Leo Rondeau (Austin, TX)

www.facebook.com/leorondeaumusic

Dealing in stories candid, honest and plainspoken, Leo Rondeau’s story claims roots in the Turtle Mountains of North Dakota, where he grew up surrounded by country music listeners and pickers spanning three generations. A child of the rural American west and owning family lineage within the Turtle Mountain band of the Chippewa Indian tribe, his own history and worldview are engrained in the lines of his songs.

In his writing, Rondeau has been heavily influenced by the dolorous and at times bleak illustrations of Hank Williams, Jimmie Rodgers and Townes Van Zandt. His marked presence within the scenes of his stories is even reminiscent of early Tom Waits tunes in their somber appreciation of the darker realities of life. The listener finds a departure from these influences, however, in Rondeau’s trademark hopefulness.

Leo has performed at popular American festivals such as Pickathon, SXSW, Bristol Rhythm and Roots as well as the Australian festival Dashville Skyline amongst countless venues in America and abroad.

www.leorondeau.com


Travis Champ (Nehalem, OR)



From a remote town in the Pacific Northwest, Travis Champ’s baritone drawl and campfire strumming give his songs an immediate familiarity: an aural wallpaper to go with the belt buckle you found in a thrift store driving through Idaho and the boots you bought that time you went to Austin.

“So geerdet, warm, rauh und erfahren, wie seine alte Martin aussieht, klingt sie auch und mit ihr Travis Champs Sound. [...] vom ersten Ton an bestechen Champs’ Vignetten durch sanfte Melodiösität und einen sie durchziehenden geradezu hypnotischen Swing; einfach, scheinbar, aber das Gegenteil von langweilig. Travis’ Bariton passt dazu wie die Erde zum Boden: tief und beruhigend moduliert er die Melodiebögen und dringt, ohne es zu erzwingen, in jede Ritze [...]“
-Frank Schwarzberg, Roadtracks Magazin

www.whatbangrecords.com/thiswesternurl