Two weekends ago, a sold-out crowd flooded the Historic Scoot Inn, anticipating a night filled with nostalgic and soulful music. Bandmates Truett Heintzelman and Philip Lupton walked on stage, excitedly received by their audience like many times before. However, this night will stand out in Austin band Briscoe’s history by marking the official release of their debut album, West of It All.
The folk-rock duo got their start playing backyard shows around UT and quickly garnering a following. In the two years since, Heintzelman and Lupton made major strides, including headlining the FairWell Festival in Bend, Oregon, where they sang alongside artists such as Willie Nelson, Zach Bryan and the Turnpike Troubadours.
Largely inspired by music produced in the late 1960s and 70s, which the band dubbed the Golden Age of music, Briscoe embodies a classic Americana feel with a modern twist.
“We think that’s as good as it can get,” Heintzelman said. “(Our music) is a combination of that older time period mixed in with some of the people that we love (and) our own little spin on the whole thing.”
Lupton said their first official album, West of It All, presents a collection of songs written throughout their college years inspired by longing to escape the busyness of school and Austin – going west of it all – and reconnecting with the places and people they love.
“There’s a lot of love, themes about friendship and living in the moment,” Lupton said.
An homage to their Texas roots, Lupton said West of It All proves more personal than their previous music.
“I hope people walk away getting a little slice of who Briscoe is,” Heintzelman said. “You can tell it’s a Texan band. We’re proud to be from Texas, and I think that shows in the record.”
Briscoe stands out amongst fans for prioritizing their lyrics and choosing instrumentation based on those lyrics. Claire Anstey, a dance sophomore, said she likes the song “Wild Thing” for its nostalgic feeling that reminds her of life’s in-between times.
“(‘Wild Thing’) has a very nostalgic tone to it,” Antsey said. “It’s really reminiscent of this part of my life where I feel like I’m in between being a kid and an adult. I don’t feel like either of those.”
Lupton said he met Heintzelman at a summer camp in the Hill Country.
“We both were learning guitar at the time and beginning to sing songs, so we would sing harmonies and we kindled our relationship from there,” Lupton said.
Renuinted while attending UT, Lupton said the pair turned his high school band into a duo, and Briscoe officially took off.
“It really has been moving fast, but it’s been such a cool thing,” Heintzelman said. “(We’ve) met all sorts of incredible people in the process. We’ve gotten to see so many places. I’ve traveled more in this first part of the year than I ever have before.”
As Briscoe sets out for the remainder of their first national tour, Heintzelman said they remain grateful for their time at UT and the support that jump started their music careers.
“It’s so cool to be supported in that way, and it’s nice to come back to Austin after being on the road and feel that type of love,” Heintzelman said. “That’s something that I’m proud of.”
