Biography
August is a five piece soul-pop band rooted in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Since their 2018 debut, August hit the ground running, performing at many sought-after venues and festivals across West Michigan. In June of 2019, the band released their debut full-length album, Bloom, drawing inspiration from many areas of music: soul, funk, rock, pop, jazz, etc. Their lyrics tell stories of the intimate human experience and are musically presented in a dynamic and approachable fashion. In a review of the album, Local Spins writes, “Through a backdrop of expansive instrumentals [August] gives a comforting message of hope, a sentiment that everything will be OK.” The album earned them two nominations for the WYCE Jammy Awards in February of 2020. In the summer of 2020, the band released their first EP, Chaos & Comfort. The EP found its way to being in the "Hot Top Five" in the month of August of 2020 on 88.1, WYCE radio. The band released their sophomore album, Through the Looking Glass, in September of 2022 hugely inspired by what felt like a reversed reality. "Place to Land", recorded at River City Studios and mastered by Bailey Budnik, was their latest single that released at the end of 2022.
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Olivia Vargas- Lead Vocals and Keys
Marissa Peak- Backing Vocals
William Wright- Bass
Michael Pierce- Guitar
Bailey Budnik- Drums
"What’s remarkable and gives August something exceptional is the relationship that these five people have. They each prefer different styles of music, from classical to indie to metal. Yet, they come together and create their own unique and amazing sound. You need to check them out. " -Lowell Arts, Featured Artist of the Month, July 2022
"The debut solo-ish project from Olivia Vargas feels like anything but a new endeavor from the Conrad Shock + the Noise keys player. Rounded out by a full backing band, Vargas and her crew present themselves as a pro band that’s been at it forever (and sound like it, too)." -Local Spins, Ricky Olmos
"Grand Rapids’ August leans on Aquinas training for impressive soul-pop debut"- Local Spins, John Sinkevics
"Vargas and her soul-pop band August have a similar knack for freely roaming over various musical landscapes, uninhibited by genre, setting their own pace, and knowing when to rev the throttle and when to ease up." -Local Spinds, Ricky Olmos
