Pedal Steel Noah’s rise in Austin’s music scene runs on family. At SXSW 2026, brothers Noah and Nate Faulkner performed at Flatstock and The 13th Floor alongside their father, Jay, while their mother, Christine, supported the project offstage.
Pedal Steel Noah spoke with The Daily Texan about their rapid rise, creative direction and the family behind it.
DT: This year marks your third SXSW. What’s made SXSW 2026 special for you?
Noah Faulkner: It was probably Nate singing, although I am going to be next (to sing) at (tonight’s) gig. I might as well see what happens after I sing.
Nate Faulkner: Like Noah said, I’ve been working on my singing, and we’ve been trying to (move) more away from covers into our own sound. (I) feel like that’s what made this South By stand out.
DT: You spoke with The Daily Texan two years ago, and since then, you’ve grown (to) over 82,000 followers on Instagram. What has that progression been like for you (in those two years), and do you feel SXSW has served as a launchpad for PSN?
Nate: South By and (the) scene of Austin music has really elevated us and pushed us up there, to have the audience we have today, and (we) really appreciate it. I love Austin. I was born and raised here. It’s my city.
Noah: About the followers, it feels great. Somehow, I (still) want to get more so that I could do more albums.
Christine Faulkner: We’ve been very lucky (with) South By because they’re hometown heroes. They’ve been very generous with us. Their first year, they got to open at the Keynote for The Black Keys … and every year we just added to that.
DT: Now that you guys are starting to sing (on stage), what does that feel like?
Noah: Being on stage feels cool. Whenever I see a crowd, I feel speechless. But then I just start to breathe in and breathe out. … I have been kind of nervous about singing.
Nate: It’s breathtaking. When I first started music, I was kind of late. It was just Noah that played, and I had to piggyback off of that. … Now, I’m starting a new chapter in my musical journey.
DT: You post a new reel (on Instagram) every day, and your dog Kara features in every one. What motivates that level of consistency, and how important is that personal, family element to your content?
Nate: New music every day is great. … I know that some people — not a lot — wake up and check (the account) Pedal Steel Noah, and I just love sharing mine, Noah’s and Kara’s musical talent to the world.
DT: To be able to play any song right off the cuff, what does it feel like to have that innate talent?
Noah: It feels great. Although we do need (a) bass player. Nate’s trying to keep his bass tight —
Nate: What?
Noah: Tight as (in) straight lines, keeping in beat. Nate’s in a work of progress of not rushing and dragging.
DT: How do you feel about that, Nate?
Nate: No comment.
Noah: Well, if Nate (doesn’t have) a comment, I’ll have a comment.
Nate: No, I think you’re good.
Christine: What you’re seeing is the dynamic of knowing a musical genius. … This is their interplay. Noah’s always like, “You’re not doing this right,” and Nate’s like, “I’m doing great.”
Nate: I play good, but it’s hard to keep up with Noah sometimes. I think nobody knows what he’s thinking up there, and it’s hard to match that. Usually, I try to take advice, go with it and try to be the best bass player I can be.
DT: What can fans expect from you next?
Nate: Noah wants to make more impactful songs, and I feel the best way we can do that is going in our own direction, paving our own path with original songs. That’s what we’re gonna try to (do). We’re working on an album.
Jay Faulkner: For this first album they’re working on, they’ve got a lot of collaborators.
Christine: David (J) from Bauhaus. … Will Johnson from Centro-matic, so we’re gonna have some fun.
