South Austin Song Circles: Couples Edition
The Watters
With nearly twenty years of musical collaboration together, husband and wife duo Daniel and Jenna Watters embrace a sound they call “Americana Soul.” Seamlessly blending Soul, Rock and Jazz, they have been described as “Fleetwood Mac with a horn section” after developing their unique but accessible sound across seven different albums together under various monikers and releasing their debut record as their current band, The Watters, in 2016. Now an acclaimed mainstay of the Austin music scene, they have garnered a devoted fan base through their stirring vocals and road-weathered musicianship and have opened for artists like Michael McDonald, The Revivalists, Allen Stone, and Devon Gilfillian.
Before settling in Austin, The Watters developed their eclectic sound in part by living in several dramatically different cities including Los Angeles, Denver, Nashville, but their story began in Sedona, Arizona. They met on the pee wee football team in 6th grade, though it wasn’t until their high school graduation ceremony when they first sang together, performing “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” The spark of chemistry they felt as much as the audience did led the two to start writing together and performing at local coffee shops around northern Arizona and Los Angeles during their summer and winter school breaks. Four years of long distance writing and performing later, the two moved to Denver in 2009 to formally start their first band, “The Oak Creek Band.” Their romantic relationship was born soon after, and they married in 2011. After years of cutting their teeth in the mountain towns of the Colorado Rockies and then a stint in Nashville, the duo felt geographically aimless and uninspired, and on a fated drive back to Sedona in 2015, they took a long detour to Austin. They saw one show at The Continental Club Gallery and, falling instantly in love with the city’s music scene and vibe, decided that night to make it their new home.
Since then, they have released two full length LPs (The Watters, Intuition) one EP (Mellow), and played nearly every venue in Austin. They’ve been awarded several grants from local-non profits for their artistry including Sonic Gud Major Grant and the Long Center Live Music Grant and won four national John Lennon Songwriting Contest Awards for tracks from 2021’s Intuition. The Watters’s third full-length album, Duality, slated for release in late 2023, is a culmination of their nineteen years of creating and performing together and reflects all the challenges, learning, and growth they have evolved through as individuals and a duo. For The Watters, life and music are one, their journey together being their greatest muse.
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Beth // James is a married Americana duo from Austin, Texas made up of award winning singer-songwriters, Mikaela & Jordan Burchill.
They've been dubbed "Masters of indie folk" by Austin's NPR station, KUTX and their song, "Lion Eyes" was featured in Spike Lee's, Academy Award-winning film, 'BlacKkKlansman.'
They’ve opened for artists like Jade Bird, The Dip, Malin Pettersen, and Cordovas, and have been featured in No Depression, Americana UK, and Americana Highways.
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Gritty Sunset
It was a bitterly cold Tuesday night in January of 2019 in Manhattan – yes it’s a cheesy start, but this is completely true and the story must be told – when COURTNEY received a text from a fellow singer and close friend asking her to come downtown to see some live music. Since the weather was so unpleasant, Courtney was not too keen on making the trek on the subway to the venue.
Her friend sweetened the deal by inviting her to sit in with the band and sing a couple of songs so she figured there was “nothing better to do” that evening. After a little grumble to herself, she threw on her large winter puffer jacket and off she went.
When she finally arrived, the atmosphere was a typical dimly lit lounge vibe that made it difficult to clearly see the faces of the musicians on the stage. In addition, ELI was wearing his signature style of a fedora hat that cast an even darker shadow over his eyes, creating that mysterious persona fabricated by so many musicians.
While in a small conversation near the bar, Courtney was stopped mid-sentence as she was interrupted by a beautifully captivating guitar solo. With a stern inquisitive tone, she blurted out, “Who is THAT!?”
She was so blown away by his tastefully skilled musicianship that she knew she had to meet him. Without agenda or expectation of any kind, she immediately made her friend introduce her to Eli, where at that time, she didn’t hesitate to instantly connect with him through Instagram.
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Jennifer Foster, vocalist and bassist as well as songwriter, lyricist, and arranger of an all-original catalogue inspired by Motown, funk, R&B, blues and rock greats like Donny Hathaway, Aretha Franklin, The Meters and Chaka Khan and Grand Funk. Featuring Robert Parker Jr., a sweet and spicy spoonful of the good stuff; guaranteed to hook you with the first note and keep you until the last.
