West Virginia University - News and Information Services
Mellow piano rockers Augustana set to play the CAC on Halloween
Piano rockers Augustana will fill the WVU Creative Arts Center with the sounds of “Boston” on Oct. 31 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are on sale now.
Augustana released its first major label album, All the Stars and Boulevards, on Epic Records in September 2005. The recording seemed destined for stardom but didn’t hit it big until the single “Boston” gained popularity earlier this year. “She said I think I’ll go to Boston/I think I’ll start a new life,” the song goes—backed with the resonating sound of piano, guitar and percussion.
The band (Dan Layus, Jared Palomar, Justin South, David Lamoureux and Chris Sachtleben) added to its fan base while opening for bands like Snow Patrol, Counting Crows, The Fray, Switchfoot and the Goo Goo Dolls. Says Layus, “It really did feel like we were converting one person at a time.”
Augustana is the heartland equivalent to Coldplay or Keane, with a little bit of mid-'90s adult alternative throwback (think Counting Crows or the Wallflowers) as well,” describes the All Music Guide’s Stewart Mason.
All the Stars and Boulevards is filled with soaring, subtle anthems, brilliantly captured by producer Brendan O’Brien (Pearl Jam, Bob Dylan, Race Against the Machine). Much like “Boston,” the album’s songs “possess the grit to convey the emotional complexities of life on the road,” the Chicago Sun-Times wrote. Indeed the recordings are teemed with geographical references, both real and literary, exploring distance in both miles and emotional states. Augustana’s debut is a rich tapestry of epic, yet intimate, song-driven journeys.
It’s been a whirlwind year for the five-piece group. The band is in the midst of headlining its first tour, selling out 2,000-capacity gigs at legendary venues like San Francisco’s Fillmore and Chicago’s Cabaret Metro. Also in the past year, the group has landed performances on The Tonight Show, The Late Show with David Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel Live and MTV’s TRL. Augustana has also had songs featured on the shows Scrubs, Six Feet Under and One Tree Hill.
Tickets are priced at $23.50, $26.50 and $31.50, depending on seat location, and may be purchased at the Mountainlair and Creative Arts Center box offices, online at ticketmaster.com, or through the Ticketmaster Phone Center at 292-0220. Tickets may also be purchased at Giant Eagle below the Mountaineer Mall and FYE in the Meadowbrook Mall. WVU students with a valid WVU student ID will receive $5 off all price levels at the campus box offices.
This event is produced by WVU Arts & Entertainment. For more event information, call 304-293-SHOW, or visit us online at events.wvu.edu.
WVU Arts and Entertainment
Office: (304) 293-8221