Today's Country

Sometimes it is a set of circumstances that leads you to finding good, new music. For myself my path to The August was an interesting one. They are from my own backyard in Chicago, but when I was living up there I hadn’t heard their name. A friend of mine from up there was down in Nashville and wanted to go line dancing so we headed over to the famous Wildhorse Saloon and he danced with a girl that was from Chicago and as it turned out she was there with Jacky, the lead singer of The August. We got to talking about music and her and the band recently moving to Music City so the next day I checked out their website and loved what I heard and here we are now. I had the chance to talk with Jacky, Tim, and Wojtek (The August) about their debut album Thistle, Sparrow, and the Tall, Tall Grass, songwriting, moving to Nashville, Their recent trip on the Cayamo Cruise, and more.

The August Official Website 

The August Myspace
The August - "Thistle, Sparrow, and the Tall, Tall Grass"

1. For someone that doesn’t have your debut album Thistle, Sparrow, and the Tall, Tall Grass,  what can they expect to hear when they hit play?

TIM: Gatsby is track one. A fine, model song to what the album should represent. The downbeat is all the august, everyone playing together, collectively, right from the start. We're trying to play as a single unit and that is stressed throughout the album.  The first song is heartache and the last song is heartache but we pick each other up along the way. No dog and pony show here. This is an album where each song should have a single sound of its own.

2. What about your music do you think will make you stand out amongst the pack of similar artists?

WOJTEK:  The fact that we don’t have a gimmick sets us apart from other similar artists. We are not selling a super short skirt or unbuttoned shirt. We are selling catchy hooks and melodies that are appealing to the ears so much so, that you will walk away from our set or 1st listen of the cd you’ll be humming what you just heard. We are selling the song, because that’s what really matters. You could wear the tightest jeans and shiniest shoes but that won’t give you a good song. Moving here shows our commitment to “the song,” and the fact that you could always write a better tune is inspiring to us. We are concentrating on the song 1st and foremost and that’s what sets us apart from other similar artists.

3. How important is it for you to be the writers on the songs you record and would you accept songs from outside writers?

WOJTEK:  Obviously we love to write, so it is important to us to keep doing so and continue recording our tunes. I think 2 main reasons people become songwriters is, the creative outlet that can’t be matched anywhere else and because they LOVE to do it. It’s healing, and it feels good to hear a song that you wrote on an acoustic guitar turn into a finished product with arrangements and all that jazz. Its what’s appealing to me as a songwriter, the development and creative expression allowed. That being said, we are very open to recording songs by outside writers and are really excited to start co-writing with other artists and see where that takes our songs. In Chicago, it is pretty hard to find any folkies or country players who want to co write. Hell, it’s hard enough to find any folkies or country artists period. But out here, everyone wants to co write, it’s the thing to do. So hopefully we will be getting a lot more material in the future from outside writers, and hopefully co-writers.

JACKY:  I agree with everything Wojtek said, but also want to add that as songwriters, we also create to connect with our listeners.  We as musicians have a lot to say, but so does the rest of the non-songwriting world. If we can help put some of those feelings and stories into a song through observation or by living through similar experiences, then we can connect with people we don’t even know, which is quite possibly the most beautiful power of music.  (as in… this is a reason I like to write!)

4. Which one song from the album do you feel best defines your overall sound and why?

TIM: Outside. Maybe the timely move to Nashville swayed this pick. The three part vocals hit right away, no solos, not too much shine; the band moves all at once. Strong chorus, some pretty little sounds, inside a traditional storyline- leaving home to find something new. Not too much to digest but enough to wrap your tonsils around.

and it's a song that can't decide how country it is. That is the august, that is our sound and that is our conundrum.

5. You recently relocated to Nashville from Chicago. What prompted you to make the move to Music City?

JACKY:  The idea of relocating to Nashville came from our old manager a few years ago.  Brenden lived here for a few years, and knew what a welcoming and thriving community it is for musicians and songwriters.  We contemplated coming down last year, but we didn’t all agree on making the move until our bassist left the band early this year, and we had nothing to lose. However, now that the three of us are here, we couldn’t be more excited, or inspired. Nashville, with all its amazing talent walking up and down the streets at any given moment of the day, is called Music City for a reason. If you want to learn about music, or see if you can make music your living, this is the place that’ll show you.

6. What do you hope to accomplish by being here in Nashville that you couldn’t have accomplished anywhere else?

WOJTEK:  Nashville is the songwriting capitol of the world, so when we decided that we wanted to work on new songs and improve on the tunes we already had, the option of moving to Nashville became very appealing. We really want to hone in on the craft of songwriting and in turn really focus on the sound that we create as a band. Just by being here 2 weeks, we have already made a handful of contacts that we have gotten together with for writing sessions and song coaching and have already reworked some of our older tunes. This city is songwriting…things like writers nights, NSAI, all these amazing outlets to be taken advantage of…it just seems that there are so many opportunities that focus on songwriting. I like to think of it as a chess game. In Chicago, we made 1 move every week or 2, here in Nashville it feels like we are making 10 moves a day – meeting people or hearing about this or that.

7. What does your live show offer to people that simply spinning the album doesn’t?

JACKY:  In a word: energy.  And of course, that energy translates itself into more edge, more soul, and more fun.  I’m not knocking our album by any means, but like a lot of good recording artists, playing those polished songs live just takes it up a few notches.  At an august show, you’ll hear stories behind the songs, see band mates swapping instruments, dance moves in high heels, soulful renditions of random cover tunes, and us all playing the hell out of our songs, and loving it.  We’ve come to be at home on stage, with our instruments, and with each other.  Add a good crowd to the mix, and you’re in for some good august fun.

8. You recently were a part of the Cayamo Cruise. Can you tell people about this? What it is? How did you get involved?

JACKY:  The Cayamo, in words of its creator, Andy Levine, is “what the world should be,” (for six days out of the year at least).  It’s a ship filled with a community of music lovers and amazing artists, all experiencing an unforgettable musical journey together.  A Caribbean cruise sounds pretty enticing as is, no?  Now add live music from over 30 artists (such as Lyle Lovett, John Hiatt, and Patty Griffin) for up to 15 hours a day!  Yeah, it doesn’t get much better than being aboard the Cayamo, let me tell you. 
The way we got involved this year was by winning a songwriting contest that Sixthman offered when trying to find the “theme song” for the boat. We apparently accomplished this in our Buffet-sounding sing-along, “Aboard the Cayamo.”  Winning the “Play it Live” contest not only got us on the ship for free, but also allowed us to sing our Cayamo song on board, right before a headlining act!  We had a great time playing that song, as well as the many open mikes and jam sessions the boat had to offer… and all in all, had the greatest time of our life. 

9. What was the best part of the cruise looking back on it now?

WOJTEK:  The best part of the cruise was definitely getting to know all the artists on board. After 2 AM, when all the concerts were over, all the musicians got together at a bar or at the casino for drinks or spontaneous jam sessions. It was great. The best jam came about in the Sixthman Suite (the company that puts on the cruise) and lasted till 5:30 AM. We got to play a bunch of old R&B tunes and Bluegrass standards (and everything in between) with Shawn Mullins, Marc Broussard, Oakhurst and a bunch of others. Brandi Carlile joined in around 4:00AM on the piano and did a couple new tunes that her and Marc (Broussard) had written. I should mention that all the booze was free while in the Sixthman Suite. It was great.

10. What piece of advice can you offer to someone that is looking to break into the music industry?

TIM: Practice and practice well, whatever you're trying to do.

Know what you're trying to get accomplished with your music and you'll be able to see more clearly the direction you need to take towards attaining your goals.

Be open to suggestions- harsh, critical suggestions.

Remember to say thank you and mean it.