Augustana

Admittedly, I don't keep up with new music like I once did. I hear some good songs from time to time, but I can never seem to remember who performs them. Usually when I hear new music, it's on the radio in the car, and it can be tough to remember the song titles and artists the DJ announces while trying to negotiate Nashville traffic. I sometimes listen to WRVU, the Vanderbilt radio station, and they can be especially frustrating because the kids will sometimes go for an hour between announcing the tracks. Back in my college radio days, I emphasized making sure the listeners knew the titles and artists of the new tracks, because I wanted people to go out and buy the music I liked.

One new band that has caught my attention is Augustana. "Boston", the first single from their most recent album, is a nice song, if a little wimpy. But it's "Stars And Boulevards" that has me knocked out right now, and is linked for your listening pleasure today.

Although Augustana is based out of southern California today, the original band got together at Greenville College, a small Methodist institution near my old southern Illinois stomping grounds. Jars Of Clay got their start at Greenville as well. Gretchen Wilson is from Pocahontas, about ten miles west of there. I can't for the life of me figure out what's in the environment around there that led to all that musical inspiration. Greenville's a nice enough town. The college sits at the top of a hill, and there's a quaint little neighborhood on the slopes below. The other thing that sticks out in my mind about the town is that the only place you can buy a drink is at the bowling alley just outside the city limits.