BILLINGS — A Billings Central Catholic High School graduate, Austin Martin, is hitting the country billboard charts with his hits, inspired from his time growing up on a ranch just outside Park City, where he sings about hard work and small town nights.
“'Cuz God knows I live and breathe, for small town nights,” sings Martin in his "Small Town Nights" music video.
Martin's single off his debut country album premiered on The Country Network in 2021, and he hasn’t slowed down.
“I just got off my 7th national tour with Overtime. We just hit 42 cities. It was the Scars and Stripes tour,” says Austin.
While Martin hit the road with Overtime, a Montana country/rap artist, Martin's brother Preston Wayne, was on tour with Snoop Dogg.
"We’d always do music growing up. I'd play guitar and he'd make beats, I'm really really proud of what he’s doing right now,” Martin said.
He has a lot to be proud of too, hitting the charts with popular artists Overtime and Who TF is Just in Time, and landing a major sponsorship with Coca-Cola.
“You can blame it on the folk or the Jack and, or maybe I'm just country drunk,” says Martin as he sings a portion of his latest single "Country Drunk".
“The actual meaning of that song is I’m drunk on country,’” says Martin. “It's a lifestyle, it’s country proud, the people are great, the scenery, the hard work.”
It's that lifestyle filled with early morning Montana days, spent bucking hay bales and herding cattle, that’s inspired his music.
“Gonna lose your mind 'cuz we’re stopping time tonight,” sings Martin.
Martin's Montana fans have a chance for a small town kinda night this October in Billings as he stops for a launch party and concert for his Country Drunk music video.
“When I'm on stage performing in front of other people, everything else doesn’t matter. I love it, it's just what I was born to do,” says Martin.
“I lay awake up in my bed, with MTV jams all the way up on blast, howling at the moon,” sings Martin in a song about love called Howlin at the Moon.
“I write about love as well, but what’s music without love,” says Austin.
There’s plenty of love for Austin Martin’s music as he gets ready for a spring tour debuting his new album American Brewed. Martin’s concert is in Billings at The Pub Station Friday, Oct. 6. A portion of the proceeds are being donated to Make a Wish. Austin Martin and The Herd, his band, which includes Mark Romain, also a Billings Central High graduate, hope to raise enough money by Christmas to help grant 40 wishes.
Martin describes his music as a combination of country, southern rock and rap.
