Honor by August

So writing the first blog about Pat McGee Band seemed easy, like years in the making...writing my second blog has proven much much more difficult. Who was I going to write about next? And not because there are any lack of choices of amazing indie bands to write about...I have a huge list, trust me. So much music, so little time. But I was stumped, perhaps attaching some meaning to this blog, who would be my second band? Perhaps the second most influential indie music to my life? How do you pick that? I only needed to be reminded this weekend about who I would blog about next...I don't know why I hesitated, the answer is so easy. As the month of August comes to a close, I want to tell you about a band named Honor by August (or HBA as they are affectionately known).

Hailing from Arlington VA, I was introduced to this local indie rock band back in early 2009 through a friend of mine (whom I happened to have met at a PMB show along the way). This friend, from Richmond, was throwing a charity fundraiser concert in Richmond and had invited HBA, along with a few other local Richmond acts, to play this show. Now, she was familiar with their music but had never met this band....

And they had agreed to play her charity fundraiser...in a market in which they don't normally play...for someone they really didn't know! I was amazed at just the character it takes to do that much. So, to their credit, these boys already had won over my heart before I ever met them!

My first time at an HBA show, however, was actually before this charity event, at a little dive bar in Fredricksburg, where I accompanied my friend to meet the band. It was here that I realized that the character of these four men demonstrated through their generous spirit also comes through loud and clear in the music that they create. I have to tell you, I love a good beat and a catchy hook as much as the next person - but I am a lyrics girl at heart! And frontman Michael Pearsall's inspired lyrics captivated from the start and through two years of hearing their new and old music still has the way of captivating me time and time again...and looking forward to more. Here's a little sample of some of my favorite inspired lyrics that just hit me to the core...they are encouraging, hopeful, and refreshingly honest...

Somewhere down the line
We learn there's rules that were meant to be broken
Others bend but never break
Mistakes are meant for making us
Who we are inside -- Into The Light

All this loss and all this pain will turn around
(If you) Shake it up, make it beautiful
In life, we must die before we can be reborn --Phoenix

I am finding out just how good it feels
To be so real in this carnival
Of hopes and dreams coming true (coming true)
All you do in this life
Echos in eternity --Found

Don't let your window pass you by / Take hold of everything you see
That ship off in the distance / Could be your golden opportunity -- Opportunity

...to completely expressing the openness and journey of this band and their appreciation for their fans. Check out this song, called Awake and Alive. This autobiographical song tells the story of the band on their journey to make all their musical dreams come true, and demonstrates their joy and passion for the journey...and, in the end, it really inspires me want to feel just as passionate about my own dreams.



Don't be fooled by the acoustic version though! These boys bring the rock! Lead guitarist Evan Field seriously melts faces with his amazing electric guitar riffs (check out his work on Good Enough, off their debut album, Drowning Out The Television) shattering solos, as well as beautiful harmonies and occasional keys.

Drummer Brian Shanley lays down the beat (and any other percussion needed - shaker, tambourine) and is something else to watch when he is tenaciously wailing on the drum kit. And the fourth and newest member of HBA, Chris Rafetto, adds so much dimension to this band, contributing on bass, piano, backup vocals, and songwriting collaboration. The foursome together are tight! (Unfortunately, except for the occasional hometown guest appearances now, I never had the pleasure of seeing their original bass player, Joe Wenger)

Since their debut album release in 2007, HBA has released their sophomore album, Found in 2009 and a five-song EP, On Our Own in 2010. From the first show I saw, and every show since, it is evident that they love making music, they love their fans, and they love and respect each other. They are all smiles playing, whether it is for 12 people or sold-out 9:30 Club crowd of 1,200, and they never put on the same show twice. I am excited to see where the future takes these boys. Head on over to www.honorbyaugust.com, sample their streaming music, and subscribe to their newsletter, or follow them on Facebook for upcoming tour dates and hometown shows!!!

Tell me you understand
Tell me that you believe
Tell me there's nothing worth doing that's easy
We're gonna be the biggest stars this town has ever seen

Little Did I Know...

Picture it...Charlottesville, VA, 1996.... A small little club named Trax

I really had no idea what I was in for...and I definitely had no idea what would be started this day! I was on a roadtrip with some dear friends from Catholic Campus Ministry at Mason, so I should have known that the adventure that would start this day was heaven sent and part of a bigger plan of things to come. With me on this particular adventure was my dear friend Rebecca, and we were introduced to this local up-and-coming band from Richmond, VA, called the Pat McGee Band! Little did I know...

Formed by Pat McGee, a Northern VA native and Longwood grad, the Pat McGee Band had just released their debut album, From the Wood - an awesome blend of rock guitars, drums, and percussions together with their folk harmonies and acoustic roots! From The Wood includes a lovely little tune, Rebecca, with which PMB closed the show!!!....Brilliantly simple lyrics to capture the conversation about much more  complex questions...

Does anybody out there want to help Rebecca find a clue to life;
I guess she feels she was the victim and we are the knife.
There is a price to pay when you put on that face and roll the dice,
One day soon you'll realize the world ain't that nice 

Hey, Rebecca this is your pilot speaking and you're about to land.
I hope you got all your answers and you've come to understand
That people and things are always going to change and you can't stop them now

For years after that day, 'From The Wood' rocked from my CD player - I cherished hearing it every time, but I was craving more!! Pat McGee Band was one of the most hardworking touring bands, playing over 300 days a year for almost the next decade, and despite being even signed to label, I didn't hear anything about them....Of course, it's because I was listening to the radio!!!!

Not until 2003 would I get the chance to see PMB again...after I got an invitation to see Michelle Branch at 930 Club. And guess who was opening?? How excited was I???? PMB featured one of the most insane percussionists I have ever heard, Mr. Chardy McEwan, rocking the bongo drum kit, the shakers, the chimes, the cowbell...Chardy pretty much rocks anything that makes noise!! Also, in the original band from Richmond was Mr. Brian Fechino, aka Techno, who wailed out some amazing guitar jams as the show went on. I was determined never let them out of my life again, and thus began a roadtrippin' adventure to see Pat and his band wherever they played in VA and MD.

Although these boys in PMB have faced the tragic loss of their drummer, Chris Williams, in 2006, a rotation of band members, and the realities of music labels, growing families, and kids, Pat still tours regularly, as a solo indie artist or with his band, sometimes even including saxophone and horn section! To this day, over 15 years later, they still bring the ROCK to ROCK AND ROLL -- check out this video I captured last year at the Leesburg Fall Festival!!



As you will see in my upcoming blogs, all the musical talent...and a lot of dear dear friends...are in my life today because of this band. Follow Pat McGee on Facebook to check out when he is coming to a town near you!! Check out his killer mini music festival weekends, also known as "Down the Hatch." He has even planned a "hometown" Down the Hatch weekend in Richmond, VA coming up September 23-25, 2011!! ROCK!

We are Band Aids

Hello world!! After feedback from several friends, near and far, I have decided to create a blog. About what?? About what else???  MUSIC!! The passion and contagious energy from music is something I fell in love with a longggg time ago. Between my youtube channel and my Facebook posts, several friends have thanked me for introducing them to some new sounds and experiences in their life. So I hope this blog will serve as a more permanent and public place for me to spread the word, the love, AND THE MUSIC!

So a lot of people ask if I am musically inclined? “Or are you just a groupie??” Are those really the only choices?? To echo Penny Lane’s sentiment from Cameron Crowe’s 2000 musical comedy-drama film, Almost Famous, “We are not Groupies. Groupies sleep with rockstars because they want to be near someone famous. We are here because of the music, we inspire the music. We are Band Aids.” lol…I am a music enthusiast…a music lover!

Music has always been a part of life from my earliest moments of singing “It’s a Small World” in nursery school at the ripe age of 4 and singing in chorus in school…Two regrets I have: (1) I chose chorus over band after elementary school and (2) I even passed up chorus after middle school to focus on subjects like computers, accounting, and a banking internship, that seemed to catapult my destiny towards the corporate life that I have become all too familiar with in the last 20 years.

During that time, my love for music has never faded…My musical tastes have broadened over the years as I moved across different areas of VA and met people from all sorts of places and background. Fond musical memories such as dancing and singing to Madonna’s “Like A Virgin” and listening to the Top 40 countdown with Casey Kasem every Sunday morning before Church; the sweet folk, country, and bluegrass sounds that echo throughout VA’s countryside; and the eclectic sounds of jazz, rock, pop, electronica, dance, and hip hop vibe introduced to me living in the metro Washington DC area.

After spending a decade being sucked in the work, work, work and the ‘live to work’ mentality, I realized that the WORK TO LIVE attitude was actually what I was seeking in life. And thus, entered live music into life again. The music I support and share is from talented artists that are largely unsigned, independent, or not nationally aired. The traits that I find most common in these talented musicians include: passion, energy, focus, a drive to perfect their craft, and a deep appreciation for music fans who support their success and enable their dreams to come true!

Stay tuned for more posts to follow that I hope will introduce you to some of the amazing music that has touched my heart, influenced my life, and opened my mind and soul to people and a whole world I would not have otherwise known.