Family isn’t always decided by blood, just ask Austin Machado, Davis Forney and Michael Stevens. This trio of brothers bonded over friendship and their love for music, discovering their knack for songwriting. But their talent doesn’t end with just the pen and paper; their smooth vocals also blend incredibly well, and with this one-two punch, and a little push from Fresno DJs Gnarley Charley and Jody Jo, the boys formed Leaving Austin. After years of writing, recording 2 EPs and touring – all while holding their day jobs in their native state of California – more pieces began to fall into place. That songwriting knack of theirs would be recognized by some of Nashville’s best, including Jimmy Robbins, Chris DeStefano, and Chris Dubois, and this past July they released their most recent single “American Avenue” with Cassadee Pope.
We caught up with the trio to talk about their musical backgrounds in California and how the met, working with Cassadee and what’s to come.
CN: For our readers who may not be familiar with you, can you tell us a little bit about yourselves? How were each of you introduced to music? When did you realize that you wanted to pursue it as a career?
Austin: “We are all from small towns in California. I’m from Selma/Clovis and Davis and Mike are from Visalia. We have been friends and doing music together for 13 years now. I personally grew up around music. My dad sings and plays multiple instruments, and my aunt and a couple of my cousins sing as well. They all played and sang at church so I started doing that. I went to some of my first concerts and it really inspired me. I remember realizing one day how much I loved to sing and once I played my first show I was instantly hooked and knew it was what I wanted to do.”
Davis: “When I was a freshman in high school I went on a snowboarding trip with my friend Tommy and his family on winter break. His dad played air drums on the steering wheel to Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers Greatest Hits album the whole drive and it changed my life. I can still see that whole drive in my head when I listen to that album. The windy road, snow everywhere, and singing “Refugee” at the top of our lungs. I knew at that moment that I wanted to be involved in music somehow but I had no idea that I could sing and had never played an instrument. Flash forward to the following year, my friend Richard overheard me singing harmonies to some Dashboard Confessionals while we were driving in my car and he was like, “Bro, you need to join choir!” And I was like “Nah that’s not “cool”, I’m on the Basketball team” Haha but, he convinced me and I absolutely fell in love with it and he started teaching me guitar. From that point on music was my life and what I wanted to do. I never thought I would make it this far, now being a signed artist and songwriter in Nashville. It’s surreal.”
Michael: “I grew up listening to rock n roll with my dad and country music with my mom. I was always interested in instruments growing up and it started with the piano. My dad had a piano in his living room that nobody knew how to play so I taught myself when I was about 10. Soon after that my dad bought me a guitar for Christmas and I’ve been playing ever since then. I always knew that I wanted to play music for a living, but I always just saw it as a dream. But when I was 19 years old going through college I decided to drop out of school and chase that dream.”
CN: Which musicians, country or not, have influenced you both personally and as an artist?
Davis: “I’m all over the place haha. Tom Petty, Tim McGraw, The Starting Line, Brooks and Dunn, Lauv, Rascal Flatts, Sam Hunt, Hit The Lights, Underoath, One Republic, Phil Whickam, Keith Urban, 2003 Fall Out Boy, and Justin Timberlake, to name a few.”
Austin: “I’d have to say Rascal Flatts, Phil Whickam, Queen, Brooks and Dunn, Garth Brooks, Van Halen, and FGL.”
Michael: “Queen is my favorite band of all time. Listening to them has always inspired me to think outside the box and really focus on every part of the song to make sure it’s right. They were very experimental with their music, especially with their vocals, and I feel like a lot of the harmonies I hear come from that.”
CN: What brought you three together?
Davis: “Mike and I met in church in our hometown where we were in the youth band together and I met Austin around that same time when he was opening for my friends band at a local venue. We all became friends and started writing songs. It was just so natural and easy. Thirteen years later we’re still just friends creating music together!”
CN: One of you is named Austin, but you are all native Californians. How did the name “Leaving Austin” come about?
Davis: “Honestly, the story isn’t that cool haha. We were trying to come up with band names for a while and nothing was feeling right. We weren’t set on it but, kinda wanted to keep Austin’s name in it somehow. One day I was at Austin’s house and my roommate called and asked if I was coming home because we were having a party and I said “I’m leaving Austin’s right now”. At that moment it just clicked and I immediately told Austin “How about Leaving Austin?” He loved it and it just stuck!”
CN: Recently you guys moved from the West Coast to Nashville. Normally that would be a really exciting time – getting to know your new stomping grounds, restaurants, venues, etc. – but you moved during a pandemic when everything has been closed. What has it been like to get acquainted with your new home during the shutdown?
Michael: “It has been a crazy time for sure, but we have a lot to be excited about and I’ve been trying to stay focused on that. Not only with American Avenue and the other new music that will be coming out soon, but in my personal life as well. My wife and I are expecting our first child in November and we are so excited to start that adventure. Nashville already feels like home, but that will really plant our roots here.”
CN: You have written with some of the best songwriters in country music. Do you have a favorite memory from a songwriting session?
Davis: “There have been so many amazing co-writes and great times over the years but one that resonates with us is the day we got into a session with Chris DuBois. We ended up writing two songs that day with him, Lynn Hutton, and Jeff Balding and it was such a great experience. In the middle of the second song we got a text saying our next day’s session had been cancelled and we were bummed but Chris invited us to join his write with Lynn and Brent Anderson the next day out at his barn. We ended up writing two more songs and spent 10 hours together that day. It was one of the most fun and inspiring experiences we’ve ever had in music. Those sessions are what led to our relationship and signing with SeaGayle and BMG. It’s something we will never forget, and we are so blessed to have the team we have.”
CN: Can you take us through your songwriting process? Which do you do more often – write together or solo?
Michael: “We typically write songs as a group, sometimes just the three of us, sometimes with songwriter friends of ours. Every session is different for us. We might start with a song title, a verse lyric, a chorus, or just a cool track that we all love. We never really know what the inspiration will be for the day, but as long as it ends in a song we are happy.”
CN: Let’s talk about your single “American Avenue” which has been gaining a lot of traction and praise. What was the inspiration behind this song?
Davis: “We used to rehearse at Austin’s family raisin farm in Selma, CA in the barn. We would load up our gear in his old red Chevy truck and one of the roads you could take to get there is called “American Avenue”. I wrote that down as a title probably 5 years ago and never thought it would become anything til we got in the room with Parker Welling and Jordan Sapp. It was such a fun and easy write. We all knew immediately it was special and something real to us.”
CN: The lovely Cassadee Pope joined you on the track – how did she get involved?
Austin: “We had played a few shows with Cassadee in the past and had formed a friendship. We knew that we wanted to have a female feature on “American Avenue” and thought she would be perfect for it. We ran into her at our BMG Christmas party and I just straight up asked her if she’d want to sing on it with us! She told me to send her the song and she text us the next day saying she loved it and was in! It was so much fun recording, doing the music video, and being on TV together! She is seriously the best.”
CN: What was it like to perform on the Today Show with Cassadee?
Austin: “It was so surreal. That is one the biggest moments we’ve ever had and it was so fun and exciting. We are so blessed to have had that opportunity and to do it with a friend like her. She is so talented, sweet, and fun. Also, the whole crew involved took our vision and the experience to another level.”
CN: If you could collaborate with any one artist, who would it be?
Davis: “Keith Urban. That would be so freakin’ cool.”
Austin: “If I had to pick one, probably FGL. I’m such a big fan of them and I feel like we would have a lot of fun together and create something really good.”
Michael: “Morgan Wallen.”
CN: If you could describe yourselves in one word – individually and as a group – what would it be and why?
Davis: “As a group, I’d have to say, perseverant. We do NOT give up! haha. There have been plenty of roadblocks along our journey and we’ve gotten through them all together. Oh, the stories we could tell. We’re proud to have met and exceeded so many goals and expectations but, this is just the beginning. We have a lot more to accomplish and a lot of people we’re going to keep making proud.”
CN: With the pandemic still preventing most live shows, where can fans catch you? Are you doing any live streams?
Davis: “We actually have a drive-in show at Daddy’s Dogs on September 16th in Nashville with our SeaGayle crew! Come out and see us and we can social distance hang! Also, we do plan to do more live streams in the meantime but, we are also currently working on our 2021 calendar and booking dates.”
CN: What’s next on the horizon for you?
Davis: “With all that’s going on in the world right now we are trying to take things one day at a time. We are learning to be more patient and more intentional with our brand. We already have some new songs cut, some music videos, some reimagined versions, and some covers and we can’t wait for y’all to see and hear them. Also, we are sitting on a couple hundred new songs we have written so we will probably get back into the studio in the near future! Make sure you follow us on Spotify and social media to be the first to know of new releases!
For more information on Leaving Austin, visit their website at leavingaustinband.com and follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.