If you’ve spent any real time in the Austin music trenches, you know the difference between hype and longevity. Bryan Richie has been on the longevity side for over 20 years. Between his work with The Sword, Spaceflight Records, and his electronic outlet Galactic Protector, he’s watched the local ecosystem evolve through boom cycles, venue shakeups, and the streaming era’s slippery slopes. We caught up with him to talk about staying busy, supporting artists the right way, and why Austin’s scene, while ever-changing, is far from dead. Richie is gearing up for a European tour this year while celebrating the 20th anniversary of The Sword’s triumphant debut Age of Winters, and will release the sequel to his 2019 solo record on February 24. We caught up with him to discuss the upcoming release and why the Central Texas music system still matters and how every bit of fan support is crucial to making it all happen.
The Cosmic Clash: You’re a busy man. Between The Sword, Spaceflight, and now the continuation of your electronic project, Galactic Protector. Do you like staying this busy, and how do you find the time for everything?
Bryan Richie: I do like staying busy. Things sometimes just kind of fall how they fall. I hadn’t done anything with the solo project in a long time, and some things came into play that made sense for me to revisit it. It all came out real quick, and I was off to the races again on it. And then the Spaceflight stuff. Brett keeps me really busy. We’ve got a lot of stuff going on. I really enjoy that. I enjoy working with other bands and helping them see what they can do and what we can do for them. Then The Sword stuff – Age of Winters turned 20 this year. Warp Riders turned 15 last year. We did a big tour. It’s just never a dull moment, and I’m feeling very grateful to continually be able to do stuff like that…