The Watters

The Watters: “Set to Cruise”

Prayers for rain resonate all throughout the Lone Star State year-round…even in April with a once-in-a-lifetime solar eclipse on the horizon. So without wanting to entice a cosmically inconvenient drench, let’s dip our toes into The Watters.

This Americana soul love affair is teeing up to hit the two-decade mark, but the bond between husband and wife Daniel and Jenna Watters goes all the way back to grade school. After soaking up all that Los Angeles, Denver, and Nashville had to offer, the Sedona, Arizona pair eventually planted themselves here in Austin, where they’ve since gone on to play pretty much every venue within the city limits. And despite a rap sheet that includes opening for Michael McDonald and Devon Gilfillian, landing local grants and national songwriting awards, completing two full-lengths and an EP, and a recent leap into parenthood – The Watters aren’t slowing their flow anytime soon.

No, next Thursday The Watters roll out their third LP Duality, with a release show at Sagebrush 8PM that same evening with Tomar and the FCs and Rent Party. They’ll also be doing their thing out at Utopia 3PM this Saturday if you wanna catch the full band against a gorgeous natural backdrop. Either way, the new tunes off Duality are about to drop like April showers for just in time for a summer-ready, lake-lovin’ playlist. And like the rest of Duality, “Set to Cruise” makes for smooth sailing with channel-deep mixing and ocean-spanning arrangements that favor instrumental virtuosity and group momentum. So cop your captain’s hat, climb aboard, and don’t plan on disembarking anytime soon.

The Watters: “Life As A Dream”

We’ve all experienced impostor syndrome in one way or another. For musicians, it typically comes in the form of filling a bill considered “out of their league” or trying their hand at a style that’s not as rehearsed as the rest of their repertoire. But you’ll never know unless you try, right? Because that’s exactly what happened with Austin Americana-blues-soul-rock outfit The Watters. Daniel and Jenna Watters live within walking distance of The Far Out Lounge, whose doors opened at the top of the pandemic. When Far Out put out an open call for a “Sunday Jazz Brunch”, it stirred something in The Watters; as unapologetic lovers of New Orleans Dixieland and stride jazz standards like “Ain’t Misbehavin'”, they certainly seemed in touch with those sought-after sensibilities. And since having a horn section is half the battle for most jazz bands, why the hell not? Needless to say, those Sunday Jazz Brunches went off without a hitch. As such, the Watters’ tides have turned towards the incorporation of jazz, a shift that heavily influenced their latest EP Mellow. With their idiosyncratic blues-soul still front and center, jazz masterfully interjects itself within these four rousing originals. But you’ll also hear flourishes from the swingin’ ’60s sound on Mellow‘s sophomore offering “Life As A Dream”. Either way, as is usual with The Watters, it’s best experienced live. So catch The Watters 10:30pm tomorrow night at The Continental Club along with Wrongbird for the Mellow EP release show and get lucid with the sensuous psychedelia of “Life As A Dream”.

The Watters: “Out of the Darkness”

Though husband-and-wife songwriting team Daniel and Jenna Watters have spent the past half decade in Austin, their flow of Americana-soul dates back to the early 2010s. The Watters‘ evolving stream of retro-style rock and contemporary funk sounds has decidedly bubbled up since their time here with the addition of a five-piece backing band, complete with a horn section.

Following the release of their LP Intuition at the top of 2021, The Watters celebrate their ten-year anniversary tomorrow night at The Belmont. The music kicks off at 7:30pm and the suggested illumination of gold attire should help you crawl “Out of the Darkness” of pandemic or political unrest and glisten against The Watters’ soulful tides.

The Watters: “Déjà Vu”

Partners in marriage, parenthood, and music, Daniel and Jenna Watters’ shared energy seems to keep pushing the quality of their songwriting higher and higher. With each new release, The Watters submerge themselves deeper into the soul sound, and you can definitely hear that over the two short years between their 2016 debut LP Great Unknown and their 2018 eponymous full-length. But as we all know, good things come in threes…

After adjusting to their newfound life as parents, The Watters recruited some top notch players including a four-piece horn section for their latest album, recorded back in 2019. Intuition drops this weekend and The Watters perform 8:30pm Saturday night at Far Out Lounge along with Curtis Lee. That prospect of leaving your home to go see live music might bring some memories flooding back, which is actually fairly appropriate given the title of today’s feature (on Jenna’s birthday, no less), “Déjà Vu”!