The Band

Augustine is an original rock band in Central New York which formed in the early summer of 2008. In late August that same summer, they performed a handful of their original songs at an open-mic night, receiving great reviews from those in attendance. Since that night, they have been consistently gaining momentum and have played frequently at many of the clubs and events in Central NY. Dave Spanfelner, the owner of DS Humphrey’s in Oswego, NY posted this comment a few months later: “They are one of Syracuse’s hottest, new bands!”

Augustine represented Time Warner Cable in the Red Cross Corporate Battle of the Bands held at the prestigious Landmark Theater in Syracuse, April 2009. They closed out the line-up of 14 bands that night bringing the nearly maximum capacity crowd to their feet. Donna Reynolds, a reporter for Syracuse.com and The Post-Standard newspaper had this to say:  “From the opening notes of OCC's Onondaga Treblemakers to the final kick butt set by Time Warner's Augustine, I was thoroughly entertained.”

The final battle in the Westcott Theater’s “Big Break Battle of the Bands”, November 6^th of 2009, a review after the show from Michael K. Thomas in the Syracuse New Times stated: ‘Augustine … hit heavy with the look and feel of bands from K-Rock’s playlist…. Like those rockers, they’re trying to do something new in their musical niche in the sense they play all original music, and it actually rocks.’

With a “modern-rock” sound somewhere between Shinedown, Fuel, Seether and the Gin Blossoms, their melodic flavor is very appealing and is often referred to as “radio friendly. Their constantly evolving showmanship is entertaining and dynamic, making it difficult to not “rock-out” with the band. These guys are fun to watch.

January of 2009 we recorded a demo CD, and in September 2009 we returned to the studio and recorded a three song EP entitled This Time Around. We intend to go back to the studio to continue recording in the near future.  Stay tuned….

Accomplishments

Augustine has played regularly with: the 2008 SAMMY award winners Torment the Vein, 2009 double SAMMY award winners Born Again Rebels, and National recording artists Brand New Sin.

Since early summer of 2009, we’ve been traveling to malls in NY State on what we call our “Hot Topic Tour”, by taking advantage of the Hot Topic stores’ “Local Static” program. “Local Static” allows bands to play acoustically inside the Hot Topic store, providing an excellent means of promoting the band.

February 2010, Augustine opened the K-Rock show at the Westcott Theater here in Syracuse for headliners COLD and NONPOINT!  This same month, we were also asked to play an acoustic set for "Music for the Mission", a benefit for the Rescue Mission in Syracuse, at the Crouse-Hinds Theater. We were privileged to be in the company of some very prestigious National musicians that evening.  Two months later in April, we opened for Tantric twice, providing direct support in Albany and then again the following night in Syracuse.  In June we taped on Scorch’s PFG-TV show and then will play at the annual “Taste of Syracuse” event on the Subcat Stage.  The Momentum increases…

About the Members

Joey:  Front-man, lead vocalist and rhythm guitar for the band is Joey Dimaggio. He has a talent for writing captivating music with memorable lyrics and an outstanding and a charismatic stage presence.

Nasty Nate:  Nate Hopper is on lead guitar and provides backup vocals. This gifted young man has been given the moniker of “Nasty Nate” by fellow musicians for his scorching guitar solos, and wicked licks and riffs.

JC:  Joe Culotti, or “JC” as we call him, is on drums. JC is a young man with a style and technique that you typically see only from veteran drummers. He brings a new dynamic to Augustine's music that is second to none.

Rob:  The new guy in town, Rob Fehrman, is laying down the smack and providing the bass rhythms to keep Augustine rockin'.

Leila: The stunning Leila Dean has joined Augustine, providing her hauntingly seductive violin sounds and beautiful backup vocals. Leila has a long history of musical experience and brings a dazzling on stage presence to Augustine.