Doors: 6:00pm / Show: 7:00pm
All Ages
Shenanigans Live- 6121 Melton Rd., Portage, IN
A person who has faced their own morality head-on usually comes out with a completely different perspective. Nearly succumbed to addiction, Austin John Winkler is famously recognized as the voice of some of the biggest Rock songs of the mid-2000s with Hinder’s “Get Stoned,” “Lips of an Angel,” “Better Than Me,” and “Without You.” All major hits on Rock radio, Hinder struck platinum with the 2005 album Extreme Behavior and gold status with 2008’s Take It to Limit.
A dream come true, sadly, Frontman and Main Songwriter Austin Winkler was facing his own struggles. Leaving the Hinder in 2013, Winkler found dark moments ahead, and in 2019, he had a lengthy stay in the hospital, nearly losing his life.
Coming through it all with a new lease on life, music has been a saving grace. Living off inspiration, music cannot be forced, and Winkler’s fire has been reset with the Founder.
A new chapter in his story, the Founder’s debut EP Walking Ded emerged in March 2025, offering six intense Rock-n-Roll songs. Proud of the work put into it all, Austin John Winkler sat down to discuss his unpredictable life, the success with Hinder, his approach to songwriting, his hopes for the Founder, and more.
