He may come from humble beginnings, but the past is definitely not the present for young up-and-coming British singer and songwriter Bobby Long.

Originally from England, the talented 24-year-old is on tour in the States. Predominately a solo acoustic artist before this point, Long is bringing along a backing band he had met while on tour in England.

"It went as well as it possibly could have been and I was really happy," Long said about the new addition to his performance.

Although performing with the band has been a hit, Long says he enjoys his solo sets just as much.

"I like mixing it up because it keeps me interesting."

Long is currently busy on tour, but he also finds time to work on his new album. The album will be much different than his first make-shift album, Dirty Pond Songs, as Long has officially signed with ATO Records.

He's excited, and describes the new record as his "first real work of something that I truly feel happy about and represents me."

More self-deprecating than your average egocentric musician, Long says, "I have a tendency to kind of hate a lot of my stuff."

Despite this, one of his favorite songs he's written is "A Stranger's Song". It was hard for him to decide a on a favorite because he "Likes certain songs for different reasons."

In general, his music borrows from many different genres of influence including blues, jazz, rock and roll, and even a bit of punk. Essentially, his music is what he refers to as "raw music."

"I just gravitate to natural sounding records and songs, I've always enjoyed a guys and a guitar and always enjoyed watching a group of kids playing rock and roll. I like that raw sound of music," Long said.

Long may enjoy the sound of raw guitar music, but it was not until the young musician turned 17 that he began to play. He has always loved to write lyrics and enjoyed singing with his sister since he was 14.

Come see this singer-songwriter and contributor to the Twilight soundtrack when he stops by Mixtape Venue this weekend.