Aaron Kothmann
Growing up in the Texas Hill Country gave Aaron the opportunity to develop a love and help spur his interest for music at an early age. The surrounding dancehalls were the setting for the majority of his Saturday nights even before being old enough to buy his way in. Having a father (Benny Fred) and many other close relatives who played music all over Texas sparked his interest in the life of a musician. Every chance Aaron got he would tag along with his father to whatever gig he was playing. Not knowing it at the time, Aaron was very fortunate to be able to travel with these bands. The most predominant of these were a couple years of watching Johnny Bush and the Bandoleros. Aaron was lucky enough to grow up surrounded by music from the very beginning. Although he grew up on western swing, Aaron’s influences range a long way from just Bob Wills and Johnny Bush. In the true fashion of any rebellious teenager Aaron did a four-year stint as the drummer in a heavy metal/blues band. The band played everything from Metallica to Stevie Ray Vaughn. His writing and live performances bear the obvious influences of blues music. After high school Aaron was hired out to numerous country bands filling in for a night or two as a drummer. The musicians he played with during this time had been playing professionally longer than he had been alive. Watching his father and other seasoned musicians gave Aaron an insight and education that would benefit him for the rest of his career. Aaron’s songs stem from his personal experiences more than anything.