Eric Osterhout is a Texas-based Americana and Country songwriter living in Waller, Texas. Born in rural upstate New York and raised in Houston after his family moved there when he was five, Eric Osterhout spent decades building a successful business career while staying deeply connected to music. Over the years, he DJ’d, hosted karaoke, performed solo acoustic shows, and even owned a nightclub that specialized in Texas music. Today, he focuses on songwriting that reflects the landscapes, weather, and stories of rural Texas life. His single, “The Stillness Before The Rain,” captures the quiet tension before a Gulf Coast storm rolls in, part of an ongoing series of independent releases reaching listeners and radio across the United States and Europe.
With “The Stillness Before The Rain” out now, we took some time to hear from Eric Osterhout. Read below to learn more about Eric Osterhout, the story behind “The Stillness Before The Rain,” and what’s to come.
Hi Eric Osterhout! Let’s start with how did you get your artist name?
I perform under my real name. When I started releasing music I felt the songs were personal enough that the most honest way to present them was simply as myself. These songs come from real experiences and real places, so using my own name felt like the right fit.
What city are you from, and where are you based now?
I was born in rural upstate New York, but my family moved to Houston when I was five, so I grew up Texan. Even growing up in the city of Houston, I always felt pulled back toward country life. About two weeks before my daughter was born, I made the decision to move out to Waller, Texas, so that she could grow up with some space, land, and a connection to the country life that I had always wanted to get back to. That was 34 years ago, and living out here has shaped a lot of the imagery and feeling that shows up in my songs.
At what point in your life did you decide to pursue a career in music? How did you get started?
Music has always been part of my life, but for many years it ran alongside my business career rather than replacing it. I stayed involved in music in a lot of different ways over the years, DJ’ing, hosting karaoke, playing solo acoustic shows, and even owning a nightclub that specialized in Texas music. My business career paid the bills and allowed me to build a life for my family, but music was always there in the background. Eventually the songwriting, which had always been an outlet and a release for me, became something I wanted to share more seriously, and that’s when I began recording and releasing songs as an artist. I truly believe the experiences I’ve accumulated over the years, and waiting until later in life to share my songs, has helped them resonate more deeply with listeners.
How would you describe your sound to readers who may not be familiar with you?
I’d describe it as Texas Country and Americana storytelling. The songs are rooted in acoustic instruments, strong lyrics, and a sense of place. I try to write songs that feel real and familiar, the kind of songs that paint pictures of everyday life, people, and moments that listeners recognize from their own experiences.
Do you have any hobbies outside of music? What do you do to stay creative?
A lot of my inspiration actually comes from spending time outdoors on my land in Waller. Watching storms roll in, working around the property, and just being in that quiet environment tends to spark song ideas. Those moments of stillness are often when melodies or lyrics start to show up.
Who are some of your main musical influences?
I grew up listening to classic Country and Texas songwriters. Artists like Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings had a huge influence on me, especially the way they told stories through music. I’ve also always admired writers like Billy Joe Shaver and Ray Wylie Hubbard, who have that uniquely Texas way of turning real life into songs that feel honest and lived in. That tradition of storytelling has always meant a lot to me, and in my own small way I try to carry a little piece of that Texas songwriting spirit forward in the songs I write. I’ve always been drawn to writers who can paint a picture with simple, direct lyrics.
Who would be a dream to collaborate with?
If I could collaborate with anyone in the Texas songwriting world, it would probably be some of the great Texas storytellers who have helped shape the genre. I’ve always admired artists who can take everyday life and turn it into songs people remember for years. Bands and writers like Radney Foster, Turnpike Troubadours, Gary P. Nunn, Cory Morrow, and Kevin Fowler have that ability to capture real moments and real characters in their music. Being able to sit down and write a song with artists like that would be a pretty special experience.
What’s one of the proudest moments of your music career so far?
As an independent artist, seeing my songs begin to reach listeners far beyond my local area has been incredibly rewarding. Getting radio spins and hearing that people in other places, even other countries, are connecting with the music is a pretty special feeling. I’ve been fortunate to have a couple of songs chart in both Europe and the United States, which was something that I never really imagined when I first started writing and sharing these songs. For a songwriter, working independently out of a small Texas town, seeing the music travel that far is both humbling and inspiring.
What would you say are the greatest lessons that you’ve learned so far?
The biggest lesson that I’ve learned is that authenticity matters. That’s something that has been important to me not just in music, but throughout my business career as well. I’ve always tried to be a “what you see is what you get” kind of person, whether I’m working with people in business or writing a song. I think people can sense when something is real and when it isn’t. I’ve also learned not to take myself too seriously. Being able to laugh at yourself and even be a little goofy at times is part of being human, and people connect with that. I’ll be the first to say I’m not the greatest musician in the world, but I do believe songwriting is where my strength lies. At the end of the day, the songs people respond to most are the ones that come from real experiences instead of chasing trends.
Now onto your release, “The Stillness Before The Rain.” What inspired this song? What is it about?
The song actually came from a walk on my land with my dog out here in Waller. I spend a lot of time out there and it’s where I feel the most at peace. On this particular day, you could sense that rain was coming. Everything had gone completely still. The wind had stopped, the air felt heavy, and even the birds had gone quiet. I remember saying to the dog how still everything was…even the birds had gone quiet right before the rain began. That moment, that calm right before the storm, became the genesis of the song. It’s really about those moments in life when everything pauses for a second before something bigger arrives.
What was the inspiration behind the cover artwork for “The Stillness Before The Rain?”
The artwork was meant to capture that same mood of calm before the storm. Wide open skies and that feeling that something is building just beyond the horizon. Authenticity is important to me, both in my music and in how I present it. The scene in the artwork reflects the view from my pasture, and the pickup in the image is meant to represent my own truck and me out there on the land. We did take a little artistic license in creating the image, but if you follow my music as it’s released, you’ll probably notice some common themes in the cover art. The land, the sky, and those quiet moments in Texas tend to show up again and again because that’s where a lot of the songs begin.
What was the creative process like when making “The Stillness Before The Rain?”
The song started with the atmosphere and the story. I originally wrote it around an acoustic guitar and the imagery of that quiet moment before the rain arrives. When I brought it into the studio, my producer, Austin Biel out of Houston, Texas, really connected with the lyrics and the original draft of the music. From the beginning, he said this one felt a little different for me, less commercial and more of a songwriter’s kind of song. Because of that, we both agreed to keep the arrangement very simple and let the story carry the weight. The foundation is really just strong acoustic guitar and vocals. Then while we were recording the chorus, where the lyric says “It’s that moment when the world goes still, like time’s leanin’ in, waitin’ on God’s will,” we realized a Hammond organ would add something special there. Austin layered that in and it gave the song a subtle, almost church-like spiritual feel that really fit the moment.
How long did it take to complete “The Stillness Before The Rain?”
The writing itself actually happened pretty quickly. Once the idea came together, the song seemed to flow naturally. The studio process took a little more time, though, because even though we kept the arrangement simple, we really wanted the emotion of the song to shine through. My producer, Austin Biel, spent a lot of time making sure the sound and feel were just right. I’ll admit that I was a little nervous about releasing it because it’s very different from my first official release, “Dollar Store Barbie,” which is much more upbeat and commercial. But in the end, the time we spent getting the sound right really paid off. In its first week, it even made the HotDisc 40 chart, which was incredibly encouraging.
What is your favorite lyric in the song and why?
One of my favorite lines in the song is, “It’s that moment when the world goes still, like time’s leanin’ in, waitin’ on God’s will.” That line really captures the heart of the song for me. It reflects that quiet moment when everything pauses, whether it’s nature before a storm or a moment in life when you know something is about to change. Sometimes the world seems to hold its breath for just a second, and that’s the feeling that I was trying to capture in the song.
What do you hope fans take away from the song and your music in general?
More than anything, I hope people feel like the songs come from a real place. Authenticity has always mattered to me, both in my life and in my business career, and it’s the same with my music. I try to write about moments and feelings that people recognize, whether it’s standing out in a pasture before a storm rolls in or just reflecting on where life has taken you. I’m not trying to chase trends or be something I’m not. My goal is simply to tell honest stories through songs and hopefully give listeners something they can connect with in their own lives.
What’s next for you?
Right now, the focus is continuing to release new music consistently. I’ve been working on a series of singles that will come out every couple of months, and there are several more already in production. As I spend more time focusing on songwriting, one of my goals is to write songs that artists with a little more star power might want to record someday. I’ve always thought it would be pretty funny to be sitting in a dive bar somewhere when a song comes on, lean over to someone and say, “You like that one? I wrote it.” They’d probably call BS, so we’d look it up, and they’d say, “Son of a gun… you did.” That’s the dream.
Where can we follow you on social media?
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EricOsterhoutTX
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0ZkiYONr6905o7YDkSxk1W
Bandcamp: https://ericosterhout.bandcamp.com
Thank you for the great interview; wish you much continued success!
