Brian Pounds has been a part of the vibrant Austin music scene for more than six years, having quit his job and left school to pursue his dream full-time. On Sept. 2, 2014, the young singer-songwriter will make a splash on the national Americana music scene with the release of his new, EP, Strikes and Gutters.

The five-song album – produced by Brian Douglas Phillips – is a roots-rock tour de force, featuring impressive originals (“Somewhere Maybe Carolina,” written with fellow “The Voice” competitor Austin Jenckes, currently has more than 14,000 views on YouTube), none more impressive than “Jesus, Don’t Let Me Die (On My Feet), ” a song written in the middle of a less than glamorous two-week gig at a rundown casino. A storyteller at heart, Pounds writes lyrics that are mature beyond his 25 years, composing soul-searching songs that have gripped audience members’ hearts in venues across Texas; with the release of Strikes and Gutters, the rest of the country will get the chance to experience the music of this rising star.