Beyond the Boots: Houston Bernard on Evolution and Authenticity

We love country music and have one of the best of the bunch here.  Houston Bernard is a popular and prolific independent country music artist with blasting rockabilly vocals and unbelievable songs. Houston, who tours nationwide, is an Army Veteran.  His country roots run deep with a family tree that includes songwriters, touring musicians, and an outlaw gunfighter nicknamed “Bitter Creek.”. Houston has released a series of singles, EPs and albums. In 2013, he released his debut self-titled EP and followed up with his first full-length album, Knockin’ Boots, in 2015. In 2018, he released his second EP, Lucky Man, followed by Freedom, in 2020, which continued to raise Houston’s profile as a diverse country music singer and songwriter.

His latest Album is Ditch this Town, CLICK HERE FOR ALBUM, which reflects years of work and demonstrates Houston’s passion for independence and authenticity. Check out this moving video, NEW VIDEO "In My Blood", featuring a song Houston shares with us on the Podcast
 
Houston is with us today to share his journey in country music, from starting with a classic sound to experimenting with different styles and eventually finding his own voice. He discusses some of the challenges of writing country music and how he seeks to improve storytelling by collaborating with other writers. Houston also digs into the importance of painting a picture with lyrics, using sensory details to transport the listener to the scene and creating an emotional reaction.  
 
 ‘My ideas became better with different writers, and the stories were better.”’  - Houston Bernard 
 
Episode Highlights:

• Houston shares his journey of improving his craft, including why he’s taking a growth mindset approach 
• Houston shares a personal story about his great great grandfather's involvement in the Wild Bunch gang and the Eagles song "Desperado" being inspired by him 
• Why Houston often feel like a "Desperado" in the music industry, looking for connection with others who understand his creative goals and struggles 
• We dig into the cultural differences between cities and states and the impact on the music industry and artists' experiences while touring
• How Houston feeds off the energy of the audience during live performances and the importance of connecting with the audience through the music
• Why Houston writes emotional songs as a form of therapy to get things out and heal
• Houston reflects on his journey of finding his voice in music and why he started playing country music after feeling unfulfilled with other genres 

 
Connect with Houston Bernard:

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