August First
Hudson, Massachusetts, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2015
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Press
Describing someone as a “breakout artist of the weekend” sounds too cliche and too abstract. What is she breaking out of? Or into? Perhaps describing Nicole D’Amico, who fronts August First, as the surprise of the weekend may be more appropriate. I had seen her on Friday, but only briefly, sitting in with someone else. But now, leading August First through a healthy dose of Dead and other covers, this multi instrumentalist (a banjo-ish instrument, ukelele, vocals) brought her style to every song August First made their own. “Ramble On” and “Harvest Moon” truly showcased D’Amico’s way of taking what is great and reinterpreting it through another form of greatness. Maybe it was the heat and the real cigarette I finally bummed mixing with too much coffee, but I feel confident in saying that their slowed down bluegrass ballad style cover of “Eyes of the World” was one of the best covers of the weekend. Amico, who fronts August First, as the surprise of the weekend may be more appropriate. I had seen her on Friday, but only briefly, sitting in with someone else. But now, leading August First through a healthy dose of Dead and other covers, this multi instrumentalist (a banjo-ish instrument, ukelele, vocals) brought her style to every song August First made their own. “Ramble On” and “Harvest Moon” truly showcased D’Amico’s way of taking what is great and reinterpreting it through another form of greatness. Maybe it was the heat and the real cigarette I finally bummed mixing with too much coffee, but I feel confident in saying that their slowed down bluegrass ballad style cover of “Eyes of the World” was one of the best covers of the weekend. - Grateful Web - Stites McDaniel
August First are good pickers, but the emphasis isn’t solely on picking. The band has good songs, good takes on classics, and they have great vocals. They appeared a few times throughout the weekend, and Nicole DAmico, one of the band’s vocalists also guest appeared with several bands throughout the weekend. This is a band to watch for sure. . .
August First took the stage and were great. It was their second performance of the weekend, and they did almost entirely a Gratefully inspired set, bluegrass style. They did throw in some other stuff including a great cover of Ramble On by Led Zep. I was stoked to hear Rosa Lee McFall a classic from the Garcia songbook that is rarely heard in general outside of very early Grateful Dead bootlegs.
August First really seemed to take this festival as their own this year, with two performances on the main stage, an unannounced second stage Sunday late night performance, and singer Nicole D’Amico’s guest spot appearances with Melvin Seals and Assembly of Dust. I suspect we’re going to be seeing and hearing a lot more from this band in the years to come, and deservedly so. - Live Music News & Review - Phil Simon
Five Highlights of Wormtown 2011: Nicole D’Amico and Friends played for us early birds on Sunday at 10:00 a.m. and it was such an amazing treat to hear her profound, soulful voice. It was one of those festival sets you don’t plan on seeing but end up being very glad you did.” - Headstash
“Nicole D'Amico, you know the name and the girl when she's on stage, the one owning the stage dancing and singing at ranges I didn't even know existed. One of my favorite vocalists, I don't care if she's singing solo or with a band, I'll pay money to see her sing.” - The Boston Local Music Show
WESTBOROUGH - How do you sing a song about lives lost and limbs shattered when finish line celebrations at the Boston Marathon turned into shocked disbelief?
Rick Schiffman and the indie rockers of Root Nine sing it like everything else they play: with their signature mix of well-crafted music and lots of heart.
Since October 2013, the five-member band has been playing “Ode to Java Joe,″ a poignant song that evokes the chaos of the 2013 Marathon bombing and communal spirit that grew in its aftermath.
Written by Schiffman’s longtime friend Lis Giusto, “Ode″ mixes memorable images of Boston before and after the explosions that killed three bystanders and wounded hundreds with its haunting refrain - “in an instant.″
Beginning with Schiffman and Giusto stopping for coffee after a Red Sox game, it narrates “an incomplete journey″ on a “postcard perfect day″ to the “instant (when) an innocent calm became a storm.″
Giusto named the song from her late mother’s nickname - “Joe″ for Joyce - and the cup of coffee she believed saved her daughter from harm if they’d reached the finish line as planned.
Schiffman said “Ode″ has been dedicated to slain bystanders Martin Richard, Krystle Campbell and Lu Lingzi, and MIT police officer Sean Collier who was murdered by the alleged bombers. All proceeds from the song’s sales will be donated to the Boston One Fund and the Martin W. Richard Charitable Foundation.
Born in the ’burbs and developing a loyal fan base in Bean Town and beyond, Root Nine was formed in 2010 by Schiffman, a singer and guitarist from Westborough.
It includes guitarist Jeff Vetstein, of Ashland, drummer Todd O’Neil, of Maynard, keyboardist Michael Lee, of Medford, and bassist Matt Barber, of Watertown. All members sing except Barber.
“We were lucky to find people we all clicked with musically,″ said Schiffman.
He described Root Nine as “an indie band with lots of different influences, including classic rock, jazz and alt country.″ They write their own material while covers comprise about 25 percent of their sets.
For the last 18 months they’ve been performing mostly in Cambridge and Somerville with appearances in Framingham and Worcester.
Last year they released an expanded play CD titled “Root Nine″ with five original songs.
Born in Worcester, Schiffman moved to Westborough and started playing guitar at 11, spurred by a “love of the Beatles″ and “guitar heroes like Eric Clapton, Eddie Van Halen and Jimmy Page.″
On April 15, 2013, Schiffman and Giusto had reached about a quarter mile from the Marathon finish line when they heard two explosions.
An executive administrator who’d never written a song before, Giusto said she felt “compelled″ to write about a tragedy that resulted an outpouring of community solidarity.
Giusto’s lyrics convey both the shocked disbelief of “an instant (when) ribbons of triumph were torn″ and “busy streets held no life.″
And while “Java Joe″ never specifically mentions the Marathon, it ends by celebrating the solidarity that grew from senseless violence.
“In an instant that was whole now broken / In an instant the unspeakable was spoken,″ the final stanza concludes, “In an instant once stray threads, now a tapestry woven / In an instant.″
Schiffman said the band usually plays “Ode″ during its final set in most shows.
“It’s impossible to rehearse or play it without thinking about its subject matter,″ he said. “We never think of it as a regular song or just go through the motions. It’s always an emotional song to play.″
To learn about Root Nine, visit www.rootnineband.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/rootnine and on Twitter @RootNineaband. Root Nine’s single “Ode to Java Joe” is available from iTunes, Amazon, cd baby and other digital music outlets. All proceeds from sales of the song will be donated to Boston’s One Fund and www.teamMR8.org.
Chris Bergeron is a Daily News staff writer. Contact him at cbergeron@wickedlocal.com or 508-626-4448. Follow us on Twitter @WickedLocalArts and on Facebook. - Metro West Daily News
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
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Bio
August First: Blues-Grassicana
August First is a Massachusetts based project that creates original material and celebrates the many musical incarnations of Jerry Garcia and more.
Nicole D'Amico, front woman of August First and former leader of Nicole D'Amico and Friends, has played mainstage at Jerry Jam, the Boston’s Freedom Rally and the Wormtown Music Festival. She has shared the stage with Melvin Seals, of Jerry Garcia Band, Assembly of Dust, and many other talented artists. Nicole teamed up with guitarist Rick Schiffman to create this passion project. Rick, a five year veteran of Boston-based indie band, Root Nine, has played numerous music venues between Worcester and Boston and co-wrote “Ode to Java Joe”, a song currently streamed in over 40 countries that pays tribute and continues to raise money for the victims of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings.
Nicole and Rick met through the Boston music scene when their bands crossed paths. Rick approached Nicole about collaborating on a song and the two wrote the first of many original tunes together.
As August First continued to work to establish their sound, Nicole reached out to longtime friend; mandolin/harmonica player, Brian Young. The two grew up together and traveled to many shows throughout high school and college. Rick suggested that Brian try his hand at the mandolin and when he did, it was clear that Brian fit perfectly into the musical journey that Nicole and Rick began.
Shortly after, bassist and member of The Garcia Project, Dan Crea, found his way into the project when he filled in last minute for a recording session August First had booked. The friendship and musical chemistry between all of them was almost immediate.
Beginning in 2016 and through 2017, August First found themselves playing venues throughout New England and New York, headlining pre & post shows for Dead Company's Fenway Park spring '17 run at Boston's fabled Baseball Tavern, sharing the stage with guests Lisa Mackey (vocals) and Rob Koritz (percussion) from 20 year veteran touring band, Dark Star Orchestra, as well as, headlining a month long residency at legendary Starlite Lounge in Southbridge, MA. August First was excited to be the featured band in the Official Grateful Dead January 2017 Newsletter for their submission of "New Speedway Boogie" to the "Dead Covers Project" which garnered thousands of views and was ranked #3 out of 162 entries. The pinnacle of a very busy year for the band was being invited to the 22nd annual Jerry Jam Music Festival in Bath, NH where they played 4 unique sets including the closing set of the entire weekend festival. From those performances, August First was honored to be named the "breakout artist" of Jerry Jam 2017.
All four musicians have a love for the music of Jerry Garcia and although they embrace the music of the Grateful Dead, they found themselves particularly drawn to the stylings of Jerry and David Grisman. August First is an acoustic arrangement, full in sound, and layered with sweet harmonies. They are not your typical cover band; playing traditionals, originals, bluegrass, classic rock, and blues defining their style as Blues-Grassicana.
Come celebrate the many musical lives of Jerry Garcia and more with August First.
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