The Adolescence of August, Chapter 1: Johnny Five

Like a butterfly, the evolution of a song unfolds in stages. A creative spark lights the fuse for the writing and composing process. Recording in a studio commands a diligent effort to get the sound just “right” at that unique time and place. Coaxing a song to walk the plank in a live setting shines a new facet on a song’s growth – the audience’s external influence. As it’s played more frequently, a band massages its new creation, smoothing the flow through each section and tweaking as needed to deliver maximum crowd effect.  

So it was with “August,” the closing number on Umphrey’s McGee’s debut album, Greatest Hits Vol. III. The 8-song offering released in May 1998, long out of print, showcases UM’s earliest songwriting efforts as a 4-piece unit. As a quote-unquote Greatest Hits album, it includes imaginary album titles on which the eight tracks ostensibly were first released, thus conceiving an entire faux catalog for a band barely six months into its existence. All but one of GHVIII's cuts remain in the band’s active rotation 22 years later, a testament to the band’s preternatural talents, even in their infancy.

For what it’s worth, August’s “original” album was Michiana Transit Authority. 

A multi-compositional behemoth to emphatically close the album, Umphreys followed the script of saving the artistic statement track for the end (e.g. “Desolation Row,” “A Day in the Life,” “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” “Purple Rain,” “Freebird,” “Jungleland,” “Only in Dreams,” and “All Apologies” - h/t Steven Hyden). Clocking in at 15 minutes and 37 seconds, “August” is by far the longest track and the lone GHVIII song with three songwriting credits: Brendan Bayliss (guitar/vocals), Joel Cummins (piano/keyboard) and Ryan “Pony” Stasik (bass). Drummer Mike Mirro rounded out the OG quartet lineup, which quickly expanded with percussionist Andy Farag in March 1998.

“August” made its live debut on February 11, 1998, the band’s 5th overall show. The following week, Bayliss prepped the crowd: “This next song is, uh, a mellow mood changer. It’s called 'August' and it’s dedicated to Pony’s mom, from your son.” And with that, the band embarked on its opus, the shifting tempos and moods rising and falling as the composition washed over the bar crowd. Nearly every version of “August” over the next nineteen months (35 total) remained fairly true to the structure of GHVIII. A general roadmap through the twists and turns of “August” can be summarized as such:

Bass intro > guitar joins > piano joins > verse > chorus > verse > chorus > movement #2 – a springy skip down the yellow brick road > mellows out > springy section reprise > movement #3 - meandering, dramatic piano > bayliss emotes lyrics similar to chorus > quiet > piano solo > movement #4 - slow-burn full-band build > movement #5 - up-tempo 8-bars repeated > soaring guitar peak > delicate end

Well-received by crowds for its feel-good release, “August” was played, on average, every other show. The composed sections borrowed from the band's progressive rock influences while Bayliss' vocal crooning sounds a little Eddie Vedder-ish. However, as Umphreys entered its second year, “August” was called upon less and less, the droughts between shows climbing into double-digits on several occasions. After an appearance in early September, “August” disappeared for the rest of 1999. No warning, no reason. 

Six months later, “August” reemerged transformed, a full composition reworked.

Like a butcher trimming the fat, Umphreys lopped off 12 minutes of structured song sections, never to be heard again. Yearning for attention as a young song before self-awareness settled in to discover more creative ways to captivate. Added was a Bayliss solo after Joel's chorus outro. By subtracting the composed parts, the song was given permission to color outside the lines and stay out past curfew after Bayliss concludes his fretwork.

Over the next three years, "August" blossomed in front of everyone's eyes - a different interpretation each night, the rhythm of the room guiding each performance.

The Adolescence of August - Roadmap
This prologue is the first entry of an extended listening project that I'm hoping you'll revisit on a weekly basis. The purpose is threefold:

1) nurture a greater appreciation for early era Umphrey's McGee by digging into a creatively robust period that featured lineup changes and a paradigmatic shift around how the band approached their craft.

2) chart the growth of “August” like height marks on a basement wall. Listening to every version that circulates from 2000, 2001 and 2002 (the last three years with Mirro in the band) will paint a vivid picture of the song's coming of age. Thank you Live Music Archive and mad love to all tapers.

3) spread joy. As a bonus to the fun quotient, I'll pair a fictional adolescent from 80's & 90's pop culture with each particular version of "August," a creative nomenclature exercise that hopefully provides a hint of intrigue and cordial debate. Special Treat!

Without further ado, the quasi-robotic nature of the early pre-2000 versions embraces the eternal optimism of Johnny Five.