Artist of the Month Class of 2024

January

S.L. Houser

Classically trained pianist and Berklee College of Music graduate, Houser’s high-caliber musicianship has made her an in-demand session player and live performer in Austin, TX, but she’s not just an accomplished musician, but also a music educator, arranger, producer, and songwriter. Every great music scene is made possibl d the Austin Music Experience with her expansive talents, but it wasn’t until last November that she released her debut solo EP, Hibiscus. 

February

Tameca Jones

On February 29th, Tameca Jones releases her debut album, Plants & Pills, and it’s been a long time coming. Over the past decade, the Austin singer has released a handful of singles and EPs, but the album’s birth was slow going. Between motherhood, moves, the pandemic, and the anxieties of the recording studio, Jones stopped and restarted recording several times. What can’t be stopped, though, is her obvious talent. Jones is a natural, forceful singer, best experienced in person where she can play off the energy of the crowd.

March

The Sentimental Family Band

Camille Lewis, Kyle Albrecht and Matthew Shepherd are the songwriters and backbone of the Sentimental Family Band, a fixture of the Austin scene since 2019. Slowly, their originals began to creep into the set. Last summer, they released the single “Face To A Name”, and their full-length debut, Sweethearts Only, dropped on March 29th. 

April

Font

When it comes to getting a band’s career started, there’s the well-worn path; record, post, repeat. 

Font hasn’t really done those things. 

The Austin five-piece has been playing furious dance-rock sets to sweaty appreciative crowds since 2022. Yet their recorded output adds up to just two songs. And good luck finding much about them online.

It’s not as if Font set out to be rule-breakers. But their origin story is organic, slow, maybe more thoughtful than most.

May

promqueen

promqueen’s journey of self-discovery as a queer Asian-American extends even further than szn two and its thematic, multi-lingual pulsing narrative. She’s been firmly on message since her debut. 

July

Superfónicos

Over the last few years here in Austin, TX we’ve learned why Colombia is called the land of a thousand rhythms. We’re blessed with an abundance of musicians possessed by the country’s rich and groovy sonic heritage and nobody does it better than Superfónicos.

Original member Nicolás Sanchez was born in Texas, but his parents grew up in Colombia’s massive multicultural mountaintop capital, Bogota. As a child, he longed to connect with his heritage and music led the way back to his ancestral home. Since founded 2016, Superfónicos have been mixing Colombian Funk, Cumbia, and Afro-beat into the sounds of the city, and although they formed here in ATX, most members, like Sanchez, have deep roots in Colombia.

August

Big Bill

Since 2012, Austin’s Big Bill has been mining the comic, proto-punkish vein of art rock, imbuing their music with the same deadpan stoicism found in  bands like Devo.

I ask Eric Braden, who’s fronted the band since the beginning, how or if he feels like a different person after all this time.

He laughs. “It feels like we just started the other day. But, yeah, in some ways, very different, you know, grown up. Seeing things a little different. Staying creative keeps us tapped into that feeling of origin.”

It’s not as if the band has completely left their chaotic and bizarre origins behind. Their new album, Strawberry Seed, has its moments of deja vu. But the band itself is different, most notably in the absence of Eric’s brother and co-founder, Cody.

September

Vintage Jay

Many that are raised in bad situations dream of music stardom as a way out. It’s the rare individual that looks to raise their community up at the same time. 

Since 2019, Vintage Jay (real name: Jay Herrera) has churned out four albums along with a number of ep’s and singles, all informed by his lyrical, slightly quirky flow, and a deep resonance of social justice. His body of work is already significant and impressive.

Jay was born in Tampico, a port city in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. But since 2000, he’s spent most of his life in the Rundberg area of North Austin.

October

West 22nd 

Forming a band in college is about as common as taking English 101, yet few of them go beyond the occasional frat party. Fewer still last as long as the bass player wrecking the drummer’s car. 

Yet since 2021, West 22nd has been omnipresent on campus and beyond, routinely making weekend gig excursions, drawing crowds to shows as far away as Los Angeles and Atlanta. They’ve released an EP and numerous singles, their latest the pop-fueled driver ”Hangman”. Their single “Sunburns” has garnered over a million streams on the DSP’s. 

November

Geto Gala

Their 2021 EP, TheGeto Gala, was an instant fan favorite. But was it a one-off? Catching them performing their music around town with a live band was inspiring. But were Deezie Brown and Jake Lloyd, two very successful Austin artists in their own right, serious about making a go as a duo? 

Their first full-length album, Major League, leaves no doubt. The songs are more tightly focused and collaborative. There are hooks, actual singing, a reach well beyond the normal hip-hop geofence. It’s clear that for Jake and Deezie, Geto Gala is more than a label; it’s an actual band. And it might have never happened if Deezie hadn’t been in a venue when Jake happened to be soundchecking. Impressed, Deezie reached out.