Fans recognize Austin Gilliam as a guitar player. Maybe it's his six-foot-five viking-esque stature. Or his nine-inch signature pin-up-girl tattoo. Or maybe it's just that he's a really, really good guitar player. But fans of the music scene know the media recognized more than three years ago: Austin Gilliam is a heckuva guitist - but he's a guitarist with a killer set of pipes. Austin cut his teeth in the Americana scene playing lead guitar and singing harmony vocals with the Scott Wiggins Band. His guitar and vocal work on the band's sophomore album, Burn (Adam Odor, Keith Davis) was critically acclaimed and the CD netted two of the Top 25 singles in 2009. After departing the Wiggins Band, Austin played most notably with Drew Kennedy and Javi Garcia and the Cold, Cold Ground before joining Matt King and the Cutters. The Cutters kicked off it's emerging, national-touring presence with a stop in Nashville, where the band recorded The Cutters (Vance Powell) EP. Later, Austin found himself on the road full-time with Brandon Jenkins, with whom he's also recorded. With a true passion for music, Austin is known to fill his schedule and often play as many as 10 gigs a week - sometimes with as many as nine different bands. I've taken influence from each project I've had the pleasure of being involved with and combined them the best way I know how. I continue to do that to this day, Austin says. While he is best known as a guitar player, his album credits and critical acclaim heavily reflect his vocal talent. Now Austin, with his band, The Politicians, looks forward to sharing his voice, his songs, and of course, his guitar playing, with you. And if there's one thing Gilliam's learned in the music industry, it's this: you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything. So his band, the Politicians stands up for rock music the way you remember it. Music with an Americana flair that could only come from a New Braunfels-based act. Austin Gilliam and the Politicians are bringing their campaign off the beaten, local path and travelling to you, bringing you music you can believe in. The Politicians are edgy without trying to hard to be; Americana roots rock that pulls the roots out of the ground and then spits them back at the audience. But Gilliam has a pop sensibility softening his hard-assed, hard-edged sound and roots, and a blues background that gives him his switchblade soul. The boy's gonna cut you, and you're gonna like it. Gilliam, along with Bassist (and childhood best friend) Bob Driver and Drummer Miles Stone bring it in power-trio form. While six-foot-five-inch Gilliam and his band mates - neither of which looks less intimidating than Vikingesque --frontman Gilliam - will not, literally, punch or kick you in the face, his music will. The music will definitely kick you in the face. Or at least, it'll give you something to believe in, to stand for. It's something you'll want to hear. Perhaps, if you're a fan, it's what you've been waiting for. Believe in Music. Vote for Austin. Stand for Something. Instrumentation Austin Gilliam - Lead Guitar, Lead Vocals Discography 2012 - Austin Gilliam, Sunshine 2012 - Austin Gilliam, Bootlegs* 2011 - Brandon Jenkins, Project 11; Jeremy Halliburton, Whiskey & Lies* 2010 - Javi Garcia, Southern Horror; Allan Goodman, Days With You; Jason Marbach, Eclipse* 2009 - Scott Wiggins Band, Burn, Cody Hughes Davidson, Risky Game * performing artist and producer.
