Five Times August

http://www.fivetimesaugust.com/USAToday.jpg - USA Today

24-year-old Brad Skistimas (aka Five Times August) ranks as one of the top unsigned artists on MySpace for good reason. His melodies are instantly infectious and carry a laidback rock feel familiar to fans of John Mayer or Jack Johnson. The new single "The Good Life" (listen below) is immediately engaging.

With his most recent self-released album, Five Times August accomplished feats most other unsigned artists can only dream of. He is the first unsigned artist to be marketed in Wal-Mart stores nationwide. He sold over 100,000 digital downloads off the album The Independent, and his songs have been featured on a wide range of TV shows.

A new album, Brighter Side, is due out March 18, 2008. Brad Skistimas plans to tour extensively this year in support of the new music. The first single is "The Good Life." - About.com - Bill Lamb

"BRIGHTER SIDE" album review

Let’s get the obvious out of the way: Five Times August is not a band. It’s one dude named Brad Skistimas. Aside from being a talented guitarist, singer, and songwriter, Mr. Skistimas also seems pretty adept at sticking it to the Man with his D.I.Y. mindset. He has spurned every advance from major labels to go it alone, placing his catchy, acoustic-driven pop tunes on all kinds of TV shows while touring his brains out. Although he enlisted studio players to flesh out the arrangements on Brighter Side, at the core of the 12 tunes is his intricate, rhythmic flat-top work, making it easy for him to get his songs across in a solo setting, which is how he performs live. The first single, “The Good Life,” features a bouncy cross-picked progression that should appeal to the Dave Matthews/Jason Mraz crowd. Other cool acoustic moments include the lilting, capoed lines that open “Surface” and the resonant arpeggios of “Sunrise.” This is smart pop-rock with cool guitar, but FTA might be every bit as important as a business model as a one-man band.
- GuitarPlayer.com - Matt Blackett

http://www.guidelive.com/sharedcontent/dws/ent/music/stories/DN-skistimas_0126gl.ART.State.Edition1.37d3171.html - Dallas Morning News

http://www.foxbusiness.com/video/index.html?playerId=videolandingpage&maven_playlistId=c5395eedbdcac73d74d7e1502a7840192913efb0&maven_referrer=rss&referralPlaylistId=c5395eedbdcac73d74d7e1502a7840192913efb0&referralObject=82774c67-df22-48b4-ba76-92f940e92b15 - America's Nightly Scoreboard

The atmosphere was calm and collected as Bronze Radio Return, Five Times August and Matt White performed at afterHOURS Thursday night to an audience sitting cross-legged on the floor.

Despite being short two members, Bronze Radio Return opened the show by performing its first acoustic show for Northeastern students.

The self-described "rootsy-rock blues" band is comprised of Chris Henderson on lead vocals and guitar, Rob Griffith on drums and Matt Warner on the keyboard, plus the two members who were missing.

Five Times August took the stage after Bronze Radio Return. Though the name may suggest that Five Times August is a band, it's a solo performer named Brad Skistimas.

One song into the set, Skistimas was faced with technical difficulties involving the sound with his guitar, but was unfazed.

"The problems with the guitar ended up being good. It gave me an opportunity to laugh and connect with the audience," he said.

Skistimas said he enjoys playing at colleges.

"College shows are great because there is no drinking and you don't have to worry about drunk people requesting songs you don't sing," he said.

Skistimas said he has been performing professionally for about seven or eight years. The name Five Times August comes from his birthday, which is on August 5.

Skistimas addressed the audience on several occasions, explaining stories behind his songs.

"This song is for anybody that just got dumped," he said. "Lots of my songs are about dumped people."

Skistimas also encouraged the crowd to find him on MySpace and Facebook, assuring everyone that he manages his own online profiles.

"I'm a big fan of Five Times August and when I heard he was coming I was ecstatic," said Bari Krug, a freshman graphic design major. "I was not disappointed."

Matt White came on after Five Times August, accompanied by his band, made up by Lee Nadel on bass, Markus Dorfmann on drums and Michael Gerry Reid on guitar.

White explained to the audience that whenever they perform at colleges he urges his band members to explore what the school has to offer.

"I wanted to get the Northeastern experience so I got a haircut at Supercuts earlier today," White said.

White has a song in the movie "Shrek the Third" as well as various television shows.

"I was really aggressive about getting my song in Shrek. I called the music executive and she told me what they were looking for in the song. I called her back 20 minutes later and told her I had a song," White said.

White, who played both guitar and keyboards at the show, and his band used afterHOURS to test a new song they had come up with earlier that day.

Fans sat on the floor singing along to the songs they knew while swaying back and forth rhythmically.

"I came for Matt White and he was amazing, but Brad [Skistimas] was a great surprise," Ashley McDonough, a freshman criminal justice major, said while she waited in line to get White's autograph.

As the show was wrapping up, White and his band covered "Free Falling" by Tom Petty. The crowd sang along enthusiastically.

"I didn't really know much about any of the bands that played tonight but I am so glad that I came," said Casey O'Sullivan, a freshman psychology major. "I really liked the Tom Petty cover. I am definitely getting the CDs later."
- Rosa Barney - Nu-News.com

Some of us make fun of the "sensitive male pop artist" thing publicly and later self-consciously sing along to Jason Mraz (see above) in the car. It's evidence that music fans appreciate, publicly or privately, an acoustic guitar and a sweet voice.

Enter Austin resident and Dallas native Brad Skistimas, who's in the perfect position to break into the Mraz-Mayer market. The 22-year-old performs as Five Times August, because his birthday is Aug. 5 and his last name is hard to pronounce.

Five Times August recently released Fry Street, a debut full-length CD named after the location in Denton where it was recorded.

Here's more from Skistimas:
Q: What music influenced you growing up?
A: I listened to a good variety of stuff growing up. When I was little, I loved Michael Jackson and oldies music. In middle school, I discovered the Beatles and a lot of classic rock. I also liked a lot of the newer British rock, too, like Oasis and Stereophonics. ... Paul McCartney has influenced me the most just because he's done so much. I also like the fact that 99.9 percent of his songs are clean and something you can listen to whether you're 10 years old or in your late 80s. I don't think many musicians have that anymore.
Q: Why did you move away to Austin from your hometown? How's it been treating you so far?
A: The vibe down here is so much different than Dallas; it's unbelievable how receptive people are. Dallas is a very hard market to be in if you are a singer-songwriter. ... Not to knock Dallas, because I still love the city – it's home. But realistically, you've got to be hard rock or a cover band to get most venues to pay attention in the D.
Q: What elements make up a great pop song?
A: The obvious answer is to say you need a hook and catchy chorus, but I don't follow those rules because I write for myself. I think the best pop songs are the songs that the writer wrote about their own feelings, and feeling is the hook. It isn't a catchy guitar lick or singalong chorus; it's the fact that people can relate to it.

-Hunter Hauk - Dallas Morning News - QUICK magazine

http://www.melodic.net/newsOne.asp?newsId=9382 - melodic.net

http://www.fivetimesaugust.com/billboard.jpg - Billboard

http://www.teenvogue.com/industry/blogs/music/2008/04/five-times-augu.html - Teen Vogue

http://www.fivetimesaugust.com/billboard.jpg - Billboard