Here in the circle city of Indianapolis there are few places to catch a live performance. You have a hodge-podge collection of bars and pubs that showcase singer songwriters and a few epic venues that only allow the likes of Kenny Chesney and Billy Joel on their stage. So when a band like Augustana comes around they are lucky to find a place to play.
Augustana is what some might call a one hit wonder with their single Boston. They are a piano heavy alternative roots rock meets pop sound that screams of personal grief and pain in nearly every lyric. Having made many member changes in their few short years of existence they have managed to build a cult following that travels all over the country to hear them live.
Augustana has played the city of Indianapolis before hitting the stage at Birdy’s Bar and Grill on the outskirts of town. But this go round they found themselves on stage at one of the most highly sought after venues for nearly every local band in the city. The Vogue has played host for many years and has given a home to the likes of modern day rock bands such as Papa Roach and She Wants Revenge to the classics such as Willie Nelson and George Thorogood.
So when Augustana found themselves on this stage they had to take their time and put effort in choosing not only an opener that matched their sound but also one that matched their level of talent. After many attempts to find the perfect match they had to look no further than the guys in Borrow Tomorrow.
When BoTo took the stage the crowd went crazy. People clapped, cheered, and started shouting, “BoTo, BoTo, BoTo!” You could see the excitement on faces in nearly every corner of the bar. By the time they were finished with their first song if you didn’t love them before, you did now. If you didn’t know who Borrow Tomorrow was, you do now.
People were tapping their feet, singing along to the words of the all original set, and getting into the music as if they had the album on repeat on their way to the show. If you didn’t know any better you might think these guys have been doing this for their entire life. Sure, they have played a handful of shows to no one but friends and family but those days are long gone.
In music, and as an opener, you are always trying to out play the band that comes on after you in an effort to steal their fans, so to speak. Only given thirty minutes to be able to do this, Borrow Tomorrow blew Augustana out of the water. Not saying that the Augustana set was not good, but BoTo rocked harder than any opener I have seen in the last ten or twelve months.
If you do not have their EP go get it now. They are in the studio working on their debut album but have given you an appetizer to get you ready for what’s next. And if their show at the Vogue was an inclination of what is coming you better get ready. From a small town band to iTunes chart toppers you are about to see BoTo take over the market. If you are not loving Borrow Tomorrow now, you will.
