Behind the Music

Home of the Small Circle.
 

My musical journey started at a young age. I was first introduced to music in the church. As a child, I tagged along with my family to sing at church revivals nationwide (I would pretend to sing — and get caught!). Our answering machine recording was a rotating family sing-a-long of popular tunes remixed into catchy "leave a message at the tone" jingles. I would never sing, I mean realy sing, in front of anyone. Being surrounded by seasoned musical talent made me shy away from sharing my voice, as the thought of perfection was too much.

 

There were some dark times but my Mom got us out. When I was around 12 years old, my newly single mother moved my sister and I to a small two bedroom house. She took the couch and gave us the rooms. She worked long hours to support our family. I often had to find ways to do things on my own; like getting to bed at a reasonable time or getting up in the morning and walking to school. I learned a lot of independence during that time.

 

Later, my Mom married a man who would eventually change my life forever. He was the one who showed me what it meant to be a man, a father, a teacher, and a leader. I finally had someone to look up to and aspire to be like. After I turned 18, my Dad legally adopted me and I had a true sense of what family was! As I grew older, I had the opportunity to experience music behind the scenes. My Mom started a female trio band where they would perform across Texas. In her 40’s, she was able to express herself through music and accomplished many great achievements in the music business. She taught me to take chances on myself by showing me what it looked like first hand.

 

I met my future wife on the first day of college orientation with both of our parents present. I told my Dad privately that I would marry that girl. After graduating college, I moved on to the corporate world because, well, that's what you're supposed to do... right? I worked hard to prove to others that I would be successful. I worked my way up the corporate ladder achieving many professional goals and eventually held a Vice President role at a global manufacturing company.

 

My passion for corporate success was not as fulfilling as I had dreamed but when our daughter was born, I found a new light of passion. We loved singing together with all of the Disney movies! As my little girl grew up, we started watching The Voice and other singing competitions together. We would sing loud and dance wild in the living room. Once, she saw tears coming from my eyes and asked, "Daddy, are you sad?", I smiled and told her that they were "passion tears" from watching and hearing someone living out their dream and giving it their all. This inspired me.

 

That next day, I went to a pawn shop and bought an old acoustic guitar. I thought maybe I could learn to play and we could jam around the house. I placed my pointer finger on one string, moved it up and down the fret board and it was music, songs started to write themselves. It wasn't long before I pulled my phone out and recorded a voice memo of a song I was working on. It was called "Small Circles". I sent it to my Mom and it was the first time she heard me sing. She called me immediately and asked who wrote that song and told me she had no idea I could sing like that. I was astonished to hear that compliment come from such an incredible artist. She said you need to record that song! She brought me to one of the studios she recorded at and the session musicians turned my single chord strums into an actual song! The producer told me to jump in the booth to cut some vocals and my heart dropped. This was the first time I sang in front of anyone. After getting the mastered song back, I released it to all streaming platforms. The feedback I received overwhelmed me with joy and I began writing song after song.

 

In October of 2023, I had someone reach out on social media to ask If I could sing at an event they were planning. My heart dropped again but my soul told me to do it scared. I struggled to play the guitar but managed to make it through the three hour gig. After it was all over, that fear turned into strength. My wife could see it in me and told me, "You were born for this, you are doing it!", so I got online and started searching for guitar tutorials on numerous songs. She took a few short video clips of me singing and sent them to local venues asking if they needed live music. After we booked my first gig, I started playing solo acoustic shows every weekend at different places around New Braunfels.

 

I would write songs once the kids went down for bed and found a guitar teacher in my neighborhood to help me learn how to play. He gave me so many tools, which boosted my confidence, and started to accompany me at some of my shows. Now, he is the lead guitarist in the Trevor Underwood Band and a great friend.

 

In this short year I have overcome many obstacles but most importantly I am expressing my true passion. In 2024; I released new music on all major streaming platforms with 13,000 streams in 86 countries to 7,800 listeners, wrote over 100 songs, interviewed live at radio stations, competed in singer/songwriter competitions, was featured in magazines and newspapers, formed the Trevor Underwood Band and a full band show, was opening support for established country artists, played at a festival with crowds of 10,000+, played 94 solo, duo and full band shows and made so many new connections to grow the Small Circle!

 

My dream is to play in an arena with my family by my side. I live life with the mentality that God has a plan, everything happens for a reason and to always keep moving forward. I have no regrets as each decision I have made, or was made for me, has taught me valuable lessons to grow as a human being. I am a lover and a fighter that fights for what I love.

 

My friends would describe me as outgoing and passionate, probably weird and at times, has an inappropriate or sarcastic sense of humor that either get’s me into trouble or defuses situations that were too serious in the first place. I am someone who does what they say no matter who’s watching. If it comes out of my mouth, I am self-required to do it. I go 1000 MPH with anything I love and dedicate my full attention to what’s right in front of me. Come along on this journey with me I would love for you to be a part of the Small Circle Social Club!