R Cates
I'm an Austin-based musician and songwriter. I play bass, guitar and drums and sing most of my own demos. I work full time but also serve on the board of directors of the Austin Songwriters Group (ASG).
I've had some radio play, but I'm mostly interested in having other people record (cut) my songs.
Tell me about your history? How did you get where you are now?
I've been playing guitar since I was 7 or 8, drums since I was about 13 and electric bass since I was 16 or so.
I'm almost 40 now and I'm learning the mandolin and playing bass at my church every Sunday.
Have you performed live in front of an audience? Any special memories?
Only at occasional songwriter open mikes and for my backyard pool parties / jam sessions every summer.
I mostly like to write and record all of my original music in my new studio.
Your musical influences
Mostly Stevie Ray Vaughan, BB King, Hank Williams Jr.,Lynyrd Skynyrd and Merle Haggard..Outlaw country has always been a big influence too.
What equipment do you use?
Yamaha MD8 and Tascam US428 recorders, Cubase software, Fender Strat and a Vantage hollow body electric (ES335 copy), Takamine acoustics, Digitek effects, Ibanez 5 string bass, Peavey and Fender amps.
Anything else?
I'm mainly uploading some original songs for my friends and family to be able to download.
But, I'm also actively trying to pitch my songs to publishing companies, so I'm interested in seeing what the general public thinks of them.
