Boomershack: Rediscovering the Austin Sound
Photo by: Mike Vanata | Western AF
Written by: Garret K Woodward
Alluringly anonymous Austin-based alt-country/indi-folk quartet Boomershack sounds somewhere between Buddy Holly and The Deslondes, crossed with a stop on the continuum between Houndmouth and The Band of Heathens.
Photo by: Will Clark
“A lot of the songs have a sense of longing in them, yearning for home,” says lead guitarist Will Clark. “The idea of being out there, hopping from place to place, not having a home, is kind of evocative.”
There’s also this vibe that seamlessly harkens back to the long-gone era of Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys. The core tone is soaked in the bright, honkytonk lights of Austin, TX, but with an obvious tilt towards the 1950s rockabilly of Lubbock and the greater Texas Panhandle. It’s catchy, yet sonically elusive, and that’s the point.
“I grew up on a lot of swing. Anything that has ‘orchestra’ in the name I’m super game for,” says lead singer/rhythm guitarist Dan Perez. “I like Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys, but also Benny Goodman stuff, just really well-placed consonants that are in the lyrics and that are complemented by a little clarinet in the background or a swell — I’m just obsessed with that.”
Even in a short conversation, it’s obvious these dudes are not only best friends, but also huge music freaks. They geek out over indie-rock heroes and country and swing artists from the past whose names have gathered more dust than new fans in the 21st century. They’re sponges, absorbing everything since they were toddlers, only to distill all of that sound and knowledge into these beautifully crafted offerings.
“Dan and I are both big fans of Scott McMicken (Dr. Dog), Seth Kauffman (Floating Action) and Michael Nau (Cotton Jones),” Clark says. “A lot of the music we’re really into sounds like it was recorded almost accidentally. It’s not super-polished, and trying to capture that almost-secret feeling of trying to record without knowing you’re recording.”
“In a lot of those early doo-wop songs, [at] the very end of the song, there’s this moment where all the harmonies coalesce and then fade away, and it leaves you drifting into the horizon late at night, you know?” Perez goes on. “Michael Nau’s got that, Scott McMicken has that feeling, definitely the stuff from the Mashed Potato Records project — I can’t get enough of that.”
A native of Austin, Perez created Boomershack in high school in 2017 (he’s 27 now). He was a teenager writing songs and just steadily learning the craft. “I’d always played guitar, sang and screwed around writing songs since as long as I can remember,” he says.
Photo by: Danielle Close
Initially, Perez was conjuring tunes by himself. But he also sought other peer musicians and creative souls to jam or collaborate with, especially when he attended the University of Texas at Austin, where he was often hanging out at open-mic nights in the legendary Cactus Café on campus.
“I grew up in a cattle ranching family. My parents weren’t quite the type to take me out to shows, so I was sort of unaware of the Austin scene [until college],” Perez says. “[Here] you just look around and you can find music friends around the corner. It’s wonderful how much music is here.”
This was the same period of time at UT-Austin when drummer Ethan Davis and bassist Charlie Little joined. The ragtag outfit would play college parties and whatever local stage would have them.
“We had a fair amount of originals, and we were sort of the odd guys out ‘cause we’d just play really fast rockabilly,” Perez says. “We were primarily a ‘hit the ground running, play as loud as you can’ rockabilly band.”
The name of the project originated from a funny story a friend told Perez about a comment said friend’s father made about his son’s new apartment. The dad goes, “What kind of a boomer shack is this?” apparently referring to the old fart aesthetic of the dwelling. No matter, in a serendipitous turn of events later on, it just so happens the word is also in Hank Williams’ melody “Freight Train Blues”: “I was born in Dixie in a boomer’s shack.”
In 2025, the sounds and talents of Boomershack finally left the proverbial city limits of Austin when the group released its debut EP, Hangups. With some of the album recorded at Perez’s home studio in Austin, other sections of Hangups were cultivated during a handful of trips to a cabin in rural Wisconsin owned by Clark’s grandfather.
“There’s something very important about leaving everything behind and just completely committing to recording for a while.”
“There’s something very important about leaving everything behind and just completely committing to recording for a while,” Clark says.
“It’s tough. The world is crazy. Everybody’s really busy, and we’re still all trying to make enough dough here and there,” Perez adds. “The hardest thing is just getting together, and having a spot in town where we can take a few hours and sort of put our heads to the grindstone and try to get a few tracks down is super helpful.”
The five selections offered on Hangups sparked a genuine curiosity for those who have either stumbled across them by accident or happenstance, this growing buzz bubbling up in alt-country and indie circles from Austin outward. So, where to for this rising, mesmerizing act?
“We don’t have any plans yet [to tour],” Perez says, but does allude to new singles soon to be released and new songs soon to be brought to the studio.
“We were trying to line something up, but it’s still in the works,” Clark adds, his voice perking up in anticipation of what the future might just hold for them.
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