Just before August

Just Before August - Underthelights

Engineered by Barry Martin at Bristol Harbor Productions Mastered by Toby Mountain at Northeastern Digital Produced by Just Before August

Reviewer -C.D. Di Guardia




Just Before August has rhythm. They got music. They got flava. Indeed, Underthelights opens up with a burst of said flava like the first chomp of well-crafted gum. JBA retains the initial zest and even maintains the level throughout the session. This is a band that maneuvers confidently throughout the sonic and rhythmic landscape, taking all the proper routes and deftly avoiding the pitfalls of the basic rhythm/jam-band scene. Lesser bands would get caught up in their own groove with little regard for anything else. JBA actually demonstrates a good sense of song and sound in each of their tracks. Good writing and good arranging skills equals good band. Take the usual band stuff; electric guitar, bass, growly vocals and add one trumpet. Sure, rock band with trumpet, tastes like Cake? Not so much. While the bands may have similar gear in the old gearshed, similarities end there. Each of JBA's tunes are driven by a different kind of emotion from the artists and conveyed through the dexterity of the musicians. The trumpet fits into a different slot on Lights than it does in the Cake records as well. It's not a silly “ha-ha-hee-hee, there's a trumpet in with all this rock music!” thing; it's more like a “vital part of the band's sound” thing that carries well with the material present on Underthelights. The other instruments are also befitting of the tunes; JBA clearly has good vision for arrangements. This is evident in the splash made by “Falling Out,” the first flava-filled track on the record. It's nice when arrangements in themselves can paint a picture as they do in the final track. “How Far” is again something that could possibly be a recording pitfall: just quietly jamming out, free-time. This track ends up being sweeter than all hell, the kind of piece that has Antonio Banderas walking off into the sunset with his guitar-case full of guns, ready to unleash the flava on the next unsuspecting bystanders. In Just Before August, the artists are the musicians and the musicians are the artists. (self-released)

Contact: www.justbeforeaugust.com

- Northeast Performer Magazine

R&B/rock jam band Just before August releases first CD

by SEAN MCCARTHY
Standard-Times correspondent

If you take your musical blender, toss in a dash of Dave Matthews, a touch of Ben Harper, a pinch of Jack Johnson, and a scattering of classic bluesy rock, you would find yourself with a spicy concoction known as Just before August.

If this stirs your musical palate, then you can get a heaping dose of it tomorrow night at the Bridge Street Station as the SouthCoast quintet celebrates the release of their five-song CD, "UNDERTHELIGHTS."

"This is a launching point for us," says El Cruz, who plays trumpet and sings. "These five songs are the ones that really capture our style. This is our best stuff and we're confident in it."

Band members are in their mid-20's and they are targeting a college-age audience. They are happy to take on the "jam band" label - a style of rock music forged in the mid-1960's where bands would apply a jazzy free-style improvisational approach to their songs.

JBA works from a basis of rhythm and blues and rock. With the advent of their latest addition, drummer Shawn Lagasse in July 2002(hence the name of the band) the group has added a jazz flare and departed somewhat from their heavier material.

"With Shawn we realized that we could open things up a bit," Cruz says. "We started brainstorming more. We're now taking our music further and we're going to take it as far as possible."

They're also going to take it to record labels, clubs, and radio stations. "There's a promotional element to the CD as well," says bass player Josh Hanoud.

"We're hoping that this will take us where we want to be."

The CD also features a hidden sixth track.

The band produced the project as well. According to lead singer Tommy Teixeira, "We produced it ourselves because nobody knows us better than ourselves."

Jordohn Bileau rounds out the group on lead guitar. The band hopes to have a follow-up full-length CD sometime in the next year.

Opening the show tomorrow night at 9 p.m. are Lemonstone and J.Kelley & Company.

For more information, call Bridge Street Station at 508-996-8749. - New Bedford Standard-Times

Article by: Tracy Shaw - Boston, MA

Seemingly everyone wants to be a rock star when they're young. Instead of fulfillment, somewhere along the line the allure of stardom and groupies gives way to the harsh realities of one's lack of talent, lack of motivation, or just plain lack of nerve. On any given Friday night you can witness this rock star persona; some getting their proverbial “Simon Cowell” in the form of a sparse, borderline-comatose crowd, while at another bar a singer/songwriter can have everyone mouthing along to his melancholy blues. One such band falling into the latter category, gradually earning recognition, is the local roots/rock jam outfit Just before August.

Just before August, commonly referred to as JBA, has been gaining a buzz with its "Dave Matthews meets The Roots" sound, an odd combination that works. One minute you may be grooving to the contagious trumpet hook during "Hold On", and the next minute you may be watching in awe as Jordohn Bileau gives a Hendrix-inspired electric guitar solo--but whatever minute it is, it is all enjoyable.

When I spoke with Jordohn Bileau he continuously emphasized the band's unwavering commitment to its craft. "I don't know if any of us can put a finger on why we do this. I would say it's a combination of determination and desire." However, as mentioned above, all the determination in the world will do little without exceptional talent and the ability to create music that connects to people. On the flip side, such extraordinary musicianship can go unnoticed without the proper exposure through well-planned marketing. Fortunately for Just before August, the band is both talented and business-savvy.

Taking lessons from the grassroots beginnings of such acts as Howie Day, John Mayer, and Guster, the band has formed the "JBA Circle" through their website (www.justbeforeaugust.com). The JBA Circle is a street team formed by Just before August to help the band in its marketing and promotion. As a member of The Circle, you are entitled to discountl prices on JBA merchandise, and are given the opportunity to make some extra money. The group is banking that the Circle will give exposure to its first studio effort, a five-song EP titled "UNDERTHELIGHTS", through a word-of-mouth campaign.

"UNDERTHELIGHTS" shows a band capable of producing upbeat radio-friendly tunes ("Welcome in the Sun"), along with capturing the band's signature jazz-infused improvisation vibe. Like Dave Matthews, lead singer Tommy Teixeira's floating vocals offer a sort of c'est la vie gloss to any subject matter. Overall, the album is a well-produced mix of songs sending the listener comfortably through a vast range of emotions. The high point of the album is the brilliant interplay between the trumpet and electric guitar, a moment in which the instruments seemingly speak a la Frampton Comes Alive.

At a recent February 6th show at Copperfield's in Boston, the band seemed to create a slue of new fans hooked by the bright sounds and days-later ingrained melodies coming from the stage. "Hold On" seemed to be the fan favorite, starring El Cruz's muted trumpet. Rounding out the band is Josh Hanoud on bass guitar and Shawn Lagasse on drums. So while the fashion of music is notoriously fickle, if the fan reaction at Copperfield's is any indication, Just before August is a band that will be “Under The Lights” for quite some time.

Just before August will be at Judge Roy Bean's in Bristol, RI on February 14th, and will be having its CD-release party February 21st at the Bridge Street Station in Fairhaven, MA. - The Scene Journal