Austin City Limits Festival is putting Texas on the map with home-grown talent. Don’t believe me? Then you obviously weren’t watching fifth-generation Austinite, Calder Allen, under the Tito’s tent this past Sunday.
The self-proclaimed singer-songwriter is fresh out of quarantine, fresh out of high school, and providing a fresh take on Americana music—and with music and the arts running in his family, how couldn’t he be great?
You heard that right, Calder Allen is the grandson of Terry and Jo Harvey Allen and took the stage with guitarist and family friend, Charlie Sexton. Not familiar? Well, check out Bob Dylan’s band and get back to us afterwards. It goes without saying, Allen has built himself quite the entourage for his Austin City Limits debut.
Performing in general can be nerve wracking—especially for a musician who took to guitar seriously a short time ago during the pandemic—let alone performing at Austin City Limits. But despite the notoriety of the festival and the nerves to follow, Allen has found his place on stage. “It’s super fun…and Charlie’s family and he makes [being on stage] super comfortable” If Allen was having as much fun on the stage as the audience was watching him, there’s no doubt he was having a blast.
Allen may be a fresh face to the music scene, but he definitely won’t be for long. If his Instagram is any indication of what’s to come, there’s going to be many more performances and a lot more music coming soon. One thing’s for sure, he’s got an audience at Arlington Today eagerly waiting for what’s next.
You can follow Calder Allen on Instagram at @calder_allen for updates on his upcoming projects.
