Carson Brock

Finding Frames

It seems inevitable that the scions of Austin music icons hit the stage. Carson Brock, son of virtuoso Eric Johnson bassist Kyle Brock, joins the rush with his second full-length, Finding Frames. Despite the influence of his dad’s onetime employer, Brock essays a different kind of guitar-slinging, preferring grungy blues rock to Johnson’s meticulous fusion. With a flexible, blue-eyed soul voice and axe work that whiffs familiar without smelling like anyone in particular, Brock’s got the goods, pushing his talents to the edge without falling into the pool of excess. Now all he needs is a killer song or three to lift him to the next level. “Three Feet,” “New Day Rising,” and “Get What You Need” all scan fine, but nothing here raises blood pressure. At only 19, Brock’s got plenty of time to develop as the tunesmith and classic rock revivalist he clearly aspires to be.

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This article appears in September 27 • 2013.

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Michael Toland started writing about music in 1988 on the Gulf Coast, moved to Austin in early 1991, and has inflicted bylines upon the corporeal and digital pages of Pop Culture Press, The Big Takeover, Blurt, Amplifier, Austin.citysearch, the Austin American Statesman, Goldmine, Sleazegrinder, Rock & Roll Globe, High Bias, FHT Music Notes, and, since 2011, The Austin Chronicle.