Seven Questions Series: In-Depth Conversations at Still Austin

Seven Questions - WILEY ROSS

Wiley Ross is a critically acclaimed painter, muralist and musician. Born and raised in Springfield, Missouri, Wiley’s focus has been art for most of his life. However, while in college on an art scholarship, he also decided to pursue music. So he picked up a guitar, loaded up his van, and hit the road to Austin. Soon, his hard-hitting rock trio, Street Light Suzie, was born. After touring the country and recording their first CD, Red River Revival, the band’s blistering demos got the attention of Guns N’ Roses alum Gilby Clarke. The union was a resounding success, and the band traveled to LA to record in Clarke’s studio, resulting in the critically acclaimed Red Album. As Wiley has begun to focus once again on art, his reputation has grown in size—and so have his creations. Austinites can now see his large murals on walls throughout the city.

Seven Questions - JULIAN ACOSTA

Julian Acosta has made a big name for himself recent in the Austin music scene, despite having only begun his professional music career a little over five years ago. Acosta is, in his own words, a Texas-raised gentleman and a caballero hecho en Mexico. His easy-going manner—Acosta sings, writes and banters in both Spanish and in English—makes him not just bilingual but downright diplomatic, a phenomenon underlined by the fact that Acosta studied at two different universities in two different countries. Acosta’s soulful vocal style blends perfectly with the traditional compositions of his blues-infused tunes, and his gritty disposition belies a sophisticated character with world-class potential. Acosta is, in short, a man with a vibe.

Seven Questions -JENNY HOYSTON

When we say we’re dedicated to the creative life, we mean it. In fact, even our accountant is a famous musician. Jenny Hoyston is a Texas-born producer, composer and DJ who spent two decades globetrotting as the vocalist/guitarist of legendary San Francisco no wave/punk act Erase Errata. These days she’s settled in Austin, releasing albums mostly under her own name. You can catch Jenny performing live with psychedelic/electronic duo Hey Jellie and DJing everything from classic country vinyl to disco-house cuts at clubs around the capital city. In her spare time, Jenny oversees the day-to-day accounting at Still Austin.

Seven Questions - CARRIE FUSSELL OF CALLIOPE MUSICALS

Carrie Fussell fronts the psychedelic pop collective Calliope Musicals, whose mind-bending, multi-dimensional live shows have garnered a cultlike devotion from fans throughout Texas and beyond. Hailed by NPR as a “perennial SXSW favorite,” the group’s foot-stomping, avant-garde anthems, alongside their trademark blast of interactive secondhand glam, have made them standouts amongst their Austin peers. Fussell sums up the group (and perhaps all of human existence?) like this: “We came from space. We’re all going to die.”

Seven Questions - TAYLOR MOORE

We were delighted when we learned that Texas thriller writer Taylor Moore had made Still Austin’s “The Musician” the go-to whiskey for the leading man in his debut novel, Down Range. So we got in touch with Taylor, and he jumped at the chance to answer our Seven Questions. Taylor is a sixth-generation Texan who grew up on a farm and ranch northwest of Houston. He is a former CIA Intelligence Officer who worked in both analysis and operations and later consulted for the Department of Defense in Theater Security Cooperation, Force Protection, and Counternarcotics. He now lives in the Texas Panhandle with his wife and two children, where he is a full-time author, screenwriter, and speaker.

Seven Questions - GRAHAM REYNOLDS

In this episode of “Seven Questions,” celebrated composer Graham Reynolds shares his remarkable recipe for a “Still Austin Old Fashioned.” Called “the quintessential modern composer” by the London Independent, Austin-based composer-bandleader-improviser Graham Reynolds creates, performs, and records music for film, theater, dance, rock clubs, and concert halls, with collaborators ranging from Richard Linklater and Jack Black to DJ Spooky and Jeffrey Zeigler. He recently scored Linklater’s Where’d You Go, Bernadette for Annapurna Pictures, Happy Jail for Netflix, The Rude Mechanicals’ Stop Hitting Yourself for Lincoln Center Theater, Ballet Austin’s Grimm Tales, and a multi-year commission from Ballroom Marfa, The Marfa Triptych. Graham recently signed with the London-based label Fire Records and released his original score for Alfred Hitchcock’s silent classic The Lodger in October 2020.

Seven Questions - SHAUN BRANIGAN

Shaun Branigan has written and performed for Esther’s Follies, America’s longest-running live sketch comedy show, for 23 years. He is one of the creators of Fragile Rock, the world’s greatest and only emo puppet band, whose 2017 NPR “Tiny Desk Concert” went viral. And he has written and produced over a dozen original children’s shows for Zach Scott Theatre. He’s originally from Boston, which rhymes with Austin, so there’s a certain symmetry, no?

Seven Questions - ANTONIO BOND

You may recognize Antonio Bond from the current season of HBO’s hit reality show, Full Bloom. Antonio is the founder and owner of Transplants Floral, an independent floral boutique located in Austin. He routinely tours the landscapes of West Texas, California and the American Southwest looking for trinkets, bones, foliage and bucolic items to incorporate into his floral designs. He has no formal training, instead applying his knowledge of art and design to a trade he learned while working in the floral section at a local grocery store. Since his meager beginnings, his work has been sought out through word-of-mouth by renowned photographer Dan Winters, acclaimed Hotelier Liz Lambert, Senator Wendy Davis, and numerous celebrities for weddings and special events.

Seven Questions -BRANDON JOLDERSMA

Happy Father’s Day! Here at Still Austin, we consider every aspect of our work to be a creative endeavor—and that philosophy leads right to the top. Brandon Joldersma is our COO, and he approaches the job of running the distillery in the way that a great artist might run an atelier. Born and raised in Holland, Michigan, Brandon worked his way up through the ranks of the beverage industry—working in both wine and cider before turning to whiskey. As Still Austin’s Chief Operating Officer, Brandon has built the distillery into one of the most successful whiskey startups in the history of Texas, with plans to expand nationwide. In the spring of 2020, Brandon and his wife Mae welcomed their first baby, and they’re loving life in Central Texas….

Seven Questions - DANIEL CREAMER

Daniel Creamer grew up in Dallas, where he played in quite a few bands over the years. That’s how he wound up putting together The Texas Gentlemen, a band he started “with all my best buds from around town.” The group has taken the Texas indie scene by storm, with Rolling Stone calling their latest album, Floor It, “an engrossing cosmic journey of Texas boogie and psychedelic rock that plays like an aural mushroom trip.” Creamer, who now lives near the Still Austin distillery, has also launched a solo project called Dancey Jenkins. Perhaps most importantly, as he made clear to us in no uncertain terms, “I exclusively like bodybuilding content on Instagram.”…