My first introduction to Austin Jenckes was during CMA Fest in 2018 where he played the Nashville Acoustic Corner stage in the foyer of the Bridgestone Arena. Less than a year later, the rest of the UK audience got their first opportunity to see the Washington state native before a second visit in 2019 which included on of the most talked about sets from The Long Road festival. His next trip to play C2C in 2020 fell victim to the pandemic yet he made up for lost time last year as he joined Ashley McBryde for her UK tour. In May 2023, Austin returned across the pond for a string of European dates which accompanied his stellar main stage performance at Buckle and Boots in Manchester, where Jamie caught up with him before his set.
It’s so good to see you again man and like I said when we were messaging, you were one of the last people I spoke to before the world shut down and that thing, we are sick of talking about happened just after that Gibson show in March 2020. You keep coming to see us though so there is obviously something that inspires you to continue making the effort and heading over here. “The first time that I came over, I didn’t know what to expect but I had heard all these things about the people just wanting to listen to the music. I have gotten lost a lot in the world of social media, all of that kind of stuff and I moved to Nashville to just make a go at making a living making music. There is something about coming here that reminded me of what it is all about which is enjoying what you do and doing it with everything that you’ve got, then people will see that. It is easy to forget that day in, day out when you’re trying to climb the mountain of what is the music industry but you come over here and everybody is so appreciative, the love the music for what it is and they’re not trying to size you up compared to whoever, which is really refreshing.”
Do you feel that difference with playing shows even when you have been supporting people over here like when you opened for Ashley (McBryde) last year? “Oh, for sure and a lot of that is a testament to Ashley and her fanbase. When we played Glasgow, it was a two thousand seat theatre which is a little daunting when you’re up there by yourself but it felt like a campfire session where everyone is listening to every single word and you can hear a pin drop. That’s rare! For me those are the kind of concerts that I want to play and now that I have come back, there were more people that came out last night in Belfast from those shows. You grow up seeing it in the movies of how it’s supposed to work and it never works out that way but for some reason over here it just feels like they do tend to work.”
With this set here at Buckle, it will likely be the first time that people here will have seen you play with a band, how would say you say that your sound changes from when it is just you playing on your own? “I’m a big classic rock guy so, sonically I think everything that I do leans that way and of course the songs are what they are whether they are solo acoustic or with a band. Sonically it allows me to rock out a little more and for tonight, I’ve only just met the guys and we haven’t even had a rehearsal but they all seem like cool dudes. What I told them was not to be afraid to mess up and just have fun because that is the most important thing.”
That sounds like a really good fit with the big rock influence because with the Backwoods Creek boys, that is their sound and where their influences come from too. Jamie, Yannick and the guys are so good and absolute pros at what they do, I definitely wouldn’t kiss their ass this much to their face because they’ve been great pals of mine for ages but they just pick stuff up so quick and make things sound like they have been playing with people for years. I’m just looking myself to hear the songs live like this. You’ve been on the road with Brent and Anthony before heading here and those guys are great fun and just always look so damn cool that it’s not fair. They (Everette) did the two festivals last year, so like you have been working their way round to tick the festivals off over here, but how has the European run with those guys been? “It was really good, being able to spend time with those guys. Me and Anthony have written together a lot and we have played shows together over the years so I’ve had a lot of respect for their musicality, songwriting and their work ethic but they’re just good dudes. When you get on a five-hour train for four days in a row you think you would run out of things to talk about but we never did so the downtime was great and the shows were really awesome because we made a point to make it a collaborative thing with those guys and Stephen Wilson Jr. too who’s just a badass so, it was just a good group.”
Stephen has been over here a bunch recently. He opened for Brothers Osborne on their tour last year, he did Americana week in January and was part of the festival that Kip (Moore) headlined last month at Royal Albert Hall then he is back again in June to play Black Deer Festival and open for Drake White. “Yeah, Stephen said he is going home for like two weeks and then flying right back. I actually almost bought a van from Drake one time, I went over to his house in Nashville but didn’t end up buying it in the end. It was a cool van and it was when he moved from a sprinter van to a bus but he had built the whole thing out. That guy is the king of DIY and does everything.”
I have so much time for Drake, one of my best friends is on his management team so I’ve met him a few times but again with him, like you were saying about Stephen, Brent and Anthony, you’re all good people that are super chilled and that matches the vibe of this festival. I really enjoy coming up here and we’ve got good weather for once too. “I didn’t know what to expect, then I walked up and saw that waterfall which is so awesome. They don’t advertise that it is there, which is cool because it leaves an element of surprise. Aaron Goodvin, who I’m rooming with said he got here on Tuesday and kind of watched the whole thing get built up from the ground.”
It is all those little things about here, like the sandpit or the beach if you want to call it that is their little nod to Tortuga because Karl and Laura had been going there and fell in love with that festival in the States. For the fans and artists, it’s nice here how the stages don’t overlap too much so people can see all the acts that play and bands playing on the second stage are getting a great crowd too. For guys that come over, you get to play more than once in different settings and it’s a very social festival which a lot of artists seem to like with the way that they can just walk around. That’s the big thing about here really, they want the right people to play here in that as much as the artistry is really important, they want people to be a genuine part of the festival as a person, which I don’t feel you get very often. “There is that time is money thing and I understand it but we’re playing music. Music is made to bring people together so, if you’re missing out on that part you are kind of missing the whole thing. When I got here, I was pretty tired so I lay down for a couple of hours but I was listening to the music and I don’t know who was playing but her voice was just insanely good. Then I walked out and was just walking around seeing people, where everyone here is a true music fan. They are not just here to get drunk, they are here because they love music and that is the kind of crowd that you want to play for.” In terms of music, we haven’t had much new from you for a while so what are we possibly looking at through the rest of the year? Have we got something new on the way? “Man, I’ve written too many songs. I’ve been talking with Jaren from The Cadillac Three, Neil is my manager and they’ve all been really close and very supportive over the years so basically, I’m just trying to pick the right songs and I want to do that before I really push anything. Maybe, call it old school but you’ve got to have the music before you start campaigning and trying to get everybody’s attention. I have some songs that I love, I just don’t know how they fit together yet and once I figure out that I think going into the studio and cutting them will actually be pretty easy.”
That is something that people say a lot about European dates in general where you may not have the crowd tolerance to do that in the States but here there will be people that will see you for the first time and they will give you their full attention so, it does allow you to road test things in a live setting before you go and cut it. “Totally. That has always been my process and not just being able to test the crowd but to test my own emotional response but over the past couple of years there just hasn’t been as many shows.”
Lastly, Seattle was your neck of the woods so, I’m guessing your big on the Seahawks? “Yeah, for sure. I grew up going to Seahawks games, I’m about forty-five minutes east of downtown and I’ve got to go back there to sing the national anthem a handful of times. I’m actually going back there on Monday to play a hometown show which will be awesome.”
Whilst we look forward to forthcoming new music from Austin Jenckes, make sure you check out his WEBSITE and keep up to date with him socially on INSTAGRAMFACEBOOK & YOUTUBE. Buckle & Boots Country Festival will return to Whitebottom Farm, near Manchester in 2024, starting on Thursday 23rd May and concluding on Sunday 26th May. Early bird weekend tickets are on sale now and available HERE and you can learn more about the festival by visiting the WEBSITE or checking out their socials (INSTAGRAMTWITTER & FACEBOOK)