August the duo plays SpeakEZ Lounge tonight, led by the GR keyboardist and singer. The back story, plus Local Spins debuts tracks by other Michigan acts, including Von Kaiser, The Concussions & more.
Expanding on Soul-Pop: August (Photo/Isabel Elise)
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Grand Rapids keyboardist, singer and songwriter Olivia Vargas has admittedly operated within “the soul-pop vein” for years, but has increasingly embraced other genres as her sound evolves.
“I have been writing in whatever genre has been inspiring me, so I haven’t really kept myself into a box,” said Vargas, who’s led the band August since her days as a music student at Aquinas College.
“Part of that has been aided by a lot of collaborations that I’ve been doing. … I really am more focused on authenticity this time around rather than trying to fit myself into a box. So I’ve been writing whatever comes out and I’m letting the genre kind of find me.”
Vargas: Letting the genre find her. (Photo/Loren Johnson)
Vargas’ burgeoning versatility has led to impressive side projects – forming the harmony-laden, “angry sad girl” folk trio The Temperances with Marley Kaye and Audrey Pearson and performing with a wide range of other musicians, including guitarist Austin Benzing, violinist Keala Venema, rapper Adrian Wright and drummer/multi-instrumentalist Loren Kranz.
But August – which has morphed into different lineups over the years and currently performs as a duo with guitarist, singer and cajon player Marissa Peak – has long been Vargas’ go-to vehicle for her original material.
“August can just be myself and my wonderful bandmate, Marissa Peak, or August can be ourselves and a full band. As long as we are playing our music, we are still August and I foresee that being my approach as I continue in my music career far beyond my twenties,” she said.
“As long as I’m creating and writing, there will always be August and these songs are just little time capsules to who I was and who was in my life at the time.”
August will unfurl those “genre-bending” time capsules at SpeakEZ Lounge in Grand Rapids at 7:30 p.m. today (Nov 1). Details online here.
Audience members “can expect the fact that we are going to have a variety of original songs and a variety of covers,” Vargas said. “And I think one thing that you’ll always get is really good harmony. We really love just singing. … Marissa and I are striving to have fun on stage, sing songs that excite us, and write music that feels honest.”
COLLABORATIONS, NEW SONGS AND FINDING JOY
Vargas calls bandmate Peak her “favorite collaborator because we really understand each other’s visions for what direction we want to go in. We are on the same page in a lot of ways. … She is just so good in many different areas.”
Vargas noted that she’s been “diving back into songwriting in a big way” over the past year, creating a catalog of 20 to 30 new songs that August plans to hone, record and release in 2025.
“These songs are different from anything I have written yet and I am so excited to tell the story that has been forming within these songs,” she said, noting that August plans “to work with musicians in the studio we have never worked with before and see what they add to our sound.”
‘Angelic Emo’: The Temperances (Photo/Isabel Elise)
“The Temperances are also still arranging and writing, and there is hope of getting some recordings out in the next year as well.”
Vargas also will perform with The Temperances this weekend, playing a 7 p.m. Saturday show at The Stray in Grand Rapids. Mike Kalinowski and Gabby Rauch are also on the bill for the ticketed show. Details online here.
“We label our music as ‘angelic emo,’ ” Vargas said of The Temperances. “It’s been a great place for me to collaborate in a whole different way and sometimes take the back seat in the songwriting process as we each take turns bringing songs to the table.
“Playing in two bands that are female-fronted has been incredibly healing as well as a person who started their career in mostly male-dominated groups.”
August also will be part of Wheatland Music Organization’s Winter Wheat festival at The Intersection in Grand Rapids on Jan. 11, with The Temperances performing at Fennville’s Salt of the Earth on Jan. 19.
“The goal is just to get that music out, play more shows and I think also just keep collaborating with as many musicians as we can,” Vargas said. “That’s where we find the most joy.”
For this week’s edition of Local Spins on WYCE, Vargas highlighted August’s latest single, the pop-rock-driven “Rewind” and the 2022 track, “Place to Land,” recorded live at Grand Rapids’ River City Studios.
This week’s show also featured new music from Stovepipe’s Caravan, Von Kaiser, Overdrive Orchestra, Money Soup (Vargas’ musician’s pick), The Blue Herons, Chris DuPont, Tunde Olaniran, The Concussions and Jordan Hamilton. Listen to the podcast here.
PODCAST: Local Spins on WYCE (11/1/24)
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