Hi freinds! Welcome to the last weekend of September (where has the god damn time gone?) and today's cover is "Either Way, I'll Break Your Heart Someday" by Augustana.

I remember hearing of them because they were a part of the "Take Cover Tour" that Acceptance did back in '05 (If you checked out the first song, I mentioned it there too). Augustana was the only band on that tour I wasn't already familiar with, and then their video for "All the Stars and Boulevards" started playing on MTV2 and I knew I was into what they were doing. Shortly after that, they blew up a bit because of their song, "Boston" but it wasn't until this record came out that I feel they really hit their stride. Can't Love, Can't Hurt is a killer album. Great Tom Petty-esque rock n' roll songs with a lot of feeling. My pal, Joe Lemble, and I routinely go back to this record because it's just that damn good.

This one was slated for a later date, but I started it a few weeks back when I was approaching some deadlines and unsure of what I could finish, while waiting on parts from collaborators. I got through the instruments fairly quickly; trying to dissect the parts as best as I could hear them, and just letting it rip, while not trying to be too precious. One of the great parts of this record is how it feels pretty natural, while being well produced, so maintaining that real feeling is something I wanted to shoot for. That all being said, I hit a wall trying to get the vocals done and thus couldn't finish in time for the 11th, as I had hoped. I've honestly been struggling a little with singing these songs for the last few weeks, but I got into a groove over the last couple days and got this to where I wanted it. It's true: if something isn't working, put it to the side and come back to it later.

After the headache of trying to get the performance down, the mixing was actually super easy. Everything just kind of fell into place, and I had to do very little to make the song sound as good as I'd like it. I'm sure I could have agonized over every minuscule detail, but again that wouldn't be in the spirit of the song. I guess that is bound to happen now and again.

We've reached the end of the month, which means that we're nearing the end of fund raising for the Brennan Center. As I'm typing this, I am about an hour removed from filling out my mail in ballot, which I'll be dropping off to my county Board of Elections on Monday. I know I've said it before, but this election is so fucking important, and The Brennan Center is doing all they can to make sure our votes are protected. I'm so fortunate that I have never had to fight to vote; it's always been as simple as showing up to my polling location. But for those in Republican controlled states, the fight to vote is very real. Please consider supporting the Brennan Center, or any organization trying to protect our voting rights, as we approach election day and beyond.

Well, that's it for now, but I'll see you all soon.

Cheers!