OK SWEETHEART

Thank you, Kirk Stauffer for sharing your absolutely gorgeous photos from SXSW! Stauffer caught so many great artists at the festival, including Keane, who will be at Bumbershoot this weekend on Sunday at 9:15, and Kimbra, who appears at Decibel Festival in September. - www.backbeatseattle.com

Thank you, Kirk Stauffer for sharing your absolutely gorgeous photos from SXSW! Stauffer caught so many great artists at the festival, including Keane, who will be at Bumbershoot this weekend on Sunday at 9:15, and Kimbra, who appears at Decibel Festival in September. - www.backbeatseattle.com

While trying to escape the summer track ‘Call Me Maybe’ I have found refuge in my album collection. Here are a few songs that I have had on repeat since the summer started. - allthingsnext.com

A group reminiscent of all the good things from mid-century pop, splits their time between San Francisco, Denton, and Brooklyn. Their well crafted simplicity pulls influence from classics such as Harry Nilsson, The Zombies, and Randy Newman. Formerly creating under the namesake of singer / songwriter Erin Austin, OK Sweetheart’s uniquely pop sound is the result of an eclectic collaboration with members of Midlake, Elizabeth and the Catapult, The Polyphonic Spree, and Via Audio. “The winner of the 2008 John Lennon songwriting contest for pop, Austin seems headed for the spotlight.”

With an ear to late 60’s pop, Austin penned a battery of over sixty songs in early 2008. That summer, Rob Gungor and McKenzie Smith had begun experimenting with sounds and instrumentation, thoughtfully developing arrangements at Midlake’s studio. By October 2008, Austin had arrived in Denton and completed work on her first single “You Let Me Down”, winner of the John Lennon Songwriting Award for Pop as well as a Lennon Award. In January of 2009, Smith, Austin, and Gungor opened Retrofit Studios in Denton, Texas.

- clubzone.com

A group reminiscent of all the good things from mid-century pop, splits their time between San Francisco, Denton, and Brooklyn. Their well crafted simplicity pulls influence from classics such as Harry Nilsson, The Zombies, and Randy Newman. Formerly creating under the namesake of singer / songwriter Erin Austin, OK Sweetheart’s uniquely pop sound is the result of an eclectic collaboration with members of Midlake, Elizabeth and the Catapult, The Polyphonic Spree, and Via Audio. “The winner of the 2008 John Lennon songwriting contest for pop, Austin seems headed for the spotlight.”

With an ear to late 60’s pop, Austin penned a battery of over sixty songs in early 2008. That summer, Rob Gungor and McKenzie Smith had begun experimenting with sounds and instrumentation, thoughtfully developing arrangements at Midlake’s studio. By October 2008, Austin had arrived in Denton and completed work on her first single “You Let Me Down”, winner of the John Lennon Songwriting Award for Pop as well as a Lennon Award. In January of 2009, Smith, Austin, and Gungor opened Retrofit Studios in Denton, Texas.

- clubzone.com

In a week full of festival line-ups, there’s no denying Doe Bay Fest’s was the one we were most looking forward to learning.

Alongside many of the expected cast of characters, like four-year festival veterans The Maldives, this year’s Doe Bay line-up has expanded beyond its usual radius of Seattle and Portland to include San Francisco’s John Vanderslice, LA’s Frank Fairfield and Oklahoma’s OK Sweetheart. As in past years, Doe Bay Fest has tapped some of the Pacific Northwest’s finest established performers and buzzed about up-and-comers like Damien Jurado, The Head and The Heart, Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside, Sera Cahoone, the Builders & the Butchers, Pickwick, Kelli Schaefer, Lemolo and Bryan John Appleby. I’m especially excited to see more local hip hop on this year’s line-up: Champagne Champagne, Mash Hall/Don’t Talk to the Cops and Fly Moon Royalty are sure to bring the party to Orcas Island.

Here’s who will be playing the fourth annual Doe Bay Fest:


The Head and The Heart, Damien Jurado, John Vanderslice, Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside, The Builders and the Butchers, Sera Cahoone, Pickwick, The Maldives, Champagne Champagne, Kelli Schaefer, Ravenna Woods, Lemolo, Cobirds Unite, Campfire OK, Frank Fairfield, Bryan John Appleby, Tea Cozies, Shelby Earl, Mash Hall / Don’t Talk to the Cops, Fly Moon Royalty, OK Sweetheart, Goldfinch, Matt & Mike Gervais (Curtains for You), Matt Bishop (Hey Marseilles), Youth Rescue Mission, Elk & Boar, Melodie Knight, Hannalee, Sean Flinn
- theSOUNDonSOUND.com

In a week full of festival line-ups, there’s no denying Doe Bay Fest’s was the one we were most looking forward to learning.

Alongside many of the expected cast of characters, like four-year festival veterans The Maldives, this year’s Doe Bay line-up has expanded beyond its usual radius of Seattle and Portland to include San Francisco’s John Vanderslice, LA’s Frank Fairfield and Oklahoma’s OK Sweetheart. As in past years, Doe Bay Fest has tapped some of the Pacific Northwest’s finest established performers and buzzed about up-and-comers like Damien Jurado, The Head and The Heart, Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside, Sera Cahoone, the Builders & the Butchers, Pickwick, Kelli Schaefer, Lemolo and Bryan John Appleby. I’m especially excited to see more local hip hop on this year’s line-up: Champagne Champagne, Mash Hall/Don’t Talk to the Cops and Fly Moon Royalty are sure to bring the party to Orcas Island.

Here’s who will be playing the fourth annual Doe Bay Fest:


The Head and The Heart, Damien Jurado, John Vanderslice, Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside, The Builders and the Butchers, Sera Cahoone, Pickwick, The Maldives, Champagne Champagne, Kelli Schaefer, Ravenna Woods, Lemolo, Cobirds Unite, Campfire OK, Frank Fairfield, Bryan John Appleby, Tea Cozies, Shelby Earl, Mash Hall / Don’t Talk to the Cops, Fly Moon Royalty, OK Sweetheart, Goldfinch, Matt & Mike Gervais (Curtains for You), Matt Bishop (Hey Marseilles), Youth Rescue Mission, Elk & Boar, Melodie Knight, Hannalee, Sean Flinn
- theSOUNDonSOUND.com

You may have caught the catchy indie-pop song "Home" if you're a fan of TV shows "90210" or "One Tree Hill."

OK Sweetheart, out of Tulsa, Okla, included the spicy song on its debut record, which was released on April 5.

Lead singer Erin Austin shares with the world some less than sweet comments about Utica in the song.

Chased down through publicist Kim Estlund, Austin explains:

"I was born in Utica. Grew up in Oriskany on a Christmas tree farm. Graduated from Clinton High. I have family all over upstate N.Y. that have been there since the 1600's. My parents and little sister and her husband live there still," she reports.

"I wrote the dig about Utica because I had a few relatives die and others were getting sick all at once, including my mom," Austin says. "It seemed like every time I talked to family, someone else was sick or dying. Holidays started becoming really sad because there were less people every time."


- syracuse.com

You may have caught the catchy indie-pop song "Home" if you're a fan of TV shows "90210" or "One Tree Hill."

OK Sweetheart, out of Tulsa, Okla, included the spicy song on its debut record, which was released on April 5.

Lead singer Erin Austin shares with the world some less than sweet comments about Utica in the song.

Chased down through publicist Kim Estlund, Austin explains:

"I was born in Utica. Grew up in Oriskany on a Christmas tree farm. Graduated from Clinton High. I have family all over upstate N.Y. that have been there since the 1600's. My parents and little sister and her husband live there still," she reports.

"I wrote the dig about Utica because I had a few relatives die and others were getting sick all at once, including my mom," Austin says. "It seemed like every time I talked to family, someone else was sick or dying. Holidays started becoming really sad because there were less people every time."


- syracuse.com

New Music Video: OK Sweetheart - "Home"




OK Sweetheart has released a new music video for "Home," the single off its latest album of the same name. The video was shot and edited by Nathan Presley.

You can also hear the song on tonight's episode of One Tree Hill.
- Playful Prairie

CD Review: Home


OK SWEETHEART’s debut Home is a sweet mix of sultry indie pop with smooth jazz-like vocals and sparse but not minimal instrumentations. The result is an excellent album that is sure to be a favorite of indie pop fans.


The album opens with the heart wrenching “You Let Me Down” which does an excellent job setting the emotional tone for the record. Not that Home is a sad record but it is a deep and personal record that touches on strong human emotions and reactions. The title track is an extremely catchy song that deals with trying to find a home when family and friends are across the country. These two tracks pretty much set this album up beautifully. Other stand out moments include “Can’t Stop This,” a song about the realizations of aging and “All We Have,” a song that asks the question is this life really that bad.


The best way that I can think to describe this record and OK SWEETHEART in general is “imagine if She & Him was actually really, really good.” Erin Austin’s voice is amazing in that breathy way but not irritating (unlike the vocals in She & Him). - Oklahoma Lefty

CD Review: Home


OK SWEETHEART’s debut Home is a sweet mix of sultry indie pop with smooth jazz-like vocals and sparse but not minimal instrumentations. The result is an excellent album that is sure to be a favorite of indie pop fans.


The album opens with the heart wrenching “You Let Me Down” which does an excellent job setting the emotional tone for the record. Not that Home is a sad record but it is a deep and personal record that touches on strong human emotions and reactions. The title track is an extremely catchy song that deals with trying to find a home when family and friends are across the country. These two tracks pretty much set this album up beautifully. Other stand out moments include “Can’t Stop This,” a song about the realizations of aging and “All We Have,” a song that asks the question is this life really that bad.


The best way that I can think to describe this record and OK SWEETHEART in general is “imagine if She & Him was actually really, really good.” Erin Austin’s voice is amazing in that breathy way but not irritating (unlike the vocals in She & Him). - Oklahoma Lefty

OK SWEETHEART is an indie pop band that hails, at least part time, from Tulsa, OK. They describe their music as 60s pop with a hint of Billie Holiday and jazz. The vocals are beautiful and breathy, kind of like a really good She & Him.



For more information on OK SWEETHEART check out their Official website, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Tumblr, YouTube. Also check out the interview that lead singer Erin Austin did with Spinner for last years SXSW festival.


Thanks to OklahomaRock.com News Blog for the find - Oklahoma Lefty

OK SWEETHEART is an indie pop band that hails, at least part time, from Tulsa, OK. They describe their music as 60s pop with a hint of Billie Holiday and jazz. The vocals are beautiful and breathy, kind of like a really good She & Him.



For more information on OK SWEETHEART check out their Official website, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Tumblr, YouTube. Also check out the interview that lead singer Erin Austin did with Spinner for last years SXSW festival.


Thanks to OklahomaRock.com News Blog for the find - Oklahoma Lefty

Home, OK Sweetheart’s debut full-length, is a very strong effort that exemplifies what happens when good songwriters meet good musicians.

Commend the band for bundling lead singer Erin Austin’s jazzy sweet vocal range and bluesy writing tendencies into a soulful pop package that’s easy on the ears but a bit hard on the heart at times.

That’s not saying Home is a gloomy record, quite the opposite actually. The first four tracks start the album off quickly and evoke a sunny mood. It’s amazing how these songs remain upbeat, even as Austin herself tackles subjects such as a floundering lover, not-quite unrequited love, longing for home, and growing old; all with a refreshing honesty that is tempered by resolve.

“I keep on smiling as I fall,” she sings in the song “Traitor.”

The line perfectly displays Austin’s ability to juxtapose a bad situation against the kind of optimism that can overcome anything, which she does throughout the album with ease.



Tracks like “All We Have,” however, really show off a darker side of Austin’s songwriting. The song features a narrator who is weighing the pros and cons of medicated love. But again, Austin displays her ability to find light in the gray areas of a not-so pure existence.

All in all, this collection represents a tale of two moods. Austin paints somber scenes with her words only to wipe the canvas clean with uplifting hooks about love and hope– seemingly in an attempt to mend the listener’s heart that she alone broke in the first place with her soft piano and poetry.

Though the curative properties of love could be all songwriters’ worst kept secret, some musicians can speak of it with a flare that makes the idea seem new. Listening to Home, it’s easy to see what the judges saw in Erin Austin in 2008, when she won the John Lennon Songwriting Contest in the Pop category.


OK Sweetheart – “All We Have” from Gorilla Pictures on Vimeo.

Home will be available on Itunes and in stores today, April 5th! She also plays tonight at the Mint, in LA. Preview select tracks at:

OK Sweetheart’s website,
OK Sweetheart’s Facebook page,
OK Sweetheart’s Music Account on Myspace;

Also, see

OK Sweetheart’s Twitter account for tour updates,
And download OK Sweetheart’s complete album or individual tracks from iTunes.
- OKC.net

OK SWEETHEART – I Dare You Not to Like This


Posted by slackmeyer

on April 14, 2011M at 9:38 pm




After a week of serious discussions, it’s time for something a bit more fun. And I’m going to use this moment to promote the work of an Oklahoma duo who I believe are destined for a successful career in music (relative, of course, to today’s definition of all that). So am I so hip that I’m early to discovering these folks? No, not at all. I’ll leave that to people like Ferris O’Brien, who was onto these folks long before me. That said, I owe it to Kim Estlund, who somehow remembered me from the days when she was promoting DVDs and I was reviewing them (for those of you who don’t know, I wrote a column titled “Rewind” from 1997 to 2008). Anyway, thanks Kim for the great CD.

OK SWEETHEART is really good – and if you enjoy the above tune, visit their site, spread the word and maybe even add some of their tunes to your player.

Here’s the bio for OK SWEETHEART:

OK SWEETHEART: a group reminiscent of all the good things from mid-century pop, splits their time between Tulsa and New York.

Their well crafted simplicity pulls influence from classics such as Harry Nilsson, The Zombies, and Randy Newman. OK SWEETHEART’s uniquely pop sound is the result of an eclectic collaboration with members of Midlake, Elizabeth and the Catapult, The Polyphonic Spree, and Via Audio.

With an ear to late 60’s pop, Austin penned a battery of over sixty songs in early 2008. That summer, Rob Gungor and McKenzie Smith had begun experimenting with sounds and instrumentation, thoughtfully developing arrangements at Midlake’s studio. By October 2008, Austin had arrived in Denton and completed work on her first single “You Let Me Down”, winner of the John Lennon Songwriting Award for Pop as well as a Lennon Award. In October of 2009, OK SWEETHEART made the top 5 in Austin City Limit’s “The Sound and The Jury” competition. They are an official showcasing act in both 2010 and 2011 SXSW and at CMJ in NY.
- OKC Central

OK SWEETHEART – I Dare You Not to Like This


Posted by slackmeyer

on April 14, 2011M at 9:38 pm




After a week of serious discussions, it’s time for something a bit more fun. And I’m going to use this moment to promote the work of an Oklahoma duo who I believe are destined for a successful career in music (relative, of course, to today’s definition of all that). So am I so hip that I’m early to discovering these folks? No, not at all. I’ll leave that to people like Ferris O’Brien, who was onto these folks long before me. That said, I owe it to Kim Estlund, who somehow remembered me from the days when she was promoting DVDs and I was reviewing them (for those of you who don’t know, I wrote a column titled “Rewind” from 1997 to 2008). Anyway, thanks Kim for the great CD.

OK SWEETHEART is really good – and if you enjoy the above tune, visit their site, spread the word and maybe even add some of their tunes to your player.

Here’s the bio for OK SWEETHEART:

OK SWEETHEART: a group reminiscent of all the good things from mid-century pop, splits their time between Tulsa and New York.

Their well crafted simplicity pulls influence from classics such as Harry Nilsson, The Zombies, and Randy Newman. OK SWEETHEART’s uniquely pop sound is the result of an eclectic collaboration with members of Midlake, Elizabeth and the Catapult, The Polyphonic Spree, and Via Audio.

With an ear to late 60’s pop, Austin penned a battery of over sixty songs in early 2008. That summer, Rob Gungor and McKenzie Smith had begun experimenting with sounds and instrumentation, thoughtfully developing arrangements at Midlake’s studio. By October 2008, Austin had arrived in Denton and completed work on her first single “You Let Me Down”, winner of the John Lennon Songwriting Award for Pop as well as a Lennon Award. In October of 2009, OK SWEETHEART made the top 5 in Austin City Limit’s “The Sound and The Jury” competition. They are an official showcasing act in both 2010 and 2011 SXSW and at CMJ in NY.
- OKC Central

Cupcakes. They have been all the craze for the last few years, and beyond being delicious and adorable, they are the perfect spring-time nail color influencers. We blame OK Sweetheart's "Home" video and Kristin Wiig's Bridesmaids baking skills for giving us the sweet 'nail' (get it?), but we couldn't help but think there are some Nicole shades guaranteed to give you delectable nails. While you don't need to have little desserts on your tips (though we have seen some impressive nail art that looks good enough to eat), you can simply polish on similar shades as frosting hues to create a fun and flavorful look.

This video influenced us, what influences your nail color/look choices?






.
Beauty
Eats
cupcake nails
cupcakes
nail art
nail designs
Nail Polish
Nicole by OPI
pastel palette
- NicolebyOPI.com

Cupcakes. They have been all the craze for the last few years, and beyond being delicious and adorable, they are the perfect spring-time nail color influencers. We blame OK Sweetheart's "Home" video and Kristin Wiig's Bridesmaids baking skills for giving us the sweet 'nail' (get it?), but we couldn't help but think there are some Nicole shades guaranteed to give you delectable nails. While you don't need to have little desserts on your tips (though we have seen some impressive nail art that looks good enough to eat), you can simply polish on similar shades as frosting hues to create a fun and flavorful look.

This video influenced us, what influences your nail color/look choices?






.
Beauty
Eats
cupcake nails
cupcakes
nail art
nail designs
Nail Polish
Nicole by OPI
pastel palette
- NicolebyOPI.com

OK Sweetheart / The Treelines at Dan’s on Wed, 6/22

by Travis McAnelly


Style: Heartbreak-Pop
When: Wed, 6/22
Where: Dan’s

Ok Sweetheart is a band with members from various cities that span the nation. They swung through earlier this year and played 35C to critical acclaim. Now they’ve got their new album “Home” out and are touring in support of it, although lead singer-songwriter Erin Austin says there is albums worth of written material that they have yet to record. Catch the openers the Treelines and maybe get to see some of that new unreleased material from OK for $5.


- MyDentonMusic.com

When it comes to style, you can always count on the music crowd to take the most chances. Read on for some totally awesome indie girl picks and tips from some of Lucky's favorite rising stars.




Play Slideshow



Previous

19 / 28

Next





Erin Austin


Her Style: "Quirky vintage: The most consistent thing in my wardrobe is my J. Peterman Co.Heirloom Gladstone bag."


Her Sound: "My music could be described the same way! I listen to a lot of late '60s and '70s pop."

Watch her video for "Ok Sweetheart" here
- Lucky Magazine

When it comes to style, you can always count on the music crowd to take the most chances. Read on for some totally awesome indie girl picks and tips from some of Lucky's favorite rising stars.




Play Slideshow



Previous

19 / 28

Next





Erin Austin


Her Style: "Quirky vintage: The most consistent thing in my wardrobe is my J. Peterman Co.Heirloom Gladstone bag."


Her Sound: "My music could be described the same way! I listen to a lot of late '60s and '70s pop."

Watch her video for "Ok Sweetheart" here
- Lucky Magazine

OK SWEETHEART is a modern band rooted in late 60's pop, or what the band describes as "heartbreak pop". Consisting of core members lead singer Erin Austin and Rob Gungor, the project also claims several BestNewBands.com alums as collaborators on the group's full-length debut Home, including Elizabeth Ziman of Elizabeth & the Catapult and Matthew Gray of Matthew and the Arrogant Sea. I just got the album last week, and it's fantastic cover to cover. The group splits their time between Tulsa and New York, and they were kind enough to share their latest music video "Home" (see above). The video is beautifully shot and Erin's bubbly visage instantly charming, and the lighthearted concept is a perfect counterweight to the hefty lyrical topics. OK SWEETHEART has a knack for combining just the right amount of glimmering pop melodies with vulnerable confessions of anomie, but without ever feeling mopey or contrived. The album's first track "You Let Me Down" even won the 2008 John Lennon Songwriting Award. I first heard it performed at the 35 conferette in Denton last March, and I still can't seem to get the haunting chorus out of my head. Erin Austin's voice is breathy and girlish, and yet it somehow still comes across as mature and even world-weary at times. She and the band have something for just about anyone, bridging the gap between fans of indie bands like Rilo Kiley to the more indie-ish pop stars like Ingrid Michaelson and Lily Allen. They all wear their femininity proudly without ever veering too far into cutesy territory, and will move lovers and haters of female-fronted bands or anyone in the past, current, or future state of heartbreak.

OK SWEETHEART will be touring the west coast and Canada beginning in August with a stop at Redding California's Vintage Wine Bar before heading up to Washington for several dates. Their full-length debut album Home is absolutely incredible, and is now available for purchase on iTunes and Amazon. For more information on their upcoming shows and albums, please follow them on Facebook and Twitter.


http://bestnewbands.com/shows/item/1760-artist-of-the-week-vol-2-ok-sweetheart
- bestnewbands.com

OK SWEETHEART is a modern band rooted in late 60's pop, or what the band describes as "heartbreak pop". Consisting of core members lead singer Erin Austin and Rob Gungor, the project also claims several BestNewBands.com alums as collaborators on the group's full-length debut Home, including Elizabeth Ziman of Elizabeth & the Catapult and Matthew Gray of Matthew and the Arrogant Sea. I just got the album last week, and it's fantastic cover to cover. The group splits their time between Tulsa and New York, and they were kind enough to share their latest music video "Home" (see above). The video is beautifully shot and Erin's bubbly visage instantly charming, and the lighthearted concept is a perfect counterweight to the hefty lyrical topics. OK SWEETHEART has a knack for combining just the right amount of glimmering pop melodies with vulnerable confessions of anomie, but without ever feeling mopey or contrived. The album's first track "You Let Me Down" even won the 2008 John Lennon Songwriting Award. I first heard it performed at the 35 conferette in Denton last March, and I still can't seem to get the haunting chorus out of my head. Erin Austin's voice is breathy and girlish, and yet it somehow still comes across as mature and even world-weary at times. She and the band have something for just about anyone, bridging the gap between fans of indie bands like Rilo Kiley to the more indie-ish pop stars like Ingrid Michaelson and Lily Allen. They all wear their femininity proudly without ever veering too far into cutesy territory, and will move lovers and haters of female-fronted bands or anyone in the past, current, or future state of heartbreak.

OK SWEETHEART will be touring the west coast and Canada beginning in August with a stop at Redding California's Vintage Wine Bar before heading up to Washington for several dates. Their full-length debut album Home is absolutely incredible, and is now available for purchase on iTunes and Amazon. For more information on their upcoming shows and albums, please follow them on Facebook and Twitter.


http://bestnewbands.com/shows/item/1760-artist-of-the-week-vol-2-ok-sweetheart
- bestnewbands.com

OK SWEETHEART “Home”


You know I get a lot of music and videos sent to me, some good some not as good. Every once in awhile I get something out of left field that I’m not sure I’m gonna like and then I hear it or watch it and I’m smiling and nodding my head. This is one of those videos. The music matches the band name, it’s extremely sweet. And the video makes me want to eat sugar until I pass out from sugar overload. The best part of this though is the girls voice. I love the timbre of her voice! So watch the video and enjoy! I did.
- KWWL.com

OK SWEETHEART “Home”


You know I get a lot of music and videos sent to me, some good some not as good. Every once in awhile I get something out of left field that I’m not sure I’m gonna like and then I hear it or watch it and I’m smiling and nodding my head. This is one of those videos. The music matches the band name, it’s extremely sweet. And the video makes me want to eat sugar until I pass out from sugar overload. The best part of this though is the girls voice. I love the timbre of her voice! So watch the video and enjoy! I did.
- KWWL.com

OK Sweetheart coming to Fatty Arbuckles in Shreveport


OK Sweetheart coming to Fatty Arbuckles in Shreveport

Come and experience OK SWEETHEART on Friday June 24 at Fatty Arbuckles in Shreveport, LA.

An exciting new band from Tulsa, OK, lead singer Erin Austin and guitarist Rob Gungor formed in 2008, shortly after Austin won the John Lennon Songwriting Award for Pop for her song “You Let Me Down.”

In Oct 2009 they made the top 5 in Austin City Limit’s “The Sound and The Jury” competition. For the past 2 years, the band has been an official showcasing act at SXSW and at CMJ in NY. Recently, their single “Home” was featured on the CW’s season finale of 90210.

The band’s debut album, “Home” is now available at all digital retailers. Please visit www.OKSweetheart.com for more information.

To hear “You Let Me Down” and other selected tracks from “Home,” please visit the band’s MySpace page http://www.myspace.com/erinaustinmusic

http://northshreveport.ksla.com/news/arts-culture/ok-sweetheart-coming-fatty-arbuckles-shreveport/45476
- KSLA.com

OK Sweetheart coming to Fatty Arbuckles in Shreveport


OK Sweetheart coming to Fatty Arbuckles in Shreveport

Come and experience OK SWEETHEART on Friday June 24 at Fatty Arbuckles in Shreveport, LA.

An exciting new band from Tulsa, OK, lead singer Erin Austin and guitarist Rob Gungor formed in 2008, shortly after Austin won the John Lennon Songwriting Award for Pop for her song “You Let Me Down.”

In Oct 2009 they made the top 5 in Austin City Limit’s “The Sound and The Jury” competition. For the past 2 years, the band has been an official showcasing act at SXSW and at CMJ in NY. Recently, their single “Home” was featured on the CW’s season finale of 90210.

The band’s debut album, “Home” is now available at all digital retailers. Please visit www.OKSweetheart.com for more information.

To hear “You Let Me Down” and other selected tracks from “Home,” please visit the band’s MySpace page http://www.myspace.com/erinaustinmusic

http://northshreveport.ksla.com/news/arts-culture/ok-sweetheart-coming-fatty-arbuckles-shreveport/45476
- KSLA.com

OK Sweetheart – Home (Self Released)
Album Reviews
ElmoreMagazine.com | June 16th, 2011 by Elmore Magazine



OK Sweetheart has roots in Oklahoma, Texas, New York and just as evidently, pop music. Their debut album, Home, explores all those places and many more. Kicking off with disappointment (“You Let Me Down”), arching with illusions (“Forever and Always”) and rounding out with satisfaction (“Before You Go”), the album is a symbol for how singer-songwriter Erin Austin feels about home: you may not always love it, but in the end, you love it for all those reasons you thought you originally didn’t.

That thought is highlighted on the titular track, as Austin explores the complicated feelings, and ultimate loyalty, toward an abandoned hometown. The lyrics are the simplest on the album, but that makes free range for Austin’s voice, a Billie Holiday/Zooey Deschanel hybrid and OK Sweetheart’s most vital instrument.

If Home is where you rest your head, there’s surely a few sleepers on this album, yet you can’t help but perk back up to lyrics like “impulsive at best” and “I think I’m fine, but then my boobs start sagging.” Such little quips characterize OK Sweetheart’s pop-vintage sound. You would almost imagine Austin dancing around in a full dress from the ’60s, if you couldn’t tell she was a bit too much of a rebel.

Emily Regenold
- Elmore Magazine

OK Sweetheart – Home (Self Released)
Album Reviews
ElmoreMagazine.com | June 16th, 2011 by Elmore Magazine



OK Sweetheart has roots in Oklahoma, Texas, New York and just as evidently, pop music. Their debut album, Home, explores all those places and many more. Kicking off with disappointment (“You Let Me Down”), arching with illusions (“Forever and Always”) and rounding out with satisfaction (“Before You Go”), the album is a symbol for how singer-songwriter Erin Austin feels about home: you may not always love it, but in the end, you love it for all those reasons you thought you originally didn’t.

That thought is highlighted on the titular track, as Austin explores the complicated feelings, and ultimate loyalty, toward an abandoned hometown. The lyrics are the simplest on the album, but that makes free range for Austin’s voice, a Billie Holiday/Zooey Deschanel hybrid and OK Sweetheart’s most vital instrument.

If Home is where you rest your head, there’s surely a few sleepers on this album, yet you can’t help but perk back up to lyrics like “impulsive at best” and “I think I’m fine, but then my boobs start sagging.” Such little quips characterize OK Sweetheart’s pop-vintage sound. You would almost imagine Austin dancing around in a full dress from the ’60s, if you couldn’t tell she was a bit too much of a rebel.

Emily Regenold
- Elmore Magazine

35 Conferette '11: OK Sweetheart

By Preston Jones

Friday, Mar. 11, 2011

Denton The organizers of 35 Conferette really couldn't have asked for better weather conditions with which to kick off the third edition of their four-day music conference/festival -- it was downright perfect as small crowds began filtering into Denton's historic square for the initial bands. New this year is the addition of three outdoor stages, two of which are on Hickory Street, which has been partially blocked off, and the third resides in the square. OK Sweetheart was the first band I took in; the vibe was ideal for the sunny, breezy afternoon. Easygoing pop, given wings by vocalist Erin Austin's impressive pipes, kissed by soul and rock. A great opening salvo.


http://www.dfw.com/2011/03/11/422120_35-conferette-11-ok-sweetheart.html
- dfw.com

35 Conferette '11: OK Sweetheart

By Preston Jones

Friday, Mar. 11, 2011

Denton The organizers of 35 Conferette really couldn't have asked for better weather conditions with which to kick off the third edition of their four-day music conference/festival -- it was downright perfect as small crowds began filtering into Denton's historic square for the initial bands. New this year is the addition of three outdoor stages, two of which are on Hickory Street, which has been partially blocked off, and the third resides in the square. OK Sweetheart was the first band I took in; the vibe was ideal for the sunny, breezy afternoon. Easygoing pop, given wings by vocalist Erin Austin's impressive pipes, kissed by soul and rock. A great opening salvo.


http://www.dfw.com/2011/03/11/422120_35-conferette-11-ok-sweetheart.html
- dfw.com

Tonight: OK Sweetheart at Meadowlark By Bree Davies


oksweetheart.jpgHeld down by the Billie Holiday-channeling vocals of Erin Austin, OK Sweetheart (performing tonight at Meadowlark with Megan Burtt, Jamie Mefford, Teresa Storch and Chris Webb) offers a comforting blend of vintage tones and straightforward pop music. The band's moniker -- which is actually short for Oklahoma Sweetheart -- was christened via a tweet to Austin, who is actually from upstate New York.

The group's song "Home" was given some hefty exposure when it was featured on episodes of One Tree Hill and 90210 just this year, but Austin has been kicking around since 2007 as a solo artist, long before OK Sweetheart became a full-fledged band. This show is 21 and up; doors open at 7 p.m., and performances begin at 8 p.m.



http://blogs.westword.com/backbeat/2011/07/tonight_ok_sweetheart_at_meado.php
- Denver Westword Blogs

Tonight: OK Sweetheart at Meadowlark By Bree Davies


oksweetheart.jpgHeld down by the Billie Holiday-channeling vocals of Erin Austin, OK Sweetheart (performing tonight at Meadowlark with Megan Burtt, Jamie Mefford, Teresa Storch and Chris Webb) offers a comforting blend of vintage tones and straightforward pop music. The band's moniker -- which is actually short for Oklahoma Sweetheart -- was christened via a tweet to Austin, who is actually from upstate New York.

The group's song "Home" was given some hefty exposure when it was featured on episodes of One Tree Hill and 90210 just this year, but Austin has been kicking around since 2007 as a solo artist, long before OK Sweetheart became a full-fledged band. This show is 21 and up; doors open at 7 p.m., and performances begin at 8 p.m.



http://blogs.westword.com/backbeat/2011/07/tonight_ok_sweetheart_at_meado.php
- Denver Westword Blogs

OK Sweetheart / The Treelines at Dan’s – 9pm – $5

What’s that? You gotta have your live music fix tonight? Well, you’re in luck. Local favs OK Sweetheart take the stage at Dan’s Silverleaf with a host of other lady Denton artists. Tiger Darrow, Sam Robertson, and The Treelines (feat. Ryan Becker and Grady Sandlin) open the show. http://dentoneer.com/tag/ok-sweetheart/
- Dentoneer

OK Sweetheart / The Treelines at Dan’s – 9pm – $5

What’s that? You gotta have your live music fix tonight? Well, you’re in luck. Local favs OK Sweetheart take the stage at Dan’s Silverleaf with a host of other lady Denton artists. Tiger Darrow, Sam Robertson, and The Treelines (feat. Ryan Becker and Grady Sandlin) open the show. http://dentoneer.com/tag/ok-sweetheart/
- Dentoneer

‘Home’ has OK Sweetheart feeling restless

By Lucinda Breeding

OK Sweetheart’s Erin Austin is thrilled to be on the road performing songs from the band’s debut album, Home. But she’s also champing at the bit to get the second record done.

“I feel terrible for saying this, but I’m kind of bored with the album,” Austin said. “We’ve got songs for another five records, and I’m sort of ready to move on.”

Courtesy photo


Erin Austin and Rob Gungor are the mainstays of OK Sweetheart, a band that has members in New York, California and Denton. Right now, Austin lives in New York. The band will play Dan’s Silverleaf on Wednesday night, and is touring in support of its debut album, Home.

OK Sweetheart scored a set on the main stage during 35 Conferette in March, just one month before Home was released. Austin sounded anything but bored, drawing the crowd in with her steamy vocals and a set list that fused light and shadow.

The band started out as a solo project for Austin, then grew into a group that identifies Tulsa, Okla., as its home base. OK Sweetheart has ties to Denton through Midlake drummer McKenzie Smith, and San Francisco through keyboard man Rob Gungor. Austin’s heart might rest in Tulsa, but she’s working the singer-songwriter circuit from its New York City center.

Home is an album that starts out happy and ends in heartbreak. The album has gotten a nice bump from tracks recently played on television shows. The title track was played on One Tree Hill, and another song made it onto 90210.

“The funny thing is, I don’t watch TV. I didn’t even know there was another 90210,” Austin said. “I remember watching 90210 when I was in high school and middle school.”

She and friends made a trek to a bar in Austin, Texas, to watch the episode of One Tree Hill, and when they got there, the musician said her phone “just blew up” with messages from friends and family who caught the song on CW’s young adult soap opera.

“We thought it was going to be on toward the end,” Austin said. “It turns out it was in one of the first scenes. So I totally missed it.”

Home is suitable for a television episode. With moody music and Austin’s sultry voice, the album makes ample use of everything from girlish pluck to a deeper, more wise-to-the-world maturity.

Each of the 12 tracks is approachable and memorable. Austin said she spent a lot of time translating her classical music training into marketable pop music-making.

She looked for guidance from some of pop music’s greats. It didn’t escape her that the most important contributors — such as the Beatles, Neil Young and Billie Holiday — pitched their music at the midrange, and wrote simple songs that stick in the brain.

“I think I’ve always wanted the melody to be memorable, something that people can hum when they walk away. I don’t want to sing something in four octaves that people can’t sing along with,” Austin said. “The melody is almost everything, even more than the music, even more than the words. The melody is the most important thing.

“I’ve gotten over this thing where you say, ‘I’ve got to do something totally original.’ Everything has been done before. That note has been sung before. I want to make music that’s timeless.”

They’re with the band: Erin Austin, vocals; Rob Gungor, keyboards and vocals; David Gungor, bass; McKenzie Smith, drums and percussion; and Max Townsley, guitar.

Details: OK Sweetheart plays Wednesday at Dan’s Silverleaf, 103 Industrial St. Doors open at 9 p.m. Cover is $5. Call 940-320-2000 . http://www.dentonrc.com/sharedcontent/dws/drc/entertainment/dentontime/stories/DRC_Home-Sweetheart_0616.3c6e38ddf.html
- DentonRC.com

‘Home’ has OK Sweetheart feeling restless

By Lucinda Breeding

OK Sweetheart’s Erin Austin is thrilled to be on the road performing songs from the band’s debut album, Home. But she’s also champing at the bit to get the second record done.

“I feel terrible for saying this, but I’m kind of bored with the album,” Austin said. “We’ve got songs for another five records, and I’m sort of ready to move on.”

Courtesy photo


Erin Austin and Rob Gungor are the mainstays of OK Sweetheart, a band that has members in New York, California and Denton. Right now, Austin lives in New York. The band will play Dan’s Silverleaf on Wednesday night, and is touring in support of its debut album, Home.

OK Sweetheart scored a set on the main stage during 35 Conferette in March, just one month before Home was released. Austin sounded anything but bored, drawing the crowd in with her steamy vocals and a set list that fused light and shadow.

The band started out as a solo project for Austin, then grew into a group that identifies Tulsa, Okla., as its home base. OK Sweetheart has ties to Denton through Midlake drummer McKenzie Smith, and San Francisco through keyboard man Rob Gungor. Austin’s heart might rest in Tulsa, but she’s working the singer-songwriter circuit from its New York City center.

Home is an album that starts out happy and ends in heartbreak. The album has gotten a nice bump from tracks recently played on television shows. The title track was played on One Tree Hill, and another song made it onto 90210.

“The funny thing is, I don’t watch TV. I didn’t even know there was another 90210,” Austin said. “I remember watching 90210 when I was in high school and middle school.”

She and friends made a trek to a bar in Austin, Texas, to watch the episode of One Tree Hill, and when they got there, the musician said her phone “just blew up” with messages from friends and family who caught the song on CW’s young adult soap opera.

“We thought it was going to be on toward the end,” Austin said. “It turns out it was in one of the first scenes. So I totally missed it.”

Home is suitable for a television episode. With moody music and Austin’s sultry voice, the album makes ample use of everything from girlish pluck to a deeper, more wise-to-the-world maturity.

Each of the 12 tracks is approachable and memorable. Austin said she spent a lot of time translating her classical music training into marketable pop music-making.

She looked for guidance from some of pop music’s greats. It didn’t escape her that the most important contributors — such as the Beatles, Neil Young and Billie Holiday — pitched their music at the midrange, and wrote simple songs that stick in the brain.

“I think I’ve always wanted the melody to be memorable, something that people can hum when they walk away. I don’t want to sing something in four octaves that people can’t sing along with,” Austin said. “The melody is almost everything, even more than the music, even more than the words. The melody is the most important thing.

“I’ve gotten over this thing where you say, ‘I’ve got to do something totally original.’ Everything has been done before. That note has been sung before. I want to make music that’s timeless.”

They’re with the band: Erin Austin, vocals; Rob Gungor, keyboards and vocals; David Gungor, bass; McKenzie Smith, drums and percussion; and Max Townsley, guitar.

Details: OK Sweetheart plays Wednesday at Dan’s Silverleaf, 103 Industrial St. Doors open at 9 p.m. Cover is $5. Call 940-320-2000 . http://www.dentonrc.com/sharedcontent/dws/drc/entertainment/dentontime/stories/DRC_Home-Sweetheart_0616.3c6e38ddf.html
- DentonRC.com

Restrained depth

OK Sweetheart vocalist gives insight on creative process

Friday, March 11, 2011

By Lucinda Breeding / Features Editor

Erin Austin, the lead singer and chief songwriter of OK Sweetheart, said Denton has had a major influence on the band, which opens 35 Conferette today on one of three outdoor main stages.

The conferette is one part music festival and one part brainstorm, a miniature mushroom cloud of bands and discussions about what art and music mean to the city and the region.


Erin Austin, lead singer and chief songwriter of OK Sweetheart.

OK Sweetheart keeps a foot in Denton, the other foot in New York and its heart in Tulsa.

Consequently, the band’s music revels in wised-up lyrics direct from the big city and marinates in a Southwestern spaciousness.

Austin’s wistful voice is the soul of OK Sweetheart, and guitarist Rob Gungor fleshes out her compositions with strings, winds and a whole lot of feeling.

When they perform live, the duo is often joined by McKenzie Smith, the drummer of Denton’s Midlake; Jeremy Buller, a versatile Denton guitarist; and others. Together, they make the kind of music a movie producer would snap up for a low-budget independent movie about first love or first heartbreak.

Austin’s melodies are easy to remember and sweet to the ear. It has just enough emotional depth to keep you interested, but Austin and Gungor know when to exercise restraint.

The band performs at 4:15 p.m. on Main Stage 1.

The Denton Record-Chronicle caught up with Austin to talk about the band, its music and the festival.

Q: Tell me about your songwriting process.

A: I first started writing as a kid. I would walk around the house as a kid writing songs and singing. The first time I put anything on paper, I was 9. It was just sort of automatic. I started playing piano and studied classical music and opera at college. I never dreamed that I would be able to marry the two and make a living at it. We had a small studio in San Francisco. I would basically lock myself into the studio for four hours. It was awful and it was great. Some days I would write five songs. Other days I would write two lines.

Q: When you write a song, do you have an idea of how you want it to sound? Or do you give it to Rob and let him do his thing?

A: I’ll write the melody and chord progressions and all that. Sometimes, I’ll be like, “I want the bass line to go like this,” but really, that’s what Rob is really, really good at. Rob studied jazz at [the University of North Texas] and he learned how to arrange music while he was there. He’s really an amazing arranger.

Q: Do you set out to do your shows differently than you do them in the studio?

A: Yeah, it does end up being different. It all depends on the arrangement we have. Sometimes, we might have an opportunity to have a string section. Sometimes, it’s just me, Rob and a drummer. We want the experience to be unique; we want it to be just for them [the audience]. We want it to be different. We feel like it’s important that people deserve to get something special.

Q: You studied opera, but how do you keep from defaulting to that style instead of a more natural pop sound when you sing?

A: Yeah, that’s a really funny thing. When you stay with something for so long, you get stuck. The guys in Midlake talk about this, too. You’re so used to playing like you did in music school. But at some point, you have to scrap it and start over. You can’t worry. You have to go on and know that that isn’t the only way to play.

Q: You have an album coming out pretty soon?

A: Yes, finally! It’s taken a long time, I know. For a while, I figured we could tour and get the album done whenever, but McKenzie said “you really should have a record.” I’d just won the John Lennon Songwriting award, so I knew I had something to put on a record. People have been waiting for me to get my crap together, and now - DentonRC.com

Restrained depth

OK Sweetheart vocalist gives insight on creative process

Friday, March 11, 2011

By Lucinda Breeding / Features Editor

Erin Austin, the lead singer and chief songwriter of OK Sweetheart, said Denton has had a major influence on the band, which opens 35 Conferette today on one of three outdoor main stages.

The conferette is one part music festival and one part brainstorm, a miniature mushroom cloud of bands and discussions about what art and music mean to the city and the region.


Erin Austin, lead singer and chief songwriter of OK Sweetheart.

OK Sweetheart keeps a foot in Denton, the other foot in New York and its heart in Tulsa.

Consequently, the band’s music revels in wised-up lyrics direct from the big city and marinates in a Southwestern spaciousness.

Austin’s wistful voice is the soul of OK Sweetheart, and guitarist Rob Gungor fleshes out her compositions with strings, winds and a whole lot of feeling.

When they perform live, the duo is often joined by McKenzie Smith, the drummer of Denton’s Midlake; Jeremy Buller, a versatile Denton guitarist; and others. Together, they make the kind of music a movie producer would snap up for a low-budget independent movie about first love or first heartbreak.

Austin’s melodies are easy to remember and sweet to the ear. It has just enough emotional depth to keep you interested, but Austin and Gungor know when to exercise restraint.

The band performs at 4:15 p.m. on Main Stage 1.

The Denton Record-Chronicle caught up with Austin to talk about the band, its music and the festival.

Q: Tell me about your songwriting process.

A: I first started writing as a kid. I would walk around the house as a kid writing songs and singing. The first time I put anything on paper, I was 9. It was just sort of automatic. I started playing piano and studied classical music and opera at college. I never dreamed that I would be able to marry the two and make a living at it. We had a small studio in San Francisco. I would basically lock myself into the studio for four hours. It was awful and it was great. Some days I would write five songs. Other days I would write two lines.

Q: When you write a song, do you have an idea of how you want it to sound? Or do you give it to Rob and let him do his thing?

A: I’ll write the melody and chord progressions and all that. Sometimes, I’ll be like, “I want the bass line to go like this,” but really, that’s what Rob is really, really good at. Rob studied jazz at [the University of North Texas] and he learned how to arrange music while he was there. He’s really an amazing arranger.

Q: Do you set out to do your shows differently than you do them in the studio?

A: Yeah, it does end up being different. It all depends on the arrangement we have. Sometimes, we might have an opportunity to have a string section. Sometimes, it’s just me, Rob and a drummer. We want the experience to be unique; we want it to be just for them [the audience]. We want it to be different. We feel like it’s important that people deserve to get something special.

Q: You studied opera, but how do you keep from defaulting to that style instead of a more natural pop sound when you sing?

A: Yeah, that’s a really funny thing. When you stay with something for so long, you get stuck. The guys in Midlake talk about this, too. You’re so used to playing like you did in music school. But at some point, you have to scrap it and start over. You can’t worry. You have to go on and know that that isn’t the only way to play.

Q: You have an album coming out pretty soon?

A: Yes, finally! It’s taken a long time, I know. For a while, I figured we could tour and get the album done whenever, but McKenzie said “you really should have a record.” I’d just won the John Lennon Songwriting award, so I knew I had something to put on a record. People have been waiting for me to get my crap together, and now - DentonRC.com

Bonus MP3: OK Sweetheart - Before You Go


erinstudio1.jpg

Splitting time between Tulsa, San Francisco, Denton and New York City, OK Sweetheart is grounded by the seductively soulful voice of Erin Austin. Sounding quite a bit like Mazzy Star's Hope Sandoval, Austin has an evocative set of pipes that suits the band's dreamy vibe perfectly. Although the band's name might suggest an alt-country bent, OK Sweetheart actually plays music that leans in more of an indie rock direction, with a hint of jazz thrown in to boot. Slow and meditative, the band's mellow grooves are the ideal backdrop for Austin's earthy vocal tones. With help from members of Midlake and The Polyphonic Spree, OK Sweetheart recorded Home, the band's debut full-length effort, which was released this past April. Tonight, the band comes to Denton -- just one of its four home bases -- for a gig at Dan's Silverleaf alongside Sam Robertson and Tiger Darrow. In anticipation of tonight's event, OK Sweetheart was gracious enough to offer up one of Home's best cuts, "Before You Go," as a free MP3 for readers of DC9. Check it out after the jump.

http://www.fatdaddysdallas.com/dad-s-dallas-venue-club-concert-band-news/bonus-mp3-ok-sweetheart-quot-before-you-go-quot?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
- Dad's Venue

Bonus MP3: OK Sweetheart - Before You Go


erinstudio1.jpg

Splitting time between Tulsa, San Francisco, Denton and New York City, OK Sweetheart is grounded by the seductively soulful voice of Erin Austin. Sounding quite a bit like Mazzy Star's Hope Sandoval, Austin has an evocative set of pipes that suits the band's dreamy vibe perfectly. Although the band's name might suggest an alt-country bent, OK Sweetheart actually plays music that leans in more of an indie rock direction, with a hint of jazz thrown in to boot. Slow and meditative, the band's mellow grooves are the ideal backdrop for Austin's earthy vocal tones. With help from members of Midlake and The Polyphonic Spree, OK Sweetheart recorded Home, the band's debut full-length effort, which was released this past April. Tonight, the band comes to Denton -- just one of its four home bases -- for a gig at Dan's Silverleaf alongside Sam Robertson and Tiger Darrow. In anticipation of tonight's event, OK Sweetheart was gracious enough to offer up one of Home's best cuts, "Before You Go," as a free MP3 for readers of DC9. Check it out after the jump.

http://www.fatdaddysdallas.com/dad-s-dallas-venue-club-concert-band-news/bonus-mp3-ok-sweetheart-quot-before-you-go-quot?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
- Dad's Venue

See OK Sweetheart at Bend’s Bo Restobar

April 08. 2011

Here’s a last-second Monday night treat for Central Oregon music fans: OK Sweetheart, a band that calls New York, Texas and San Francisco all home, will stop at Bo Restobar for a show.

OK Sweetheart’s principal figure is Erin Austin, a singer-songwriter with a honeyed voice and a sharp ear for throwback pop music. Collaborating with members of the brilliant Texas band Midlake, Austin crafted her debut full-length album “Home,” which was released this week and sounds really terrific. You can sample much of it at www .oksweetheart.com.

OK Sweetheart’s 1960s fetish, vintage vibe and breezy melodies recall She & Him (except the songs are better). Austin’s got one of those distinctive singing voices, too, so if you listen to “Home” and think it sounds like local singer-songwriter Sara Jackson-Holman fronting a more soulful “Summerteeth”-era Wilco, well, then you and I are on the same page.

OK Sweetheart ; 8 p.m. Monday; free; Bo Restobar, 550 N.W. Franklin Ave., Bend; 541-617-8880 . http://www.bendbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110408/NEWS0107/104080321/1002/NEWS01&nav_category=NEWS01
- The Bulletin

See OK Sweetheart at Bend’s Bo Restobar

April 08. 2011

Here’s a last-second Monday night treat for Central Oregon music fans: OK Sweetheart, a band that calls New York, Texas and San Francisco all home, will stop at Bo Restobar for a show.

OK Sweetheart’s principal figure is Erin Austin, a singer-songwriter with a honeyed voice and a sharp ear for throwback pop music. Collaborating with members of the brilliant Texas band Midlake, Austin crafted her debut full-length album “Home,” which was released this week and sounds really terrific. You can sample much of it at www .oksweetheart.com.

OK Sweetheart’s 1960s fetish, vintage vibe and breezy melodies recall She & Him (except the songs are better). Austin’s got one of those distinctive singing voices, too, so if you listen to “Home” and think it sounds like local singer-songwriter Sara Jackson-Holman fronting a more soulful “Summerteeth”-era Wilco, well, then you and I are on the same page.

OK Sweetheart ; 8 p.m. Monday; free; Bo Restobar, 550 N.W. Franklin Ave., Bend; 541-617-8880 . http://www.bendbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110408/NEWS0107/104080321/1002/NEWS01&nav_category=NEWS01
- The Bulletin

June 27, 2011 Track by Track with Paul Slavens: OK Sweetheart

“Track By Track” appears every other week on Art&Seek. During the podcast, Texas musicians play their new albums and discuss what went into making them with Paul Slavens, host of The Paul Slavens Show Sunday nights at 8 on KXT, 91.7 FM. You can download and subscribe to the podcast right here. Paul’s previous podcast featured Don Cento talking about the debut release of his new band, El Cento. This time, Paul talks to Erin Austin and Rob Gungor of OK Sweetheart about their new album, Home. The album was co-produced by McKenzie Smith of Midlake. http://www.blubrry.com/keratrackbytrack/1080082/track-by-track-with-paul-slavens-ok-sweetheart/
- blubryy.com

HEAR THIS!
MARATHON MANIA
At the CMJ Music Marathon, running Tuesday to next Saturday at 75 venues around town, you might see the next Yo La Tengo — or Yo La Tengo. The popular rock trio, performing Tuesday at 8 p.m. at Brooklyn Bowl, is just one of more than 1,205 acts playing the 30th annual fest. The marathon “is a place where artists from around the world and in different genres come to get noticed,” says Bobby Haber, founder of the fest, which also includes seminars and films.
“You never know when it’ll be the performance of a lifetime,” he adds — like the 1993 show with Green Day, Flaming Lips and “a young comic named Adam Sandler” and a ’97 pre-Fergie Black Eyed Peas.
Erin Austin, whose Texas- and Tulsa-based group OK Sweetheart kicks things off at 1 p.m. Tuesday at Arlene’s Grocery, says, “It’s great that you can go see a bunch of bands any time of the day.” And onstage, “we’ll just go in and do our thing.” You should, too. A variety of ticket packages are available. Check CMJ2010.com for schedule and details.
— Billy Heller - NY Post

The annual hipster music festival known as the CMJ Music Marathon hits Manhattan clubs and bars this week.

Some bands you may have heard of, some you'll never hear from again. For three decades, the point of the festival has been to introduce new artists to industry professionals.

Gigs started at 1 p.m. Tuesday, with a band called OK Sweetheart playing at Arlene's Grocery on the Lower East Side.

Le Poisson Rouge in Greenwich Village, Bowery Ballroom on the Lower East Side, Webster Hall in the East Village and Highline Ballroom in Chelsea are among the Manhattan venues where music lovers can catch up-and-coming bands.

Past notables include Lady Gaga, R.E.M., Black Eyed Peas and Arcade Fire. This year, little-known acts like Funeral Party and The Bewitched Hands On Top of Our Heads are hoping the festival will help them break through.

For more than a decade, the film festival portion of the event has grown in impoartance. "Pulp Fiction" had its debut at CMJ, and in past years the festival has hosted advance screenings of such major hits as "Fight Club" and the New York debut of "Borat."

This year's slate of film premieres includes "Love & Other Drugs" starring Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal, the highly-anticipated Bruce Springsteen documentary called "The Promise: Darkness on the Edge of Town" and "Circus Maximus," a feature about a negligent screenwriter who attempts to complete a feature-length screenplay over the course of a weekend.


Read more: http://www.dnainfo.com/20101019/manhattan/hipsters-music-lovers-rejoice-cmj-music-festival-takes-over-manhattan-clubs#ixzz14ezfEIa1 - Jordan Haeler - DNA info

Baby, I’ll give you a reason to believe in love again, ’cause we have all, we have LOVE LOVE LOVE…

Serendipitously discovered during these lazy days, I knew, when I first heard OK SWEETHEART, that something resonates on me, not sure what it is, but I knew it hit my heart like never before, it was like… falling in love for the first time.

Ok SweetheartWith a voice that will make you go weak at the knees, Erin Austin, Ok Sweetheart’s front vocal, delivers on their debut album a reminiscent of all the good things from late 60’s vintage pop full of well crafted songs like “Traitor“, “We ‘ve got Love” or the straightforward piano ballad “All We Have“. With an accurate listening, be certain there is something that makes these songs so special: they are made with love, lyrically and vocally, each tune, each word, each melody shines through and makes everything so deliciously simple and pure.

This is the result of a perfect collaboration between Erin Austin and her husband/producer Rob Gungor with the help from members of Midlake, Elizabeth and the Catapult, The Polyphonic Spree, and Via Audio.

The story began in early 2008, that summer, Rob Gungor and McKenzie Smith had begun experimenting with sounds and instrumentation, thoughtfully developing arrangements at Midlake’s studio. By October 2008, Erin Austin had arrived in Denton and completed work on her first single “You Let Me Down“, winner of the John Lennon Songwriting Award for Pop as well as a Lennon Award. In January of 2009, Smith, Austin, and Gungor opened Retrofit Studios in Denton, Texas.

Over the course of a year, the new album took shape and transformed from an Erin Austin solo album into what is now known as OK SWEETHEART. Overall, the pair shared that it was a hard decision as Austin does all of the songwriting and Gungor doesn’t really feel like it’s a band project. On the other hand, his production ideas are what shape the sound of the record and in Austin’s words “Without all of the people involved, I’d just be writing songs — just me and my piano. It wouldn’t be nearly as cool and vibey without these guys.”

As such, OK SWEETHEART was born perhaps more out of a collaborative spirit than a collaboration on the songwriting, but it’s definitely a product of Austin and Gungor’s combined efforts.

When mixing Austin’s simple songwriter instincts and Gungor’s composer vision, OK SWEETHEART becomes a pop project of depth and multiple layers. While very much contemporary and in the now, a steady diet of The Beatles while in writing mode (at Gungor’s insistence, as influenced by Smith) and Gungor’s newfound love of The Zombies infuses the album with a classic warmth that recalls the orchestral pop tendencies of both of those bands. Even so, the final product still fits incredibly well within both indie and commercial pop windows.

With this debut album, OK SWEETHEART gets ready to open yet another chapter in its memoirs. After celebrating the release of the new disc in Tulsa (Texas), the duo takes its band to the west coast in November to showcase in Seattle and play the famous Hotel Café in Los Angeles in November. With dates soon to be announce, the group will work its way toward New York for the CMJ showcase than back across the US in a full on North American tour that will include a mix of showcases, club shows and house concerts, in order to put this Sweet Sweetheart under the spotlights. - CTN MUSIC

OK Sweetheart is the new alias for singer/songwriter Erin Austin's collaboration with arrangers and bandmates Rob Gungor and McKenzie Smith. Formerly working under her own name, Austin won a Lennon award in 2008 for her debut single "You Let Me Down." The group has since come through with many more awesome tunes.

Most of the songs are melancholic, but they have a winning, late-60's sound that has been aptly compared to Randy Newman and the Zombies. Austin's voice fits the material like a glove, and the simple arrangements flesh out the tracks nicely without being overwhelming. Like most emotionally charged pop, the subject matter oscillates from the sad to the optimistic, with Austin's quality tunes patching up all of the wounds the band could possibly sing about.

OK Sweetheart is currently on the West Coast leg of a US tour, so if you're west of the Rockies make sure to check these guys out. -peter menniti


Read more: new music: ok sweetheart http://www.baeblemusic.com/musicblog/10-28-2010/new-music:-ok-sweetheart.html#ixzz14eyOicen
Live Music, Right Now - Baeble Music

In her own performance, Austin used her soulful, jazzy voice to woo the crowd with her lyrics about love, death and all the liars and manipulators of the world. Can you say female empowerment?

Carli Baylor
Dallas Observer
October 9, 2009 - Dallas Observer

OK Sweetheart

The band: The new moniker for the band of singer-songwriter Erin Austin, a woman about country — raised in upstate New York, college-educated in Tulsa, Oklahoma, moved to San Francisco and currently living and recording in Denton — with a charming, smooth voice.

Point of origin: Denton, by way of San Francisco

American-Statesman: You’re currently recording an album in Denton with Midlake drummer McKenzie Smith. What’s your experience living and recording in Denton been like?

Erin Austin: There’s such an amazing community of musicians in Denton that are so open and so generous. There’s something about Denton that’s just crazy magical. There’s this overwhelming musical generosity. It’s like, I just called the cellist from the Polyphonic Spree and she came over after dinner and spent seven hours putting down a cello part. That’s how my whole record’s been. It’s all these people I know and respect musically coming together and helping me.

AS: Your education is is in classical music — what led to you pursue pop singing and songwriting?

EA: I never really enjoyed singing classical, which is maybe a bad thing to say because I majored in it in college! But it was ingrained in me, since I started doing it when I was 12, so that’s why I went into a classical program. My parents were really conservative so I listened to a lot of Christian pop when I was real little. When I first started public school in fifth grade, because we rode a bus that played secular music on the radio, we had these Walkmens and could listen to our Amy Grant or whatever 80s Christian artist. But as soon as I realized the bus was playing pop music I’d take off my headphones. Pop music was such a secret music to me when I was little and it was really fun uncovering it. Eventually I decided classical wasn’t really who I was. I listened to Wilco, Andrew Bird, Death Cab for Cutie … it got to where I said “Why don’t I do music like that, like the people I love?”

Patrick Caldwell
Austin Statesman
September 29th, 2009 - Austin Statesman; austin360

In one corner we have Erin Austin, a Denton/Brooklyn/San Francisco treat whose powerful voice wraps around plinking, jazz-laced Americana instrumentation to create effervescent earthy tones in the manner of Eisley, Neko Case, and Jenny Lewis.

Granted, there are many singer-songwriters milling about festival stages these days, but for good reason. It was just a few years ago that dozens of female recording artists broke onto the scene as though there had been some sort of freak Kate Bush-cloning accident. Tori, Fiona, and even Regina all sounded like Kate Bush, but everyone seemed okay with that. We may be seeing similar reincarnations of June Carter Cash these days with the rise of folk, and once again, the festival circuit is embracing trends in female recording artists and letting these earthy-twangy gals play as much music as they wish.

That's the long and short of why I think Erin Austin would be a perfect fit on this year's Austin City Limits bill.

Sarah Crisman
Pegasus News
September 29th, 2009 - Pegasus News

With a voice that echoes Zooey Deschanel and Eisley, and a faithful band of jazzers lending grit to the earthy Americana-undertones of OK Sweetheart, Erin Austin plays music for the joy of it -- and it comes across in her playful, yet substantial tunes.

What possessed you to become a musician?

It's what really makes me happy. There are lots of other things I enjoy doing, but nothing as much as making music.

How long have you been playing?

I've been singing as long as I can remember. I started formal classical voice lessons when I was 12. I started piano when I was 4 years old but am admittedly not an amazing player. Working on it.

Do you write music as well?

Yes, I write music.

Who are your top five musical influences?

Depending on what day you ask me, this answer changes. As for the answer today, Rob Gungor, Randy Newman, Harry Nilsson, The Beatles, and The Zombies.

What's your secret to kicking ass in the Boys Club?

I prefer Guinness and play a mean game of poker.

Favorite local bands?

Denton: Midlake, Matthew and the Arrogant Sea, Sarah Jaffe, and Doug Burr.

Brooklyn: Elizabeth and the Catapult, The Fieros, HYMNS, Via Audio, The Prigs, Jeff Taylor, Dirty Projectors and The Spring Standards

San Francisco: John Vanderslice and Sean Barnett

There are a few musicians (yourself included) who split their time between San Francisco and Denton. What's the biggest difference between the two scenes, and conversely, how are they alike?

In Denton, I hang out with a lot of old jazzers gone rock or pop. At UNT, a number of them discovered Radiohead and then let the flood gates open. In San Francisco, I didn't find this to be the case. There was a big divide between the jazzers/heavier theory and more accessible music. It's hard to compare these cities as being similar because they are really not a like at all.

San Francisco is a very hard place to live as a musician. It's very expensive, and unless you do something else to supplement your income, you can't afford to pay rent. Even practice spaces are expensive. Denton, on the other hand, is a perfect place for a thriving music community because most places to live are still at what I call "college" prices. In Denton, I rented a room in a house for $300 a month ... in a HOUSE. In San Francisco, I paid $300 to share a 15x15 foot practice space with 2 other bands. Wildly different. Also, cities are easy to get lost in.

If there is good music happening in Denton, sure enough, people are going to know about it and be unquestionably supportive. The enthusiasm, talent, and generosity here is what is so alluring. I have not played one show in Texas, ever. I don't think that half of the people that I'm friends with here have ever even heard me sing or play or anything, but they are supportive and encouraging. I'm not sure if it's a southern thing or what ... but I like it. The community here is unlike most places I've been. The caliber of musicianship here is unlike most places I've been. I came to Denton as a pop artist and was welcomed with open arms. Some people talk about there being this great divide in Denton. I don't know about this. I haven't experienced it. All I've seen is an outpouring of support, and I am extremely grateful for it.

Who's on your dream jam roster?

Oh my, I have no idea. I love the people that I play music with now! There are so many great players out there, it's hard to pick. I guess I have a profile I look for in someone that I want in the band. Most things are obvious, but more important than their musicianship is their kindness. I had a bass player that once told off a sound man with no real reason. That was the last time he played bass for me. Attitude is key. Now that doesn't mean that someone can't have a bad day, but if there is one difficult person in the band, it makes it difficult for the whole band. It's unnecessary when there are so many wonderful players that are also wonderful people.

Sarah Crisman
Pegasus News
September 30, 2009

- Pegasus News

In one corner we have Erin Austin, a Denton/Brooklyn/San Francisco treat whose powerful voice wraps around plinking, jazz-laced Americana instrumentation to create effervescent earthy tones in the manner of Eisley, Neko Case, and Jenny Lewis.

Granted, there are many singer-songwriters milling about festival stages these days, but for good reason. It was just a few years ago that dozens of female recording artists broke onto the scene as though there had been some sort of freak Kate Bush-cloning accident. Tori, Fiona, and even Regina all sounded like Kate Bush, but everyone seemed okay with that. We may be seeing similar reincarnations of June Carter Cash these days with the rise of folk, and once again, the festival circuit is embracing trends in female recording artists and letting these earthy-twangy gals play as much music as they wish.

That's the long and short of why I think Erin Austin would be a perfect fit on this year's Austin City Limits bill.

Sarah Crisman
Pegasus News
September 29th, 2009 - Pegasus News

"Erin Austin of OK Sweetheart has the voice of Billie Holiday, but she dresses all that longing in a polka-dot vintage dress with a scalloped collar and croons to bouncy chords on piano. She sings about as many cities as she claims her project hails from — bandmates McKenzie Smith (Midlake) and guitarist Jeremy Buller (Sarah Jaffe, Bosque Brown) connect Austin (ha!) to Denton, though she resides in San Franscisco and the project has ties to Tulsa and Brooklyn. I enjoy listening to OK Sweetheart much more than I do Regina Spektor, but the comparison is an easy one to make at a cursory listen, so you hear it often."
-Lyndsay Milne - NX35 Music Blog

Even with years of performing behind her, Erin Austin had never performed at an open mike night until a June visit home landed her at the Tramontane Café on a Sunday evening.

The audience didn’t seem to notice Austin’s newness to the open mike stage. Two songs turned to three, three turned to four, four turned to five. Five turned to booking a gig at 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 27, at the café, 1105 Lincoln Ave.

“It will be fun for my family to see what I do with my life,” said Austin, a Clinton High School graduate, who currently lives in Texas as she pursues a career in music. 

Austin’s performance in Utica might seem a surprise for those who are familiar with her songs, particularly, “Home”, where she reveals her thoughts about Upstate New York:

“Upstate, NY sad and lonely and people live to die there. I don’t ever want to go back to Utica. Not another holiday back in Utica. But I called it home, I called it home.” 

But, explains the artist, the lyrics reflect a deeper place than the words might reveal. 

“At that time, I lived in California, and it did not feel like home,” says Austin. “Then, I lived in Oklahoma for seven years; I made lifelong friends in Oklahoma, and, at that point, I was just really missing that.”

For Austin, Utica represents two very different things: A sadness and loneliness, a city of defeat. But then there are the people – who are unlike any in the world, says Austin, who remembers growing up surrounded by Italian families and wanting nothing more than to be a part of those “big, boisterous families” with a last name ending in “–ucci and –rico and –vello and –ruzzi.”

But as Austin’s grown into adulthood (she’s almost 26), those friends with the “big, boisterous families” have left the area, and going home just isn’t what it used to be, she says. 

“A lot of my cousins and friends have moved away and come back for the holidays, but it feels older than me. I go back and it’s like, man, I see old people and then they die. This is so sad to me,” she said.

Hence, the creation of “Home”, and the subsequent growth of a strong songwriter, Austin believes.

“I’m not a Utica hater; I grew up there,” she says. “At the same point, I’m going to be real with you. It’s really how I feel. That’s how you write good music — when you come from an honest place.” 

Writing from that place and having that honesty come through to listeners means more to Austin than fame.

“I don’t really care if I’m famous,” Austin says. “When I meet famous people, I think ‘You’re a normal person and a lot of people know you.’ I’m not aiming for that. I want to make good music and have people listen to it and like it.”

Austin, who currently is recording her first album, shouldn’t have any problem with people liking what she’s creating. Her indie-pop vibe is reminiscent of some of the current scene’s greatest female singer-songwriters, including Regina Spektor and Feist. 

Austin’s music – much like herself – is genuine, appealing and leaves a positive print on your soul. Hear for yourself at www.myspace.com/erinaustinmusic or erinaustin.com.

By CASSAUNDRA BABER
Observer-Dispatch
Posted Dec 25, 2008 @ 06:00 AM
- Observer-Dispatch

Listen to a couple Erin Austin songs, and it’ll take you a few moments to pinpoint what decade from your parents’ vinyl collection she came from.

Austin’s husband Rob Gungor said Austin, 27, recently adhered to a strict diet of The Beatles, The Zombies and early Randy Newman songs to avoid sounding like today’s popular artists.
The diet paid off.

Graced with a talent for stunningly simple songwriting, Austin can generate all the warmth of a dozen Beatles songs and add a carefree, soothing twist.

It’s no surprise her full band is named OK Sweetheart.

Before moving to Oklahoma in 2001, Austin grew up in Oriskany, N.Y., and would invent dances while her father played guitar. Austin has come a long way from performing talent shows for her parents, graduating from Oral Roberts University and moving to California. She said music always has been a part of her life.

“If I hear something or think of something (then) I have to write it down and develop it more,” Austin said. “It’s like a compulsion. If there was no music, I just wouldn’t know what to do with myself.”

She said she began writing an album in 2007, and her work has attracted indie artists like Midlake and local Oklahoma musicians. Clay Welch of Tulsa’s Callupsie plays guitar when OK Sweetheart tours and Patrick Ryan of Tulsa’s Dead Sea Choir plays drums.

Ryan said he’s attracted to the drumming in Austin’s music because McKenzie Smith of Midlake and Gungor wrote the parts.

“It’s drumming 101,” he said. “It’s not about playing crazy, but playing simple really well.”
Austin said OK Sweetheart plans to visit the South by Southwest Music Festival in March to play shows to attract a record label.

If she has to settle for one label, then this OK Sweetheart might have to break more than a few hearts. - The Daily O'Collegian

Erin Austin, a lovely singer who splits her time between San Francisco and Denton, Texas, holds fourth place. Easy to listen, Austin crafts pop songs that are fresh but familiar. A relatively unknown singer, Austin still has some power behind her. The winner of the 2008 John Lennon songwriting contest for pop, Austin seems headed for the spotlight. - SPIN Earth