Augustana

I am glad I am back to blogging again after being saddled by a writing gig.   I am proud to report that I just finished my first e-book.   Even if I got paid only peanuts for it,  I am so ecstatic over the feeling of having accomplished something, however small that is.  It takes only a little to make me happy these days.  I hope my bubble doesn't burst.

Moving on to the topic of this blog... I am so loving Augustana!  I must confess I only took a liking for the band recently, even if they have been around since 2003.   Their track Boston has gained huge mainstream success especially after being featured as a soundtrack to One Tree Hill. I like that track; the lyrics are beautifully melancholic.  It is a great song to listen to when you feel like escaping or running away.   But the band didn't appeal to me then.  Maybe because I don't watch One Tree Hill, nor do I have intentions to watch it.   I just know the song, but I didn't know the band.

Then I saw the Counting Crows performing Cecilia on Good Morning America and I noticed that they were jamming with another band.   Click here to watch the video.  (BTW, Counting Crows is probably my favorite band of all time.  I love Adam Duritz!!!)   After a quick google search, I learned they were performing with who else, Augustana.   So I instantly Last.Fm'd Augustana and downloaded some of their tracks. And the rest, as they say, is history.   I am now a huge fan of Augustana.

I think Augustana is like the Counting Crows and the Googoo Dolls combined.   I love that some lyrics are painfully sad, a testament to the heavy Counting Crows influence, but they are a little edgier ala the Googoo Dolls or maybe Lifehouse.  Last.fm describes the band this way: Characterized by piano lines and the breathy vocals of Dan Layus (the lead singer), Augustana’s sound is at once contemplative and slow, but also captivating.   It is no wonder I like Augustana.

From the songs I've downloaded, I have been so taken by the track "Found My Place". It is one of their more obscure songs, and generally unheard of unlike their hits Sweet and Low and Boston.   It is definitely my favorite Augustana song.  I love the acoustic guitar background, and this track sounds very similar to Time of Your Life/Good Riddance by Greenday.    The lyrics are very simple; there are only a few lines but you get the message.  It is a song about redemption, about being lost and being found.  I hope I can find my place too.  

Listen to the track below: