Spring Break
Grammy winner plays 40 Watt
TAMARA BEST
Issue date: 4/21/08 Section: Variety
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Dressed in a Rowdy Records T-shirt, shorts, sunglasses and Converse tennis shoes, Dallas Austin emerges, appearing far from a celebrity as he walked into the 40 Watt Friday afternoon.
Many people know the Grammy award-winning producer for his work with artists such as Usher, Pink and "king of pop" Michael Jackson. Now get reacquainted and meet Dallas Austin, the artist.
"For my own experience, it's a way to express myself, it's a conglomerate of everything I have ever been through," said Austin of his upcoming album, "The Dallas Austin Experience."
Calling it a "reality" album that tells a story, Austin said weekends with friends were inspiration.
"I don't have a sound - that's something that has hindered me in the past, but it has made me what I am," Austin said.
A producer and now an artist, Austin said he sees a shift back to "real" music, citing R&B songstress Alicia Keys and group Gnarles Barkley as examples.
"Music is supposed to have an effect on people and people want to see real artists again," Austin said. "'Crazy' [by Gnarles Barkley] was one of the most important records of our time. It unplugged people."
It's a little past 11 p.m. and the music is blasting as concert goers stream inside the 40 Watt.
A modest and diverse crowd prepares itself for "The Dallas Austin Experience," featuring Austin and members of the Rowdy Records family, Colin Munroe, Novel and Sy Scott.
As opening acts perform on stage, Austin can be seen among the audience bopping his head.
"Dallas is very nurturing, which I think is rare with a lot of producers" Munroe said.
Munroe, a native Canadian who played for the first time in the U.S. Friday, describes his music as pop/alternative and rocked the crowd with his vocals in addition to playing a variety of instruments.
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