An all-American troubadour with songs to sing and stories to tell, Roderick August is the singer/songwriter we need in 2020. Dive into his beautiful & rugged debut album ‘Forever the Far the Closer the Near’.

for fans of Gregory Alan Isakov, The Lumineers, Leon Bridges, Paolo Nutini

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‘Forever the Far the Closer the Near’ – Roderick August

I hope this album reminds people to slow down, simplify, and keep pushing forward… No matter how violent a wildfire fire becomes, the mountains will survive. I wanna make mountains out of people with this one.

An all-American troubadour with songs to sing and stories to tell, Roderick August is the singer/songwriter we need in 2020.

A man of the people, August sings with raw, rugged, worldly wisdom – the kind that comes from getting in your Mustang and touring 40 states in one year alone with your acoustic guitar. He’s lived many lives, and there is much to tell: August’s self-made debut album Forever the Far the Closer the Near, independently released June 1st, captures a slice of life that is as relevant to folks in New York as it is to those in Texas, Tennessee, North Dakota, New Mexico, and California.

Forever the Far the Closer the Near - Roderick August — Forever the Far the Closer the Near – Roderick August

It’s music for those who still believe that deep down, we’re all the same – made of flesh and blood, wandering this green and blue planet in search of meaning, fulfillment, and purpose, and connection. Out of pain, Roderick August found a spark of beauty.

“In 2017 I had been working dead end jobs in California. There was a real feeling of being boxed in by life and I was beginning to doubt I could break the cycle,” August tells Atwood Magazine. “I was living in Oxnard, CA, commuting into Los Angeles every day where my car had been towed something like 4 or 5 times that year alone – not to mention an accident on Wilshire Blvd which had all but wrecked my Mustang. Truthfully, I was in awe at the amount of shit that could befall one in such a short period of time. I began writing these songs while my car was in for repair, no intention of making an album at this point or touring or anything really, it was just something I had to do for myself. California went up in flames December 2017; it was apocalyptic, to say the least. Here I was, just trying to get by and now everything around me was literally burning. I took this as a sign. When the smoke cleared, I knew I had to leave California. I spent the first half of 2018 organizing a U.S tour. I no longer cared about risk – I was ready to throw it all out there and see what happens. I was on the road for months before landing in Brooklyn, NY. My girlfriend and I decided we’d be based out of NYC for the rest of the year, so I started playing around New England and throughout the East Coast. By now I knew I wanted to release a full length. The constant playing was great, because I got to see what songs people gravitated towards, and this gave me a good idea of what I would record. By the end of 2019, I was living in Nashville. I had purchased a couple of Neumann microphones and started recording.”

August continues, “This album encompasses where I come from, what I want, and where I’m trying to get. I’m used to being in far away places now, with that far away feeling you get when you know home is nowhere close, it’s like a bad trip sometimes but also the most beautiful feeling I know. These songs are a piece of home I’ll always carry with me. I couldn’t have done this without the support of the live audience across America who showed up. Looking forward to getting back out there when this is over.”

A true journey throughout the United States can hardly be summed up in one paragraph alone, yet we can feel much of that sense of adventure and possibility in Forever the Far the Closer the Near‘s songs.

With a soulful and tender voice like Mick Jagger or Matt Quinn (Mt. Joy), August sings his aching songs with deep passion and conviction. His words are poetry to the ears and balm for a weary heart; whether whispering close to the mic or pouring his lungs out in a hearty cry, he holds nothing back in his art. Written, recorded, produced, mixed, and mastered by August, this record is 100% him from start to finish, inside and out. “Doing anything alone can be a little scary, but if you make it to the other side there’s this feeling of invincibility that happens,” he explains. “Making my debut album is me winning a hard fight, not in the violent sense but in a very spiritual and internal way.”

Perhaps nothing informs the artist’s music more than his time spent on the road – an intensive period where he discovered as much about his country, as he did about himself.

“I’m probably more road than I am man at this point,” August jokes – sort of. “What I mean by that is I have spent a considerable amount of time on Interstate 40 and Interstate 10, playing small towns throughout the Southwest for 3rd generation ranchers, farmers, native people, and straight outlaws in some cases. These aren’t easy people to impress but when I would play, the tension in the room seemed to simply disappear – you could feel it happening. It’s that magic stuff I’m constantly chasing when I’m performing. I also spent many months on Interstates 95 and 91, introducing myself to folks on the East Coast, and it was just incredible finding common ground with people everywhere I would go. I’m thankful for the love that exists out there. I have my ideals, I have my values, but I can’t help but feel empathy and understanding for people everywhere now, no matter what we believe. Whether you’re in a trailer park or the hood, Bushwick or Manhattan, all of us need each other right now.”

“I hope this album reminds people to slow down, simplify, and keep pushing forward,” August says. “I want people to know I’m not coming from privilege telling you everything’s gonna be okay. I come from a bad place too, I know what it’s like. These songs are experiences, and maybe they’re your experiences too. No matter how violent a wildfire fire becomes, the mountains will survive. I wanna make mountains out of people with this one.”

I think just being a half-Black, half-Hispanic folk singer in 2020 speaks volumes to where we’re at right now.

If you believe in the American Dream or in the potential it represents, then Roderick August is a living, breathing example of that dream in action.

His music is connective tissue that could, if we let it, bring all of us a little closer together. Forever the Far the Closer the Near certainly strives to capture the nuance of this particular moment in time, recognizing the country’s deep divisions but refusing to believe that unity is an impossible goal.

“I think just being a half-Black, half-Hispanic folk singer in 2020 speaks volumes to where we’re at right now,” August shares. “I’ve always seen folk music as a sort of traveler’s music, but sadly many people in minority communities right now can’t afford to just drop everything and go see their world – and it is their world, too. On this album I’m addressing my Black experience in America (“More Easily”), and overcoming tragedy of natural and unnatural disasters (“Run with The Horses”). I’m addressing skeptical people who will never give you a chance (“Lightning Bolt”). This album was made with the American people in mind, but it ended up being something for everyone, everywhere.”

Roderick August is a new name and a fresh face, and we’re ready to welcome him and his music into our living rooms and our hearts. He’s an all-American troubadour, and his first album – his unabridged, unadulterated introduction – is an all-American soundtrack to hope and heartache, suffering and staying power. Call it folk, acoustic, alt-country, what-have-you; this is music of the world, for the world. August has reinvigorated a classic, well-worn sound with energy, authenticity, and verve.

Experience the full record via our below stream, and peek inside Roderick August’s Forever the Far the Closer the Near with Atwood Magazine as the singer/songwriter goes track-by-track through the music and lyrics of his debut album!