Artist Spotlight
Austin Martin & The Herd: Music with a Mission – Feeding America, One City at a Time
Imagine this: a tattooed cowboy with an urban edge, penning his next big hit. Nearby, a modelesque guitarist strums riffs while sketching stage designs, a rock ‘n’ roll drummer with dreadlocks practices incessantly, and a bass player tirelessly showcases his talent. This isn’t a movie scene; it’s the reality of Austin Martin & The Herd, a trailblazing country rock band, taking the music world by storm.
Austin Martin & The Herd, a band that stands out with their unique sound and style, is a force to be reckoned with. Led by Austin Martin on vocals, Marko Romain on guitar, David Bedell on drums, and Paul Anthony on bass, they bring over two decades of collective experience to the table. Their music, a harmonious and improvisational blend often compared to the Mötley Crüe of country music, guarantees an unforgettable, dance-filled night for their audiences.
In 2024, Austin Martin & The Herd used their success as a platform for a more significant cause. In the face of economic challenges in the US, they dedicated their eighth national tour to a noble mission: Feeding America. By teaming up with food bank affiliates in each state they visit, the band surprises two families in every city with a week’s worth of groceries, selected through engaging social media campaigns. They aim to raise donations, combat food insecurity, and inspire others to join their community outreach efforts. Moreover, the band actively volunteers at 30 food banks nationwide, demonstrating their unwavering commitment to making a difference.
Their current tour, “2024 Feeding the Herd,” underscores this mission. Their hit single “Country Drunk” has garnered attention on CMT, CBS, and Yahoo News, and their performance at the 2024 HMMA Awards in Hollywood was a standout. Fans eagerly enjoyed their performance at the CMA Awards after-party in Nashville on June 8, 2024.
Austin Martin & The Herd are no strangers to hard work. They are currently recording new music with top industry producers like Michael “Fish” Herring, Sam Hook, and David Blake Chatfield. The “2024 Feeding the Herd Tour” showcases songs from their forthcoming album, “American Brewed,” with over 50 scheduled dates. Noteworthy performances include:
– 06/08 – Nashville, Tennessee
– 06/12 – St. Louis, Missouri
– 06/29 – Minneapolis, Minnesota
The band’s new music video, “American Brewed,” is set to debut in early June 2024, followed by their next dance hit, “Wrangler,” in early July. They also look forward to potential collaborations with the Wrangler brand, which a long-held dream. Austin Martin & The Herd drive social change through their community efforts, with “American Brewed” as an anthem of unity. The song celebrates the diverse cultures and perspectives that enrich American society, ensuring everyone feels connected regardless of race, religion, gender, or socioeconomic status.
Their journey has led them to discover their true purpose: giving back. This revelation fueled their passion and solidified their mission. Austin Martin and The Herd aim to inspire others by highlighting creativity and purpose through their music and philanthropy. Their goal is to use their platform to raise awareness about social issues and support their community, one plate at a time.
The band extends special thanks to their sponsors and supporters, including BRETZ RV, North County Ford, CBS News (Tegna affiliates), Stockman Bank, Shipton’s Big R, Target, Mayor Bill Cole, Coca-Cola High Country, Mountain Organics Dispensary, Waypoint Hotel, Hampton Inn Suites by Hilton, Fresh Bread Productions, Chatfield Entertainment, Bank of America, Wrangler, Toy Boat Productions, Hats by Parker Thomas, The Sojourn, Northwestern Insurance, Jim’s Western Wear, Springhill Suites in Great Falls, Anheuser-Busch, Heyward Marketing Lab, Kimes Ranch, Exhibit Ambush Consulting, Vincent Flood, and Lynnette Madsen.
Follow Austin Martin & The Herd on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Proud supporters of the Feeding America organization encourage donations to support their efforts. Together, we can help feed America one plate at a time. http://www.austinandtheherd.com/
Artist Spotlight
“Subterranean Homesick Blues” finds a new direction through Ghost of Panama
Rearranging a song that carries six decades of cultural weight is a creative challenge, but Ghost of Panama approaches “Subterranean Homesick Blues” with clear purpose. The rock band radically reworks Bob Dylan’s counter-culture hit, reshaping its identity while keeping its rebellious spirit. It’s a tribute to musical heritage and a statement of artistic independence all in one.
This new interpretation is very much shaped by the production, made at Ghost of Panama’s home studio in West London. The setting allows an intimate approach to reinterpreting a familiar song and lets the group engage directly with the material, taking it in a new artistic direction.
“Subterranean Homesick Blues” centers on the tension between conservation and transformation. Ghost of Panama is true to the song’s rebellious spirit without adding to its legacy, and this approach gives the release an adventurous feel, grounded in countercultural energy but driven by a desire to see what the composition can become in a different musical context.
Their version of this 60-year-old classic shows that respecting a song’s history can also mean breaking the rules and finding new ways to express its spirit. Fundamentally, “Subterranean Homesick Blues” presents Ghost of Panama as artists who want to engage with the past without being tied to it. The release’s strongest identity is a familiar heritage reimagined through a singularly forward-looking creative vision.
Artist Spotlight
“NO MORE” by Amanda Holley connects healing, awakening, and survival
“NO MORE“ carries that kind of emotional weight, and some songs feel like they come from lived experience but reach for something bigger. Amanda Holley blends R&B and soul, turning a lifetime of survival into a vision of healing, awakening, and the determination to move beyond what caused the pain.
“NO MORE“ is a healing anthem for people who have gone through bad experiences and reached a place of higher awareness, but it’s also an emotionally charged protest. The duality is introspective and outward-looking at the same time, turning personal survival into a broader declaration that some experiences, conditions, or cycles should end.
Holley had a premonition of the song six months before the world went into global shutdown. In the vocal booth, working out melodies with her collaborators, she pictured people in the streets. Those images were hard to imagine at the time, but subsequent events would make them painfully familiar.
“NO MORE“ is given a particularly contemplative underpinning by the context. The identity of R&B and soul leaves room for emotion. The song’s themes link survival, awakening, resistance, and the need for change. Amanda Holley is an artist using music to process personal endurance and a broader sense of social awakening. It’s got a complicated significance, and its release feels like a glimpse of a moment when personal intuition and public reality collided in an unexpected way.
Photo Credit: Yulia Shusharina
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