August River Band are a well-established presence on the local scene, having played at several Logan-Live events.
Their unique structure involves three very differently trained musicians coming together, bringing the styles of Elgar and Midnight Oil together.
I chatted to band co-founder Eev about the band’s creative process:
When did you start the band?
“It was about 2014, I moved to Australia, migrated here. Via a friend of a friend, fellow band member Gerard invited himself to come and jam with us.
“Lil, our original violinist left us about a year ago.
“Since then, we’ve been using various contracted guys on violin, and we’ve got a bass guitar as well.”
What was your vision for the band when you first started it?
“I didn’t have too many ideas, initially I wanted to have a violinist, but that didn’t work out. Then, I tried to have a guitar and do jazz and then when the drummer came in, he wasn’t a jazz drummer, he was a ‘smash your face’ rock’n’roll drummer, so none of it made sense.
“My sense was that as long as we keep making music, whatever he’s bringing, whatever she’s bringing, is theoretically going to evolve into something and we’ll just roll with whatever that is.
“That became August River Band.
“Fundamentally, August River Band is the soul of three different musicians.”
Cliche question, but where did you come up with the name?
“We’re three vastly different personalities.
“To get us to agree on some things was just impossible.
“I have more ideas, and a long list.
“We just kept going until we found one that stuck.
“August River was the most neutral, everyone like it.
“For me, the river concept is something that features a lot in my writing, and I picked up August because it sounds sexy.
“Like I said, that was just one of about a hundred ideas.”
How do you deal with the conflict that comes from having such different personalities and musical styles clashing?
“Like anything in life, you can decide whether it’s going to destroy you, or whether it’s going to build you.
“The collateral beauty of the three different personalities and the friction is.
“I value the music that comes out of it, because when I have certain ideas and they have certain ideas, to find that middle ground, is a new thing, and it develops into something new.
“We handle it by surviving it and getting to the other end, and seeing whether the product is better.”
What exactly do you ‘survive’ and where do these frictions come from?
“We disagree on little things like harmony or where a bridge might go, or how we enter the chorus.
“Small little elements which you take for granted when you’re listening to the song.
“We give space to each other when someone has a good idea.
“I love the concept of submitting myself to this creative process, and when they submit themselves to this creative process.
“It just works really well, as long as we have the humility.
“Like any good relationship, as long as you communicate, it doesn’t matter that you don’t necessarily like each other, you’ll get through it.”
What’s your connection to the area?
“I’ve been here for about seven years moving around the area,
“We’ve spent a lot of money over the last three years with barely any return.
“We’ve got some private parties coming up, some venues in the city.
“We have two contracted guys that are with us for most of the time.”
