WHEELS 2.0: WORD UP IN AUSTIN

By Jesse Beer Dietz

This week, we spotlight quite possibly one of the best singer/songwriters you’ve never heard of, to paraphrase the description of this up-and-comer in a major music mag. Keep feedin’ my inbox: [email protected]

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT
David Ramirez (www.davidramirezmusic.com): This writer/artist out of Austin has shared the stage with The Civil Wars, Matt and Kim, Fitz and the Tantrums, Bob Schneider, Andrew Belle, Kina Grannis, Ivan and Alyosha, Allen Stone and more. His style has been described as “folk-brewed pop,” but I like to think of it as good old-fashioned Americana with wall-to-wall appeal. It’s not every day that we get a submission from an artist who’s sharp with the pen, but as soon as we listened to David’s first tune, “Wandering Man,” we knew he had the goods. This youngster is currently unsigned and unpublished, though we can imagine that will be the case for much longer. Check him out, and be sure to let us know what you think.

Here are some highlights of his burgeoning career:

—Played over 150 shows last year on his own independently booked tours.

—KUT Austin (NPR affiliate) is a big supporter, having just taped a Studio 1-A session while giving him “Song of the Day” nods twice in the last month.

—Paste hailed him as "the best damn songwriter you don't know yet."

—Sold out the Parish (450 capacity) in Austin in March.

—Just completed a Wednesday residency at Cactus Cafe, where he averaged a near-capacity 125 people per show.

—The Civil Wars are big fans of his and said this about David: "Soulful, stirring, heartbreaking. David makes you hang on the turn of every phrase."

—Has the lead role in Between Notes, a new, romantic indie film in the vein of Once, which just premiered at Dallas Intl. Film Fest. Also responsible for the soundtrack, which recently hit #27 on the iTunes singer-songwriter charts. Watch the trailer here.