Page 37 - ION Indie Magazine MarchApril 2024
P. 37
March to a new beat with Armchair Boogie, as spring has sprung and the band breaks winter with their
new 10-song album “Hard Times & Deadlines” -- out on all streaming platforms on March 15, 2024.
John ‘Augie’ Dougherty, banjo-ist and one of the lead vocalists of Armchair Boogie, took time out of
his busy afternoon of promoting and recording to chat about their time as a band, playing for their
favorite crowds, and their new album!
It’s an armchair boogie kind of day.
Though Augie Dougherty is the only member of the band with the time available for a chat, other band
members include Ben Majeska (guitarist and additional lead vocalist), Denzel Connor (drums and
backup vocals), and Eli Frieders (electric bass and backup vocals).
Dougherty’s been playing banjo since he was 15 years old, lending his time and talent to a few different
bands in high school and college, but once finding the sound and people of Armchair Boogie, he knew
he found his new home.
“I started taking banjo lessons in high school, but then I’d be playing electric bass and guitar in my
friend’s garage, practicing Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, and other classic rock artists. There wasn’t
anybody to play or practice banjo with, in a bluegrass way, until I moved to Stevens Point,” Dougherty
explained. “I felt the urge to get back to my roots and play banjo. I think I'm just better at banjo than I
am at guitar. It's something that comes more naturally to me -- doing country and bluegrass stuff.”
“I’m 31 years old now, so I’ve been playing banjo for over half of my life,” he laughed. “We’ve been
Armchair Boogie specifically since 2015 when we came together at the University of Wisconsin -
Stevens Point. We had all played in bands before playing together, but seeing another Stevens Point-
based band, Horseshoes and Hand Grenades, make it big around this time, gave us the drive and
encouragement to pursue this collective dream of ours.”
Augie and Ben were the first two members of the band, landing on their name Armchair Boogie
due to a friend’s suggestion after they asked around for inspiration. Their friend woke one
morning to see the sun shining perfectly onto an old leather armchair draped in an American
flag, and thought to himself before immediately texting Augie and Ben,
“It’s an armchair boogie kind of day” -- and the two felt the name
truly embodied the feeling of their music. Eli and Denzel joined
not long after the band was named.
Though they may have started as a college band, funnily enough,
Augie wasn’t even studying music, nor were any of his
bandmates, when they came together for Armchair Boogie.
“I studied forestry management and ecological restoration.
The rest of the guys were studying arts and communication
and things like that, but nobody was studying music.”
The outlet of music in each member’s life was enough
to keep everyone dedicated to forming a successful
band – if one Stevens Point band could make it, why
not another?
