Maggie Koerner and the Slow Burn Heat Up Austin

Every once in a while when a vocalist steps to the microphone, takes a breath for that first note, and lets the sound out, the audience is surprised. They’re left wondering, “Where did that sound come from?” and spend the rest of the set riding acoustic waves they never saw coming.

Maggie Koerner and the Slow Burn recently opened for Saints of Valory at The Belmont, and delivered up a surprise performance for first-time listeners. But there’s quite a story behind the formation of the group, including no small amount of serendipity.

Serendipitous Formation at a Taco Truck

The Slow Burn portion of Maggie’s musical presentation is a relatively new development. Her first album, Quarter Life, was a solo gig with hired hands on instruments. Maggie was booked for a CD release party in January 2012 at Stubb’s, but had no band to back her up. She turned to Nick Brumley (rhythm guitar) and Eric Gardner (upright bass), who had contributed to Quarter Life. They recruited a friend, Sam Kilpatrick (lead guitar). The group made their way to Austin for the CD release with no drummer.

Looking for a vegetarian joint in town for Eric, Maggie got lost and pulled over to the side of the road in frustration. She glanced to her right toward a taco truck across the street, and saw an old friend from high school – Jeremy Hayes. Jeremy was a drummer. And he was free to play at Stubb’s that night.

Maggie Koerner and the Slow Burn – L to R: Nick Brumley, Jeremy Hayes, Eric Gardner and Sam Kilpatrick

Every member of Maggie Koerner and the Slow Burn agrees that their performance that night at Stubb’s was the best of their lives up to that point, as a group and individually. For Maggie, it was like hearing her songs perfectly for the first time, the way she had always imagined in her head. The group that had been formed out of desperation for a deadline knew that night that they wanted to make their formation official.

Working to Find a Voice

Maggie Koerner and the Slow Burn at The Belmont

There’s no doubt about it, Maggie Koerner has quite a voice. It’s packed with decades of attitude and musical influence, which is surprising at first given the 25 year old face out in front. Maggie describes the group’s sound as a mixture of Marvin Gaye and Led Zeppelin. You hear Zeppelin in the band, but you hear Marvin in Maggie’s vocals.

Maggie readily admits that she’s still trying to find her voice. The similarities to Adele may be flattering, but no one wants to live a musical career being compared to another artist. With the group’s recent move to New Orleans, a city Maggie says is the perfect incubator for her song writing, discovery and transformation may be on the horizon.

Experience the Sound for Yourself – CD Giveaway

[GIVEAWAY CLOSED]

If you’re curious about Maggie Koerner and the Slow Burn, you shouldn’t have to wait too long to experience them for yourself. Austin is a home away from home for the group, and they hope to have a show here every couple of months.

If you can’t wait until then, hit us up for a copy of Quarter Life, Maggie Koerner’s debut album. We’ll be giving away three copies. Here’s how you can win:

1. Make the “most thoughtful” comment to this article in the comment section below. Winner will be determined by The Austinot team.
2. Make the comment that gets the most likes. Click the thumbs-up button to “like” your favorite comment. Cut-off is 6/13 at 7 PM.
3. Like our Facebook page and find our post about this article. Be the first to copy and paste the phrase that Eric says to use into a comment here.

Thanks for playing.

@QuasiBrit asks:

What do you think about Maggie Koerner and the Slow Burn?