By Matt de Simone – Contributing writer
The result is “Home and Heart” – a track about growing up in Botetourt County and giving a perspective of how much the community and aesthetics mean to the duo. At its core, the song blends the genres of country and folk music into a beautiful, flowing groove that immediately casts a landscape of Botetourt County’s captivating countryside manners.
“The purpose of the song was to document the 250th year celebration,” Austin explained. “We wanted to get it down for historical purposes because we wanted to preserve the song for the celebration. Historic Fincastle approached Ted about an original song, and he contacted me. Together, we wrote the song for the celebration.”
Austin’s inspiration for the single was his connection to his hometown of Buchanan and the Blue Ridge Mountains. His friends and neighbors also inspired his lyrics.
“I write different music styles, but our choice seemed to fit Botetourt County – the stringed instruments and acoustic sounds that I grew up with,” Austin added.
“Home and Heart” is a collaborative effort between Austin and McAllister, but they had additional studio musicians who joined the duo. Ted’s wife Debbie jams the bass track, and their son Caleb provides a smooth fiddle progression that flows through the recording.
The single is the featured track from “Where My Home and My Heart Meet,” a four-song EP that contains other songs previously recorded by Austin & McAllister. The entire album is now available for purchase in the iTunes store and currently streaming on Spotify.
