Austin Sound

It’s October 8th and I find myself inside the elegantly lit Hideout Theater listening to local folk singer Joanna Barbera pick at her guitar, stomp her foot, and sing raspily into the mic. I’m front left and can almost reach out and touch her. While she is singing, I notice the absolute silence that surrounds her — the unfaltering focus — and it seems that no where else would such nuanced and subtle finger-picking and lullaby-intoning ring out so clearly and impress with such emotional force.

Here in Austin we are a city in sprawl. More people move in, more buildings go up, and parking gets more difficult. And the same overcrowding goes for Austin’s music scene. “Go to Houston to get noticed. In Austin, you’re just another band,” commented Matt Hines of local indie band the Eastern Sea, during a pre-Sessions sound check. For those artists starting out and trying to get noticed in this array of venues and talent, it can become a real problem to overcome. Fortunately for Hines and others out there, he isn’t alone in his thoughts.

CJ Vinson and Lauren Bucherie have been stirring things up in Austin’s comely downtown — though you might not notice for lack of wild outings and decibel-peaking Rock & Roll. They’re doing something different and it’s just for Austin’s decadent and greatly underappreciated singer/songwriter faction. Inspired by previous artist showcases like the Hotel Café (a Hollywood venue infamous for it’s support of singer/songwriter talent), and considerable dissatisfaction with the way the music industry has failed to cater to its songwriters, Vinson and Bucherie have created, promoted, and produced the Austin Sessions.

Having met in recording school at Austin’s MediaTech Institute, the two shared a great interest in the music business — Vinson being a musician himself. However, the tenuous pitfalls of the illustrious industry that captivates and entertains so many had confounded their collective will. “When I was in NYC,” said Vinson, “I got fed up with the expense and the fact that songwriters had no fan base. You’d have these amazing singers stuck in the corner of a bar with five people around them. It’s one thing to have talent, but it’s another to get people to appreciate the art.” It is that notion that incidentally brought Vinson to Austin, Texas.

Bucherie, furnishing an interest and acquiring an education in the field of music supervision at MediaTech, wanted to give Austin artists a platform for greater exposure. “I’ve always been a big fan of the Hotel Café, “ says Bucherie, “and a lot of the artists that perform at the Hotel Café are musicians who got their start because their music was placed in visual media.” On a chance encounter at a Hideout open mic in April, Bucherie and Vinson found themselves in the back theater of the coffee shop and the idea struck: “Let’s do Hotel Café in Austin,” said Bucherie.

So, they did.

Since May, the Austin Sessions has quickly become recognized by artists and devotees as one of the premier venues for singer/songwriters to play and be heard. Already, in the five months since it’s conception, the Austin Sessions and the Hideout Theater have been host to nationally recognized local talent such as Matt the Electrician, local KUT darlings Margot Valiente and Joanna Barbera, and warbled folkster Danny Malone. Those names peppered with other talented local acts looking for an outlet and an audience, gives opportunity to less notorious, but still talented, songwriters.

“We wanted to do everything different,” says Vinson. “We want to stay true to what music is all about by treating it like an art form and not a business.” This mantra pervades everything about the Sessions—from the cozy decorations and ambient setting (provided and arranged by Vinson and Bucherie themselves) to the artist billing. Opting for something other than the rudimentary headliner/supporting act bill, the co-producers book four to five artists to play 30-minute sets in no order of importance, thus blurring the lines of hierarchy and stressing the importance of every artist no matter their notoriety. “It’s sort of like a play,” Vinson adds. “You’re not going to stay for the second act and then leave. You’re going to stay for the whole show.”

Despite the increasing interest from artists to get a spot in the lineup and the ever-devoted audience that grows with every show, the Sessions still has a very grass-roots feel to it. Merchandise from the night’s performers is raffled off to audience members as well as paintings that are created on stage as the performances are going on. And for all that it takes to put on the Austin Sessions, Vinson and Bucherie carry most of the weight.

“For every show, we have to set up and break down everything,” notes Vinson. “All the PA equipment, which I load in every time, and the decorations.”

“I basically go into my room and take whatever I have from my walls and put it up in the theater,” chimes in Bucherie.

“It’s pain in the ass, but it’s a labor of love,” they both chuckle.

The two producers show no signs of letting up, either. When asked about their future plans, they were remiss to divulge any particulars. “We’ve got some big ideas,” they offer without much detail. But one possible outcome is apparent for the Sessions: to help promote the talent here in Austin. Every Sessions show is filmed and photographed.

“As far as filming goes, we want to put it on a media platform for people outside of Austin access to Austin artist. There’s so much talent here and a big community of artists that we can build upon and network to different media outlets,” says Bucherie.

“We want to make sure we stay true to what music is all about, which is performance and writing of actual music,” echoes Vinson.

Now Austin singer/songwriters can find some encouragement in knowing that there is place to play where people come and listen, and a venue that supports their often-marginalized scene, and people out there working just for them.

With a disposition at ease, and an atmosphere akin to intimate artist showcases, the appeal of the Sessions is a visceral, insightful, and entertaining experience. Performing at the Sessions on Oct 8th, Vinson noted, “Usually when I play there’s a lot of jumping and swearing, and this is the first time there isn’t — well, maybe there’s a little swearing.”

The next Austin Sessions will be held at the Hide Out Theater on Thursday, November 5th (with The Blue Hit, Aimee Bobruk, Jason Poe, and Bethany Solonika)and Thursday, November 19th (with Suzanna Choffel, Dan Dyer, Danny Malone, Stonehoney). Visit their myspace for more information.