Augustine 313

Date: 8/12/2008 5:18:04 PM
Status: Selected
Response: RATING SCALE
"1" Indicates the Lowest Score
"5" Indicates The Highest Score

Recording Quality/Production: 4

Lead Vocals: 4.5

Musicianship: 4

Lyric Writing: 4

Music Composing: 4

Melodies: 5

Song Arrangement: 4


Dear Jeremiah,

Thanks for submitting the material for the evaluation.

I enjoyed listening to the songs. The energy of the music, coupled with excellent production and great guitar tone/sounds made for strong material.

To give you insight to the scoring scale above, the majority
of artists score in the 2.5 to 3.5 range in the various categories.

Whenever an artist sees a 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3 or 3.5 as a score in a certain category (or categories) it means that's an area I feel they need to improve and develop.

When someone sees 4, 4.5 or 5 as their score in a category, that tells them, to me, they are in the professional league and have strong potential. It's a validation from a pro, letting you know you are doing a fine job.

Every artist should work hard to earn 4.5 to 5 in every category.

It's a very competitive business and people averaging in the 3's (or less) will probably not get too far without a great deal of improvement and development.

I don't give out 4's and 5's easily, so any of those you see, you have earned. Well done!

One thing to keep in mind, at least for your songs designated as "Singles" (the songs geared towards winning over radio stations and record company executives) - try to keep Intros to under 10 seconds and try to reach the Chorus between the 40 and 43 second mark.

If it's 44 seconds or longer and the Chorus did not kick in yet, you should edit the song's arrangement accordingly.

In rap music, the chorus can come in at the 55 to 58 second mark or so, since the verses are traditionally longer, compared to pop and rock music.

If you are trying to gain the attention of record companies, music publishers, booking agents or top managers, make sure your game plan includes radio promotion, publicity, lots of gigs, Internet marketing and CD sales, at the minimum.

Just having a great CD and live show are no longer enough in today's music business.

Also - on the Sonicbids Web site, the only choices the system gave me were -- "Selected" "Standby" or "Not Selected."

So I chose "Selected" for your submission, as it was the best of the three choices.

For the Foley Entertainment opportunity, none of those categories really apply, because EVERYONE qualifies for the professional evaluation and feedback.

It's more of an educational opportunity for everyone who submits - not a contest where only a select few will win or benefit.

I guess the majority of the Sonicbids opportunities are for contests, festivals and things like that, where some artists are chosen and some are not.

Thank you for the submission and continued best wishes!
Keep me posted!

Direct E-Mail Address: EugeneFoleyMusic@aol.com

Best wishes,

Eugene Foley

http://www.FoleyEntertainment.com
- Eugene Foley

Date: 8/12/2008 5:18:04 PM
Status: Selected
Response: RATING SCALE
"1" Indicates the Lowest Score
"5" Indicates The Highest Score

Recording Quality/Production: 4

Lead Vocals: 4.5

Musicianship: 4

Lyric Writing: 4

Music Composing: 4

Melodies: 5

Song Arrangement: 4


Dear Jeremiah,

Thanks for submitting the material for the evaluation.

I enjoyed listening to the songs. The energy of the music, coupled with excellent production and great guitar tone/sounds made for strong material.

To give you insight to the scoring scale above, the majority
of artists score in the 2.5 to 3.5 range in the various categories.

Whenever an artist sees a 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3 or 3.5 as a score in a certain category (or categories) it means that's an area I feel they need to improve and develop.

When someone sees 4, 4.5 or 5 as their score in a category, that tells them, to me, they are in the professional league and have strong potential. It's a validation from a pro, letting you know you are doing a fine job.

Every artist should work hard to earn 4.5 to 5 in every category.

It's a very competitive business and people averaging in the 3's (or less) will probably not get too far without a great deal of improvement and development.

I don't give out 4's and 5's easily, so any of those you see, you have earned. Well done!

One thing to keep in mind, at least for your songs designated as "Singles" (the songs geared towards winning over radio stations and record company executives) - try to keep Intros to under 10 seconds and try to reach the Chorus between the 40 and 43 second mark.

If it's 44 seconds or longer and the Chorus did not kick in yet, you should edit the song's arrangement accordingly.

In rap music, the chorus can come in at the 55 to 58 second mark or so, since the verses are traditionally longer, compared to pop and rock music.

If you are trying to gain the attention of record companies, music publishers, booking agents or top managers, make sure your game plan includes radio promotion, publicity, lots of gigs, Internet marketing and CD sales, at the minimum.

Just having a great CD and live show are no longer enough in today's music business.

Also - on the Sonicbids Web site, the only choices the system gave me were -- "Selected" "Standby" or "Not Selected."

So I chose "Selected" for your submission, as it was the best of the three choices.

For the Foley Entertainment opportunity, none of those categories really apply, because EVERYONE qualifies for the professional evaluation and feedback.

It's more of an educational opportunity for everyone who submits - not a contest where only a select few will win or benefit.

I guess the majority of the Sonicbids opportunities are for contests, festivals and things like that, where some artists are chosen and some are not.

Thank you for the submission and continued best wishes!
Keep me posted!

Direct E-Mail Address: EugeneFoleyMusic@aol.com

Best wishes,

Eugene Foley

http://www.FoleyEntertainment.com
- Eugene Foley

AUGUSTINE Review:

Clearly one of the hardest working bands on the Big Island, Augustine's debut

CD, Cinematic Masquerade is an impressive collection of high quality music and

top notch packaging. The songs range from the hard and heavy to really nice,

mellow ballad with some outstanding female lead vocals. If you're looking for

an introduction to the hard rock / metal scene in Hawaii, you simply cannot go

wrong with this album. Coming from a guy who's worked with hundred's of Hawaii

bands large and small, from albums to concerts, as well as radio... i have no

problem giving this band and their new CD a big seal of approval as rockin'

ambassadors of our islands. Thanks for your time.



aloha, jason

- Jason Miller-Hawaiian Express Records 808Shows

AUGUSTINE Review:

Clearly one of the hardest working bands on the Big Island, Augustine's debut

CD, Cinematic Masquerade is an impressive collection of high quality music and

top notch packaging. The songs range from the hard and heavy to really nice,

mellow ballad with some outstanding female lead vocals. If you're looking for

an introduction to the hard rock / metal scene in Hawaii, you simply cannot go

wrong with this album. Coming from a guy who's worked with hundred's of Hawaii

bands large and small, from albums to concerts, as well as radio... i have no

problem giving this band and their new CD a big seal of approval as rockin'

ambassadors of our islands. Thanks for your time.



aloha, jason

- Jason Miller-Hawaiian Express Records 808Shows

"Cinematic Masquerade"
Augustine
(Made in Pain)


Augustine, one of the noteworthy participants in Jason Miller's recent "Metal Made in Hawaii" compilation, steps forward with a full-length album that offers some unusual ideas in local metal. Where most groups in town feature a single roarer, er, vocalist, Augustine has three distinct voices. And, although the primary voice spews lyrics in the standard hard-core style -- imagine a psychotic demon with a sore throat who's having a very bad day -- other vocalists provide counterpoints in imaginative ways.
Conventional melodic singing emphasizes key lyric passages in "What Would You Do" and "Mind Thieves." The leisurely acoustic introduction on the deceptively titled "Ballad" also adds dramatic impact.

The arrangements -- most of them frenetic, a few others slow and brooding -- are the musical delivery system for grim and desperate commentary on the evils of society, phonies and hypocrites, and deceptive lovers. With "Cinematic Masquerade," Augustine provides perfect anthems for scenarios of nightmarish revenge on all of them.

MP3 Audio Clips*
"Cinematic Masquerade"
"Cries Out"
"Ballad"







Required: To listen to MP3 audio clips, a music player must be installed on your computer. We recommend using either Apple iTunes (Mac), Yahoo! MusicMatch Jukebox (PC), or RealNetworks RealPlayer (PC/Mac), available for free from their respective web sites.


John Berger, who has covered the local entertainment scene since 1972, writes reviews of recordings produced by Hawaii artists. See the Star-Bulletin's Today section on Fridays for the latest reviews. Reach John Berger at jberger@starbulletin.com.





- Star Bulletin Review-John Berger

"Cinematic Masquerade"
Augustine
(Made in Pain)


Augustine, one of the noteworthy participants in Jason Miller's recent "Metal Made in Hawaii" compilation, steps forward with a full-length album that offers some unusual ideas in local metal. Where most groups in town feature a single roarer, er, vocalist, Augustine has three distinct voices. And, although the primary voice spews lyrics in the standard hard-core style -- imagine a psychotic demon with a sore throat who's having a very bad day -- other vocalists provide counterpoints in imaginative ways.
Conventional melodic singing emphasizes key lyric passages in "What Would You Do" and "Mind Thieves." The leisurely acoustic introduction on the deceptively titled "Ballad" also adds dramatic impact.

The arrangements -- most of them frenetic, a few others slow and brooding -- are the musical delivery system for grim and desperate commentary on the evils of society, phonies and hypocrites, and deceptive lovers. With "Cinematic Masquerade," Augustine provides perfect anthems for scenarios of nightmarish revenge on all of them.

MP3 Audio Clips*
"Cinematic Masquerade"
"Cries Out"
"Ballad"







Required: To listen to MP3 audio clips, a music player must be installed on your computer. We recommend using either Apple iTunes (Mac), Yahoo! MusicMatch Jukebox (PC), or RealNetworks RealPlayer (PC/Mac), available for free from their respective web sites.


John Berger, who has covered the local entertainment scene since 1972, writes reviews of recordings produced by Hawaii artists. See the Star-Bulletin's Today section on Fridays for the latest reviews. Reach John Berger at jberger@starbulletin.com.





- Star Bulletin Review-John Berger

Augustine Cinematic Masquerade

Aloha! Hawai'i could really never be described as a hotbed of the metal scene. There's only really been a handful of bands from that distant state, so when I heard of Augustine, a five-piece heavy metal band out of Hilo, I was quite curious to investigate exactly what the island was releasing these days. I'm pleased to report that not only is Augustine a pretty unusual group, but they're pretty damned good as well! A synthesis of various influences ranging from death to thrash to groove to metalcore, Augustine's music is unique without sacrificing a solid core of heavy metal that is sure to please most fans of the genre.

This is music better described through elements rather than holistically. For instance: I like the frantically screamed vocals on the first couple tracks that remind me of Vio-Lence for some reason. I like the midpaced metalcore/groove riffing with lots of overrunning vocal lines, double bass trills, and chugging riffs. I dig some of the melodic ideas they have, like on the break a bit before midway through 'Mind Thieves' that speaks to tastefully employed rock influence, mostly evidenced through the writing of clever hooks and grooves. I really like the pure amount of variation, allowing the band to move through Cynic-like mellow portions into almost Strapping Young Lad-derived smashers like on closer 'The Impossible'.' It's hard to get a grasp on the base elements of the music here simply because there's so much going on; while it all revolves around the basic idea of post-thrash metal, it explores everywhere it can within that framework.

Augustine seems to be one of the new set of American post-Pantera bands that are influenced from essentially all metal genres but particularly whetted to none, creating music that seems to be made simply to be referred to as 'metal'. There are weird elements even for that style though: the protracted end-song samples, the strange rhythmic shifts, the multitude of varying vocal styles that appear unexpectedly. In fact, that may be the very word that defines the music on 'Cinematic Masquerade': unexpected. The band seems to love to spring something unusual on you: where a natural conclusion might be reached through a climb in tempo or an extra dose of aggression, the band instead decides to drop the speed and add clean female vocals. It's everywhere at once and speaks to a great deal of ambition and skill in the band members.

Flaws are present, of course. The album begins to drag a bit in the middle section, probably due to the placement of the most aggressive pair of tracks at the beginning. Sometimes the music seems unfocused, with too many ideas preventing a real clarity from coming to the songs, or perhaps more clearly, too many variations on ideas. A lot of the tracks seem rather samey at times: just like how too few ideas can make everything identical, so can too many, though not quite as severe as that language makes it out to be. The music, however, is propulsive and heavy enough to distract from these issues, always providing solid beats and riffs to offset the experimental kinks the band hasn't yet worked out.

So my first genuine foray into Hawai'ian metal is a successful one. I'm hoping to see more coming from the island in the future, and from this band in particular; Augustine is clearly an artistic collective with a great deal of talent at their disposal. Recommended for anyone curious as to what one of the lesser known areas for metal is up to, as well as anyone who's looking for something unusual yet with a grip on songwriting. Pretty good all around.

~ by noktorn on August 31, 2007.

--> You can start editing here. --> --> If comments are open, but there are no comments. -->
If anyone wants to see what else Noktorn has to say,

check it out here:

http://noktorn.wordpress.com/


- Noktorn

Augustine Cinematic Masquerade

Aloha! Hawai'i could really never be described as a hotbed of the metal scene. There's only really been a handful of bands from that distant state, so when I heard of Augustine, a five-piece heavy metal band out of Hilo, I was quite curious to investigate exactly what the island was releasing these days. I'm pleased to report that not only is Augustine a pretty unusual group, but they're pretty damned good as well! A synthesis of various influences ranging from death to thrash to groove to metalcore, Augustine's music is unique without sacrificing a solid core of heavy metal that is sure to please most fans of the genre.

This is music better described through elements rather than holistically. For instance: I like the frantically screamed vocals on the first couple tracks that remind me of Vio-Lence for some reason. I like the midpaced metalcore/groove riffing with lots of overrunning vocal lines, double bass trills, and chugging riffs. I dig some of the melodic ideas they have, like on the break a bit before midway through 'Mind Thieves' that speaks to tastefully employed rock influence, mostly evidenced through the writing of clever hooks and grooves. I really like the pure amount of variation, allowing the band to move through Cynic-like mellow portions into almost Strapping Young Lad-derived smashers like on closer 'The Impossible'.' It's hard to get a grasp on the base elements of the music here simply because there's so much going on; while it all revolves around the basic idea of post-thrash metal, it explores everywhere it can within that framework.

Augustine seems to be one of the new set of American post-Pantera bands that are influenced from essentially all metal genres but particularly whetted to none, creating music that seems to be made simply to be referred to as 'metal'. There are weird elements even for that style though: the protracted end-song samples, the strange rhythmic shifts, the multitude of varying vocal styles that appear unexpectedly. In fact, that may be the very word that defines the music on 'Cinematic Masquerade': unexpected. The band seems to love to spring something unusual on you: where a natural conclusion might be reached through a climb in tempo or an extra dose of aggression, the band instead decides to drop the speed and add clean female vocals. It's everywhere at once and speaks to a great deal of ambition and skill in the band members.

Flaws are present, of course. The album begins to drag a bit in the middle section, probably due to the placement of the most aggressive pair of tracks at the beginning. Sometimes the music seems unfocused, with too many ideas preventing a real clarity from coming to the songs, or perhaps more clearly, too many variations on ideas. A lot of the tracks seem rather samey at times: just like how too few ideas can make everything identical, so can too many, though not quite as severe as that language makes it out to be. The music, however, is propulsive and heavy enough to distract from these issues, always providing solid beats and riffs to offset the experimental kinks the band hasn't yet worked out.

So my first genuine foray into Hawai'ian metal is a successful one. I'm hoping to see more coming from the island in the future, and from this band in particular; Augustine is clearly an artistic collective with a great deal of talent at their disposal. Recommended for anyone curious as to what one of the lesser known areas for metal is up to, as well as anyone who's looking for something unusual yet with a grip on songwriting. Pretty good all around.

~ by noktorn on August 31, 2007.

--> You can start editing here. --> --> If comments are open, but there are no comments. -->
If anyone wants to see what else Noktorn has to say,

check it out here:

http://noktorn.wordpress.com/


- Noktorn

I like this a lot. - 80%
Written by Muloc7253 on September 18th, 2007


Should Augustine have come from New York or Sweden or Germany or anywhere other than Hawaii I don't think I would really care about them. That's not to say that I like them because they're from a place that rarely releases metal (it just happens to be a coincidence that I do like listening to metal from countries where it's scarce) but if they had come from anywhere else they would have either been caught up in trends or have become more elitist. I actually don't really know about the Hawaiin metal scene, but since i've never really heard of any other bands from Hawaii before, i'm going to presume that there isn't much of one.

Because of this (I believe anyway) Augustine take exactly what they like about metal, rock and extreme music, and create something they like. This means that it doesn't sound like the massive legion of underground elitist bands you can't escape these days, these guys don't go out of their way to try to impress anybody with how true they are, or how their music is one hundred percent groove-free, they're just out to make kickass music. It could be described as metalcore I suppose, the riffs sound very Lamb of God to me, but there is also a lot of influence from thrash and death metal too. The rhythm is heavily groove-based, meaning if you hate Pantera and cringed at my mentioning of Lamb of God then you may aswell stop reading now. But to me, and a lot of other people that use the archives, this is simply a big kick in the balls from a highly brutal band. The riffs are very heavy and memorable, the vocals range from manic screaming to typical clean stuff (and an excellent clean female vocalist) and the songs are structured nicely too. The whole album is very professional, and the packaging and artwork rules too.

There's really not much more to say. This is just a hard punch in the face in the form of 10 heavy yet melodic, neatly constructed songs. There are some mellower sections too, such as Ballad for instance. But if you're into heavy music and are in no way an elitist, this is a very fun and competent album to own.
..>
- Muloc from London-Metal-ARchives

I like this a lot. - 80%
Written by Muloc7253 on September 18th, 2007


Should Augustine have come from New York or Sweden or Germany or anywhere other than Hawaii I don't think I would really care about them. That's not to say that I like them because they're from a place that rarely releases metal (it just happens to be a coincidence that I do like listening to metal from countries where it's scarce) but if they had come from anywhere else they would have either been caught up in trends or have become more elitist. I actually don't really know about the Hawaiin metal scene, but since i've never really heard of any other bands from Hawaii before, i'm going to presume that there isn't much of one.

Because of this (I believe anyway) Augustine take exactly what they like about metal, rock and extreme music, and create something they like. This means that it doesn't sound like the massive legion of underground elitist bands you can't escape these days, these guys don't go out of their way to try to impress anybody with how true they are, or how their music is one hundred percent groove-free, they're just out to make kickass music. It could be described as metalcore I suppose, the riffs sound very Lamb of God to me, but there is also a lot of influence from thrash and death metal too. The rhythm is heavily groove-based, meaning if you hate Pantera and cringed at my mentioning of Lamb of God then you may aswell stop reading now. But to me, and a lot of other people that use the archives, this is simply a big kick in the balls from a highly brutal band. The riffs are very heavy and memorable, the vocals range from manic screaming to typical clean stuff (and an excellent clean female vocalist) and the songs are structured nicely too. The whole album is very professional, and the packaging and artwork rules too.

There's really not much more to say. This is just a hard punch in the face in the form of 10 heavy yet melodic, neatly constructed songs. There are some mellower sections too, such as Ballad for instance. But if you're into heavy music and are in no way an elitist, this is a very fun and competent album to own.
..>
- Muloc from London-Metal-ARchives

I headed down to a metal show on July 20th to
interview Augustine, a metal band from the Big Island. Augustine
is a big organizer and promoter of metal shows on
their home island and they have reached out to Oahu bands,
inviting them to play on a Big Island billet and also making
many journeys themselves to join on an Oahu billet.
On this night, they arrived at the club to find out
it had been double booked. Promoters know that there is
always the potential for big problems and they learn how to
roll with the punches. Eventually, everyone worked together
to open up some available space, even running extension
cords through the ceiling and messing with the electrical
box to get power to the other room. This, here, was Hawaii’s
real underground. Hacked power. Termites buzzing around
the lights. Bands screaming over heavy guitar riffs. People
moshing or simply nodding their heads in a minimalist way
to show the bands that they were, indeed, into the music.
It made me smile, that despite the circumstances, these
bands would find a way to play. Their desire to play music
was that strong. And the audience! Those dedicated souls
stuck around in that stuffy room with no bar because they
wanted to hear some live metal.
I interviewed Augustine in the parking lot between
sporadic rain showers.
Katie Whitman: Augustine. That’s your last name, right?
Blue Augustine: But that’s not why we’re called Augustine.
Jeremiah Augustine: We actually have the name from our
first drummer out of seven. It was our dummer who said
“Why don’t we name the band Augustine?” That’s where it
comes from. A lot of people say [disapprovingly], “Why did
you name the band after yourself?”
KW: If you’re lucky enough to have a good name like that,
you might as well use it.
JA: It means “exalted by God” or “held up high.”
KW: So how’s the metal scene over on the Big Island?
JA: It’s as big as Oahu on Oahu’s great nights. There are a
lot of great bands, a lot of great people, great musicians
on the Big Island. We actually have another band from the
Big Island coming tonight. Cellar. Tonight is the first show
we’re going to do with Jonathan, our new lead guitar player.
Oahu is going to be the first to see Augustine with a lead
guitar player. People have been asking one for a few years.
There’s been many complications with the upstairs/downstairs
thing.
KW: Yeah, what the heck happened?
BA: People got angry and changed other people’s minds.
Then we did some electrical things. We changed the panel
and then we got power.
KW: This is the true underground, though. All these termites.
Hacked electrical.
JA: Back in the day [it was always like this]. For our genre
and style, we really don’t have a venue. If you play reggae,
jazz, contemporary you can play everywhere. This genre we
choose to play in, the venues are hard to come by.
… We are constantly just knocking on doors that tell us no
until they let us in. We prove ourselves to them. A lot of
places in Hilo say “No. You cannot play metal in my bar.”
Then it is a matter of getting to know the owner and say
“Let’s try to do this show.” We have our shot and it works
out and we keep doing it. A lot of times they’re like “First
time if you screw up a show, you’re never going to do a
show here again.” We opened up like 5 doors that way. By
throwing the show that we do and how we run them is professional.
KW: How do you guys meet the bands from Oahu?
JA: The first band was Blind Faith and I went on Jason Miller’s
site [www.808shows.com] and looked at metal bands
in Oahu. I was doing shows on the Big Island and I thought it
would be cool if I brought a band from Oahu. So I was looking
and I called Deep Wounded, Dagra, and another band.
Two of them didn’t answer their phone, but I got Ryan’s cell.
I was talking to Ryan and I was like “Hey, man. I’m Jeremiah
Augustine from Made in Pain Records and we’re going to be
doing a show in Hilo at Uncle Mikey’s? Do you want to come
do a show with us?” They don’t know us. We don’t know
them, but three days later he called me back and said “Yeah,
we’re down.” They’re on a compilation record with us now.
…
Me and my wife basically started this up because
a person in Hilo running the music said “You cannot
play music here unless you have a drummer and a bass
player.” We played acoustic music. We came from Oahu
[where] we played 4 to 5 nights out of the week.
BA: So we said “Well. Let’s start something. Something big
and different.” We went through a lot of networking with different
musicians to become what we are now. It was doing
all kinds of ghetto shows. We wanted to [be more professional]…
We were wishing that something would start. But
instead of hoping for someone to do something, we just do
it. Then we began networking with all the bands.
KW: When did all this start?
BA: Augustine evolved in 2002.
KW: So you guys are Made in Pain Records?
JA: Yes.
…
BA: Right now, for me, it’s - Katie Whitman 808Scenezine

I headed down to a metal show on July 20th to
interview Augustine, a metal band from the Big Island. Augustine
is a big organizer and promoter of metal shows on
their home island and they have reached out to Oahu bands,
inviting them to play on a Big Island billet and also making
many journeys themselves to join on an Oahu billet.
On this night, they arrived at the club to find out
it had been double booked. Promoters know that there is
always the potential for big problems and they learn how to
roll with the punches. Eventually, everyone worked together
to open up some available space, even running extension
cords through the ceiling and messing with the electrical
box to get power to the other room. This, here, was Hawaii’s
real underground. Hacked power. Termites buzzing around
the lights. Bands screaming over heavy guitar riffs. People
moshing or simply nodding their heads in a minimalist way
to show the bands that they were, indeed, into the music.
It made me smile, that despite the circumstances, these
bands would find a way to play. Their desire to play music
was that strong. And the audience! Those dedicated souls
stuck around in that stuffy room with no bar because they
wanted to hear some live metal.
I interviewed Augustine in the parking lot between
sporadic rain showers.
Katie Whitman: Augustine. That’s your last name, right?
Blue Augustine: But that’s not why we’re called Augustine.
Jeremiah Augustine: We actually have the name from our
first drummer out of seven. It was our dummer who said
“Why don’t we name the band Augustine?” That’s where it
comes from. A lot of people say [disapprovingly], “Why did
you name the band after yourself?”
KW: If you’re lucky enough to have a good name like that,
you might as well use it.
JA: It means “exalted by God” or “held up high.”
KW: So how’s the metal scene over on the Big Island?
JA: It’s as big as Oahu on Oahu’s great nights. There are a
lot of great bands, a lot of great people, great musicians
on the Big Island. We actually have another band from the
Big Island coming tonight. Cellar. Tonight is the first show
we’re going to do with Jonathan, our new lead guitar player.
Oahu is going to be the first to see Augustine with a lead
guitar player. People have been asking one for a few years.
There’s been many complications with the upstairs/downstairs
thing.
KW: Yeah, what the heck happened?
BA: People got angry and changed other people’s minds.
Then we did some electrical things. We changed the panel
and then we got power.
KW: This is the true underground, though. All these termites.
Hacked electrical.
JA: Back in the day [it was always like this]. For our genre
and style, we really don’t have a venue. If you play reggae,
jazz, contemporary you can play everywhere. This genre we
choose to play in, the venues are hard to come by.
… We are constantly just knocking on doors that tell us no
until they let us in. We prove ourselves to them. A lot of
places in Hilo say “No. You cannot play metal in my bar.”
Then it is a matter of getting to know the owner and say
“Let’s try to do this show.” We have our shot and it works
out and we keep doing it. A lot of times they’re like “First
time if you screw up a show, you’re never going to do a
show here again.” We opened up like 5 doors that way. By
throwing the show that we do and how we run them is professional.
KW: How do you guys meet the bands from Oahu?
JA: The first band was Blind Faith and I went on Jason Miller’s
site [www.808shows.com] and looked at metal bands
in Oahu. I was doing shows on the Big Island and I thought it
would be cool if I brought a band from Oahu. So I was looking
and I called Deep Wounded, Dagra, and another band.
Two of them didn’t answer their phone, but I got Ryan’s cell.
I was talking to Ryan and I was like “Hey, man. I’m Jeremiah
Augustine from Made in Pain Records and we’re going to be
doing a show in Hilo at Uncle Mikey’s? Do you want to come
do a show with us?” They don’t know us. We don’t know
them, but three days later he called me back and said “Yeah,
we’re down.” They’re on a compilation record with us now.
…
Me and my wife basically started this up because
a person in Hilo running the music said “You cannot
play music here unless you have a drummer and a bass
player.” We played acoustic music. We came from Oahu
[where] we played 4 to 5 nights out of the week.
BA: So we said “Well. Let’s start something. Something big
and different.” We went through a lot of networking with different
musicians to become what we are now. It was doing
all kinds of ghetto shows. We wanted to [be more professional]…
We were wishing that something would start. But
instead of hoping for someone to do something, we just do
it. Then we began networking with all the bands.
KW: When did all this start?
BA: Augustine evolved in 2002.
KW: So you guys are Made in Pain Records?
JA: Yes.
…
BA: Right now, for me, it’s - Katie Whitman 808Scenezine