AUSTIN, Texas — Chances are, if you see 20-year-old Calder Allen playing at the Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL) this weekend, he'll be wearing a hat.
It’s a style choice, but it has a little more meaning to it.
"For me, that's like the imagery of like, 'OK, I'm showing you just the music,'” Allen said. “As much as it might have to do with me, but my perception is, it's about the songs and about that, and take me out of that."
It's surprising for someone whose family is no stranger to the spotlight. Allen is a fifth-generation Austinite and the grandson of Austin musician Terry Allen and playwright Jo Harvey Allen.
"I grew up obviously being surrounded by it,” he said.
But he's a self-taught guitarist who started writing songs during the COVID-19 pandemic. He recorded his first album in 2021 at the historic Arlyn Studios in Austin.
"When that record finished, I realized that I wanted to pursue music full-time,” Allen said.
Soon after, he was thrown into the live performance scene and even snagged a spot at ACL that same year. But it was people like his uncle Bukka Allen, who also doubles as his keyboardist for shows, who helped him navigate this new world.
"During that set, I was freaking out, and was like, ‘Hey, I'm really freaking out right here,’ and he just kind of calmed me down,” Allen said. “He brought the whole band on stage and we all kind of ran through like half of the song real quick, and then he was like, ‘Look, you already played, like, that's just what it is. That's what it's going to sound like."
Allen's background also led to a much more personal answer when KVUE's Melia Masumoto asked him about his inspirations.
"I think the most direct is definitely the people that are closest to me,” Allen said.
If you want to see Allen play at ACL, he'll be performing on the Tito’s stage at 2:45 p.m. on Saturday of both weekends.