Indie Folk’s Industry Impact

By Ezekiel Gregory

“Music has been an outlet for artists for generations,” according to Grace Rowland, lead singer of the indie folk band The Deer.

“I needed to release some extra energy,” Rowland said. “Tantra

Coffeehouse had an open mic night where I played some of my first songs,” she said. Austin offers many entertaining venues, including the Kerrville Folk Festival, which is frequented by The Deer.

The city of Austin is bursting with sound, an atmosphere well suited for the “Live Music Capital of the World.” The community is tight-knit, and there’s nothing that brings Austinites together like the desire to support an up-and-coming artist. Indie folk music is a popular genre in the heart of Texas, its soulful sound and cadence helping to attract listeners.

“We met a lot of people while traveling,” Rowland said. “Anais Mitchell was one of them, and before she’d become famous, she came to Kerrville and absolutely blew my mind. We went on a road trip together, and she made me feel so much stronger, and also helped me figure out some stuff about the music industry.”

She and her bandmate Jesse Dalton explained the importance of having connections with other artists within the industry.

“Our friend group has really pushed one another to feel comfortable in this creative bubble as artists,” Dalton, lead guitarist, said. “We didn’t have a mentor dynamic, but we were teaching each other nonetheless. We’d built this artistic community that was more about friendship than instruction.”

“Music has always brought out emotions and strong feelings for me and I wanted to make other people feel that way about my own music as well,” said Kylan Court, one half of the sister duo Let Flo Go.

It’s kind of like reading a book, but you don’t have to use your hands or your eyes, you can just listen.

- Grace Rowland, Lead Singer of The Deer

“I have always loved things that bring people together and unite all walks of life,” said Bogan Court, Kylan’s sister and artistic partner. “Music is an incredibly powerful tool that can connect people who would normally never see eye-to-eye on anything.” Though both sisters work side jobs, music has been their passion and first choice since they were young.

“I love performing our music and being a part of something that can unite friends and strangers.” They had been performing together since they were kids, but only became an official band after a few years of college. As children, they were a part of the youth rock band scene.

“We were the youngest band and so we looked up to pretty much everyone that played alongside us,” said Kylan. She and her sister were homeschooled, which strengthened their bond as a band.

The two sisters focus more on rock, but have knowledge of indie folk regardless. “We respect most artists and their art, I think it’s an interesting genre full of fun stories and times,” said Bogan.

“Music is a way of decorating time,” Rowland said. The way every note hits depends not only on the creator, but also on the listener. Rowland reverently spoke about her view on folk music’s personal influence.

“Like you would decorate your walls with art, you can decorate your space and your time with sounds that make you feel different things.” The lyrics and style are unlike pop, country, rock, hip-hop, or anything other genre in that the acoustics give it such a raw, unfiltered quality.

“There’s a certain spirit to it, a freedom,” Rowland said. Dalton had similar opinions, having started the band in college with Rowland. “We met at Texas State University in music school, in ear training class,” Dalton said.

“It was January of 2004 that we met. That was 19 years ago!” Rowland had added. Many groups form as a hobby, then flourish into a full-blown career. Austin is the perfect place for up-and-coming indie folk singer-songwriters. It offers festivals for artists to meet each other and show off their skills to a live audience and spread their influence.

An aspect of indie folk music that attracts people to it the most is its instrumentation and poetic attributes. Dalton said, “Breaking it down to a very simplistic relationship between you, your voice, and a piece of wood with strings on it is the most amazing thing you can do.”

He’s had experience with multiple different instruments and genres, but he prefers indie folk above all. “It’s the cheapest and most unobtrusive way of producing and creating music, and that’s always attracted me to it.” and what their parents listened to or what their neighbors are listening to all affects what kind of music an artist will release.”

They value diversity within their music to bring a unique sound to their listeners. “We definitely are interested in branching out and creating different sounds for our band.”

It’s really fun to jam out and plug in huge amps and keyboards and get really loud, but sometimes the best writing sessions will be in a dark room with just a guitar.

- Jesse Dalton, Member of The Deer

The sister duo also loves going to and performing in concerts, and having their friends and family there to support them encourages them greatly. “Music is so beautifully fluid and constantly evolving. It’s amazing.”

Let Flo Go has a strong opinion on what influences the music industry’s priorities as well. “I think peoples’ cultures and backgrounds

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