This August Age is the recording alias of Chicago, Illinois-based singer-songwriter Ryan Klockner. Ryan is a Do-It-Yourself artist who composes music in the comfort of his bedroom studio. He has a profound appreciation for string and orchestral music, having been weaned on The Beatles and traditional Classical. Ryan is a multi-instrumentalist who improved his piano playing throughout the epidemic, which led to him creating and recording the debut album โArtifactsโ for This August Age, which was released in the Fall of 2022. Check out the album and the exclusive interview below:
1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how it all got started?
THIS AUGUST AGE: Hi There! I come from Chicago, IL in the US.ย Iโve been playing music since about 5 years old.ย I started playing Trumpet in grade school but moved to guitar in high school and thatโs when I started songwriting.
2. Did you have any formal training or are you self-taught?
THIS AUGUST AGE: Both, actually.ย I played in concert band when I was a kid and that is where I started learning about music.ย But when I started playing guitar and piano, I did that all on my own.
3. Who were your first and strongest musical influences and why the name โTHIS AUGUST AGEโ?
THIS AUGUST AGE: My first and strongest musical influence is The Beatles.ย Especially Paul McCartney!ย He was my first concert I saw when I was 10 years old, and my dad and I have travelled across the US to see him 12 times since. Beatle records have been playing in my house before I can even remember.
The name This August Age came from an interview I watched, and the person being interviewed mistakenly said that they were in โThis August Ageโ of their life.ย Which I thought was funny cause I have only heard that phrase as This Autumn Age of life.ย I am a huge fan of The Decemberists as well and the idea of having a month in my name appealed to me. The rest is history!
4. What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?
THIS AUGUST AGE: For my album โArtifactsโ, I focused on certain instrumentation of Piano, Strings and Drums.ย This is a concept album, and I used the same instrumentation throughout the whole record.ย Itโs a very personal album and I wanted the sound to be as intimate as possible.ย I love string arrangements and hope the listeners enjoy it as well.
5. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition towards your own style, which is known as INDIE?
THIS AUGUST AGE:
When I started this project, it was not even supposed to be an album.ย It was a mental health exercise that I was working on with my therapist. At this time, we were in the height of COVID-19 and I had started working on playing piano, which I could always tinker with but never took super seriously.ย But with the lockdown and all this time at home, I took that opportunity to learn some songs on piano that I truly love and wanted to learn how to play them.ย The songs I learned, especially the different playing styles, influenced my writing style on this album and formed my piano playing all around.ย Songwriters are all a product of our influences, so that phase of learning pushed me in the direction I wanted to go on this project.
6. Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it or are you expecting something more, or different in the future?
THIS AUGUST AGE:
This is my first official release so Iโm extremely happy doing an interview like this and I am taking everything as it comes with no expectations whatsoever.ย Itโs all positive for me and to be recognized at all is a total bonus!
7. Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song? Do you usually start with a tune, a beat, or a narrative in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?
THIS AUGUST AGE:
It works both ways sometimes.ย I have written a tune first, but with this album, all the songs tell a story, so the narrative came first, and the music was built around it.ย
As far collaborations, This August Age is just me, but I do have a group of very trusted musical friends and family that I bounce ideas off of for their input.
8. What has been the most difficult thing youโve had to endure in your music career so far?
THIS AUGUST AGE:
Before I wrote โArtifactsโ, I was suffering a severe case of writerโs block and a complete lack of self-esteem in my songwriting.ย I have been writing songs for the better part of 30 years, but the past few years were hard to get things on paper.ย Thankfully, I have a great therapist and worked on my mental health and the project came together nicely.
9. On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud, or significant point in your music career so far?
THIS AUGUST AGE:
Releasing this album has been my greatest musical achievement so far.ย Iโm so proud of this record and the work and struggle that went into it.ย Somethings were hard to address but in the end Iโm a happier person and a better musician because of it.
10. Do you think is it important for fans of your music to understand the real story and message driving each of your songs, or do you think everyone should be free to interpret your songs in their own personal way?
THIS AUGUST AGE: I feel that music is subjective, and it can be interpreted any way that the listener experiences it.ย This is a concept album but just because it means something specific to me doesnโt mean that it wonโt hit someone else in a different way.ย If my music resonates to a listener and makes them feel like they can relate and gets them through a certain situation, then that would be my honor.
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Photo credits: Ryan and Kelly Klockner