August 2026: "Notes from the Road"
Hey y’all,
Here’s the Austin B. Sweeney newsletter coming in hot for the month of August. I put these out once a month to keep you updated on upcoming shows, what I’m listening to, general musings, lyric breakdowns, and much more! I hope this newsletter will provide value for you, if for no other reason than it may introduce you to music you haven’t heard before!
Let’s quit wasting time here and jump into it, here’s what I’ve been listening to in the last month:
Song: “The Hallelujah Trail” – Charley Crockett
Album: “Clovis” – Charley Crockett
Artist: Cross Canadian Ragweed
I’ve got a new live album, “BE HERE NOW (Live in the PNW)”, recorded at The Artichoke in Portland, OR and it’s OUT NOW, everywhere you get your music! Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, etc.
If you’d like to support me monetarily, you can purchase the album – and any of my albums - here
Also, if you want to read any past newsletters, click here
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I’m writing this from the road.
As I mentioned in last month’s newsletter, I was hitting the road with Drew Cooper as both the opening act and as his lead guitar player. We are halfway through the tour right now and I’m sitting on his dad’s back porch in Springfield, IL. Zach (drummer) and Coop are working on the trailer, arranging and rearranging our extensive collection of gear, and Johnny (the bass player), is somewhere. No one ever really knows. The man’s an enigma.
It’s been a solid tour so far. The night before I flew out, I played the world-famous Tack Room at the St. Paul Rodeo. It was a great way to finish my time in Oregon for a few weeks. Got to spend some quality time with my wife and my family before hitting the road.
I flew out on July 4th (happy 250th America!) to Bozeman, MT, where Coop and Zach picked me up at the airport. As I was coming down the escalator with two bags, a backpack and my trusty Telecaster, the boys were standing with the rest of the drivers holding signs for their passengers, and Zach was holding his phone with the word “SWEENEY” on it in big letters. It was a nice arrival.
We played a few shows in Montana – one in Ennis, MT at The Long Branch for another rowdy post-rodeo crowd on the 4th, and the other in Pony, MT at the Pony Bar for a cozy Sunday afternoon acoustic show. We killed some time the following day driving into Bozeman to go to Costco and a music shop and then hit the road the next day.
Over the last two weeks we’ve been from Montana though North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and on into Illinois. We’ve played a few shows, had two get cancelled, and had a fine time in between. Other than a couple days ago when I got food poisoning from (I’m guessing) some lunchmeat that sat in the cooler for too long after the ice had melted. That was a long night. But hey, that’s touring right?
I’ve been out on the road before, but this is going to be twenty-two days by the time I get back. It’s been strange being gone for this long and only being a little over halfway through the tour. I don’t think my wife Laura and I have been apart for more than a week since we started dating. On top of that, as you may know, she’s almost thirty weeks pregnant (thirty-two-ish weeks as you’re reading this). Also, we’re trying to build a house.
I figured, hey, why not also be gone for nearly a month.
The big question that I’ve been rolling over in my mind as we’ve been traveling is how touring will look once my son is in this world. I find it tough to imagine being gone for a month-long run while he and Laura are somewhere else. Tons of musicians do it while their families are at home, and I have great respect for them. There’s a reason so many songs about home are written on the road.
Most songwriters write about what’s on their hearts, and when you’re on the road, your heart is still at home while your mind is just trying to focus on keeping your sanity between the lines. Load-ins, loadouts, soundchecks, killing time, grocery shopping, perusing music stores, etc.
They say the reason our childhood years felt so much longer than our adult years is primarily due to novelty.
One of the reasons (though there are many) that adulthood feels like it goes faster is due to everyone settling into their routines. When you are in a steady groove day after day, the days just tend to slip by unnoticed. That’s why so many people wake up at fifty years old and have some version of a midlife crisis. Where did those last twenty or so years go?
That’s why novelty has been suggested as a method to slow time down a little bit. This can be as simple as taking new routes to work, trying new activities, or going on a trip. However, it can also be as complex as moving to a new city, starting a new job, or having a child.
Therefore, three weeks at home can feel like it goes by quite quickly, whereas three weeks on the road can feel like three months. Each day is novel. That’s not to imply it’s bad; it’s been a good time while we’ve been out here. However, there’s not much routine to be found in a touring band. I find little ways to inject some rhythm into my days, but in general, every day is brand new.
There are many unknowns each day. Where are we eating? What town are we in tonight? How many miles to go? Do they run sound? Does this town have a Costco where I can get a reasonably-priced hot dog?
You know, the important questions.
When I did my countrywide tour last summer, I got to travel with my wife. It was also our honeymoon. My joke I tell onstage is that if you make your honeymoon a tour, then the whole thing’s a tax write-off. This is my go-to joke and it always gets a laugh. For those who have heard it two-hundred times (like my wife), sorry, but the joke stays in the act.
So, does my touring life in the future include my wife and my son? I would certainly hope it does.
Do I know logistically what that might look like? I do not.
When we toured last summer, we were in our fifth-wheel home, The Bandwagon. It’s a lot of work to travel in your home, but it’s also pretty great to not have to pack a suitcase. Since we’re building a home right now, we will most likely sell The Bandwagon. We’ve talked about getting a smaller camper, but with the cost of raising a child (and more in the future), as well as a bigger house payment, the smaller camper plan may be put on hold for a little while. This means taking the car.
Touring ain’t cheap. We’re in Coop’s van pulling a large trailer that is loaded down with band gear. It’s a four-man band and that means an Airbnb or a hotel most nights. Luckily, in Coop’s case, he has friends all over this country that generously let us stay at their homes or – like right now, we stay at his dad’s place. Gas prices are up, hotel prices are up, and it’s a lot of cash to get this traveling circus down the road.
When I hit the road as a solo act, maybe there are more economical ways to do it. I don’t have to pay anybody else; I’ve got no problem tent camping (maybe a hotel occasionally), and maybe the runs aren’t quite as long. My wife and son could come along; or, if it’s a short run, I could go out on my own.
For the record, I’m typing this to organize my own thoughts about how this could feasibly be done. You and I are going on this little thought expedition together.
Touring costs a lot and now I must consider even more so that I need to provide for my family. I don’t take that responsibility lightly. Music has always been a compulsion for me. It’s not simply that I want to feed my ego or acquire the accolades, though accolades are nice.
It’s a compulsion.
You know, like a serial killer.
I must make music. It helps me sort myself. I connect with people through music. However, I am also extremely family-oriented.
Music and family, above all else. So, is there a way to make that work?
Again, I do not have the answers at this time, so feel free to shoot me a reply email if you’ve got suggestions.
This has been my dream since I was a kid – hitting the road, playing music, connecting with people, and sharing my story. However, like most dreams we all had as kids, the smooth optimism of youth gets worn down by the harsher realities of what it takes to follow through on those dreams. Few things can make you feel as disheartened as playing an empty room halfway across the country. Last year, Laura and I drove fifteen hours to play the famous Blue Door in Oklahoma City, and one person came. I never thought it would be a packed house, but I thought at least more than one person would show up.
So, shifts in perspective happen all the time. One ability that I’ve been pretty good at retaining has been shaking off a loss and reframing it. Sure, it’s brutal for the few hours where I realized that the trip was a near total waste. We spent a lot to get to Oklahoma and back, we slept in the back of our car for a couple nights, and Laura was sick the whole trip. But you know what? I got to play the Blue Door. I got to play a stage that heroes of mine have played. I got to take a road trip with my favorite person. Next time I go there, if two people show up, at least I’m moving in the right direction.
So, I don’t have a solution yet, but I had a quote in my newsletter a few months back, and that quote was this:
“It’s like driving at night. You never see further than your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.” – E.L. Doctorow
This is how I’ll figure out touring.
This is how I’ll figure out how to be a better husband.
This is how I’ll figure out how to be a better father.
I’ve figured out everything I needed to get where I am today – on tour with good friends – and I’ll no doubt figure out how to progress to the next chapter.
Who wants to read a story where they already know the end? The joy is found in finding our way through, refining our skills, gaining wisdom, and enjoying the process. The process thus far has had joy, trouble, excitement, sorrow, surprises, anxiety, ups, downs, and everything in between. And in the long run, I suspect I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.
Peaks and valleys, folks. You can’t have one without the other.
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Here are the shows that are coming up in the month of August. I would love to see y’all out at some shows. I’m recording another live album at The Artichoke on August 20th (you can get tickets HERE), all different songs from the last live record, so please come out and help me fill that room. My good friend Aslin will be opening the show again, and it’s going to be a great night.
· 8/1 – Rogue Pub, 7-10pm (North Plains, OR)
· 8/2 – Tigardville Station, 1-4pm (Tigard, OR)
· 8/3 – Corner 14, 5-8pm (Oregon City, OR)
· 8/6 – Oregon Garden, 7-10pm (Silverton, OR)
· 8/7 – Blind Pig, 7-9:30pm (Carlton, OR)
· 8/8 – Domaine Willamette, 6-8pm (Dayton, OR)
· 8/14 – Chehalem Valley Brewing, 5:30-8:30pm (Newberg, OR)
· 8/15 – Private event
· 8/20 – The Artichoke (TICKETED), 7pm (Portland, OR)
· 8/21 – Dayton Friday Nights (in the park), 6-8:30pm (Dayton, OR)
· 8/22 – Duck Pond Cellars, 5-7pm (Dundee, OR)
· 8/23 – River’s Place, 6-8pm (Bend, OR)
· 8/24 – On Tap, 6-8pm (Bend, OR)
· 8/26 – Oregon Garden, 7-10pm (Silverton, OR)
· 8/28 – Kopitos Cocina, 5:30-8:30pm (Newberg, OR)
· 8/29 – Dirt Road Brewing, 6-8pm (Philomath, OR)
Stoked to see y’all soon.
Austin
Listen now!
https://open.spotify.com/artist/433eTr5V5LEv1VtP1ejbkt?si=Jlzl5oz8RvulN-ocxrGqyg
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