Rising country star Shawn Austin is excited to be back on the road with Dallas Smith and all of his friends, who stop by the Enmax Centre on Monday, June 6 as part of the “Some Things Never Change” tour.
“ Thank God live music is back,” summarized Austin, who is not related to country star Julian Austin.
“ It took a while to get my tour legs back, but seven shows in (to the tour, which began in Brandon and worked its way west) I think I’m there,” said Austin in the middle of a round of golf in Kamloops with Dallas Smith. Smith, the James Barker Band, Meghan Patrick, Kelly Prescott, Manny Blu and JoJo Mason.
“ Me and JoJo take turns opening the shows and whoever doesn’t open, joins Dallas on stage. Tonight I have the easy load,” he said, adding he tour is going well.
“ It’s been fantastic. It’s like a big party though we have to pace ourselves. I’m feeling it from the crowd. After two and a half years away, it’s good to be back and the crowd is feeling it. I’ve never played In front of a more energetic crowd and they’re feeding it back to us,” he enthused, adding he has about 25 minutes to play a selections of song from his career and the new EP.
“ Then I can go into the crowd and just listen to the music, because I’m a country music fan first and foremost,” he said.
Austin, who most people know from his hit single “Tailgate to Heaven ” with Chris Lane, releases his latest EP “ Planes Don’t Wait,” June 29.
He has already released two singles, “ Tailgate to Heaven” and “ Get You.” From the EP.
“Tailgate to Heaven was definitely a career changer for me,” he enthused, adding he feels privileged to call Dallas Smith a mentor and a friend.
“ We’ve known each other for about five years. I didn’t even tell him I was a musician when I first met him because I wanted to meet him for the right reasons. I didn’t tell him until six months later and he was mad at me.‘Why didn’t you tell me you were a musician,” he chuckled.
“He heard a song I wrote called “Nashville” and he liked it and the rest is history. It’s been about five years now. I’m really pleased to have him as a mentor. He stops me from making the mistakes I would have otherwise,” he said.
“ Dallas really supports other artists
He put a lot of work into the new EP and took his time to choose the right songs, though he didn’t write any of them.
“ The pandemic had a silver lining that way,” he said noting his record company Local Hay merged with Big Loud Records during the pandemic while he was choosing songs.
“ I had a lot of songs to choose from. I wanted them to reflect where I was, where I am and where I’m going. And I wanted them to be “ Hey I wish I wrote that ” songs,” he said, adding some of his own songs are in line to be recorded by other artists, though he can’t release any names until it’s official.
Austin was a finalist on the second season of Songland.
“It was a crash course in songwriting. It was only lasted two weeks long, but I wish it was a lot longer,’ he said.
“ I got to meet Ryan Tedder, which was amazing, because I’m a huge OneRepublic fan and Shane McAnally. And Ester Dean got me thinking more about R and B and soul music,” he said, adding he was excited to play in front of Florida Georgia Line.
He is looking forward his set.
“ I haven’t been to Lethbridge in a long time,” he said.
“The show is just high energy mid tempo music is what I’m known for. The set goes outside the box and gets people excited,” he said.
“ I’m just looking forward to being live again,” he said.
The Some Things Never Change Tour begins at the Enmax Centre 7:30 p.m., Monday, June 6. Tickets are $102, $97, $79 and $59.
— By Richard Amery, L.A. Beat Editor
