Brian Pounds Featured Artist at Fiddlestrings Tuesday Night

Tuesday, July 19, Fiddlestrings 'Summer String Thing' continues with Austin based singer/songwriter Brian Pounds.

With three albums under his belt, Pounds said, "I just completed a kickstarter to make a new album, and we go into the studio in Nashville in a week. Other than that, I've just kind of been touring around in support of my old one and playing as much as I can."

Some of Pounds' most recent trips have been to Nashville, Arkansas, Oklahoma, as well as throughout Texas. He averages two days a week on the road, but at times, it may be up to four.

"I've been writing songs ever since high school, and back then, it was a lot less 'craft' and more about feeling and emotion," Pounds explained. "You know, you find a new type of thing that works, or a new style of song, and you just do your best to emulate it. As you do that, more and more, you develop a style of your own. I'll be sitting in the car, tired of all the noise after I've been driving for three hours, and just kind of rack my brain for song ideas."
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Pounds added, "The thing I find interesting about my generation of musicians is the diversity. Most of the people I know grew up listening to all kinds of different music because of Napstar and the internet, which has contributed to the kind of modernization of country music. Even in Nashville, you're seeing things like rapping cowboys, and sometimes, it even takes on weird connotations such as comedy. But sometimes, it's good to see guys with influences like Willie Nelson, Otis Redding and the Temptations; essentially, all music, stems from the blues and country. I think the diversification is really a good thing as it brings us a little closer as a culture in some ways."

 As for labeling himself to a specific genre, Pounds said, "It's a difficult thing. If I say 'country' music, it's a different meaning in Texas than it is in say Nashville or New York. I think of myself as kind of a 'country/folk songwriter';" or, more often than not, when people ask the question, he says, "Whatever James Taylor is." Taylor happens to be one of Pounds' favorites.
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As far as internet downloading, the singer/songwriter noted, "I think iTunes is great, but at the same time, [it] makes it where people don't really buy albums anymore, which is a little bit sad. It's a business model that could be adapted to."

However, in Pounds' opinion, "Spotify has kind of ruined the industry for songwriters."  

He provided the example of when a giant country song used to be worth a million dollars, and now it may be worth $100,000. It (Spotify) contributes to the loss of some really great songwriters.

"If Cole Porter would have had to go out and sell t-shirts, there's no way he would have ever been able to make a living," said Pounds. "Spotify makes it so amateurs can have a shot at being famous.Twenty years ago, one had to move to Austin, Nashville, L.A. or somewhere with a music scene in order to have a career. You couldn't have a full-time day job, and could maybe get by with a part-time job to supplement. With that came somewhat of a risk to where you constantly had to work on your craft, making us all better songwriters. With the advent of home recording studios and Spotify, it made it so that you can have a music career after work, and you don't even have to leave your house. That can be great, but at the same time, it's making us worse as musicians and as a people. This is why we have songs on the radio that all sound the same. Now, it's all about making money, where back then, when the labels were in control of the distribution of the music, it was all about standing out."

 As for having a merch table at his shows, Pounds said it's not unusual for him to sell out CDs, but he will make sure he brings enough for Tuesday's event.  

Pounds added, "I do mostly EPs as the music industry is constantly changing so much. It's hard to stay promoting a long CD for so long, and I think it's more beneficial for an artist to make several EPs spread out over a shorter amount of time where they are constantly giving people something new."  

He said the merch tables' proceeds pay for more CD production and studio time.

 For more information on Brian Pounds, check out www.brianpounds.com and his Facebook page. For a list of upcoming shows at Fiddlestrings, check out the bar's Facebook page.