Reactions are generally the same when I reveal my love for the San Diego-based band Augustana. What, a 24-year-old man can’t like adult contemporary?
Pegged as a somewhat of a soft rock group, the five-piece hasn’t done a lot to break the mold on that misconception by touring with such bands as the Goo Goo Dolls, Counting Crows and Snow Patrol.
Tuesday night at the Intersection, tweaks to their catalog along with a couple old school covers showed that there is a little more to this group than the couple songs that made it on MTV’s reality television show ‘The Hills’.
If Tuesday was an indicator, Augustana seems to be moving in to more of a bluesy, straight rock-and-roll style of music. This is not a far cry from what we have seen on their two albums ‘All The Stars and Boulevards’ and ‘Can’t Love, Can’t Hurt’, but it’s definitely a step up.
Taking their original song ‘Fire’ and speeding it up, lead singer Dan Layus, had no
choice but to address the crowd and let them know why a lot of the tunes they’ve come to know and love sound so different.
“Sometimes we like to play some of these a little differently, just to keep ourselves entertained,” Layus told the crowd. “But the spirit of a song stays the same and we hope you see it that way.”
The group also transformed ‘Sweet ‘n Low’, their top single off ‘Can’t Love, Can’t Hurt’, in to more of a bluesy tune, at times speaking the words of the verse, while keeping the catchy chorus intact.
Augustana also threw a cover of ‘I Just Want to Make Love to You’ (Originally by Muddy Waters, later recorded by Etta James, The Grateful Dead, Foghat and others) at the crowd for good measure. Die-hard Augustana fans weren’t left wanting anything more as all the staples of the set list were present, including their breakout song ‘Boston’ which at one point reached No. 34 on the Billboard top 100. (Note: As a fan, I wanted to hear ‘Sunday Best’, so I guess one person was left wanting more.).
It’s pretty clear at this point that Augustana just wants to rock. If anyone thought any differently, Layus set the record straight.
“I’m sick of all the emo sh**,” Layus said. “We need some straight rock ‘n roll.”
Pegged as a somewhat of a soft rock group, the five-piece hasn’t done a lot to break the mold on that misconception by touring with such bands as the Goo Goo Dolls, Counting Crows and Snow Patrol.
Tuesday night at the Intersection, tweaks to their catalog along with a couple old school covers showed that there is a little more to this group than the couple songs that made it on MTV’s reality television show ‘The Hills’.
If Tuesday was an indicator, Augustana seems to be moving in to more of a bluesy, straight rock-and-roll style of music. This is not a far cry from what we have seen on their two albums ‘All The Stars and Boulevards’ and ‘Can’t Love, Can’t Hurt’, but it’s definitely a step up.
Taking their original song ‘Fire’ and speeding it up, lead singer Dan Layus, had no
choice but to address the crowd and let them know why a lot of the tunes they’ve come to know and love sound so different.“Sometimes we like to play some of these a little differently, just to keep ourselves entertained,” Layus told the crowd. “But the spirit of a song stays the same and we hope you see it that way.”
The group also transformed ‘Sweet ‘n Low’, their top single off ‘Can’t Love, Can’t Hurt’, in to more of a bluesy tune, at times speaking the words of the verse, while keeping the catchy chorus intact.
Augustana also threw a cover of ‘I Just Want to Make Love to You’ (Originally by Muddy Waters, later recorded by Etta James, The Grateful Dead, Foghat and others) at the crowd for good measure. Die-hard Augustana fans weren’t left wanting anything more as all the staples of the set list were present, including their breakout song ‘Boston’ which at one point reached No. 34 on the Billboard top 100. (Note: As a fan, I wanted to hear ‘Sunday Best’, so I guess one person was left wanting more.).
It’s pretty clear at this point that Augustana just wants to rock. If anyone thought any differently, Layus set the record straight.
“I’m sick of all the emo sh**,” Layus said. “We need some straight rock ‘n roll.”
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