Austin Plaine and Will Overman, January 16

Thursday, January 16, 6 p.m.

Raccoon Motel, 315 East Second Street, Davenport IA

His 2023 release Faded Feathers lauded by Americana UK as "his strongest album so far," the recording also named the Best Album of the Year by FavoriteSightsAndSounds.com, folk-pop musician Austin Plaine headlines a January 16 engagement at the Raccoon Motel, the artist joined in his Davenport concert by gifted fellow singer/songwriter Will Overman.

As stated at AllMusic.com, "Singer/guitarist Austin Plaine writes earnest, country-tinged folk-pop, taking inspiration from artists like Ryan Adams, Elliott Smith, and fellow Midwesterners Bob Dylan and Bright Eyes. His first album, Austin Plaine, was a solo endeavor released in 2015. He worked with several collaborators on the more expansive Stratford, issued in 2019.

"Born in North Dakota and raised in Minnesota, Plaine grew up listening to his father's records, among them Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, and Van Morrison. A self-taught guitarist, he started playing at 13 and tried writing his own songs as soon as he knew three chords. He went on to study communications at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, and recorded his self-titled debut album during his senior year. Originally released through a Noisetrade campaign, his visibility increased when one of his songs was placed in a credit-card commercial. Plaine soon signed with Razor & Tie imprint Washington Square, which gave his debut a proper release in 2015.

"He relocated to Nashville in 2016 and ultimately expanded his scope for his second album, which was recorded with a full backing band. It also welcomed collaborators such as Sixpence None the Richer’s Leigh Nash, with whom he co-wrote 'What Kind of Fool,' and Soren Bryce, who sang on the record. The resulting Stratford arrived on Blaster Records in 2019."

Describing the creation of his most recent album Faded Feathers at AustinPaine.com, the artist states, "Winter of 2019 was my darkest hour, literally and figuratively, as I decided to flee to the shores of Lake of the Woods in northern Minnesota and surrender filling the sandbags of anxiety and sorrow to write what would become my third, and perhaps, most genuine and honest work. Produced by Anthony da Costa and mixed by Dan Knobler, these 13 songs come from a place of maturity and the realization of how fickle and futile the world can be, knowing there's only a limited amount of time to change your life and circumstance. Best not let the feathers fade. Best get to it now."

Joining Plaine in his Davenport concert is singer/songwriter Will Overman. As stated at the artist's WillOvermanMusic.com site, "Following the successful and well-received release of the debut single 'Something to Hold' from The Winemaker’s Daughter on February 14, 2020, Will hit the road on his first major solo tour two weeks later - just as the pandemic started shutting down the world. Canceled and indefinitely postponed gigs quickly piled up, but rather than stop making or releasing music Will continued on, dropping singles from the nine-song debut album while garnering international media attention and radio play (Baylen Leonard’s 'Front Porch' on Absolute Country UK, The Current’s 'Radio Heartland', WHRO’s 'Lyrical,' etc.).

"Since breaking the ice on his own return to live shows in April 2021 to celebrate the release of The Winemaker’s Daughter in February 2021 (almost a year to the day after the release of the initial single), Will has put tens of thousands of miles on his van while traveling from shows anywhere from Savannah to Minneapolis to Boston and everywhere in between. The miles and days away have been hard, but good for Will, as he gained inspiration and experience that led to the recording and release of three brand new singles in 2022 called 'Spend it All,' 'Heart Pine,' and 'Dotted Line.'"

Austin Plaine headlines his January 16 Davenport engagement alongside guest artist Will Overman, admission to the 6 p.m. concert is $19.84, and tickets are available by visiting TheRaccoonMotel.com.