Today we’d like to introduce you to Aviator
Hi AVIATOR, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
WHO WE ARE:
AVIATOR has shared love of all types of music, (admittedly, sometimes, to our own downfall) but we’ve learned to combine our different music backgrounds into one sound. Spanning from bluegrass groups and jazz combos to church choirs and musical theater, with AVIATOR, there’s a little bit of everything from everywhere. At the heart of it lies frontman and lyricist, Matthew Bustamante, who has also launched a solo music career. Joining the group on keyboard and growing into other roles as the band gained and lost members, Matthew and core members, Dylan Becker (drums), Zach Hadba (bass), and Ethan Hayes (guitar), have been developing their skills together since they were 13.
ORIGINS:
Our 7th grade year, our bassist and drummer started a rock cover band in our school music room. As we went through middle school we expanded our lineup to include a keyboardist and multiple singers, finding time to practice on the weekends. Going through highschool, we cycled through singers and other instrumentalists, eventually forming a solid core around our 10th grade year. Going to a small school in Round Rock, our biggest gig at the time was senior year prom, but our four founding members decided to stick together after graduating and going to college. Eventually we started expanding our reach, with our drummer’s connection to Austin FC’s La Murga and our guitarist’s parent’s bluegrass band. We have since recorded a 6 track album in our senior year, and are currently working on a funk record, to be announced. We recruit members from around the greater Austin area and Texas State, with the recent addition of a sax section and more singers.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
We’ve had a plethora of singers throughout the years. Getting to where we are now has been difficult as we’ve cycled through the losses and new members, but we’ve been able to establish the core of our band as we’ve spent so much time together. We’ve had problems holding long term members for a multitude of reasons, mostly due to personal conflicts or scheduling. The full story of AVIATOR’s lineup spans years, but the experience has shaped who we are and what we want to accomplish.
We record our own music, but finding a recording studio with professional equipment has been difficult. We love the music we write, but we’ve always struggled with a sense of genre identity and general vibe, shifting from rock to funk to jazz. We are constantly on the lookout for new venues or opportunities to play, which isn’t always the smoothest process. We’ve had issues with venues not getting back to us, show payouts, and equipment failure – all fair game for smaller bands. With the inclusion of new people and new shows, we’re definitely on our way to discovering our sound on a deeper level.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
WHAT SETS US APART:
For a large part of our career we’ve valued skill and virtuosity, while trying to keep the spirit of our music lively and fun. We try to fill out our sets with songs you can dance to, or that make you appreciate the art of music itself. We come from a background not dissimilar from many Austin bands, but we have taken pride in our ability to keep pushing out new music from genre to genre. We don’t confine ourselves to a single corner of the art, and try to push the envelope of what it means to be a rock band in 2024. Experimentation, creativity, and a shared love of music is what drives us to keep doing what we do.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
We’re about to start the process of recording our funk album, so follow our socials to keep up with it (@aviator_atx). This is some of our best work and we’d love to share some of the fun we’ve had making it. Some of our biggest inspirations for this work have been taking religious themes and recontextualizing them to a love that’s gone off the deep end, as we’ve all experienced once or twice. We’d love to see bigger turnouts at shows, and hopefully show people some new (and old) sounds.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @aviator_atx
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@aviator_atx
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4tvHmklFWWcuEGp0eLLwCe
Image Credits
Maddy Sutherland (all images)
