Light in August are the latest indie sensations to have burst out of the ever eclectic and increasingly vibrant Ann Arbor scene. Comprising of vocalist and guitarist Alex Wand, Jack Henry on bass, drummer Max Stewart and Rachel Woolf on flute, the band takes a light and airy approach to pop-rock. Think more Nick Drake than Cheap Trick.
On Wednesday, Jan. 28, the Light in August plays at Ann Arbor’s Blind Pig. Metromix caught up with Wand to find out what we can expect and what the future holds for these bright young things…
When and how did Light In August form?
I think it was the summer of 2007. We started writing songs together and we were a three-piece for about a year but then we got Rachel in -- who sings and plays flute. Now we’re set.
How would you describe your sound?
The instrumentation is flute, guitar, bass, drums and vocals. As far as my guitar playing goes, I do a lot of finger picking. I was trained in classical guitar so that plays a part, but it’s in the context of a pop-rock song. Rachel puts a cherry on top with her sweet melodies. Our band plays pop-rock. We’re influenced by the songwriting of people like Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, Cat Stevens, Bright Eyes and I love Peter Gabriel’s voice.
The band is based in Ann Arbor?
I’m from Royal Oak but I go to the University of Michigan so I’ve been living in Ann Arbor for the past few years. Two of us live in Ann Arbor and the other two live in Royal Oak. We’re kind of in-between.
Do you think that you fit in with the admittedly eclectic Ann Arbor scene?
I think we fit in well with the Ann Arbor scene. I have some friends in bands there and we have a sound that makes sense together. I would say the Ann Arbor scene is more geared towards folk rock as opposed to Detroit which steers more towards all out rock ‘n’ roll. We play in Detroit all of the time though.
Where does your band’s name come from?
It comes from the William Faulkner novel of the same name. We chose it because, in the book, there’s this symbolism of light as the new generation. We’re all in our early 20s -- so, we’re like the new generation.
Do you have a record due out?
We’re actually in the process of finishing out debut EP. It’s an 8-song record, all original material. That should be out early this spring. We just need to mix and master it. It’s going to be called "Places."
Are you looking forward to your show at the Blind Pig?
Yes. We’re there on January 28. We’re playing with two great bands. The Dirty Birds are opening, and then Tyler DeVos and the Dry County Boys are also playing. They’re a folky rock band and they’re really good. It should be a great night. We’re doing a radio show that night too, immediately prior to our set. We’ll be on (CIMX) 88.7 for an hour at 9 p.m. and then we go straight to the Blind Pig to do our set. It’ll be fun.
What do you have planned for the next 12 months?
We’re planning to do some song writing for our next release. We’re also going to be working on a screenplay which is ambitious but exciting. Of course, we’ll be scheduling lots of shows. We just need to get out there and play.
