Augustana
Keeping It Real
2008-06-17
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For Dan Layus, Augustana’s vocalist/pianist/guitarist, a small one-bedroom apartment at Santa Monica and Fairfax in the West Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles represents home. The San Diego-generated Augustana may have spent the majority of the time since the release of their debut, All The Stars And Boulevards in 2005 on the road, but that has given Layus even more reason to find attachment to the aforementioned spot. It is where he has created a family with his wife and 18-month-old daughter. (“It feels like a million years and it feels like two days at the same time.”)
Now, on the eve of the release of Augustana’s second long-player, Can’t Love, Can’t Hurt, Layus is far away, in Birmingham, Alabama playing pool and killing time before the group’s show tonight. “I was hoping a couple of people would buy [All The Stars And Boulevards] and we wouldn’t get dropped and get a chance to make another record,” he says. “It went better than I expected for sure. More than a couple of people bought it—not a crazy amount, but a good enough amount that kept us afloat and I can make a job out of it.”
Can’t Love, Can’t Hurt is going to give Layus and his bandmates infinitely more job security. Stepping up the songwriting and incorporating one of their most powerful tools: their live playing, into the recording process, Can’t Love, Can’t Hurt has an intimacy to it that makes you feel Augustana couldn’t be putting themselves forth any rawer or more real.
“We wanted to make [Can’t Love, Can’t Hurt] sound like a more updated version of the records we all love from the best times in music,” says Layus. “Like a Tom Petty or a Bob Dylan record, but it’s very difficult to sell a record that sounds like a vintage record from 1968. I’m trying to get there eventually, but taking that road slow so it’s not like, ‘What happened to them? They were this kind of band and now they’re trying to sound like this kind of a band.’ It’s a long transition. But I think we’re on our way.”
While Augustana have no modern rock influences, that is where their music is falling. The intention, however, is to balance sounding current without sounding of a current time. That way the material evolves as it maintains a timelessness and retains its relevancy.
Although Can’t Love, Can’t Hurt is not yet released, Augustana is sneaking songs from it into its sets. There is not point prolonging the inevitable. This is where they’re going to be for the majority of the remainder of the year. And to ensure his sanity—while toying with that of his wife, Layus brings his family unit along with him.
“They are definitely everything I care about,” he says sincerely. “I keep a couple of pictures of them and [my daughter’s] pacifier in my acoustic guitar case, just in case it’s one of those days and you’re like, ‘I got to get through this, this is a good job, I’m really lucky to be able to do what I’m doing, to be able to provide for them like that.’ Keeps the perspective, keeps you balanced, make you think nothing is worth that much.”
Layus finds the key to making it work is each person knowing what their role is. “I’ll do my gig and [my wife] does hers. Hopefully it overlaps in a positive way during the day. I try to spend as much time getting out of the venue and taking a walk and doing whatever it is that is around the city. You get away from the show. You’re not so consumed with your whole life being about this job. It takes you out of it for a minute. It can make you a little crazy if you can’t deal with it right—and it has for me, in the past. We’ve had hard times on the road. I don’t think you ever get a real grasp on how to deal with it, but you get a little thicker skin together. You have to fight it out. I’m really lucky to be able to have someone that’s willing to deal with all the bullshit.”
Unlike lyricists who end up sounding saccharine and boring in their content state, Layus’ happiness is reflected honestly in his lyrics and in the sentiments of the songs on Can’t Love, Can’t Hurt. Allowing the personal nature of his words to come through, Layus is all about sharing the happiness.
“I think people probably identify more with being miserable than being happy,” he says. “The one thing I’m actually proud of myself on this record is that I was able to seize a few moments of at least showing the positivity in the situation. Who gives a shit about the stuff that could be going better? A lot of what I was trying to get out of my system was write about that kind of perspective and that way of thinking.
“Who knows what’s going to happen next? Things are good right now, but every time you think you’ve got it all figured out, the next day, something happens. I guess what I’m trying to say is, it’s not all figured out, but I’m in a very positive place right now for sure.”
Now, on the eve of the release of Augustana’s second long-player, Can’t Love, Can’t Hurt, Layus is far away, in Birmingham, Alabama playing pool and killing time before the group’s show tonight. “I was hoping a couple of people would buy [All The Stars And Boulevards] and we wouldn’t get dropped and get a chance to make another record,” he says. “It went better than I expected for sure. More than a couple of people bought it—not a crazy amount, but a good enough amount that kept us afloat and I can make a job out of it.”
Can’t Love, Can’t Hurt is going to give Layus and his bandmates infinitely more job security. Stepping up the songwriting and incorporating one of their most powerful tools: their live playing, into the recording process, Can’t Love, Can’t Hurt has an intimacy to it that makes you feel Augustana couldn’t be putting themselves forth any rawer or more real.
“We wanted to make [Can’t Love, Can’t Hurt] sound like a more updated version of the records we all love from the best times in music,” says Layus. “Like a Tom Petty or a Bob Dylan record, but it’s very difficult to sell a record that sounds like a vintage record from 1968. I’m trying to get there eventually, but taking that road slow so it’s not like, ‘What happened to them? They were this kind of band and now they’re trying to sound like this kind of a band.’ It’s a long transition. But I think we’re on our way.”
While Augustana have no modern rock influences, that is where their music is falling. The intention, however, is to balance sounding current without sounding of a current time. That way the material evolves as it maintains a timelessness and retains its relevancy.
Although Can’t Love, Can’t Hurt is not yet released, Augustana is sneaking songs from it into its sets. There is not point prolonging the inevitable. This is where they’re going to be for the majority of the remainder of the year. And to ensure his sanity—while toying with that of his wife, Layus brings his family unit along with him.
“They are definitely everything I care about,” he says sincerely. “I keep a couple of pictures of them and [my daughter’s] pacifier in my acoustic guitar case, just in case it’s one of those days and you’re like, ‘I got to get through this, this is a good job, I’m really lucky to be able to do what I’m doing, to be able to provide for them like that.’ Keeps the perspective, keeps you balanced, make you think nothing is worth that much.”
Layus finds the key to making it work is each person knowing what their role is. “I’ll do my gig and [my wife] does hers. Hopefully it overlaps in a positive way during the day. I try to spend as much time getting out of the venue and taking a walk and doing whatever it is that is around the city. You get away from the show. You’re not so consumed with your whole life being about this job. It takes you out of it for a minute. It can make you a little crazy if you can’t deal with it right—and it has for me, in the past. We’ve had hard times on the road. I don’t think you ever get a real grasp on how to deal with it, but you get a little thicker skin together. You have to fight it out. I’m really lucky to be able to have someone that’s willing to deal with all the bullshit.”
Unlike lyricists who end up sounding saccharine and boring in their content state, Layus’ happiness is reflected honestly in his lyrics and in the sentiments of the songs on Can’t Love, Can’t Hurt. Allowing the personal nature of his words to come through, Layus is all about sharing the happiness.
“I think people probably identify more with being miserable than being happy,” he says. “The one thing I’m actually proud of myself on this record is that I was able to seize a few moments of at least showing the positivity in the situation. Who gives a shit about the stuff that could be going better? A lot of what I was trying to get out of my system was write about that kind of perspective and that way of thinking.
“Who knows what’s going to happen next? Things are good right now, but every time you think you’ve got it all figured out, the next day, something happens. I guess what I’m trying to say is, it’s not all figured out, but I’m in a very positive place right now for sure.”
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