The Houston Bernard Band has shared bills with country superstars like Luke Bryan, Old Dominion, Montgomery Gentry, Marshall Tucker Band, and Clint Black. Bernard, born into a family of country musicians in Oklahoma, has assembled a group of musicians in New England that bring vitality and grit to modern country. Their brand of original country music is fresh and hard-hitting. With a captivating performance, Houston and his band can be seen throughout New England and beyond.
In this interview spotlight, I chat with Houston about the latest release, technology, challenges and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)
I was born in Oklahoma and grew up in Alaska and Massachusetts, I have 3 albums of country music.
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to keep going?
My father and uncle played country music so it definitely runs in my family but I put it off for years. I played rock music, but it kept calling me and finally I heard country music and started writing and it feels like home.
How is this new release different than previous ones? Were you trying to accomplish anything specific?
I try to improve every time I create, the new release is a bit more rock than the last single, “WE MADE OUT” but still the goal is to be honest and have fun making the videos, music and meeting the fans that enjoy what we are doing, its a pleasure and a privilege.
Name one or two challenges you face as an indie musician in this oversaturated, digital music age? How has technology helped you (since we know it does help)?
Yes, it is difficult to stand out, once there is talent then the challenge is funding for projects and marketing, but you do what you can and keep moving forward. Being able to share our music even with 5 people at a time is still a plus. Technology lets us reach more people and even further away from where we are based.
What was the last song you listened to?
Bohemian Rhapsody
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
I have a soft spot for all of them, I have memories of my first record, cd and mp3. When you hear a song for the first time or you get a song and you are able to have control of how many times you listen to it in a row, that feels pretty good.
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
I prefer spotify, maybe because it was the first that provided the ease of it, I even pay for it, I use spotify for artists. I have used the others and I know they are always changing but Im on spotify currently, I like seeing the data, and comparing it to other artists to gage what is working or where you are at. It gives perspective. Thanks for playing our music!!! – Houston Bernard (yes that is my real name, I was named after my uncle)
Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?
My official website is: https://www.houstonbernardband.com/
