The Suffers

Austin tells Pollstar that after his first time seeing The Suffers play live, “I was just blown away completely. … I was all the way in at that point. I saw it on the first day; this is something special, for sure.”

The Houston-based group describes its sound as Gulf Coast soul. Austin explains that the live show “is like a roller coaster,” with a range of genres including ska, reggae, country, cumbia, rock ’n’ roll and R&B.

“They’ve all got this real party vibe about how they approach the live show and they’re meticulous about the preparation of the show because that is the biggest selling point of the band – you leave fully entertained,” Austin said.

He adds, “The band won’t leave the stage until people are visibly moved by the show. Even I am, and I’ve seen them 200 times. Some songs bring me to tears and some songs make me dance.”

When The Suffers played CMJ Music Marathon in 2014 it had only put out a 7-inch, but the performance impressed the talent buyer for the “Late Show with David Letterman” so much that it earned the band its debut late night appearance in March 2015. The band has been busy touring ever since, including a stop at NPR’s “Tiny Desk Concert.”  

The Suffers released its self-titled debut album independently in February and has already written most of the follow-up. The group is open to working with a label in the future if the right partner comes along – but it all comes down to passion.

“Everyone from tour management to social media to the publicist to the agent are die-hard fans and are committed to seeing success happen,” Austin said. 

Upcoming plans include North American festival appearances and a trip to Tokyo in June.