Austin-based jazz saxophonist, composer, and bandleader Colin Houlihan has worked as a sideman, frontman, session musician and live theatre performer, always artfully melding his passion for jazz with a variety of genres and influences. These days you can find the artist at the helm of Colin Houlihan's Utopia Quartet, alongside bassist Devin North, drummer Cole Koenning, and pianist Cameron Riggs. Born from an impromptu jam session during September of 2020, the group’s forthcoming debut album The Beginning (Spring 2023) is an unapologetic break from convention and features songs in which commanding saxophone tones lead the group through freely improvised sections. Their music is an intersection between free jazz and progressive rock, and they have left audiences yearning for more since beginning their legendary Monday night residency at Seven Grand (405 E 7th St) in February 2022.