In the dark concrete basement of the Taos Co-op, a crowd waits for the highly anticipated headliner. Against the backdrop of graffitied walls, the band finishes setting up and tuning their instruments. Then, the music starts. The audience is immediately hushed and draws their attention to the small stage illuminated by overhead string lights. The ethereal finger-picking of a guitar and enchanting voice of indie-folk artist Audrey Price captures their attention.
Price began playing music in sixth grade when she started learning the cello. Soon, she became obsessed with learning new instruments and stayed after school to master them all. She completed classical cello training by the end of middle school.
“It was like ‘Whiplash,’” Price said. “I was practicing way too much.”
Her father gifted her a guitar and encouraged her to play during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“My dad had this old, crappy guitar,” Price said. “He gave it to me and that was a nice reset.”
She continued to learn guitar, how to sing and produce music in high school. As time went on, she recorded and released songs and started playing with friends.
Upon arrival at UT, where she studies rhetoric and writing, Price signed with UTalent, a student-run record label, and has recorded with them ever since.
Hailing from Virginia, the sounds of alternative country, folk music and western themes inspire Price.
“I like mixing those folk elements with Western and Texas culture,” Price said.
Price draws on the distinctive sounds of Lucinda Williams, Gillian Welch, Wilco and Adrienne Lenker for her songs. Her lyrics are filled with the emotions of love, anger and sadness, but so is the voice that carries them. It captivated the crowd in the basement of Taos Co-op that night.
“Her voice is lovely to hear,” said audience member Mila Hernandez. “Everything meshes so well, and the people were engaged.”
Engaging with the audience is something Price has no trouble doing. She tells stories about what the different songs mean to her. When she makes mistakes, she laughs it off and treats the audience as close friends. Members of the audience even jumped up to help when her guitar neck became caught in the overhead string lights.
Her set was mainly originals, however, Price also played covers from Faye Webster, Radiohead, Hozier and The Beatles– all different genres than her music. The songs sounded completely unique from their originals with an added folk twist. She played “Weird Fishes” by Radiohead, one of the first songs Price learned on guitar.
“I’ve always wanted to play that song live,” Price said. “I love Radiohead. They’re a big inspiration for me, even though I make music not like that at all.”
She wrote her opening song, “Theoretical,” in one night. The song dives into the feelings of approaching adulthood. Price said it’s “about feeling everything you want to do with your life and holding yourself back from it at the same time.”
“It’s so easy to fall into her music because, sincerely, every song creates such a unique and captivating atmosphere,” said Price’s backing vocalist and friend, Emery Gentzel.
The band works hard to match the energy Price brings to put on a great show. During some songs, they take breaks to let Price and Gentzel’s voices shine through, while in others they play loud and rock the audience. Price passed the spotlight onto guitarist Matthew Campos for a country style electric solo on “Down South” and a rendition of “Something” by The Beatles.
“The band is also crazy talented,” Gentzel said. “Everyone falls into the groove really quickly so it’s honestly just relaxed and exciting to perform, not too much stress at all.”
Price gathered her band through the UTalent network of musicians, a perk of being a member of the label.
“It’s a good support structure,” Price said. “In college, everybody is just trying to get out there, so everyone’s eager to do it.”
At UTalent, Price is hard at work on her debut studio album, “From the Floor,” which she said will include both slow and soulful pieces and more “rocking” ones. The album is set to release this spring.
When she’s not working on the album, Price has other projects. A music video for “Theoretical,” her lead single, is set to film in early April, said co-director Harrison Hardy.
The crew raises money by selling items at pop-up thrift markets, bake sales on UT’s campus and hosting concerts.
“We’ve worked so hard on this for months,” said co-director Sarah Colegrove. “It will blow everyone’s minds.”
Hardy said the music video will be filmed around Austin with elements of surrealism and southern gothicism.
“We’re going for a very vintage, nostalgic and almost dream-like feel,” Colegrove said. “That’s how the song sounds.”
After this, the crew will move on to a music video for one of the first songs Price wrote, “Marfa.” She wrote the song while on a trip to the West Texas town that bears the same name. She was influenced by the natural scenery and the culture of the place.
“That’s what inspired me to write music,” Price said. “It’s a love song to Texas.”
