If you’ve been a fan of Americana Music for a while or are just starting to get into the genre, here are some wildly talented artists we think you should know. One of those artists is René Moffatt. I met René when I had a music room at the Folk Alliance Conference this year. I became a fan of his instantly. One of the first stories he told me was how his family would take trips to Oklahoma. When he writes they come from a place of personal experience that you can feel. Take a listen to his song “Heirloom Winnebago”, you’ll love it.

Where did you grow up and where do you call home now? 

Grew up in Wichita Falls, Texas. Currently reside in Denver, Colorado.

How have the life experiences of where you lived affected your songwriting or the songs you choose to record?

I didn’t start seriously writing until my late 20’s. During that time I was living in Washington, D.C. which has always been a melting pot of genres. But I was surrounded by a community of up and coming songwriters who were really trying to find their voice, and therefore we were writing in any voice that felt relevant to our surroundings, our time and place. A little pop, alt-americana, bluegrass, rock. Honestly, we wrote whatever made us feel like we were growing as artists. We were really free to write however we wanted, and I think that was a direct result of trying to become songwriters.But within the last few years, probably as a result of writing more and more songs .. I’m really starting to hear the “Texas Singer/Songwriter” come out of me. I guess it’s like that saying, “You can take the boy out of Texas, but you can’t take the Texas out of the boy”.

What artists/songwriters have impacted or influenced your work the most? 

Off the bat, it was my parents record collection. Beatles, Beach Boys, Billy Joel, Simon & Garfunkel with a lot of other stuff thrown in there ranging from Nancy Griffith to Julio Iglesias. Quite hodgepodge. I was a big radio listener and still am today. 80’s music loomed large and is still one of my favorite decades.And the other major factor was an AM radio station that we could get in our hometown. It was called The Mighty 1290 and it’s catchphrase was “It’s not how big your tower is, it’s how you use it”. Despite the tongue and cheek, double entendre, it featured a really wide range of music from the late mid-late 50’s to the late 70’s and was absolutely indelible. But everything changed when my uncle gave me a VHS tape of Jackson Browne’s documentary film, “Going Home”. It was an actual turning point in my listening habits as I began to acquire his entire discography and haven’t stopped listening. It took me years to realize, but I think the reason his music had such a huge impact on me was because I heard myself in his voice and songs.

When you perform, what do you hope is your audience’s biggest takeaway?

So much depends on where that person is at that very moment. On any particular day, any song could hit someone right in the heart, and hearing that song could give them something they need. A feeling, hope, a rationalization, solace. That’s why I sing my songs. But again, so much of that is out of my control, or up to chance and circumstance.Yet, I’m pretty intentional about making my words and melodies very singable and have listeners repeat lyrics or sing my own melodies back to me even weeks or months after having heard them. That is a really nice reward.

Tell me a little bit about your latest project?

My 6-song EP, “All My Revelations” was started as a single recording session back in 2018. At that time I didn’t know the journey that lie ahead. Love and loss, life and death, career ups and downs, the pandemic. It was A LOT. But I kept recording here and there and once I had six songs, I new I needed to put the EP out. I saw this latest project as a bookend to my debut EP which also featured six songs. I see it as a bookend because it seemed to represent a period of extreme growth and change. And now that it’s behind me I have a better vision for where I need to go with my next project, my first full length album.”All My Revelations” has earned praise from a notable songwriter and received radio airplay across the country. And while I consider it to be cobbled together, it’s relative success has been very rewarding.Lastly, one of the songs was a cover of “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys”.. which I cut as a tribute to my late father. You can read the story here: https://www.renemoffatt.com/mammas-sneak-peak-thank-you-page

What was different or unique about your approach to this last project as compared to previous ones?

By necessity it was cobbled together, as mentioned before. Recorded at different times, in multiple studios, with multiple producers. It’s not how I typically approach projects. Each song has its own magic, but it lacks an overall cohesiveness that I’ll aim for in the next project.

Was there ever a time you felt like you wanted to quit making music?

I don’t think I’ve ever said, “I’m going to quit writing songs”. In recent years I’ve made the realization that this is what I was meant to do. It’s second nature to me. I don’t have to set a schedule or a reminder to write songs. It’s my default setting, if you will, it’s how I distill and handle my life experiences. And the more I honor that, the more I’m rewarded with songs that I like to sing for people.But making a living from it, or figuring out how to make a living from it is the hard part. Years ago, before I realized just how important songwriting was to me, my productivity and consistency in writing, performing, and commitment were all over the place, like a roller coaster. And THAT was never sustainable. Which made it very hard to feel like it was going anywhere. But ever since I acknowledged that this is who I am, I feel like I’m finally on the right path. I’m now more concerned with building a life that allows me to write and record until I die.

What is your funniest or favorite “on the road” story when touring?

As my fortieth birthday approached my wife, who was six months pregnant, asked me what I’d like to do to celebrate. I don’t think I hesitated when I said, I want to go on tour. So I strung together a few shows playing Albuquerque, Wichita Falls, Dallas, and Oklahoma City. By far the most amazing date of that mini tour was a sold out show at Charley Pride’s personal recording studio in Dallas. It had been recently taken over by Milo and Rachel Deering (a well known Dallas music family). The show took place on my actual 40th birthday with many friends and family in attendance. I also released a live album of the show. It was magical on so many levels and I’m really glad I went on that tour. Six months later, the pandemic hit and everything changed.

Who or what keeps you grounded the most?

Showing up everyday and putting in the work. Yes there are days where you don’t have much to show for your time and effort. But if you keep planting seeds, something is gonna grow. It’s so simple, but it’s also how the universe works, I believe.

What advice would you give artists just starting out? 

Oof. Ask a lot of different people for advice. Because what I give is rooted in my life experience. And that is different from another person’s life experience. Which means they will give you uniquely different advice. From that you can build your own foundation of beliefs.But here goes.The sooner you decide this is what you want to do the better. You will simply have more time to figure it all out, which is what any artist does, you just keep going and figure it out. Please note, I specifically say “figure” and not “figured”. It’s a never-ending process. Enjoy that ride.One of the best pieces of advice / guidance I ever received was from my guitar instructor/mentor. Once I had the ability to place for 30-45 minutes straight he said, “…and now you are employable.” That empowered me to play out, find gigs, and get the whole ball rolling. The lesson is that you need very little to get going. But once you are going you’ll grow faster.With regards to recording: start small.Example:Songwriter #1:You get a few songs written, you go into a studio with a producer who hires a full band of studio musicians. You spend months if not years working to finish this project. You’ve just spent lots of time and money and have gained very little experience. Songwriter #2:You write a lot of songs and you make home demos of them (guitar and voice) on your iphone. You play those songs at open mics and notice which ones people like. Find a producer and studio to help you record one single. Release it to the world. Repeat this a few times with different studios/producers/studio musicians. Right here you’ve gained way more experience which only means your subsequent projects will be more informed. You’ll know which songs to record, how a producer works, your “sound” will evolve, and so on.Your goal is to grow at a steady pace. You achieve this by going through the motions again and again not once in a while. It’s like that viral video parable you hear: A teacher splits the class into two groups. The first group is asked to design and build a chair. They can only build one chair but they can take as long as they want. They second group is asked to build 25 chairs in a week. Who do you think will produce the better chair in the end?