Austie Frostie & Friends Hit Stride With New Project OverFlow
by Tim Wenger
Austie Frostie (Austin Akens) has made a bit of a name for himself already in the music community in Denver. His new project OverFlow with members Michael Hottman and Brett Granrud takes his original hip hop style and brings in elements of a handful of different genres to create a sound with an appeal across genre lines. Colorado Music Buzz caught up with the trio to get the word on the new project and when we can get ahold of some recorded goodness.
The three are very excited about the new project and the response it has been getting. “It’s a fun show,” Akens says. “It’s not just hip hop anymore. We have a funk and blues influence, and then we get heavy into the EDM at points to appeal to that crowd. I think it’s something that is really worth giving a shot. Even if you’ve seen us all solo, when we get together it’s something totally different.”
The group evolved out of friendship and a mutual appreciation for different styles of music. “It’s a collaboration of all our different styles,” says Akens. “We’re having a lot of fun with it and people seem to like it, so we decided to stick with it and make it more of a solidified thing.” Hottman plays guitar, is the DJ, while Akens holds down the MC duties.
The trio came together at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, with Hottman and Granrud meeting while living in the dorms, and Akens coming into the picture the following year after being introduced through mutual friends. Akens and Granrud ended up moving in together. “That’s when we discovered that we (should) make music together,” Akens says. “We messed around a little bit while we were living together but neither of us were doing a whole lot with it.” Granrud began djing at some Austie Frostie shows, which stuck. They then brought Hottman in for a show to sit in on guitar.
“I hadn’t really performed in four or five years until they said ‘Hey come play with us,’” says Hottman. His guitar work fit well with the sound, so he stayed on board. “I like playing live and I want to become recognized, at least by a Colorado crowd.”
Their new EP should help that process. The trio is working on it now, handling the recording process themselves. Hottman and Granrud write the instrumental and then Akens lays down the lyrics over top. “As far as the EP goes, having a real studio-quality, well pressed project is my goal,” says Akens. “Something I’m really proud of to hand out, instead of just experimenting and laying stuff down for fun. Having the ground up approach is really helping us perfect our sound right now.”
“We want to lay down a solid album that we can play, of all new music,” says Granrud. Following the release of their EP the group will take a larger step into the live performance market. They want to be able to perform the entire record as well as they can before presenting the live piece to the masses.
“I’ve always believed in the groundwork, handing out cds and meeting people face to face,” says Akens. “Getting people hooked on you as a person and your music.” In a true nod to modern technology, OverFlow will also be releasing the album for download online. “As far as the digital age, getting it spread across the country without being able to tour, that’s the only way to do it.”
The album is about halfway written and the group is hoping for a late summer release. “Now that we have the time off of performing to sit down and actually build our studio and perform in it, it should go pretty quick from here on out,” says Akens.
Online: facebook.com/overflowstyle soundcloud.com/overflowstyle
Category: Buzzworthy
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