RootsofaRebellion

Greetings from New Orleans! 

Just wanted to give y’all an update on our travels but first I want to say something very important:

Thank you. 

Thank you for supporting the music, message, and members of Roots of a Rebellion and giving us the ability to share this freedom of peace of mind through music. We are truly living our dream and although we haven’t been drawing huge crowds to our shows, we have had the privilege of playing for several new folks who really enjoy what we have to say and how we say it. 

I’ll try and recap from the beginning…

Last Monday we drove to Auburn, AL and stayed with our friend Russ. Yes, ALL SEVEN of us were more than accommodated by Russ and his lakeside house surrounded by 100 miles of beautiful hiking. It was a great way to unite our minds and prepare our spirits for the 2 week trek ahead…

We kicked off the tour in Auburn, AL at The Hound and although the crowd was slim, the few people that were there loved it! Loved it so much we had people buying multiple CDs–that rarely happens!! Needless to say it was a great first show of the tour and it assured us from the get-go that we three artists are proudly and properly representing Nashville and the underground scene that is on the rise! 

Our good friend Jo’shua Odine is here with us and he has been the soundtrack of our trip. Some drives we don’t even listen to the radio or anything because we have Jo’shua playing non stop–with everyone chiming in as they so desire. He truly loves and lives what he does–which is expressing himself through his super raw and unique style that could be defined as: acoustic-roots-reggae-rap. It is a blessing to be able to share the road with this mysterious fun-loving guy. 

We also spent this past week playing shows with our good friends Sol Cat. Their music is incredibly energetic, and too easy to dance to. It was a pleasure getting to represent Nashville together and we look forward to meeting up with them again at South By Southwest in Austin, TX this week. Our last show of the tour will be with them on Saturday (3/16) at The Live Oak Music Hall & Lounge in Fort Worth, TX. 

Highlights of the tour thus far were probably our show at A&M Theatre in Panama City, FL because the crowd was such an eclectic mix of music lovers who love dancing! The crowd may have been small but the energy was HUGE! After the show we all (Sol Cat, ROAR, and Jo’shua) slept on the floor and church benches in the venue for a night we are sure to remember….haha! 

The next highlight of the trip was Saturday night in Lafayette, LA we played this really cool bar and restaurant called The Wild Salmon–yes they served wild salmon and it was BOMB! We played with this band from Lafayette called Selfawarewolf and before the show had even begun, these generous folks already offered us their place to crash at for the night. We have been extremely fortunate on the road to run into people who open their homes to us—but this times was truly special. Cameron and Sydney are some of the most amazing musicians and performers we have had the privilege of sharing the stage with. It’s a good thing we went before them, that’s all I got to say! Sydney, the lead singer, is a performer if I ever saw one and you can tell that her goal is to create an experience at the show. Although the audience was mostly other bands, she came out so powerful–making every head in the room turn to watch her every move, anxious what she was going to do next. Their music could be described as progressive neo-psychedelic jazz rock, but it is so much more than just that and I strongly suggest you catch a live show when you can!

So not only are these amazing performers opening up their home to us, but they are also some of the most humble, down to earth people I have met. Cameron said he had only been playing drums for three years and that alone blew my mind cause this guy’s got chops!! Be on the lookout for these young guns as they are on their way with a completely original and fascinating sound! 

Well I could go on and on but I really need to start the day and go to an urgent care for my finger that I smashed on Saturday. Just a scatch but hey at least I still have my finger! Nothing like what Django Reinhart or Phil Keaggy had to deal with. I’m lucky to play music with my best friends who support me and love me for who I am and would do anything for me. 

Here’s to all the new friends we’ve met along the way and all the new friends to come. I pray that God keeps granting us this freedom to pursue our life-long dream of creating a life through music. We only seek to honor and glorify Our God whether you call Him Jesus, Jah, Allah, Buddah, Kirshna, or whatever else works for you. We feel His presence on and off stage and we will continue to seek His love first and foremost–so that it will transcend into our interaction with every brother and sister we meet on this treacherous yet exhilarating road of life.  

Thank you for reading and I hope you have a blessed day y’all!! 

-Austin and Roots of a Rebellion