About this episode
In this episode, I sit down with independent country artist Willie Austing to talk about his path into music, his new EP, Outgrown, and what it actually takes to build a craft over time. We get into songwriting, recording, early live shows, and the reality of developing skills across multiple areas at once.
Willie shares the behind-the-scenes side of the process, including burnout, teaching himself to play instruments, and what it feels like to get completely locked into your work for hours at a time. We also talk about balancing a full-time job, relationships, and creative work, and what separates people who stick with it from those who don’t.
Chapters
- 00:18 Intro to Willie Austing
- 01:31 Willie's background, sports, and how music started
- 02:27 New EP, "Outgrown", burnout, and why sometimes less is more
- 06:37 Songwriting process, melody vs. words, and the story behind “Two Birds”
- 10:24 Why smooth wording matters, plus the Game of Thrones coffee cup analogy
- 13:00 Learning guitar, sound, recording, and becoming self-sufficient
- 21:16 First open mics, first paid gig, and learning live performance
- 30:54 Wedding performances, nerves, and opening for Rodney Atkins
- 37:07 Worst gig story and what rough reps teach you
- 42:30 Musical influences and what shaped his sound
- 45:29 Social media, posting music, and trying to reach new people
- 49:18 Balancing a full-time job, relationships, health, and music
- 57:14 The long-term dream, AI, and protecting the human side of art
- 01:02:15 College football, Texas fandom, and fall Saturdays
- 01:14:31 Rapid fire round
- 01:22:54 Final wisdom and where to find Willie