a single genre. With his latest album, Boomerang, marking another step in that evolution, English continues to find inspiration in both the everyday and the extraordinary. We caught up with Austin to talk about growing up in Texas, the realities of making music a career, the stories behind his songs, Boomerang, and what still keeps him chasing that feeling of reaching someone through a song.

Q. You grew up in Elgin, Texas. How much of that small-town Texas upbringing still shows up in the music you make today?

I think there are still elements of it in my writing. Take “Once is Enough” off the new album; it’s a song about running into your ex at your favorite bar. That’s as small town as it gets.

Q. How would you describe the sound of Austin English to someone hearing you for the first time?

I’ve always said I’m a country boy, singing in a rock band, pretending to be a country band.

Q. What is it about the Texas music scene that has kept you rooted there, even as your career has expanded?

Well, Texas is home. More than that, it’s authentic. Texas music transcends genres and that’s really my favorite thing about it. There is artistic freedom here.

Q. How do you think the Texas music scene has changed since you first started playing professionally as a teenager?

I think it’s easier than ever to get your music out to an audience, however, it’s harder than ever to get them to pay attention.

Q. You started playing music after putting together a band for a high-school talent show. Did you ever imagine that one little decision would turn into a career lasting more than a decade?

Honestly, no. When I was a teen, I was just hoping to meet some girls.

Q. Was there a particular moment when you stopped thinking of music as something you enjoyed and realized, “This is what I want to do for a living”?

Yes. A few years back I started referring to it as “having to go to work”. More so because I have kids now. I want them to understand this is a job, and not something I’m choosing over spending time with them. There are some days it can feel like a job and not a passion though. I have to remind myself that 16 year old me would kill to be where I’m at in life.

Q. You've opened for some pretty big names. What did watching artists like Charlie Daniels, Gary Allan, Cody Johnson, or Reckless Kelly teach you about performing?

They’re all just genuine people. They are the same guys backstage as they are on stage. That’s what I’ve noticed the most.

Q. After playing hundreds of shows, what can still make you nervous or excited before you walk onstage?

These days, it’s probably trying new material out on an audience.

Q. When you hear a song and immediately think, “I have to record this,” what are you hearing or feeling that makes a song stand out to you?

When I write new songs, I play them acoustic or with the full band at shows for a while. If I don’t grow tired of singing them, then I’ll record them. I might be tired of them 20 years from now, but I can’t be tired of them after a few months.

Q. You’ve recorded both songs you've written and songs brought to you by outside writers. What makes a song feel like it belongs to Austin English?

When I’m going through demos for outside cuts, I’m mainly looking for something I relate to. Whether I write a song or not, I want it to feel like there is a piece of me in the story.

Q. Has your approach to songwriting changed as you've gotten older and more experienced?

I think my songwriting has expanded, not so much changed. It’s not always one way that a song gets written nowadays. Sometimes I’m working off a melody that’s stuck in my head, some days I work out the music on a guitar and put words to that, and sometimes the lyrics come first and I have to make the music around it.

Q. Do you find it easier to write from personal experience, or can a completely fictional story inspire you just as much?

I’m a huge fan of fictional writing. I can write various stories around characters so to speak. It just opens up more possibilities.

Q. What song in your catalog feels the most personal to you—and why?

Probably “7th Street”. I met the guys that song is inspired by who lived at the homeless shelter, back in the day when I was playing 6th street a lot. The bar we played was on 6th, and right behind it was the homeless shelter on 7th. So that was brought about by real people.

Q. Your album Boomerang represents a newer chapter in your career. Looking back at it now, what do you think the album says about where you are as an artist?

That’s hard to say. I’m not an introspective type of person usually. I think it shows an evolution sonically for sure though.

Q. What was the biggest difference between making Boomerang and some of your earlier releases?

We played these songs live for probably a year before we ever hit the studio for them. That made recording this record go way faster. That’s probably the biggest difference. I think we had 6 studio days total.

Q. If someone has never heard your music before, what three songs would you play for them to introduce them to Austin English?

“Heartache in a “Small Town”, “Goodnight Marie”, [and] “I Love You More Than I Love Me”.

Q. What song from the new album are you most excited to play live?

“Once is Enough” is a fun one. We always like that one.

Q. What's something people might be surprised to learn about you that they wouldn't get from listening to your music?

That I’m an upbeat and happy person despite the amount of breakup songs I write.

Q. When you're not writing or performing, what does a perfect day in Texas look like for you?

I’m hanging out with my wife and our two girls, working on the house, or in the garden, cooking something on the grill. And, the fridge is full of Dr. Pepper!

Q. After everything you've experienced in music so far, what still makes you say, “Yep, this is exactly why I do this”?

The moments when you can tell you connected with somebody like you were able to reach out and touch their soul. It happens from time to time, and it’s always a great feeling to connect like that with your art.

Q. If you could sit down with the version of Austin English who was playing that first paying gig at 16, what would you tell him?

I’d tell him just enjoy the ride, it’s all going to work out.

Q. What's next for you besides the new album?

Obviously the next album is in the forefront of my thoughts. I've got to write more for it. I’ve also got a Christmas song I just wrote, so I need to get that out as well.

After more than a decade of writing songs, playing stages, and finding stories in the people and places around him, Austin English doesn’t seem interested in looking backward for too long. There are still new songs to write, another album already taking shape, and a Christmas song waiting to make its way into the world. If Austin’s music has taught him anything, it’s that the best moments are the ones when a song stops being just yours and becomes something another person can feel, too.Discover more Texas artists with us at Loud and Heavy Booking.