We Are Augustines On writing tunes from the road

“To be honest, it’s hard to write when you’re on tour,” admitted We Are Augustines bassist Eric Sanderson backstage at Rolling Stone‘s Coachella Rock Room party. “This particular tour that we’ve been on has been six weeks long and very constant, constant stimulation. You really have to search for times of reflection; you have to work for it to find those moments, so writing has been more in the mind than on the instrument as this point.”

We Are Augustines continue to tour in support of their debut album, Rise Ye Sunken Ships ­– a journey that brought the Brooklyn band to Coachella and in the company of musical royalty. Once there, they quickly figured out how to meet their peers gracefully. “We have a great technique. Our guitar tech is 20 years old, so he’s a real music lover,” said Sanderson. “I’ve been using him as bait to introduce him to people. So when I met Annie [Clark of St. Vincent], I was like, ‘You have to meet Cameron. He would be really honored to meet you.’ She was kind enough to do it.”

Interview by Stacey Anderson, video by Eric Helton

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• Coachella 2012: Rolling Stone’s Complete Coverage
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