Big State

If you are wanting to have a high energy performance, a fun show that's high on audience participation, and the quintessential example of what Austin & Central Texas Roots Rock and Texas Country is all about, then we should talk. Whether you need 30 minutes or 3 hours, we can do that. We're a "bucket of beers" type band. Instead of doing the same ol' for your employees or visiting out-of-towners, how about we work together to set up an off-site at an eclectic joint that screams Austin - we have those connections. Basically, if you need to do something "Texas", we're your Huckleberry.

Whiskey Fueled Alt-Country, Americana, Cowpunk, & Roots Rock from Austin, Texas

"They've got a sound akin to the Old 97's or Uncle Tupelo, but make no mistake; Big State is 100% Austin Country. Grab yourself a frosty beverage of your choice and be prepared to be entertained." - Sean Claes, InSite Magazine

​Pulling together bar band swagger, honky-tonk stomp, and pop-rock smarts and vigor, Big State barnstormed the alternative country-rock scene in Austin in the beginning of 2016. The band immediately caught on at multiple venues as they quickly built a fanbase with their unique blend of cowpunk Americana and sweaty, high-octane sets. Within only 2 months the band was asked, and played, an Austin "music week" (SX) showcase. Big State is known for their good time, high energy shows, and their fan favorite song, Heck Yeah, Dang Right, never fails to bring the house down.

​Big State got its start in 2015 as the brainchild of James Brinkman (Brink - Lead Vocals, Guitar) and Tim Brown (Tank - Drums, Vocals ) and a chance meeting after practice with other bands at the MusicLab in Austin. Early on they added Patrick Conreaux (Coleslaw - Bass, Vocals), with whom Tim had played with in the band The Men From Nantucket. The search for the right guitar player required patience, but eventually word was received that Aaron Seymour (Knucklebones - Lead Guitar, Vocals), was coming back to the states after 4 years of living upside down in Australia. Tim and Aaron had teamed up previously in bands including Nooner and Righteous Brisket, so the chemistry was instant between the 4.

​In only a couple months the band had written an entire album of songs, which they would go on to record in their self-produced album Red, White, & Booze (released January 2016). Like an 18-wheeler rolling downhill with no brakes, the band was back in the studio recording an EP only one month later. This session would go on to become the Heck Yeah, Dang Right EP recorded at Music Lane Studios in Austin, and mastered by Matthew Agoglia (Old 97s, James Taylor, Emmylou Harris) at The Ranch in Beacon, New York. With still no sign of slowing down, the band was back in the studio in Summer 2016 recording their next EP, Exploits of The Bear Hunter, including the timely single Make America Shake Again. Once again recorded at Music Lane Studios and mastered by The Ranch, Exploits of the Bear Hunter was released in September 2016.

​Big State's songs are irreverent, entertaining, and self-referential, equal blends biographical and pure fiction, and drawing from that story-telling gene that's inherently built into a Texan. The haywire result that is growing up and being a musician in Austin is evident, as the music is equal parts Willie and The Clash, that always present intersection of Country and Punk/Rock that exists in the Live Music Capital of the World. So get in your car, turn up your speakers, and let's get this rock show started - Heck Yeah, Dang Right!

Have PA, will travel.