We had the good fortune of connecting with Austin B. Sweeney and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Austin B., other than deciding to work for yourself, what else do you think played a pivotal role in your story?
Say yes to every opportunity. I suppose that’s the most important decision I make again and again. It really doesn’t matter what the opportunity is or whether I internally think it has a specific value. Many times it won’t initially (other than experience, which works like compounding interest), but sometimes those dividends pay off further down the line. People, venues, musicians, artists, booking people, etc. There’s a ton of opportunities that you may not come in contact with if you’re not out there every night getting your hands dirty – so to speak. So when I say yes to every opportunity, I may not know how it’ll aid in my development in the moment, but every opportunity is another small step in the ladder to success. Plus, I get to play with fantastic musicians I may not have gotten to play with otherwise. Learning and growing with talented people in pursuit of similar goals is what being a community is all about.
Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
It all stems from growing up and working on my family’s farm in Dayton, Oregon. I’m a 4th generation farmer – on a farm that is celebrating it’s 100th year in 2023 – and grew up writing songs in the fields. At the moment I am focused solely on music, but the farm is where I learned to work, how to appreciate the natural beauty that is all around me, how to write a song (I have many songs that come from direct experience on the farm, see: “Sweatin’ Whiskey”), and it’s from where I draw my values and personal philosophy. I’m a singer/songwriter/guitarist and not always necessarily in that order. My family bought me my first guitar when I was 12 and my parents thought I would quit once my fingers hurt. Little did they realize, it would come to define my life. As an introverted kid, it became my vehicle to meeting people and having experiences that I would have never gotten to otherwise. I got the music bug from my two grandmothers, who were both singers. My grandmother Nancy, my dad’s mom, first showed me what chord sheets were when she found the Top 100 Country Songs chord sheets on the internet and my life was never the same. We went to Bluegrass expos together and both shared a deep love of music from the 1940’s, 50’s and early 60’s. My grandmother Faith, my mom’s mom, gave me my first PA system and always encouraged me to explore my creativity and really helped nurture the exploratory side of my imagination. I moved to Nashville after college for a stint and played a lot of shows and open mics, often not going onstage until 1 or 2am. I was 22 at the time and incorrectly playing the short game. I thought I just had to write one big hit and that would be the golden ticket. After many great experiences in Nashville and the surrounding southern states, I ran out of money and moved back to the farm. I never stopped writing music and playing. I did realize, however, that I was actually playing the long game. I realized that I needed to perform deep excavation from my psyche to dredge up ideas, lyrics and melodies that could somehow define how I see the world and where I fit in it. Since moving to Arizona, I’ve found a musical home. This is due to the love and top-notch musicianship I’ve found in friends I’ve met since moving here. They have taught me more than I probably even realize about how to connect to people through songs and what it means to be a member of a giving-and-sharing community. I started learning from them from the moment I moved here and as far as I can tell, there will never be a shortage of lessons from such a tremendous group of musicians that I get to call my friends. I am more excited every year about what music they’re coming out with and what fire that will instill in me to try and write the best songs that I can that we can all share together.
Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Well, they’d need at least a month for us to catch everything I’d like for them to experience. The state of Arizona has so many facets that require attention that we will certainly miss things if we’re limited to a week. My family comes to Arizona once or twice a year, and we always miss a few things on our list. However, they’d need to see some live music of course, and one of the best venues for great country music is Rooster’s Country in Mesa. Steve and Cherie have built an awesome community at Rooster’s and always bring in fantastic talent not only from the valley but nationwide. We’d also have to head north and enjoy the best pizza in the state at Old County Inn in Pine, AZ. The owner, Mike, cut his culinary teeth in the food mecca of New York and brought that big city flavor to the small town of Pine. They also have great music in the taproom on the weekends and it’s one of my personal favorite rooms to play. If we’re looking for the best Nashville Hot Chicken, then we’d have to go to Belle’s Nashville Kitchen in Old Town Scottsdale, where they have live music every day of the week. Janel runs a fantastic operation over there. And my personal favorite is the Nashville Hot Chicken sandwich on the heat level of ‘Poultrygeist’. It hurts so good. The Dirty Drummer is also a great venue for food, drink, and live music. Dana captured the vibe of 1970’s country about as perfectly as anyone can and the live music at the Drummer is also top-notch. Of course, there are the perennial favorites in Arizona: The Grand Canyon, Flagstaff for a little ski action at Snowbowl, the natural beauty in Sedona, the many lakes of Arizona… can we make it a month?
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to give a shoutout to the Arizona Country Music scene. From the moment I moved to Arizona I’ve been shown nothing but love and generosity from both the musicians and the live venues that fill the great state of Arizona. I hesitate to mention any names for fear of missing someone vital, but I’m going to give it a shot. Shoutout to Laura Hamlin, Tall Paul Mastin, Handsome Josh Williams, J.D. Graham, Shane Britt, TJ Taylor, Jim Bachmann, Pat James Jr., PJ Bidwell, Drew Cooper, Josh Montag, Kazton Boone, August Manley, Landon Shill, Katie Mae, Josh Bierman, Bobby Perez, Joshua Strickland, Chad Freeman, Taylor Glasheen, Brett Dooley, Maree Montagnini, Raul Burruel, Pete Gonzalez, Tucker Billington, and the list goes on. I’ve been searching my entire life for a community of like-minded and talented musicians to get to hang out and share a stage with. I’ve learned an immense amount from each one of them about music and the music community. Beyond that however, they’ve taught me a lot about how to be a part of a welcoming community for other fellow musicians to be able to join in and shine their own light. And yes, they may have bought me a few whiskeys as well. Thank you guys. Love ya.