South Austin Song Circles: Winston Cook, Tim Lightyear, Paige Lewis, Aaron LaCombe & Evan Boyer
Winston Cook is an American singer-songwriter from Houston, drawing from the influences of alternative, rock, indie, and folk genres. Starting off as a classically trained French Horn player in his formative years, Winston soon picked up the guitar and began developing his craft of songwriting. In addition to being a vocalist and songwriter, he also plays guitar, piano and harmonica. His lyrics strive for emotional depth and clever poeticism, while the full band arrangements uphold the climactic, melodic, and symphonic qualities that he learned in his early years as a musician. From the classical music upbringing to his eclectic mix of influences, Winston Cook’s music is sure to surprise in every way from delicate moods of intimacy to powerhouse-level performances.
Winston has played many well-known music venues such as McGonigel's Mucky Duck, Dosey Doe, 04 Center, The Saxon Pub, and Old Quarter. Winston has performed as a support artist for Grammy Nominated Danielle Nicole Band, and for Grammy Winner, Rick Trevino. Winston has also shared the stage with many other National and Regional acts as a headliner as well as a supporting artist.
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Timlightyear has been hiding in plain sight—With his eyes closed and his teeth clenched, former Shane Smith & the Saints guitarist can be found touring across the Southwest with old friends in new roles as his backup band, performing songs from his most recent album, aptly titled Old Friends. Newly signed to the Miranda Lambert imprint BigLoud Texas. This RIAA Gold Record winning artist is finally stepping out of the shadows. Suffice it to say, Texas has another shining star.
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The way Paige Lewis sees it, her whole career has been a series of twists and turns leading her to this very moment: the release of her debut Texas Country album, “Under the Texas Sky”. A recent move back home to Houston, TX, from Los Angeles led Paige to finally come home to her country music roots, once and for all. Paige’s debut single from the album, “A Pretty Good Time”, reached the Top 40 at #37 on the Texas Country Music Charts and was #45 on the CDX Traction Texas Chart. “Manager (The Karen Song)”, the second single, made a splash on the charts and has entertained fans with its hilarious music video (watch below)! The full album is now out in stores and streaming on all platforms, with the third radio single, title-track “Under the Texas Sky”, currently out to radio.
Paige keeps a packed show schedule, and her band has played to packed rooms at The Mucky Duck, Old Quarter Acoustic Cafe, Greek Bros Oyster Bar, and an envied spot at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Beer Garden.
Paige partnered with Edgewater Music Group in Sugar Land, TX, to raise over $25,000 in an overwhelmingly successful crowdfunding campaign for the record. She hit the studio in the summer of 2022 with her full band and recorded an album that is well worth the support that it gained. With references to the Houston Astros, floating the Guadalupe River, drinking down on 6th Street in Austin, and even Buccee’s and Whataburger, this album hits all the sweet spots that only a native Texan songwriter could hit.
Raised in Katy, TX, Paige was signed to Warner Chappell Publishing and Word Records while in high school, and away to Nashville she went. A career that began in Christian Pop/Rock music has since seen four studio album releases and led to performances at The Ryman, Universal Studios, Reliant Arena, The Tacoma Dome, and many more. Paige has been awarded an ASCAP songwriting award, landed her songs in the Ridley Scott film “Matchstick Men”, been featured in an Uber commercial, performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live, and shared the stage with K.T. Tunstall, Zach Brown Band, and Katy Perry, to name a few.
If Paige Lewis has learned anything over the course of her career, it’s that it’s not always the fastest way home that’s best. But now that she’s here, home’s right where Paige aims to stay.
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Whether in an acoustic listening room or a full band show at a festival, Aaron LaCombe connects with the audience like almost no one else can.
Recently Aaron has opened for James McMurtry, Randy Rogers, Stoney Larue, William Beckmann, Drake White, Gary P. Nunn, The Wilder Blue, John Baumann, Adam Hood, Allie Colleen, Brandon Rhyder, and many more. He travels the country and beyond playing shows when he’s not at his Hill Country, Tx home, writing or recording.
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Up-and-coming Americana artist Evan Boyer is not a polished, perfect singer-songwriter plucked from the glossy pages of a music magazine: He’s the genuine article, making real and relatable music from the rough fodder of personal experience. Approaching songwriting with a healthy dose of humanity, he draws inspiration from the raw edges of his own, admittedly flawed existence, offering the world a unique brand of country-leaning Americana that is down-to-earth, authentic, and emotionally compelling. His songs are laid-back, everyman narratives in the vein of artists like Jason Isbell and Tom Petty, with an organic, natural sound. Nothing here is sleek or over-produced. “The way I see it: I’m kinda flawed…and that’s okay,” he says. “A lot of my songs are about messing up and dealing with the consequences. About how it’s okay to be flawed. We’re just people.”
Born in North Carolina and raised in a tiny, rural town in the Northeast, Boyer began making music in his early teens, inspired by alt-rock and pop-punk acts like The Wallflowers, Foo Fighters, and Blink 182. A self-taught guitarist, he fronted a range of punk and rock bands growing up before honing his acoustic chops for less rowdy gigs. Now based in Dallas, Texas, he’s developed his own distinctive sound that blends the beautifully vulnerable with the brutally honest. Touring with his band Evan Boyer and the Remedy, Boyer’s style is informed by both local and national acts, including Dallas artist Joshua Ray Walker and country icon Jason Isbell.
In October 2022, Boyer released his debut single, “Hearts on Fire,” to streaming platforms everywhere. The self-produced track, recorded at the famed Audio Dallas studio (where Willie Nelson recorded Redheaded Stranger), showcased Boyer’s rootsy, resonant vocals and easy, Springsteenesque appeal. After booking a statewide radio tour, he returned to the studio to work on what would eventually become his debut full-length album, The Devil in Me.
Balancing upbeat, Americana anthems with elegant, country-leaning ballads, The Devil in Me feels both idiosyncratic and universal. It’s a musical, heartfelt reflection on an unavoidable truth: We all make mistakes. And sometimes those mistakes are what make life beautiful.
