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Augustine Testimonial: “I first heard Augustine almost two years ago, and the thing that struck me about them was that I could not deduce their influences. Their sound was and is so unique that one can't help but to appreciate the creativity of this band. Ambient at times and very hard rocking, with the occasional shred (thank you, Jake Vest) — Augustine is both cerebral and physical, and in many ways builds a bridge from the head to the heart with their tunes. In my mind, this is a great place to be musically for such a young band.” — Cameron Mann, Young Avenue Sound Crashing onto the Memphis music scene less the three years ago, Augustine has garnered critical cachet as well as building a solid fan base that stretches well beyond Bluff City boundaries. Difficult to describe but easy to love, their sound meshes brit-rock with electronica and soul with lo-fi art rock, a combination that could quite possibly break the time/space continuum. The quintet is made up of Toby Vest (vocals/keyboards/guitar), Jake Vest (vocals/lead guitar), Jeff Schmidtke (guitar), Dirk Kitterlin (bass), and Preston Todd (drums). They are currently working on the follow-up to their debut album, Broadcast. Their sophomore effort is being recorded at Young Avenue Sound in Midtown Memphis, and is slated for release in 2007. Tonight, the “best band in town” (as dubbed by Memphis Flyer music writer Chris Davis – 2005), is breaking out some new material to be featured on their second album. On the Memphis Showboat anchored to a dock on the Mississippi River downtown, the band takes the stage and begins what some might construe as tuning their instruments. Suddenly, the chaos of jumbled sounds is brought together with Todd’s steady drumbeat. What seemed like aural disarray transforms into a crisp yet haunting sound. Brothers Jake and Todd, are in unison, sharing an explosive chorus with electric guitar and vocals, respectively. An epic tune, Coma doesn’t really end. As with a typical Augustine show, the band doesn’t break between songs — rather twirling, cosmic guitars and cymbal rolls segue into the next number. With obvious nods to Sonic Youth, Radiohead, and Pink Floyd, Augustine creates a rock symphony, so alluring that a previously timid crowd keeps inching up toward the stage. The brothers Vest trade vocal duties. Toby intermittently steps away from his keyboard to retrieve the guitar slung across his back. It’s a full-fledged guitar attack during Motorcade, with guitars ala Jimmy Page and Toby demanding, “Rise from the ashes.” Midway through the set, the crowd is thrust into Handshake Criminals, a bass-heavy, psychedelic sonic kaleidoscope of a song. Now, several have abandoned the bar area to get closer, nodding along to the thunderous beat of the bass and drums. Augustine then tears through three songs off their 2005 release — The Remains, Roll Commercial and Eye Witness. A political and social diatribe, Psyops Marching railroads the crowd with chugging electric guitar and Toby yowling, “Can’t break these ties of the old regime.” Jake shakes his guitar defiantly over his head and the song comes crashing down. It’s over. One fan stood looking amazed as the band dismantled their equipment. “It was awesome the way the vocals came off with that big wall of sound,” says Courtney of Memphis, adding that he was pleasantly surprised by the acoustics of the venue. From the response of the crowd on this frigid Tuesday night, Toby was spot on when labeling Augustine’s sound. “It’s music for the people.” By: Amanda Dent |
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