8 p.m. Thursday, May 8, Big Easy, 416 S. 9th St., Boise, $20, TicketWeb. Opening: Wild Sweet Orange, David Ford
"Don't bore us, get to the chorus."
Augustana singer-songwriter Dan Layus laughs as he recites a memorable line from the Tom Petty documentary film "Runnin' Down a Dream."
A Petty fan, Layus kept that songwriting philosophy in mind as Augustana wrote and recorded "Can't Love, Can't Hurt," the follow-up to the young group's 2003 major-label debut, "All the Stars and Boulevards." The new CD arrived April 29.
Judging from this week's comment barrage on Augustana's MySpace page - "amazing," "beautiful" and "XOXO" are common sentiments, mostly from young women - that Petty geezer must be on to something.
Layus, 23, knows it all too well. In a way, Augustana's new album is a follow-up to a single catchy song more than a record.
Augustana's breakout hit "Boston" - which received airplay in the Treasure Valley on adult stations such as 94.9 FM "The River" and "Mix 106" - turned the Southern California band into an overnight sensation.
Swelling gently with Layus' piano and vulnerable voice, "Boston" neatly captured Augustana's appeal as a "Young Unthreatening Modern Rock Band," as Rolling Stone magazine once snarked.
A dramatic break-up tune, it was the only hit for Augustana, which also includes John Fredricks (keys), Chris Sachtleben (guitar, mandolin), Justin South (drums) and Jared Palomar (bass). Essentially, the rest of the album was written and recorded around that track.
To make sure the career rollercoaster doesn't take a sudden downward plunge, Augustana needs another hit.
Ironically, Layus doesn't much care for "Boston" anymore: "I don't know, man. I don't think it was that great," he admits. "Maybe it was a dry time in music. Basically, it was the first song I ever wrote. I was 17. I mean, I liked it back then."
Still, the cathartic, universal appeal of "Boston" is a quality that Layus wanted to rekindle with the new album. The first single, called "Sweet and Low," already is receiving national airplay and, in the Treasure Valley, on "The River."
"I think the first three songs on the record, I'm very happy with how sort of catchy and accessible they are," Layus says. "Which is what I wanted to do. I wanted to make something like (Petty's) 'Damn the Torpedoes.' "
It helped that Layus had actual life experiences to write about this time around. Not only did Augustana go from unknown band to club headliner, Layus also welcomed a daughter into the world and got married.
It has changed his life a bunch, he says.
"Sometimes, I have a hard time relating to my own band mates, who I've spent years with, day in and day out," he admits. "Sometimes, I can't relate to, like, hooking up with girls and doing this and that, because it's not part of my life. It's weird. I've just kind of had to grow up faster than most 23-year-olds. But I couldn't be happier with it."
On that note, even if it does get a little old singing "Boston" every night for crowds of blissful women, Layus isn't about to complain. He has responsibilities now.
Around the time of his daughter's first birthday, he realized, "I'm a lucky bastard," he says.
"I can afford a one-bedroom apartment now just playing music," Layus says. "I can afford diapers. As much as I might not like the song, the only reason I am where I am is because of that song. So it's kind of a love-hate relationship. I'm sure in two years, maybe I will like the song."
