This four piece from Michigan are anything but a typical flash in the pan 'indie' band. Hope for August are three talented guys (Andrew Volk, Shane Pitmon and Andrew Carpenter), fronted by one very talented chica, Kristina Rubritius, with a voice so inspiring you'll be eager to hear all that you can (you are listening to Thin right now, aren't you?).
 Andrew Volk |
Living a fair distance from each other, the band is still able to not only come together and make music they can all be proud of, they are able to see past the challenges. Says Shane, 'the distance we live from each other for the majority of the year is a huge obstacle. The 2 Andrews live in Holland during college, I live in East Lansing for college, and Kristina lives in Jackson. As for touring, everyone in the band is finishing up school of some sort, so that tends to limit the touring to summer as of now...but that may change.' When asked about other challenges that tend to get in the way, Andrew C adds, 'everything, if I had nothing else, no other responsibilities I could have all the time in the world to work with the band. Unfortunately we all have school; some have the significant other syndrome, location, work, new van for tour, etc'. So then, with this distance issue, why choose this line up? Andrew C explains, 'this line up works because for the most part we enjoy being around each other; we have our moments but who doesn't? We have a lot in common, we love to play music, we're used to playing together and I think at times we groove well.' With this issue of distance, that admittedly most bands do not have to face, songwriting becomes something all together different. Says Kristina, 'because of our differences in location, our writing process is a little more complicated than most. Usually the song kicks off with a part on guitar written by Andrew V. After that, the drums are added to the song and then we all get together for a full practice where shane adopts the guitar part and adds some of his own style and ideas to it. At this point, vocals and bass are written, and vocals typically solidify the structure and dynamics of the song.' |
At the moment, Hope for August are an independent band, Andrew Volk on why exposure is so important to independent musicians, 'exposure is the most important thing to any independent band. It doesn't matter if it is a flyer being passed out at school or an album being sold on-line, any type of exposure helps. I think the most important form of exposure is playing shows. Performance is the most honest and personal form of promotion for both established and bands just getting started. As the booking-guy for the band I always try to have at least 8 shows booked in advance.'
 Shane Pitmon |
I also asked if he thought it was possible for independent bands to gain some form of success, his response, 'without a doubt. If it wasn't we wouldn't know most of the musicians we listen to daily.' With independence comes the freedom to do what they want, but it also brings a certain amount of pressure, as it's all on them to present themselves as they see fit. 'Artwork gets a lot of thought. We try to make things look the way we want and professional. So we put in a bit of time when it comes to the artwork side of things', says Shane. Kristina on the making of braid and entwine, 'Braid & Entwine was our second official release, and so the challenge was to go above and beyond the 2002 demo in sound quality and musical content. I think we all felt a rush of creativity and excitement as we explored the possibilities of studio layering (especially in guitar and vocals) for the first time. Overall we are pleased with the result but, as any band will tell you, we are excited to make our next release so we can show how far we've come and what new sounds we have to bring to the table.' |
 Kristina Rubritius |
Thin is their newest recording and will be 'included on our next release', says Kristina, 'we still have some writing and a lot of recording to do before our next release, but we are shooting for early/mid spring of 2004.'
 Andrew Carpenter |
Surely their next release, if not Braid and Entwine, will garner some label attention. 'We have been dancing with the idea of label hunting but have not really gotten around to it. We are currently recording our new material and plan on using that for label kits and touring press packs,' says Andrew V. So what are they looking for exactly, 'ideally we would love to find a label that is ready and willing to work just as hard as we are to promote and market our music,', he continues. On the future of the band and his personal goals within the band, Andrew C says, 'personally, my goals within the band are constantly changing\being met. They range from, what would probably be seen as the more minor goals of feeling satisfied as far as the writing end, to the major goals of touring and how far I'd like our music to go or how long I would like it to last. My goals of playing shows are being met each weekend and each weekend is just as exciting to me as the last. My goals of tour will be met this summer when we head out to play shows, watch the beautiful scenery, and meet new people all across the country. With this band, my highest goal is simply for our music to continue to prosper for other people, as well as us, to enjoy. I love this…' The way they're headed with both their skill as musicians and their drive as individuals, I can see Hope for August sticking around for a long time to come, cranking our great tunes for us. |