Blackboot Family Band was formed in 2016 after a work trip to New Orleans brought founding members Austin Lancaster (lead vocals, rhythm guitar and keys) and Laura Forster (also lead vocals, rhythm guitar and keys) together. They had both played with lead guitarist and vocalist, Chris Kues and it wasn’t long before he joined the group. Their first practices were held at a picnic table in Zilker Park.
The band got their first name, Lady Dame and the Blackboot Brothers, when Austin, Laura and Chris looked down at their feet before their first open mic and realized they were all wearing black boots.
They were joined in early 2017 by bass player, Scott Beardsworth, and drummer, James “Moose” Duval. When fiddle player, Mira Dickey, joined later that year, they became Blackboot Family Band.
Their debut album, Stupid Habits, released on March 13th, 2020 along with their two original singles, ‘Forest for the Trees’ and ‘A Dreamer and a Chance’.
Their sophomore album, A Simpler Time, dropped August 24, 2024. Written and recorded during the “dark ages”, it’s a collection of songs about memory and regret. Three singles, ‘Clementine’, ‘Sylvia’, and ‘Old Dog’, we’re released to accompany the album.