How I Met ‘The Voice’s’ Tje Austin in Austin
Just like “Whiskey,” my first concert in the Live Music Capital of the World didn’t let me down.
There’s a reason Austin, TX is known as the Live Music Capital of the World. In addition to its annual Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL), it was discovered in 1991 that Austin has more live music venues per capita than anywhere else in the nation. It was this distinction that partly weighed into my decision to opt for a full-time job in Austin instead of a well-paid summer internship with Spotify in New York City.
The minute I made my decision, I started looking online to see what concerts were scheduled for the first month I’d be there. There were almost too many to choose from. But there was one particular show that caught my eye: Tje Austin at 3TEN Austin City Limits Live on June 24th.
I Googled his name out of curiosity because Tje (which is pronounced “tie”) seemed like a fascinating name, and I soon found out we shared a common connection — we’re both originally from Hawaii! This lead me to do a little more digging and I discovered he was on Season 1 of The Voice on Team CeeLo. For the blind auditions, he performed “Just The Way You Are” by Bruno Mars, who, coincidentally, is also from Hawaii, and whom I attended high school with (Bruno, or Peter as he was known to us, is a year older than me).
After viewing the clip, I went on YouTube to see what else I could find, and stumbled across a song “Whiskey,” which I immediately fell in love with. It’s a heartbreaking bluesy R&B ballad that highlights his soulful upper register, and in that moment I knew Tje’s concert was the one I wanted to see.
I’m not one who likes to go to concerts alone. I dread being perceived as the “loner standing in the back.” And I’ve always had at least one other person to go with me to concerts. So I took to Twitter to see if anyone (literally) would want to go with me to the concert. Sadly, no one got back to me — except for Tje himself.
The Hawaii connection and wanting to “support local” was enough for me to get over my fear of going to a concert alone, and I’m glad I did.
When I arrived at the show, Mama K and The Shades were opening up for him, and the best way to describe this group’s sound is a fusion of funk, soul, R&B, and jazz. I love me a good horn section, and their trumpet, saxophone and trombone trio sounded fantastic.
When the set ended, Tje came out to thank them and mentioned that it was also his birthday! As Tje’s band began to set up, he mingled with the crowd, shaking hands and giving hugs to people who were wishing him happy birthday. And there I was the “loner in the back” taking it all in.
As he was preparing to go on stage, he pointed towards me, but I brushed it off. The sound stage guy was about 10 feet behind me, so naturally, I thought Tje was pointing at him. He then started walking towards me and said, “I know you! From Twitter right?” So, I responded as anyone from Hawaii would, “Aloha!” Cheesy. I know… He asked how long I’ve been in Austin, and we had a brief, but pleasant chat. It was a much-needed moment, as I continue to feel homesick.
Tje opened the show with a classic Bob Marley song, “Is This Love,” which he made his own by slowing it down to an R&B cadence. The song choice was fitting, since reggae music is huge in Hawaii.
In between songs, Tje would tell personal stories, which gave the concert a very intimate feel. I learned that he battled melanoma for three years. On his 34th birthday, he yelled to the crowd that he hadn’t had any chemotherapy treatments for over a year, which drew a thunderous applause.
While I may not have known a lot of the songs Tje performed that night, I was blown away by his tender, smokey timbre, and dynamic range.
As the night went on, I grew anxious wondering if he was going to play “Whiskey.” And then I heard that familiar bluesy intro…
As Austin starts to feel a little more like home, and as I start to make new friends, my goal is to catch a live concert as often as I can (budget permitting). I wanted my first live concert in Austin to be special, and in many ways it was.
Check out Tje’s latest release, I Belong to You:
