Austin Bridges

"I picked Austin Bridges for the Homegrown Buzz because they're a solid rock band with an awesome guitar sound. Their CD "Awake The Day" offered up quite a selection of great songs to choose from but I was specially fond of "Jesus on a Road Trip". LOVE the title, and it's a
jam as well. "I think Austin Bridges is the kind of band that would fit
right in on a commercial Rock station, if given a chance".

"Good, Solid Stuff...I Like it..."
Jim McGuinn Y100ROCKS

- Kelly McKay WZPL Radio

Artist Of The Week - Austin Bridges
Story by Ryan Williams - Photos by Submitted Photos -
August 26th @ The Patio


IMN / 92.3 FM / NUVO "Artist of the Week" IndianapolisMusic.net presents the Artist of the Week. Each week our editorial staff will select one local artist who has made a place in the spotlight for themselves by giving Indy's music lovers something they should be hearing. Along with the weekly IMN feature, the Artist of the Week will also be featured in the pages of NUVO Newsweekly and on the air on radio station WTTS - 92.3 FM.

Austin Bridges has conflicted feelings about their hometown. “Indianapolis is a tough market. There are few opportunities for bands that are playing original music. I would say the same for most of Indiana. We do play covers along with our originals, but our focus is on our own music,” says vocalist/guitarist Ryan Brown. He adds that “I guess the best thing about being in Indiana is the ability to travel to many places within a reasonable distance.”

Austin Bridges is used to bringing their poppy rock to audiences over the Midwest, and Brown believes that listeners should be able to ease into their music without trouble. “Our pop is different from other groups because our lyrics have meaning, and you will here familiar sounds in our music without copying other artists. I believe our music is original and familiar at the same time.” The band regularly plays from Ohio to Michigan – Brown says “Detroit was great because it was a beautiful theater that seats 600. We played to around 480.”

The band came together through an acoustic collaboration. “I met Davey (vocalist/guitarist David Heritier) at a show and we started playing acoustic shows together. Soon we decided to leave the groups we were in and form a group together. Mark (McKowen) was the drummer in my old band Ladymoon. Andrew (Motz) is Davey's cousin . . . he just joined the group in the last 2 months due to our former bass players departure.” They took their name from an unusual fact about Heritier – his two middle names. “That's right folks - he has two of them. We thought it had a nice ring to it.”

Austin Bridges is currently focusing on “playing more out of town shows and writing new material. We like to keep our set lists different every night. The more material we have the more variety we can provide to the audience.” Brown says he usually writes songs for the band at home, although he notes that “sometimes we write together at our practice space.” He adds that “inspiration is all around you. The most inspiring events are things that you personally have gone through. That is usually how I write. I also try to write on social events as well. Watch the news and you will have plenty to write about.” Brown says he also draws inspiration from bands like The Beatles, The Beach Boys, and Big Star.

The band is promoting their debut album “Awake The Day,” and they open for Newmatic at The Patio on August 26th.

-- Ryan Williams --
- NUVO NEWS WEEKLY

Building Bridges
Group's leader dreams of returning Indy scene to its 1990s glory days.
By Shea Van Hoy
INtake correspondent

Rising stars: Austin Bridges, led by guitarist and vocalist Davey Heritier, played recently at Birdy's. -- Submitted photo

Hear them
March 19: 9 p.m. P.S. O'Rourke's, 6155 E. 86th St.

March 31: 9:30 p.m., Stacks, Purdue University, West Lafayette

April 1: Birdy's, 2131 E. 71st St.


Austin Bridges vocalist Davey Heritier said meeting Ryan Brown in 2002 not only gave him a new friend -- it has given him a serious band.

After sharing a bill, the two guitarists stayed in touch and eventually started jamming with Brown's childhood friends -- bassist Justin Goldstien and drummer Joe Landman. Heritier said before the new year, the band decided to make a serious commitment to music as a collective.

"We had our first big show Feb. 12 at Birdy's," Heritier said. "Once that was out of the way, we started working on new originals and covers. We've been working on ideas for that and how to make ourselves stick out from the rest of Indianapolis' bands."

Heritier said the new songs will find their way onto a debut album soon. The band is also in discussions to be part of a national tour of colleges through the Southern United States.

Vocalist and rhythm guitarist Heritier spoke with us about "making the band."

What struggles do you see in forming a band, booking shows and getting attention?

Entertainment in any form is hard to get a big name in, no matter where you are. I've seen many incredibly talented bands in the area, but the ones that I always remember are the ones who go a little further and make the audience notice them. That could be by a certain song they do, or how they do it or by wearing costumes -- anything to set them apart.

Talk about how your influences weave their way into your original songs.

The band's influences are Phish, Sublime, Grateful Dead and The Beatles. We cover songs we like to play and the audience likes to hear, and we feel the originals are the same. What kind of song we're writing (will determine) who and what will bleed through to the final cut.

Describe how you go about writing songs.

The music comes first. Then I pick something to write about. Or -- if I'm lucky -- it just comes out without me thinking. My favorite songs I've written are ones that it took 30 minutes to write.

What is your opinion of the current Indianapolis music scene?

There are some bands in Indianapolis now that are writing some good songs and are putting on great shows. We hope to be one of the bands to bring Indianapolis back to the powerful music scene it was in the '90s.

- INTAKE WEEKLY (Indy Star)

"AWAKE THE DAY" REVIEW
by: Mark E. Waterbury

This foursome from Indianapolis has something interesting happening here. The music stays mostly in the acoustic driven pop vein with flashes of up-tempo vibrancy and wicked guitar solos that lend a subtle intensity. Influential tendrils from Brit pop to Heartland jangle and an undeniable but non-pretentious waft of jam twist through the CD and often through individual songs. Witness a song like Jesus On A Road Trip and you can experience how their music draws you in. - Music Morsels

Overall Rating – 8.5 out of 10

This is the second project that I have reviewed that includes members Ryan Brown and Mark McKowen, and the first where I’ve had the privilege of hearing the talent of Davey Heritier and Justin Goldstein. Collectively, Austin Bridges is a very entertaining, professional group, and those facts show on their debut release, Awake the Day. The album is a culmination of their talent and hard work, and they are to be congratulated for making such a good record! As the band plays more shows together, and develops their collective songwriting abilities, the music is only going to get better, so I’d suggest that you keep your eye on them!

I enjoyed hearing the music of Austin Bridges, and I think other fans of Jam-based Indie Rock will enjoy it, too! They are playing more and more shows in Indiana and Ohio, and as they gradually widen their sphere of influence to other cities and states, they are also building a huge fan base, and earning their reputation as great entertainers! By the end of the year, they will have played for a lot of people, and will have all sorts of stories to tell, I’m sure!

Now that the band has completed Awake The Day, I hope that the album will become a fan favorite! I also hope that the band’s music will begin to spread to places where they haven’t played, through both word-of-mouth promotion by fans and the development of press and reviews just like this one. In fact, if after reading this review, you give the album a listen and like what you hear, be sure to tell someone you know! Austin Bridges is a great band with a great CD, and I wish them the best of luck! —Mark Lush, Midwestbands.com, 3/27/05
- Mark Lush (Midwestbands.com)

Rise and shine to "Awake the Day"
Indianapolis-based band Austin Bridges receives success with new album


By Rob Smith
Indiana Statesman
April 15, 2005


At first glance it would appear that Indianapolis-based Austin Bridges is an average, ritzy bar band. Although some truth remains in this, mainly due to their universal appeal to the general public, anyone who listens to the band's newest album, "Awake the Day," will soon realize it is not a mere rehashing of familiar vibes.

Austin Bridges includes Ryan Brown (front man and lead guitarist), Davey Heritier (rhythm guitar and lead vocals), Justin Goldstein (bass) and Mark McKowen (drums).

The band is a unique and original group that has been heavily influenced by a broad range of artists including the Beatles, Eric Clapton, Pink Floyd, Jack Johnson, REM, Neil Young and Frank Zappa.

Ultimately, the band's goal is to provide its audiences with outstanding performances and inventive songwriting, which it is achieving at many college campuses and venues across the Midwest.

Austin Bridges' music has also caught the attention of liquor company Jagermeister, who is in the process of granting the band sponsorship on a regional and national level.

The group's most recent achievement, however, is its virtuous new album, "Awake the Day."

This album is an interesting piece of work.

No two songs drift into repetition, and each can be described in a completely different way from the songs surrounding them.

The first track on the album, "The Great Demise," is a very easy-going acoustic/electric blend. At times, it sounds somewhat like the String Cheese Incident, and the tempo of the vocals is similar to a number of Sublime songs, but singer Heritier does not sound like Bradley Nowell. It includes and ends with a delightful solo.

"I Can See it All" has a much quicker bluesy beat. The song begins with what could easily be the background music to a 1970s action movie during a chase scene. But soon electric, much heavier riffs take the song in a different direction, and then place it back where it was. The solo in this one is most interesting; kudos to Brown's sharpened skills.

The title song, "Awake the Day," begins with some unusually cool acoustic strumming that most will play over a few times before moving on. This is easily one of the best songs on the album, definitely the most colorful and multi layered. Once again, an awesome solo, but short-lived.

"Just Another Song About Love" is a different rendition of its type. It's rather upbeat and fast-paced for a love song. Elements similar to Dave Matthews and Blues Traveler are present.

The one song that stands out from the rest is "Looks Good in Writing." It starts out with somewhat raw electric thrashing and drumbeats that could have been spawned in a 1980s rock band, but is not consistent throughout the song. It is, by all means, not a hardcore rock song and it does not try to be. Moreso, it plays with being a rock song, but never fully crosses that threshold.

The only negatives about the album are the final two tracks, "Gordon and Artimus" and "Promises and Empty Threats." The two are not bad songs, but they are not as energetic as the others.

From a comprehensive standpoint, the album is good on most fronts and is highly versatile. So for all the bar owners and fraternity houses that need an excellent act to perform at their events, Austin Bridges is more than willing to travel all the way from Indy to play at your gig.

- Indiana Statesman (Indiana State University)

AUSTIN BRIDGES IS VOTED AS ONE OF THE TOP 3 ROCK BANDS IN INDIANAPOLIS BY NUVO NEWS READERS!!! (OCT. 2006)
- NUVO NEWS WEEKLY

By: Ryan Miller Greek Hoosier Times "Austin Bridges' new album AWAKE THE DAY provides listeners a new sound, while keeping in mind already familiar traits."

- Indiana Daily Student (Indiana University)

Austin Bridges is a great band, made up of four great guys; they are hard-working, capable musicians, doing what they love and reaping the rewards of playing for the love of the music! Join MWB in honoring them this month as the April 2005 Band of the Month!

www.midwestbands.com - Midwestbands.com