22 August, 2006
NEXT PERFORMANCES
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TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW TO SEE AUGUST IN CONCERT AT:
September 23 Saturday - ‘Shoulda Coulda Woulda’ starring AUGUST with Linda Kidder in an outrageous musical theatre performance at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, 8:00 p.m. located at 6450 Deer Lake Avenue, Burnaby. Tickets call: 604-205-3000, or boxoffice@Burnaby.ca. Website: www.shadboltcentre.com
Oct 23-24 – AUGUST performs at Brock Tully’s 6th Annual World Kindness Concert: Monday, October 23rd and Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. (doors 6:30), October 24th, Vancouver East Cultural Centre, 1895 Venables Street, Vancouver, BC. For info: 604-687-1099; http://www.worldkindnessconcert.com/wkc_2006/performers.shtml
11 August, 2006
The Outlook Review
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NORTH SHORE OUTLOOK
Female Musicians Join Forces to Create a Band Called August
By JENNIFER MALONEY Staff Reporter
Aug 03 2006
Beverley Elliot and Rae Armour consider themselves late bloomers. The women, who admit to being somewhere between the ages of 45 and 60, met 15 years ago in Vancouver's musical circuit, playing cover tunes at dingy bars sometimes six nights a week.
Individually both had carved out semi-professional careers in the competitive industry, but it took nearly two decades before they decided to join forces and create August.
A few years back the duo were sitting on blankets at the Vancouver Folk Festival with a mutual friend and artist, Meg Tennant, soaking in the independent music.
Despite careers, motherhood and mortgage payments, none of the women had lost their passion for creating song. They had, however, lost some motivation. All were unsure of where they were heading musically, then Armour had an epiphany.
"Why don't we sing together?"
Elliot had always believed people were stronger in numbers. It created more opportunities. So they made the merger.
"Now there's three of us looking for work rather than one," Elliot muses.
Together their voices created harmony in their individual songs. Their lyrics became a balance of universal themes reflecting on everything from menopause or weight-loss issues to finding the "right path."
Comfortable with the direction their music was taking, they found it difficult to come up with a band name that would express their mature, yet light-hearted style. It took two years of scouring through dictionary definitions before they came across a not-so-unusual noun: august.
"It actually stands for a woman who knows who she is and has strength of character," says Armour.
"Things ripen and mature in August," adds Elliot. "And we're women of a certain age."
With age the women have learned to celebrate life's challenges. They've experienced spiritual awakenings, heart breaks and love and learned to how to dance through it all. This wisdom has also affected how they write music.
"There was a time when I couldn't even write a song unless I was in the emotional gutter," says Armour. "Now I can write a song about body odour."
August performs August 12 on the Fountain Stage at Ambleside Landing as part of the Harmony Arts Festival. The show starts at 9 p.m. For more info visit: august-music.blogspot.com.
Newspaper Review
The Province Thursday August 3, 2006
West Vancouver's Arts Lovers' Dream Fest
By John P. McLaughlin
Harmony offers 10 days of music, film, visual arts, theatre and more -- and it's free
Some choose not to acknowledge the truth while others will deny it vociferously but it doesn't change things a whit: Vancouver, much loved jewel-by-the-sea, is a Lower Mainland divided. There is over here: Kits, the West Side and the rolling Burb Lands out to Langley and the valley and there is over there: North and West Van….they also get the Harmony Arts Festival. This is the arts lover’s dream: a festival with film, music, visual arts and theatre components…along various perfect little venues by the lapping seaside…
…This will be the first year at Harmony Arts for the trio AUGUST, made up of veteran Vancouver singer/songwriters Rae Armour, Meg Tennant and Beverley Elliott. I actually saw them performing early on at the Merritt Fest this year and they were great, the harmonies pristine.
I’ve known Beverley Elliott since the ‘80s when she first amazed me at how easily she combined a music and acting career. On one hand she’s appeared on innumerable TV shows like The X-Files and Bordertown and movies. When Clint Eastwood won his Oscar for Unforgiven, Elliott was one of the people he thanked in his speech.
On the other, she’s a recording artist who’s released numerous singles and an album, Yellow Dress, through the years. She, Armour and Tennant got together because, in spite of their day jobs – Rae is a realtor, Tennant a gold commissioner, handling claims – they couldn’t let go of the music.
“All three of us spent years trying to make a more prosperous career out of the music business,” says Elliott, “so we’re just making our own way in it now. I love singing, I love hearing their voices with me. So it’s not about anything now but the enjoyment of it. I’m not trying to get a record deal, I’m not trying to get anything except another chance to sing. It’s so much fun. We’re coming from a purer intent, I guess.”
