Maybe August, Definitely Music

July 24, 2011

Maybe August, Definitely Music
By Kristi Kates
“We used to just make stuff up,” Maybe August’s Rosco (no last name, please) says by way of explaining the origin of their band name, “you know - a different story for everyone who asked.” But the best of all, he continues, was when the media picked up a tall tale about a famous (nonexistant) connection.
“The story got out that we had been named by (actress) Halle Berry,” Rosco chuckles. “We were just messing around with the journalist who was interviewing us, but a lot of media outlets picked it up and that one went on for a while.”
The real story behind Maybe August’s name, he assures, is “so mundane, it’s stupid.”
“We’re five creative guys,” he says, “but we couldn’t decide on a band name for months. Finally, we just each threw our top three names into a hat. And we pulled out ‘August.’ Nobody liked it, but our plan was to stick with whatever we pulled out. We kept saying, ‘well, maybe we could call ourselves this… maybe we could call ourselves that… and we finally ended up at ‘Maybe August.’”

BLUES TO AUGUST
Aside from all the tall tales, the mid-state based band itself has been around for years, with Rosco himself a music industry veteran of over two decades.
“Keith (Carolan, Maybe August’s bass player) and I were in a band together called Blues Controversy,” Rosco says, “we played all over the country. Maybe August was formed around the time Blues Controversy folded; we combined three Blues Controversy members, myself, Keith, and our drummer at the time, Nathan, with Mike and Scott Robertson of the Michael Scott Band.”
Today, Maybe August numbers five - Rosco, Carolan, the two Robertsons, and newest drummer Bill Silverthorn. But that lineup wasn’t arrived at easily - much like the running joke in the movie Spinal Tap, the band had more than a little trouble securing a long-term drummer.
“We definitely hope to keep Bill around for a while,” Rosco says, “but we’d gone through nine drummers before we found him. There were so many that we just started referring to them by number - Drummer Number 4, Drummer Number 6, etcetera,” he laughs.

WRITING AND PERFORMING
Maybe August’s struggles with band names and drummers have proved worth it for the stalwart group. The four “founding” members (minus Silverthorn) have been together for ten years, and, Rosco says, are in it to win it, not necessarily for fame and fortune, but for the rewards of crafting their own sound.
“We were all interested in writing and performing our own music,” he says, “Mike, Scott, and I are the main songwriters, but we all contribute.”
With Scott Robertson on lead vocals and guitars, Mike Robertson on vocals, guitars, and “all manner of strings,” Rosco says; Carolan on bass, Silverthorn firmly entrenched on the drums, and Rosco himself on guitar, vocals, and harmonica, the band has spent much of their summer performing live at a wide range of music festivals, and are now preparing to head back into the recording studio for what will be their third album.

OLD SCHOOL SESSIONS
“We already have a half-dozen songs ready to go,” Rosco says, “we like to have ten or so before we start recording. We’ve been discussing a lot about whether to do a full album or singles - I’m old-school, and I want to do a full album, with album cover and the works,” he laughs, “we’re kind of resistant to ‘just singles,’ although that seems to be the trend now.”
Whichever they choose, chances are they’ll be recording again at Big Sky Studio in Ann Arbor, where Rosco says they recorded their prior two albums.
“We may also do some work with Andy Reed in Bay City, at his studio,” Rosco says, “nothing’s been decided yet.”
What is decided is the band’s definitive sound. An eclectic blend of folk-rock harmonies to hard rock, Rosco says he’s been inspired to see the recent interest in such bands/performers as the Avett Brothers, Amos Lee, and Mumford and Sons, all of whom utilize a similar mix of genres in their music, as well.
“We’ve been doing that kind of mix of sounds for years,” Rosco says, “so it’s helped give us a second wind to see people appreciating this kind of music now.”

Maybe August will be performing at City Park Grill in downtown Petoskey on July 30. For more info on the band, visit www.maybeaugust.com.