News
Nac native releases first
full-length album, ‘40’
Posted: Thursday, August 23, 2012 10:53 pm
By Sarah Hall
shall@dailysentinel.com
Musicians August Roberts and, Nacogdoches native, J. Patterson have learned
throughout their musical career that sometimes a little patience and hard work
can pay off in the long run.
After years of their lives going in different directions, the guys have reunited and
released their first full-length album, “40,” named for the ages they were when
the album was finished.
“J. and I were introduced through a common friend,” Roberts said. “I used to live
in Aledo. When I left, Patterson moved into Aledo, so we missed each other. It
was about three years later that J. and I met through the drummer of the band I
had been in.”
When they met in the ’90s, Roberts and Patterson clicked immediately. They
began to write songs and participate in open mic nights together in the Fort
Worth area. Soon, they had a full band that played venues in and around Fort
Worth — but then life intervened.
“I had a kid and got custody of him, so I figured taking care of him was more
important,” Patterson said. “My family is from Nacogdoches, so I moved home
and I started going to SFA.”
With the move, the band broke up. Shortly after arriving to Nacogdoches,
Patterson was involved in a wreck, in which a couple of high school students
were racing down Loop 224. His left wrist was severely broken, and the femur in
his right leg was shattered. It took Patterson months to recover and years to be
able to play the guitar again.
“When your wrist is a couple of inches shorter than it used to be and you have
pins going through your forearm, it kind of hurts to play guitar,” Patterson wrote
on the band’s website. “I wasn’t able to form chords on the guitar for about three
years.”
Roberts continued his musical career and played in multiple bands, including,
Ben Zephyr.
“Things were going well with Ben Zephyr and we were showcased in New York,
but we never got the record deal. Then one of the guys pulled out of the band
and it was over in a matter of minutes,” Roberts said. “I felt I needed to get back
to enjoying writing songs ... and not focused on the business side of everything.”
It had been three years since Roberts had heard from Patterson, and in 2007,
August answered the phone to hear Patterson say, “I get the feeling that you
really want to sing on some of my songs.” He remembers thinking, “Oh brother,”
and rolling his eyes.
They met up at Roberts’ house, equipped with a home studio, which Roberts
admits he didn’t know how to use. Luckily, Patterson had been reading up and
dabbling in home recording and knew how to work everything.
“We actually got some stuff recorded that day,” Roberts said. “J. picked up a
guitar and started strumming a little song and I instinctively started humming
along.”
Over the next few years, Roberts and Patterson released three EP albums, but
never really promoted any of their music. They said their number one goal is to
write songs they like and to enjoy making music. Their theory is if they like it,
then hopefully other people will like it as well.
Their sound is what Roberts and Patterson call a “triple” format. It’s adult
alternative rock, however they do accept the fact that if playing acoustic, they
could get by in a country venue. Both believe that continuously writing new songs
helps spark creativity and the duo continue to write.
Now, Roberts and Patterson are ready to promote “40” and get back out on the
road. They are currently working on setting up a tour through Dallas, Houston
and even looking at a national tour. Their music video, “For Once,” which hasn’t
been released, played on display televisions in stores like Walmart.
“A national radio promotion company will send our music out to stations and they
may or may not play it, but you’ve got to try,” Roberts said.
For information or to purchase “40,” visit www.augustandj.com or Amazon and
iTunes.
