Formed in southern Illinois in 2002, Augustana have quickly made a name for themselves as perfectly blended musical naturals that undoubtedly have a long, successful career ahead of them. The band began to take shape when singer/keyboardist Dan Layus hooked up with guitarist Josiah Rosen while the two were studying contemporary
Christian music at Greenville College. In 2004, Rosen and Layus took off for southern California, where they added keyboardist John Vincent, bassist Jared Palomar, and drummer Justin South. The group bounced around the country some and event
Continued...
ually was discovered by premiere rock producer Brendan O'Brien, who had worked with
Pearl Jam,
Bruce Springsteen, Stone Temple Pilots, and
Neil Young, among many others. He heard Augustana’s demos, flew to see them perform, and signed them on the strength of their songwriting. A few months later, the group met up with O'Brien at Southern Tracks studio in Atlanta to record the 11 songs that made up Augustana's s debut, All the Stars and Boulevards, which was released in the summer of 2005 off the Epic label. Critics called the album, “a reflective, wistful, cerebral, and somewhat melancholy record,” which delivered tales of heartbreak and frustration laced with little slivers of hope. When the first single, “Boston,” was featured on the television show “Scrubs” in 2006, it became a hit and catapulted the band into the national spotlight. Augustana returned in 2008 with a new lineup (Josiah Rosen had left the band for a solo career in early 2006, and was replaced by guitarist/mandolin player
Chris Sachtleben) and a new album, Can't Love, Can't Hurt. The first single off the album was titled, “
Sweet and Low,” which the group performed on The Jay Leno Show, heightening their exposure even more. With two albums under their belts and high profile national tours, Augustana only stands to become more popular over the next several years.
