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H-Town Rock
Rock Talk, Vol. IX
San Diego-based band Augustana released their debut album All the Stars and Boulevards in the summer of 2005. Finally, almost two years later, the album has taken off and has reached the upper half of the Billboard album charts, thanks to radio embracing the single “Boston.” We recently spoke to Jared Palomar (bass, vocals) of Augustana, as they get ready for their headlining show this Saturday night at the Meridian.
We first caught you last year at SXSW. What did you think of that conference?
We had a blast! It was an amazing experience to walk around and see bands play all day and night. We ran into friends on the street, urging us to go to different shows – we tried to catch what we could. I was bummed that we missed Morrissey but still enjoyed catching everyone else.
You’re coming up on the 2 year anniversary of the release of All the Stars and Boulevards. How does it feel to still be out promoting the same album for this long?
You know, it’s weird because it [the album] didn’t do anything for so long, and having it picked up again gave us a boost. It’s cool to be headlining and playing bigger rooms and getting the chance to play a lot of the new songs that we have been writing. We’re having fun with those. It’s a good a balance.
How has having a hit song change things for you?
Most of all, it got more people interested and more have, obviously, bought the album and are coming out to the show. Our live shows are the most important thing to us. Hopefully, we’ll continue to make a connection with the audiences for some time.
Augustana writes its own songs. Is there one particular band member that handles the lyrics?
Dan [Layrus, lead vocalist] writes all the lyrics. He writes the jest of the song, and we’ll flush it out as a band together.
Who are some of your personal influences musically?
We all have looked up to artists like Tom Petty & Heartbreakers, Lucinda Williams, Bob Dylan, etc. – people who had solid careers who know how to write good, lasting songs and put on great live shows.
Are songs like the singles “Boston” and new single (now an old favorite of ours)“Stars and Boulevards” written from a personal perspective?
“Stars and Boulevards” was written while we were living in Chicago. Dealing with each other constantly, its based on the experiences the four of us had together, being away from everyone we knew. “Boston” is two fold – partly based on a friend of ours and partly fictional. Basically, it’s about getting away and starting over.
You recently started your second headlining tour. What do you like about headlining compared to opening for other bands?
Both things are really cool. When you’re the opening act, you’re definitely in another place. Our goal when opening is to play well enough to win new fans. It’s like a competition to get the audience excited. Now that we’re headlining, it’s nice to be in a place where we can play longer and play more of what we want. Plus, people are singing along – that’s kind of a reward for us.
Last year, you opened for Snow Patrol at the Verizon Wireless Theater here in Houston. Did you guys “click” with any of the bands you played with, and do you have a favorite that you opened for?
That tour was awesome – they [Snow Patrol] are the nicest people in the world. The Counting Crows tour last summer was very cool. They are a band that we grew up listening to. On the first day of the tour, Adam Duritz came up to us and said “we really dig your guys” – that gives you more confidence. It’s great to play with bands that you always liked. It’s also been great to gain recognition with some producers we’ve always wanted to work with.
What new music are you listening to now?
The Kooks are an amazing band. Mew is great, they are amazing. Mute Math puts on some of the greatest live shows – I try to catch them whenever I can. They blow my mind. The Damnwells are good friends of ours, and they have a ridiculously great live show. We got to take them out on our first headlining tour – great musicians.
Before you toured, did you ever spend much time in Texas? If not, is it any different than you expected?
Before we started touring nationwide, the most of the time we spent in Texas was driving through the northern part, stopping in Amarillo for gas and food. Now that we’ve toured through many cities in Texas, I’ve realized how much I love the people down here – some of the nicest people you could meet.
I’m sure that after all of this time, you’re eager for your next album. When can we expect that, and what’s in store for us?
We’ve been writing ever since we finished recording this one [All the Stars and Boulevards]. There’s definitely more of a Americana vibe with these songs. But, you can still tell it’s an Augustana. We’re hoping to get it out at the end of this year or beginning of next year. There are some that are gritty, almost southern-rockers in this new batch. We’ll play 4-5 of them at Houston show.
We'd love to see you at the show!
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