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MP3 Echoing August - morning, sometimes, maybe... (Full Length 2005)
11 MP3 Songs
ROCK: Modern Rock, POP: Today''s Top 40
Details:
Email: echoingaugust@https://www.tradebit.com
Biography
Described as "Modern rock with an acoustic kick", the New Haven based trio ECHOING AUGUST fuses together alternative music with acoustic subtleties. EA''s distinctive blend delivers songs full of hooks and pop sensibilities that audiences throughout New England can''t seem to get enough of. From high-energy live shows to intimate acoustic venues, the band has proven their natural talents as powerful songwriters and entertainers.
Echoing August performs over 50 live shows every year at festivals, colleges and clubs, recently the band has gained notoriety tour supporting acts like Better Than Ezra, The Pat McGee Band, Rusted Root, and Robbie Krieger (of The Doors).
The bands momentum is all too tangible. With almost 100 pre-release sales under their belt, Echoing August''s relationship building philosophy and DIY attitude have primed them for the release of their upcoming full length debut, Morning, Sometimes, Maybe.... The record was produced by Anthony Gallo at The Cutting Room in NYC (home to such artists as the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Linkin Park, Avril Lavigne, Sevendust, and Johnny Rzeznik). The eleven track disk showcases EA''s versatility with songs like "Now November" and "The Start" and still leaves a sweet aftertaste with fan favorites like "What I Needed", "Intentions", and "Waste My Time".
Morning, Sometimes, Maybe... is due to release April 30th and will be available through the EA''s website (https://www.tradebit.com Soon thereafter, the album will be released to local music retailers.
Website
https://www.tradebit.com
Discography
Morning, Sometimes, Maybe... - Demo EP (2002)
Intentions - Single (2003)
Morning, Sometimes, Maybe... - Full Length (2005)
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©Play :: New Haven''s Arts & Entertainment Weekly. 2005
Echoing August
By: Nick R. Scalia , Staff Writer 05/25/2005
Hook-centric, acoustic alt-rock was once an inescapable and irresistible facet of American music; now it often seems as quaint an idea as two-way pagers, Pauly Shore movies, and relative world peace.
But while most of the great 90s acts have headed for greener pastures, the sunny but edgy sound wrought by bands like the Lemonheads, the Gin Blossoms, and Buffalo Tom are gone but not forgotten, lingering somewhere in the subconscious of every listener that grew up with Alternative Nation on the tv and something dubbed "modern rock" on the radio.
Certainly by means a self-consciously retro outfit, New Haven''s own Echoing August manages to evoke those sounds without being particularly indebted to them. The trio''s recently released debut LP, Morning, Sometimes, Maybe, is clearly the sound of a fresh young band getting its feet wet and coming into its own in the playing and songwriting departments, but somehow they can''t help tapping into our collective alt-rock memories along the way.
August vocalist/guitarist Nick Martucci says the band is more than okay with that. "We''re in our 20s right now and I think the music is a product of when we''ve grown up... it''s funny about the 90s - there was a lot of great music back then and in modern rock today you don''t see much of it anymore."
But there''s a certain coolness inherent in not following the trends, in playing the music that makes you feel good rather than catering to the whims of the mainstream - Martucci credits performers like Ryan Adams (who, successful as he is now, most likely would have been an alterna-rock god back in the day) for shaping his own musical nonconformity.
"He''s in my cd player constantly," Martucci says. "There''s some substance to his songwriting and there''s definitely some talent beyond just trying to fit into the next hot thing. I think that we''re maybe unconsciously trying to do the same thing, writing songs that come from our past, from music that''s influenced us. Really it''s not pandering to what''s big at the time, just doing what you know and what comes out of you."
There''s certainly nothing strained about a song like the record''s proper opener, Long to Meet You, an upbeat track buoyed by speedy acoustic strumming and a warm electric arpeggio courtesy of lead guitarist/bassist Pat McCarthy - it''s melodic and springy and lively, a piece of guitar pop that sounds effortless though there''s clearly some skillful songwriting holding it together.
In fact, the band - rounded out by its most recent addition, drummer Shawn Sandi - excels at sounding un-self-conscious, comfortable enough in their musical abilities to let the hooks come naturally and the guitars, bass, and drums wrap around each other organically rather than mathematically. Their playing is tight but not rigid, the songs are sweet but not saccharine, and the album is focused and polished but not over-written or over-produced. Martucci and McCarthy had developed their musical chemistry in an earlier band before forming Echoing August and setting about writing their own songs, and, according to Martucci, they spent eight months before settling on Sandi''s percussion as the final piece of the puzzle. (He got involved with the songwriting on newer compositions like the album tracks Skin to Skin and Waste My Time).
Martucci says staying genuine is key to Echoing August''s philosophy, and while that isn''t always the fastest way to establish yourself in a music scene - especially one like Connecticut''s, whose balance generally tips toward either heavier or more low-fi, experimental acts - it means that while the fans might be harder to earn, they''ll be that much more loyal. "What especially keeps me in the game is the reaction we''re getting from people," he says. "By no means is our band an easy fit in the Connecticut scene - you can''t throw us on a metal bill, but you can''t put us on a folk bill either... you have to prove yourself, and what''s exciting is that people are starting to catch on to what we''re doing. We''re trying to be genuine, and I think that that tends to lead to some credibility - the people coming to our shows and singing the songs back to us understand those things."
Playing your ass off helps, too, and the band built its fanbase with a couple years of performing before finally getting together in the studio to lay down an album''s worth of tracks. The live shows not only generated a dedicated local following, but also gave Echoing August the chance to share a stage with some of the major-label bands that inspired them in the first place. A particular high point for Martucci was a gig opening for Better Than Ezra, a band that had heavily influenced his own tastes and composition.
"Those guys are like my idols," he says. "It''s really exciting playing with a band like that who in their own right is making great music."
And when they were finally ready to do the album, their timing paid off in the form of a fateful studio connection that popped up at New York City''s famed Cutting Room production facility. "The album was produced by Anthony ''TJ'' Gallo, he works down at the Cutting Room and happened to be a high school friend of ours," Martucci explains, "I hadn''t been in contact with him for the last couple of years, but he found out that we were doing a project and he got really interested and it just kind of went from there. TJ''s got great ears, he helped us out a lot in recording the album."
Now that Morning, Sometimes, Maybe is available - it''s being sold at several online retailers, accessible through the band''s web site at https://www.tradebit.com - the expected supporting tour is soon to follow, though the band is looking to refine itself even further before hitting the road. "We''re gonna be rehearsing pretty rigorously during June," Martucci says, "We''ll do some scattered shows in June and July, and then in August we''re planning a tour down the east coast. We''re gonna be working with an agency to hopefully spread the love, and that should be pretty exciting for us - it''ll be my first adventure on the road... I think it might be the first for all three of us, actually."
The band shouldn''t find the road to be a lonely one, though - they''re good at what they do, they''ve got the songs to prove it, and though they might not be consciously trying to, they''re keeping the flame alive for those of us who really miss the near-forgotten rock we grew up with.
Valley Advocate 2004
Nice Guys Finish First
By Gary Carra - December 2, 2004
Echoing August may rock, but clearly they''ve never read the lifestyle handbook.
I mean, just look at their press photo ... they''re smiling.
Everyone knows rock bands should stand against a graffiti-laden wall or in a field, fold their arms across their chests and sneer. I even hear that the August-onians are polite and kind to venue personnel and ... gasp ... have positive interactions with their fans while onstage.
"It''s part of our philosophy," explains guitarist Nick Martucci. "A lot of bands spend a lot of time looking the right connections, but in reality, just being hardworking, nice people can get you far."
Considering the high profile ventures his band is currently involved with, Martucci may be onto something. It was Echoing August''s "nice guys finish first" attitude that led a friend of a friend to contact his friends at CBS on behalf of the popular area trio. By the time the last e-mail was answered, Martucci and bandmates Shawn Sandi and Pat McCarthy would find themselves on the set of runaway hit Cold Case, filming a scene for next season''s episode number 10.
"The shoot was in L.A., but the story line is actually based in a New Haven, Conn. nightclub," Martucci explains. "We just signed a release for CBS to use our image and logo."
For those who can''t wait until 2005 for EA''s small-screen debut, the band will also be appearing live this weekend, Dec. 2., at Hartford''s Webster Theater. It''s a "nice" little opening slot for multi-platinum artists Better Than Ezra.
Connecticut Post 2002
Echoing August Set to Record
By Sean Spillane - May 2, 2002
Nick Martucci of Fairfield started playing guitar back in the eighth grade for one simple reason: Girls.
"I think everybody would be lying if they didn''t say girls, Martucci, 19, said in a recent phone interview. "I guess I [learned guitar] just to be cool, but I definitely took a liking to it.
Martucci was in the local band Zero Chance for nearly six years before he and bassist Pat McCarthy, 19, another Fairfield native, left the group. The two kept playing together and last August started their own band, Echoing August, with drummer Dylan Teed, 19, an acquaintance of Martucci''s from high school.
"Pat and I just kept writing new songs and writing new songs and we just wanted to get out there and play, Martucci said of the formation of Echoing August, which will play a free show Friday night at 8 at the Main & Perk coffeehouse in Stratford.
As for the split with Zero Chance, Martucci, a freshman at Southern Connecticut State University, said it was just one of those things.
"It''s what happens with bands, he said. "I don''t think there''s any bad blood. I wish the best for them.
With Teed, a freshman at the University of New Haven, on board, Echoing August, billed as "modern rock with an acoustic kick, moved quickly into the studio to record a three-song demo CD. Maybe too quickly.
"Those were the absolute first three songs that the three of us put together, Martucci said. "The more and more we play, the more we connect as a band, so those songs are starting to become outdated, even though they''re all relatively new.
"We''re definitely going back to the studio this summer. We have an album''s worth [of new songs]. We''re just going to see where [the sessions] take us as to what we actually put on the next recording.
It is the writing and recording of songs that Martucci favors. Being in a cover band was never an option.
"We like to concentrate on original songs, he said. "I''m more interested in creating music than playing other people''s music.
"Sometimes it''s fun for us to play some oddball covers from the ''80s and just goof around and have some fun. But for the most part, we''re definitely into doing originals.
And it''s the group''s original songs that Martucci hopes will lead to bigger things, especially a growing fan base.
"Somebody asked me a couple of days ago why we do it, he said. "I guess we''re in it to try to make a connection. Sure, fame and money would be amazing. Everybody kind of wants that. But more than that, this band is looking for people to connect with the music and feel where we''re coming from.
Martucci was always into music growing up, remembering how his "mother always had VH1 blasting.
His first real influences after learning to play guitar were Pearl Jam and Soundgarden and others from the grunge era. His influences have expanded since then and he credits all three band members'' varied tastes with shaping Echoing August''s sound.
"I''ll listen to a lot of local stuff, rock bands from around the area like Missing Joe and The Eclectic Nobody''s, Martucci said. "Dylan will listen to Incubus and Dave Matthews Band and anybody that has a good drummer and Pat will listen to anything from Bela Fleck to country songs to anything that''s musically viable. We''re very eclectic.
One of the local bands Martucci is fond of is Starside, a group from Shelton. The two bands have teamed up for several live shows in the past few months and will play together in Friday night''s show in Stratford.
"I actually played a few gigs with them a couple of years back and they became good friends of mine, Martucci said of the bands'' connection. "It''s easier to take on the club scene if you can back each other up.
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Artist Information
Instrumentation
Acoustic Performance:
Nick Martucci- Acoustic Guitar & Vocal / Pat McCarthy- Bass, Acoustic Guitar, & Vocal
Band Performance:
The band lineup includes acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass, drums and samples. Acoustic trio is also available.
This is a print out of Echoing August''s press kit. For more information including audio, photos, and up-to-date calendar visit: https://www.tradebit.com
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