photo by Michael Minasi
A chance connection between busker-turned-Austinite Eric Burton and producer/guitarist Adrian Quesada (Brownout, Grupo Fantasma) in early 2017 led to the creation of Black Pumas, a combination of vintage soul, folk rock, and hip-hop production styles. They rose quickly in the Austin scene, gaining a residency at C-Boy’s where they honed their live act with a full band, eventually winning Best New Band and Song of the Year for “Black Moon Rising” at the 2019 Austin Music Awards with only three released tracks to their name.
All that has changed now with the release of their self-titled debut album out June 21st on ATO records. They stopped by Studio 1A on release day ahead of their evening show at Antone’s and their upcoming six-week tour to play those three songs that got them so far. While they are a new band, their live performance feels anything but, on the Summer Solstice of all days, they brought intense and soulful energy rousing the Studio 1A audience to a standing ovation when the last drum beat hit.
If you like what you hear you can check out our recent episode of This Song featuring lead singer of Black Pumas Eric Burton as he describes how hearing “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding gave him new inspiration for what singing could sound like.
Photo gallery from session
And if you missed Black Pumas before they left town, never fear, they’ll be back at Mohawk on August 23rd, a hometown show you definitely won’t want to miss.
-KUTX Intern, Claire Hardwick
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Host: Jody Denberg
Audio Engineer: Cliff Hargrove
Producer: Deidre Gott
Cameras: Julia Reihs, Giulia Hjort, Micheal Minasi
Edit: Julia Reihs
