Born in the small town of New Oxford, Pennsylvania, Austin Rife was raised on country music. Upon his Grandfather, Jim Rife’s passing in 2004, he picked up his elder’s guitar and learned to play. Austin’s grandfather not only passed down the gift of song, but also the gift of songwriting to him. Although Austin never played a song with his Grandfather, he lives with him on stage every night. Rife released his first fully original record while attending Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. North Carolina gave Rife hybrid roots that extended into bluegrass, folk, and non-traditional country. Although Austin is a modern country singer songwriter, these influences shape the music he writes. In early 2020, Rife reached a deal with OmniSound Studios in Nashville to independently release his new 5 song EP Gasoline. Gasoline takes the listener on a roller coaster with rowdy tunes like “The Makers” and “Mason Jar” while also bringing humor to a breakup in “Leave my Dog.” Rife brings heartfelt rootsy emotion with a touch of romance to songs like “Small Towns are Home” and “Starting a Fire.” In 2022, Rife went back to Nashville to cut a beachy heartbreak duet called “Nights I Live For.” This time around, he worked with the fiery yet angelic voice of Kaitlyn Yinger to cut the coastal anthem, which garnered 23,000 streams. In 2023, Rife released his most personal single to date called “My Last Name.” Rife wrote this song to propose to his wife, Madison. Not only was the singer lucky enough to get a “Yes” from his wife to be, but he also got the green light to release the song to the public. “My Last Name” was released on 2/11/23, the couple’s wedding day. The single was accompanied by Rife’s first music video, a touching tribute to the newlyweds’ special day. “My Last Name” will have the listener relating to Rife’s self-deprecating “I Aint Perfect” chorus line while also shedding a tear in the bridge when he finally proposes to his future bride. “My Last Name” is new songwriting territory for Rife as the song shows growth from a rowdy college kid to becoming something he’s never been before…a husband. When asked how he pens his original work, the small-town singer keeps it very simple, “I have to live it, to write it.”