Austinot Music Podcast, Ep. #5: MT Hellton

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Hi everybody! Thanks for checking out our Austin blog and my Austin Music Podcast. This little podcast has another featured artist waiting for your ears. The last few episodes have been pretty high-energy, so I think it’s time to tone it down a notch this week. Today’s musican is named MT Hellton, and he is going to help us unwind.

MT Hellton is an acoustic and folk artist living in Austin. Born in Lockhart, Texas, his parents were nomads who travelled around Texas looking for work in cotton fields or picking pecans for gas money. They and MT often lived in abandoned houses, broken down barns, and sometimes in their Plymouth station wagon. In the summer of 1966, MT’s father found a job working for a turkey ranch, so the family finally settled down in Austin.

With his nomadic past behind him, MT Hellton started playing a second-hand guitar his brother gave him in 1972. Thus began MT’s love affair with acoustic music. It is a passion he has been pursuing ever since.

MT’s music is very guitar-driven. I’d expect to hear him through the window of a passing pickup truck in deep west Texas. MT keeps alive many traditional themes of Southern acoustic rock: wanderlust, romance, hope and simplicity. Interestingly though, MT also breaks away from this tradition to input his own sound. Listen closely and you’ll hear threads of indie-rock interwoven with the traditions of Texas folk music.

MT was heavily influenced by the music of the 1970s. He spent countless hours playing songs he heard on the radio for his pets and family members. His young mind was filled with music about struggle, dreams and love. More than anything, MT loved the ability music has to tell stories. In MT’s music, you’ll hear him mix his own narratives with those he heard growing up.

If you get the chance, visit MT as he hosts open mic nights every Thursday at Kick Butt Coffee Music & Booze. He also books artists and performances at Bouldin Creek Food Park. On top of hosting music events and gigging around town, MT also owns a recording studio and creates Native American beadwork, jewelry and art. You can click here to like him on Facebook. Click through his Facebook page to purchase his downloadable album online.

Photos and music are property o f MT Hellton. Also, big thanks to Haleigh Burger for helping with the podcast intro!

Want to be featured on an upcoming episode of the Austinot Music Podcast? Send Austinot Dusty a quick note by clicking HERE.