Concert Review: Angelo De Augustine Quiets The Noise At Union Pool
Perhaps, the most enthralling thing about Angelo De Augustine, at Union Pool, is that he appeared harmless. Blessed with a name that has a sense of mysticism like, an ancient philosopher, how he carried his body and strummed his guitar, oozed a sense of un-malice. Nowadays, attitude plays into every trope; as people and music roar to make statements. Yet, when everybody goes left, the smartest thing to do might be to go right
De Augustine, immediately, stands out by being the voice of silence: creating melodies that feel like nature on recording. Personally, I wonder if God’s greatest language is silence. If turning the dial to all surrounding noise is when you hear the most profound things, which is why De Augustine feels profound. He rises like the sounds you ignore as you are walking through your day. For example, imagine, suddenly, hearing a bird chirp while stuck in a traffic of beeping cars. That chirp would throw you off for its strange, regal “lowliness” amongst the surrounding clamor, and that is what Augustine wishes to be. He is “the chirp” that you have to work to hear, revel, and absorb by not working at all; you simply choose to dig deeper beyond “the noise.” His comely, sweet demeanor invites you into songs such as, “Carcassonne” and “Crazy, Stoned, and Gone.” His tracks are all about feeling not fully present to a moment: choosing either to witness your joy/love as if you are watching down on it from Heaven or stand across from your pain as if it is a burning house on the other side of the street.
It is a blessing that Angelo’s voice, inherently, froths and imprint on songs like waves on sand. The delicate, highness of his register allows his musings on feeling different and distant to be more impactful. As human beings, we think our tragedies and insecurities, like isolation, are “big deals” because they feel big. Yet, by being quiet, Angelo De Augustine shows how alarmingly ordinary it is to be alone and frightfully common to feel warm to love’s grasp. For More Information on Angelo De Augustine Click Here.
