By Sydney Fairbanks / The Jambar
Austin and The Powers is currently gearing up for “The Midwesterner Tour” beginning Sept. 26 at the Half Baked Brew in Columbus.
It will be supported by the Ravine, an emo indie pop-rock band from Nashville, Tennessee, and will also feature a variety of opening acts at each stop.
The band is formed of vocalist and guitarist Austin Eisner, bassist Colin Fausnaught and Nick Winter on the drums. Eisner describes the band’s music as “indie vibe rock.”
“We definitely have indie roots, with influence from the early 2000s and even a little bit of a new wave. Overall, just vibe-y,” Eisner said.
Austin and The Powers began playing in October 2021, but the members have been musically inclined since an early age.
Frontman Eisner said his affinity for music came from the environment he grew up in, while Fausnaught and Winter said they began to play music in grade school.
Both Fausnaught and Winter said music is their way of unwinding when times are tough.
“We started right at the tail end of the [COVID 19] pandemic, and, for me at least, the band was the creative outlet I had at the time to let loose and just have fun,” Fausnaught said.
Eisner said the most important parts about making music are being able to work with his closest friends and having an impact on his fans’ lives.
“I can’t even express how important our friendship has been and continues to be in my life,” Eisner said. “I love that we’re able to reach people with our art. I think as an artist, you don’t care about popularity. You care that you’re making a difference — even on a scale as small as this — it’s the most fulfilling thing I’ve done with my life.”
Despite not striving for popularity, Austin and The Powers has made waves with its 2022 single, “Nexus (Is It Over),” which garnered over three-million streams on Spotify.
Fausnaught said Austin and The Powers’ rising popularity has allowed it to begin to take the next steps as a band. One of these steps is relocation, as the band is originally from Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
“The one thing [popularity] certainly has done is allow us to take music more seriously, which we are using to relocate to Nashville to grow even further,” Fausnaught said.
When it comes to making music, Winter said he tends to be inspired in the moment, and while hearing his bandmates play.
“[Eisner] will throw down a sick chord progression or riff, or [Fausnaught] will lay down a tasty bass line and I’ll feel a beat and play along with them. [I’ve] had the literal best times with that style of playing,” Winter said.
While Austin and The Powers is looking to play at Westside Bowl in Youngstown, nothing has been cemented yet. For now, those interested can see the band in its six-stop tour, which started Sept. 26.
For more information on Austin and The Powers, or to hear the band’s next release, follow its Instagram account, @austinandthepowers.
