Matthew Payne "truly is Austin Americana timelessness personified," says KUTX host Taylor Wallace-Riegel. Payne grew up in the Texas Hill Country, and worked as an educator in Austin for two decades, loving every minute of that vital work. Now, in a new season of life, Payne is celebrating the release of his debut album, Better Times, following in the footsteps of so many transformative Texas songwriters who have played the legendary Cactus Cafe. These ten personal songs tell stories of conflicted characters at their brink, looking for a way forward, trying to carve it out, trying to believe that “better times come from these.” From KUTX: "Payne seems like he’s sat down at a bar after hours on the road, regaling barflies with an overture of the epic of where he’s been. We get the highlights, but we also know one question will lead to a shower of tales, and his impassioned storytelling, punctuated with a driving, honky tonk rhythm, makes us want to ask the bartender for another boilermaker for ourselves and one for our new friend."
Going back to his days fronting Moonlight Towers, a South by Southwest festival mainstay throughout the rock band's 15-plus year history, JM Stevens has always let his music do the talking - and his latest, Wish on a River Bridge, speaks volumes. Stevens is at his most captivating and introspective, as he gives voice to protagonists who are navigating old beginnings, new starts and myriad in-betweens with lyrical precision. Furthermore, Stevens produced, engineered, mixed, and mastered Matthew Payne's debut LP, Better Times.