Austin Webb is a person who you would want to be best friends with. Funny, down-to-earth, passionate, and a great story teller, the South Carolina native has a pretty good outlook on life. While he was driving home to Nashville, New England Country Music was lucky enough to catch up with the always-moving country singer.
It was a nine year old Austin that took a pen to paper and started writing. “I wasn’t very good at it. I’m still not very good at it, but I’m trying,” Webb joked. “I’m just lucky to be able to do it.” Austin was heavily influenced by poetry, with the likes of Robert Frost, O. Henry, Dillon Thomas, and Walt Whitman. Whether it was the wittiness of Oscar Wilde’s writing or the nature calling his name, the type did not matter to Austin. In fact, the more eclectic the poetry, the better. “Poetry is like watercolor,” explained Webb. “Everybody’s style is so different. It blends to make one beautiful piece.” Although poetry played a large role in the shaping of his upbringing, it was Kris Kristofferson that truly stood out above the rest when it came to songwriting role models during his teenage years. “I wanted to be a young Motown singer or an old cowboy. I’ve spent my entire life being both of those at the same time.”
It was a philosophical approach that brought Austin to where he is now. The views on songwriting can be different for many, but for him it was simple. “There’s two different ways to approach songwriting. One: autobiographically. You write about what comes from your heart and the events and what takes place in your life. Two: the ethics part of it. You have to sharpen the pencil every day.” The passionate artist continued. “To be a better writer, it takes a lot of reading and writing. Just doing something over and over, you build the mechanics in your mind to write something better the next time. It’s just like any other art, the more you do it, the better you get at it.” Austin doesn’t want to just be great, he wants to be remembered. He gathers bits and pieces of advice from the people he respects the most, including Garth Brooks, for the way he treats people with utmost admiration. Everything else comes second to the fans because they are in the driver’s seat; they are the force behind the music. Webb has a lot to be thankful for and he can thank his parents and his upbringing for his modest being.
It has been a wild few years for the singer, who is signed by Streamsound Records and has released four hit singles. Although he had already been on the road prior, it all started to take off in 2011 when Austin won Nashville Connection, a songwriting competition in South Carolina. “My buddy and I were walking down the road in Greenville when we went into a guitar shop and there was a sign for it,” Webb explained about the contest, which cost $95 to enter. “I remember asking my mom if I should do it and she said, ‘Austin, it could be the best $95 you have ever spent.’” The story goes- he entered, he sang, and he won. That very night, Austin found himself opening up for country sensation Craig Morgan, who he has since opened up for many times. He received music lessons from a man named Dave Brooks, who gave Austin’s demo to Byron Gallimore, which led to the country singer being signed to his record deal.
It is every country artist’s dream to play at the highly touted Grand Ole Opry and on November 9, 2013, Austin Webb got his chance. There was no hesitation when picking a song to sing at the venue. It was ‘Why Me Lord’ to honor one of his idols, Kristofferson, which led Austin to think, “Why me? Why did I deserve this?” The vocalist also sang one of his songs, ‘Slip on By,’ for the personal touch to his set. The very next month, Webb took on Lambeau Field to sing the National Anthem at a Green Bay Packers game, and what he had to say may surprise you. “It’s the only one I’ll ever do. I love America, I love signing the National Anthem, but it’s such a difficult song,” explained the Denver Broncos fan. “If you do well, people say ‘good, you’re a good American.’ If you do bad, you’re screwed for life.” So there he was, with the weather six degrees and snowing, taking a shot of whiskey to warm up, as he sang the song flawlessly. “I thank God I did my best and Clay Matthews didn’t beat me up.” We thank God for that, too. When asked about his favorite place that he has traveled to, Austin was quick to name the warm states like California, Texas and the Carolinas. Sounding like New England is out of the picture because it’s not t-shirt weather, Webb quickly made one thing clear: as long as there is one country music fan, he will be at that city.
Austin wears his heart on his sleeve. Literally. The tattoo-clad singer doesn’t have a marking on his body that isn’t personal to him. “They represent stuff I like,” said Webb. “I got my first one when I was 15. I was in a trailer, of course, and I was in there smoking a cigarette and I got a star on my arm. The next day, I walked in and I got a Jesus fish on my arm. Your family can’t complain too much when you get a Jesus fish tattoo. A Jesus fish tattoo is more permissible than a dragon.” His newest one on his right forearm, which says, “Old dogs, children and watermelon wine,” is his favorite country song by Tom T. Hall, a pioneer in songwriting. The passionate artist doesn’t just show his love through tattoos, but social media as well. Austin raved about his fans and the opportunity he has to connect with them online. Being able to reach out to a fan instantaneously on Twitter isn’t just relevant, it’s crucial, according to Webb. Just like us, he too gets excited for a retweet or favorite from his idols. “I got a retweet from Arrested Development and I peed my pants I was so excited. I didn’t really pee my pants but I was really excited,” Austin later clarified. “Wiz Khalifa followed me once. I didn’t double check to see if it was verified because I wanted to think that it was, but let’s just say me and him are tight now.” The humility and humbleness exuding from Webb was refreshing. His fans are what keeps him going and he knows they are the reason he makes a living from doing what he loves.
Webb’s most recent this year ‘All Country on You,’ was released to radio stations on January 5th and has had a ton of success thus far. With almost half the stations in the country playing it, this single has had the most positive response, more so than any of his other hits. It’s 2015 that Webb looks to meet as many country music fans as possible and propel his success to a “size 24 point bold font.” “I don’t want people to forget Austin. I want people to say hey, Austin’s working his ass off. If I lose everything I’ve got going for me, I’m still going to be a country singer.” Once people have had a taste of Austin Webb, it’s safe to say they won’t forget him.