We Are Augustines - Interview
Amidst the hustle and bustle of the band’s extremely busy lifestyle, StudentPunch.com managed to have a chat with Billy McCarthy (Who has a bit of the Brad Pitt about him!) from We Are Augustines: a New York based threesome, whose career is currently going from strength to strength - with comparisons being made to Arcade Fire. McCarthy , both singer and guitarist chats to us about the highs and lows of life within the music industry, the band’s overseas success, and his personal commitment to his music.
SP: Hi Billy, how are you feeling today? I hear that you’ve got a bit of a traditional British cold, I hope you’re feeling okay!
Billy: Yeah, I’m feeling a lot better today, thank you: I’ve discovered the power of echinacea!
SP: A great remedy! So you’re in London just now, having just performed at the Queen of Hoxton last night. The show was sold out; I hear they had to send away some people at the door because it was so packed! Britain really seems to have warmed to the band, how was the experience for you?
Billy: It was really lovely, we’ve just had such a great time on this tour, and last night was such a great experience.
SP: The band’s drummer, Rob Allen is British, was this a great homecoming for him too?
Billy: Oh yeah definitely, his whole family were there! Yeah, he’s lived in New York for some time now, that’s where we met. Eric [the band’s bassist] and I met about ten years ago in New York as well.
SP: Of course, the two of you helped form your previous band Pela...
Billy: Ah Pela, that was a dream come true for us. It was our gateway into the music business. We lived out our rock and roll dreams! We even got to open for the likes of Sonic Youth, which was very cool!
SP: That is pretty damned cool! Do you feel that, although you had success with Pela, so far you’ve garnered great critical success with ‘We Are Augustines’ in the UK. You’ve been featured on countless radio shows, and have performed sessions for the likes of Radio One and Radio Two, and ‘Book of James’, your new single, has been XFM and Q Radio’s Song of the Week! Is it safe to say you have had even bigger success with your new band?
Billy: Poor Pela...such a fantastic band in such a strange period. It was the 2000s, the turn of the century, it was a time where things like Napster and MySpace were coming about...a lot of bands were signed to big labels, but didn’t pull through because they couldn’t capitalise. A lot of bands that were successful on the road, weren’t able to get onto a label, and a lot of smaller labels were picky with who they chose to take on board. There were a lot of financial problems too; we were on an independent label, but we also had to take out loans for the band because the money we were making wasn’t substantial enough. Although we could be selling out 9 or 10 shows at a time, the UK was a far cry away: we were basically quarantined to the US and Canada, because we didn’t have the funds to travel. Now that we are able to do that, I’d like to think that we are garnering more success. We’re absolutely thrilled with how well we’re doing in Britain. We’ve played some really nice venues, it’s an honour to play over here: a big dream of ours. Me and Eric only ever wanted to be in a band if it was fulfilling, and made us happy, and it definitely does.
SP: Your new single, ‘Book of James’, is very personal to you and it must have been a harrowing experience to write about. How important is it for you to convey the message behind the song to others in the same situation as your brother was?
Billy: It’s a song that I felt I needed to write. It’s about humanising someone who unfortunately wasn’t humanised in later life. It good to be able to grab people’s attention for a few moments, and it’s also very self medicating. I saw firsthand what was available in my country for those suffering from mental illness, and it’s not good. Society focuses on the healthy, the driven; if you don’t personally have what it takes to adhere to that, how could you possibly get into the stream of western culture? A lot of people don’t know how to deal with mental illness in the USA, and to incarcerate someone whose suffering from a mental illness is a little too medieval for my liking. I’m shocked at how many people look at the homeless and say ‘well, it’s their own fault’. When I went to take care of my brother’s assets after his death in prison, I was greeted by an armed guard, who offered me no explanation. I was offered an autopsy and a cremation. That was all. They eventually had to escort me off the premises. Music is a great medium to talk about this. Since we’ve been on the road, I’ve heard so many stories about similar things happening to other people’s families, and I’ve been feeling a lot of compassion for the people I’ve met. I have no illusions to change the world, but it’s great to have someone’s ear for a while. I really hope I don’t sound too preachy!
SP: Not at all! Music really is a great way to get people to literally sit up and listen. I hope the single has every bit as much success as it deserves.
Billy: Thank you!
SP: And it was produced by Dave Newfeld from Broken Social Scene...
Billy: Yes! Dave is wildly talented; he’s a true artist, a dying breed!
SP: I’ve actually seen him perform before at a festival! Such a great band! Have you any plans to perform at festivals this summer, or are there any festivals you would like to play at?
Billy: Well, we’ve got the XFM Winter Wonderland coming up on December 14th in London, alongside some great bands such as Kaiser Chiefs and The Maccabees, we’re not sure where we’re playing next year, but we’d love to play some festivals in the UK, and some in mainline Europe. I was born to travel! I was brought up in a small town, and didn’t know much else. As soon as I was able to, I began travelling and busking everywhere. I’d love to come back to Scotland soon too, I love Scotland, we just did a gig there not long ago at the ABC in Glasgow, supporting Glasvegas, and that was awesome. Yeah, I would definitely love to play there again!
SP: And we would love to have you guys back!
We Are Augustines’ new single ‘Book of James’ is out now on vinyl and mp3 single, and their debut album ‘Rise Ye Sunken Ships’ is out on March 5th 2012, through Oxcart Records.
Find them at http://www.facebook.com/weareaugustines and www.weareaugustines.com
Erin Woods
