Introduce yourself.

I’m Austin Farris. I’m from the western suburbs of Chicago and I am a guitarist going to Columbia College in Chicago.

What made you pick up the guitar?

Pretty much my friends were getting guitars and I just followed them but then I realized I was kind of good at it and I just stuck with it.

Do you play any other instruments?

I play bass, drums, and keyboard too.

Favorite artists and musical influences?

My favorite artists are across the board. I listened to classic rock growing up so Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath are the bands that got me into guitar playing. But as I grew up I became more into song writing and phrasing and that's when I started listening to hip-hop, R&B, and more pop artists. Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder are some of my favorite artists; Off the Wall is probably one of my top 5 albums. Also, Prince is a really big influence because he is fucking awesome at guitar. He does a lot of R&B but he mixes rock guitar into it and that’s pretty cool. Kanye West is my favorite contemporary artists. Everybody hates on him but he is arguably the greatest producer and rapper of our time and I will argue that ‘til the day I die. [Recently] I've been getting more into Gospel music as well. I never knew how fuckin’ awesome some gospel is. 70's and 80's gospel is very funk and disco oriented and has awesome grooves. That's what I like, music that grooves.

Favorite songs?

Treat Me Right by Keys N Krates
Blood On The Leaves by Kanye West
She Knows by J.Cole
American Boy by Estelle
Crazy by Gnarls Barkley

What do you think your greatest accomplishment has been?

Probably performing and wining at the Biggest Mouth at The Metro this year.

What was the process of preparing and performing for Biggest Mouth like?

Alright well the Biggest Mouth process was cool. Alexus asked all of us to play for her. Me and Sam (the drummer) have been playing music together since high school. I had never played a show with Eric (bass player), Nate (guitarist), or Chris (keyboards) before but we all got along. After the [first] rehearsal we were able to start making up ideas for the show like transitions and what not. It took about four rehearsals to get the act together. She had dancers too and they never rehearsed all together with the band so it was impressive to see that they worked it out at the show. We were good enough to get first place prize which was pretty fuckin’ sweet.

Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?

Hopefully just playing music and not having to have a part-time job to support myself. I just want to support myself with just music

Other than music, what else are you passionate about?

I like movies a lot along with photography. I like photography because it’s way to catch an image or memory and memorialize it. Music is very fleeting; it's gone by the time you hear it. But [with] photography you can capture that experience and keep it. It’s the same with movies. I enjoy movies with vibrant imagery.

Favorite Movies?

Requiem for a Dream is awesome. Reservoir Dogs is one of my favorite movies. I just like the suits and how they were just bad people. It’s the same with the movie Trainspotting. The best line from that movie is "The truth is that I'm a bad person". It’s honest. It’s real life. Not everything ends happy. I sound fuckin’ depressed. I'm not. I just like those kinds of movies.

Favorite places to go to in Chicago?

I order Beef –N-Cheedar Croissant, large cheese fries, and a large Coke from Portillos. At Hot Doug’s, I order whatever special they have. Could be Kangaroo Sausage, or Rattlesnake or Yak but they have the best hot dogs in Chicago. Peqoud's Pizza is a new spot I like. They have bomb ass deep dish. Big Star's Taco el Pastor is so goddamn good. Best gourmet tacos I've had. Exit, my favorite bar

–you can check out Austin's band Space of Mind on Facebook and stalk solely the stellar guitarist himself, on his personal Instagram.

–interview curated by CARMEN HENRY