Brian Pounds at Live from the Divide on Thursday, July  9th at 9pm.

"Brian Pounds has spent the past six years as Austin’s best-kept musical secret. On Sept. 2, 2014,the singer-songwriter takes a bold step into the national spotlight with the release of his new EP, Strikes and Gutters. The five-song album is a roots-rock tour de force, featuring well-written, catchy originals and asoulful cover of Shane Bartell’s fantastic “Sunday Dress.” Strikes and Gutters is the follow-up to Pounds’ debut full-length album, After You’re Gone. Reviews of that record, which came out in 2010, drew comparisons between Pounds and James Taylor; on his new release, the comparisons are even more apt, as Pounds’ deeply personal songwriting and warm delivery is reminiscent of the music found on Sweet Baby James. The EP’s opening track is already its most popular: “Someday Maybe Carolina,” written with fellow “The Voice” Season 5 competitor Austin Jenckes, currently has more than 14,000 views on YouTube.