Your Summer Soundtrack: August York (Free Music)

“Summertime”, Gershwin’s ode to the South’s trophy season is as true a song that is. “When the living is easy…” – or perhaps it’s simply too hot to be in a hurry – we all slow down, and it’s in the slowing down that we find time to savor and relish the finest moments of the season…and those moments need a soundtrack.

Let me introduce you to what you’ve been looking for, but didn’t know you needed: the soundtrack to your Summer is beautiful, and best of all, it’s FREE!

Meet Nashville-based, singer-songwriter duo, August York.

Rachel, the stage-front voice and guitarist for the duo, is as sweet and sophisticated as they come. A model for AMAX talent agency, she’s served in various print, runway, television and commercial roles; runway model for Nashville Fashion Week and Anthropology, as well as appearing on the television show “Nashville,” Rascal Flatts, and Josh Thompson music videos. Perhaps her finest hour, however, is when she opens her mouth to sing, full of delight and delicacy. Her voice is reminiscent of a Summer night with fireflies dancing about. Husband and bandmate, McKendree recalls his first encounter with Rachel – she was singing; “It put me in a trance – her jazzy sound was reminiscent of the 1920’s.”

Mckendree, a Georgia native, is a multi-instrumentalist with a strong background in production and technology. His past stage life has involved touring, co-writing, and studio work with artists such as Britt Nicole, Sonicflood, and a number of Reach Record artists. Currently the keyboardist for Grammy award winning artist Kari Jobe, his skills are far reaching and cover many behind the scenes tasks including the ability to play most any instruments imaginable, and a unique voice. However, he’s most likely to be found sitting behind a keyboard.

When these two talents merged the sound that emerged was disparate to anything either had done before, as though their true colors were brought forth by the other, creating a style truly unique to the pair. Mckendree explained, “We were trying to learn who we were as artists together, and this sound started to emerge early in our jam sessions. Shortly after marriage we started writing, and these songs were simply stories of us.”

Their debut CD, This is how we Met, documented these discoveries. Penned in Pennsylvania, the songs beckoned to warmer days, so when the couple relocated to Rachel’s childhood home their self-discovery continued, resulting in the forthcoming full-length, Swimming Upstream.

On Tuesday, June 9th, August York made three of these as-of-yet-unreleased songs available for free via Noisetrade as Swimming Lessons. The three song E.P. is already ranked #1 in Pop and #3 over-all in Noisetrade downloads.

Featuring the songs “Waterside”, “Alright Already”, and “Come to Paris,” their Noisetrade bio describes the project well; “Here is a couple confident in their identity, and doing life together well – it’s a beautiful thing to set your ears upon.”

A picnic of freshly wrought melodies filled with beautiful birds, breezes, and outdoor walks, August York’s music is everything that entails Summertime, but is still a delight for any season.

To find your soundtrack to Summer, you can download Swimming Lessons at Noisetrade, and then follow August York on Twitter, like them on Facebook, and visit on Instagram.

*Some excerpts and quotes originally appeared in “Noisemakers: August York”, Jan/Feb ’14, Golden Isles Magazine.

*Publicity photos courtesy of Victor Huckabee.