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The Album

Ragtime World

Ragtime World

The Artist

Augustus

A knock-your-socks-off rock and roll album
How many extraordinary recordings of rock bands can you name? Once you hear what Octave Records and the indie rock band Augustus have to offer we're confident you'll add this to the top of that shortlist. From their foot-tapping driving beats to their haunting melodies, Augustus never ceases to surprise and delight with their unpredictable power. Whether presented in the medium of mahogany strings or driving spirals of fuzz and reverb, the genre-bending indie rockers have released a steady stream of critically acclaimed music, licensed songs to MTV, E!, and the Discovery Channel. And the recording! Did we mention this is perhaps one of the finest rock recordings ever? We cannot wait until you fire up the album's last track, James Dean. Think you can stop your foot from tapping? Impossible. Or keep a tear from shedding on the track, Diana? Hard to imagine. Ragtime World is a must-have for anyone that loves as much as we do, this wonderful music. A true genre masterpiece.
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About

Augustus

Since 2014, Augustus has
toured the US and recorded five previous studio albums. Their core
two-guitars-bass-drums-vocals sound is spiced with a variety of electric
and acoustic guitars and amps (vintage guitar heads will have a lot of
fun identifying the various gear, all plain to hear on this
high-resolution recording) and additional sounds including lap steel
guitar, mandolin, and even a Mellotron. The music spans a variety of
moods, from the rockers “Carry All the Weight,” “Past Life” and “Leave
the Lights On” to the spare, fingerpicked acoustic guitar of the title
track and the ethereal “Daisies,” a song about “wanting to protect your
partner and dealing with those anxieties,” as Colin Kelly noted. The
instruments and equipment included a 1975 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe, 1997
Fender Stratocaster electric and Guild and Martin acoustic guitars, a
Hammond organ, Yamaha DX-7 and Roland JD-XI synthesizers and a Yamaha
grand piano, Fender Princeton, Vox AC-15 and Silvertone amps, and more.

The Music

01 - Augustus - Leave the Lights On
02 - Augustus - Daisies
03 - Augustus - Diana
04 - Augustus - Madonna
05 - Augustus - Carried All the Weight
06 - Augustus - Gulf of Mexico
07 - Augustus - Silent Disco
08 - Augustus - Past Life
09 - Augustus - Ragtime World
10 - Augustus - James Dean

Recording

The original recording was brilliantly captured by Octave Record's engineer (and amazing drummer), Jay Elliott at Animal Lane Studios in Lyons, Colorado. Most all of the tracks were recorded live and together as an instrumental band, with vocals and harmonies added in later. Listen carefully and you'll hear how engineer, Jay Elliot artfully used the band's microphone bleeds of the live feed to great advantage. The album has some of the best separation and imaging capabilities of any rock and roll album we know of. Engineer Jay Elliott's strong influence as a drummer came into obvious play as he mixed the 32 track recording on Octave Record's Studer analog console. Note the recording's powerful rhythm throughout. Musical instruments and equipment used:

Fender Princeton Vox AC-15 1975 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe 1997 Fender Strat 2012 Guild F-130R Martin D Performer 1963 Corelli Hammond Organ Yamaha DX-7 Roland JD-xi Yamaha Grand Piano Melotron Acoustic Plate Reverb Trident Analog Console Sonoma DSD recording system Meitner A/D and D/A converters Manley vacuum tube preamplifiers Grace Design microphone preamplifiers Forsell Design microphone preamplifiers

Performers:

Colin Kelly: guitar, keyboards, vocals Jim Herlihy: guitar, mandolin, Melotron John Demitro: bass, lap steel guitar, and percussion Forrest Raup: drums, percussion

Production:

Nate Cook: producer Giselle Collazo: co-recording and co-mixing engineer Jessica Carson: executive producer


Download the recording booklet

Album Features

  • One pressing Austrian gold-pressed dual-layer SACD
  • Pure DSD + PROMastered CD layers
  • DVD data disc containing DSD64, DSDDirect Mastered 192kHz 24 bit, 96kHz 24 bit, 44.1kHz 16 bit PCM
  • Pure DSD recorded on the Sonoma DSD system
  • Mixed in analog on Octave Record's Studer analog console
  • DSD64, DSDDirect Mastered 192kHz 24 bit, 96kHz 24 bit, 44.1kHz 16 bit PCM download
  • No compression in the mastering or mixing process
  • CD layer of SACD playable on any CD player
  • Mastering monitored through the PS Audio DirectStream DAC
  • All tracks hand-curated on the Infinity IRSV in PS Audio's Music Room Two
  • Limited edition one-pressing physical media

Note from singer Colin Kelley
My thanks to Jay Elliott for his deep well of knowledge, and his ability to make the drums fu*king slam. Also, Jay came in at the last second and saved us all, making himself available for the session. Octave Record’s Giselle Collazo for being patient and tolerant of the unhinged boys club that surrounded her for this project. Forrest Raup and Johnny Demitrio for being absolutely stunning on Drums and Bass. You two made me realize I need to practice my instrument way more. Gus Skinas for lending his DX-7 to the project. Last but not least, Jim Herlihy. We have been bandmates through so many trials, and we are still here making music. You are a saint for sticking by me this long.

Video


We've been waiting for a long time to find the right band and engineer to capture them, and Augustus is it. Too many great rock and roll bands want to present their music in your face and that's not what we at Octave Records want. Distortion? Great, as long as it's from the instruments and amps themselves, captured perfectly on the Sonoma DSD system as if you were in the recording studio when this work was cut. Raw, pure, with all the power and life this amazing band can offer, Augustus and Ragtime World will set a high bar for anything yet to come.

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