It’s a little after 4 p.m. and a tour bus pulls onto West Washington to the stares of passersby.

Dressed in a Rowdy Records T-shirt, shorts, sunglasses and Converse tennis shoes, Dallas Austin emerges, appearing far from a celebrity as he walked into the 40 Watt Friday afternoon.

Many people know the Grammy award-winning producer for his work with artists such as Usher, Pink and “king of pop” Michael Jackson. Now get reacquainted and meet Dallas Austin, the artist.

“For my own experience, it’s a way to express myself, it’s a conglomerate of everything I have ever been through,” said Austin of his upcoming album, “The Dallas Austin Experience.”

Calling it a “reality” album that tells a story, Austin said weekends with friends were inspiration.

“I don’t have a sound – that’s something that has hindered me in the past, but it has made me what I am,” Austin said.

A producer and now an artist, Austin said he sees a shift back to “real” music, citing R&B songstress Alicia Keys and group Gnarles Barkley as examples.

“Music is supposed to have an effect on people and people want to see real artists again,” Austin said. “‘Crazy’ [by Gnarles Barkley] was one of the most important records of our time. It unplugged people.”

It’s a little past 11 p.m. and the music is blasting as concert goers stream inside the 40 Watt.

A modest and diverse crowd prepares itself for “The Dallas Austin Experience,” featuring Austin and members of the Rowdy Records family, Colin Munroe, Novel and Sy Scott.

As opening acts perform on stage, Austin can be seen among the audience bopping his head.

“Dallas is very nurturing, which I think is rare with a lot of producers” Munroe said.

Munroe, a native Canadian who played for the first time in the U.S. Friday, describes his music as pop/alternative and rocked the crowd with his vocals in addition to playing a variety of instruments.

He has gained notoriety recently for his remix to Kanye West’s “Flashing Lights,” which was a crowd favorite during the show.

Following Munroe, Novel and Sy Scott took the stage.

Austin, who said he wanted to draw people in, used a movie in his performance that told bits of the “story” that each song continued. Attendees were able to be a part of the story by using items distributed in goody bags for certain songs, such as miniature American flags for “Children of the Revolution.”

Shedding the laid-back image, Austin appeared on stage on the keyboard, wearing a green hat, sunglasses and a feather boa around his neck.

Despite multiple technical difficulties, Austin maintained high energy during his performance of songs from his upcoming album, including “Hot Girls in the Bathroom” and “Children of the Revolution.”

“I thought it was very good, and the technical aspect was a lot better than I’ve seen at the 40 Watt in long time,” said Katie Lancaster, a sophomore majoring in advertising from Kennesaw.

For more information, visit myspace.com/dallasaustin.