Studiophile: September 2010
I’d Like To Be Like Lauren Frost
At OAKDALE 3B STUDIO in Chicago, Lauren Frost, current indie/acoustic rocker and former Disney star, recorded what might be regarded as her signature song, “The August,” with songwriting partner Ashton Likes. One of the more requested songs from her live show, Frost gave us the backstory on the song and how it came to be. “The August” was written by Frost and Likes for their friend and bass player, Tom Gallagher, as a wedding gift. “The first time we played it live was for Gallagher and his new bride at their wedding reception. The two were married at Illinois Beach State Park in Zion. Tom is a photographer and his wife is a painter, so those themes are incorporated into the verses of the song. Additionally, the photo used for the single release was taken by the groom.” The popularity of the song grew during Frost’s month-long Double Door residency, where audiences clapped and sang along to the song as it was being developed live. “It was because of the great response that we decided to take the wedding song into the studio.” Frost and Likes began recording with their good friend and Frost writing partner Matt Scutt at his home studio, Oakdale 3B in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood. “Our goal in recording the song was to keep it as raw and organic as possible to keep from overproducing the track.” Without the possibility of using a drum kit in the small apartment, and wanting to stay away from pre-programmed midi beats, all of the percussion sounds came from what they had to use at the time: Beating the back of an acoustic guitar for the kick drum, using shakers and mouth noises for hi-hats, and snaps, claps, and tambourine for the backbeat. “The August” can be downloaded from Frost’s Web site at www.laurenfrost.com
