Music >> Artists >> Rock

Life Imitating Life, Augustana

Augustana

April 3rd, 2014

Formed:
2002 in Greenville, IL

Genre:
Rock

Years Active:
'00s, '10s






Augustana

Biography

Augustana's music is the heartland equivalent of Coldplay and Keane, with a touch of mid-'90s adult alternative throwback (think Counting Crows or the Wallflowers) also peppering the band's rootsy, piano-based rock. Although based in California, the group formed in southern Illinois in 2002, while singer/keyboardist Dan Layus and guitarist Josiah Rosen were studying contemporary Christian music at Greenville College. The band's original lineup also included bassist Simeon Lohrmann, second keyboardist David Lamoureaux, and drummer Kyle Baker. This lineup released a pair of self-distributed CDs — the full-length Midwest Skies and Sleepless Mondays and the EP Mayfield — in 2003, but the conservative climate of Greenville College proved to be too confining for the band's two co-founders. Choosing music over academia, Layus and Rosen left Greenville for Los Angeles in 2004, jettisoning the rest of the band and re-forming with a new lineup that included keyboardist John Vincent, bassist Jared Palomar, and drummer Justin South. . Augustana's music is the heartland equivalent of Coldplay and Keane, with a touch of mid-'90s adult alternative throwback (think Counting Crows or the Wallflowers) also peppering the band's rootsy, piano-based rock. Although based in California, the group formed in southern Illinois in 2002, while singer/keyboardist Dan Layus and guitarist Josiah Rosen were studying contemporary Christian music at Greenville College. The band's original lineup also included bassist Simeon Lohrmann, second keyboardist David Lamoureaux, and drummer Kyle Baker. This lineup released a pair of self-distributed CDs — the full-length Midwest Skies and Sleepless Mondays and the EP Mayfield — in 2003, but the conservative climate of Greenville College proved to be too confining for the band's two co-founders. Choosing music over academia, Layus and Rosen left Greenville for Los Angeles in 2004, jettisoning the rest of the band and re-forming with a new lineup that included keyboardist John Vincent, bassist Jared Palomar, and drummer Justin South.

The reformulated Augustana signed with Epic Records in 2005 and released their major-label debut, All the Stars and Boulevards, in September of that year. A slow starter, the album gradually rose to national attention on the strength of "Boston," a heartfelt ballad that was featured on an episode of Scrubs in early 2006. To encourage this increase in Augustana's popularity, a limited-edition reissue of the album (with extra songs and video content) was released in September 2006. By the following year, All the Stars and Boulevards had finally made its way into the Billboard Top 40 — a whopping 19 months after its initial release. Augustana then returned in 2008 with a new lineup (Josiah Rosen had left the band for a solo career in early 2006, only to be replaced by guitarist/mandolin player Chris Sachtleben) and a new album, Can't Love, Can't Hurt. More rootsy than the band's debut, Can't Love, Can't Hurt produced a pair of modestly successful singles and sold 400,000 copies worldwide. It also laid the foundation for Augustana, the band's self-titled third album, which appeared in 2011 and featured an even more rootsy, anthemic sound. Producer Jacquire King, the man behind Kings of Leon's breakthrough album Only by the Night, oversaw the project.

Top Albums

Life Imitating Life, Augustana
1. Life Imitati..
Can't Love, Can't Hurt  (Deluxe Version), Augustana
2. Can't Love, ..
Augustana, Augustana
3. Augustana
Can't Love, Can't Hurt, Augustana
4. Can't Love, ..
All the Stars and Boulevards, Augustana
5. All the Star..
Playlist: The Very Best of Augustana, Augustana
6. Playlist: Th..
All the Stars and Boulevards, Augustana
7. All the Star..
Steal Your Heart - Single, Augustana
8. Steal Your H..
Sweet and Low (Live at Sweetwater Studios) - Single, Augustana
9. Sweet and Lo..
Live at Austin City Limits Music Festival 2007: Augustana - Single, Augustana
10. Live at Aust..
Bullets - Single, Augustana
11. Bullets - Si..
Stars and Boulevards - Single, Augustana
12. Stars and Bo..

Top Songs

NameAlbumTimePrice
1.
BostonAll the Stars and Boulevard..4:05$1.29
2.
Ash and EmberLife Imitating Life3:57$1.29
3.
Sweet and LowCan't Love, Can't H..3:34$1.29
4.
BostonAll the Stars and Boulevard..4:05$1.29
5.
FireCan't Love, Can't H..2:31$0.99
6.
Steal Your HeartAugustana3:33$1.29
7.
Twenty YearsCan't Love, Can't H..4:26$0.99
8.
Sunday BestAll the Stars and Boulevard..3:20$0.99
9.
Just Stay Here TonightAugustana3:20$1.29
10.
Sweet and Low (Acoustic Version)Can't Love, Can't H..3:19$1.29
11.
Hey NowCan't Love, Can't H..4:39$0.99
12.
Stars and BoulevardsAll the Stars and Boulevard..4:20$0.99
13.
Sunday Best (Live At Austin City Lim..Playlist: The Very Best of ..3:56$0.99
14.
Feel FinePlaylist: The Very Best of ..3:45$0.99
15.
Twenty YearsPlaylist: The Very Best of ..4:27$0.99
16.
Counting StarsPlaylist: The Very Best of ..4:16$1.29
17.
FirePlaylist: The Very Best of ..2:31$0.99
18.
Just Stay Here TonightPlaylist: The Very Best of ..3:20$1.29
19.
Stars and BoulevardsPlaylist: The Very Best of ..4:20$0.99
20.
Hey NowPlaylist: The Very Best of ..4:39$0.99
21.
Bullets (Live @ VH1.com)Playlist: The Very Best of ..3:52$0.99
22.
I Still Ain't Over YouPlaylist: The Very Best of ..3:31$0.99
23.
Last MistakePlaylist: The Very Best of ..3:47$1.29
24.
BostonPlaylist: The Very Best of ..4:06$1.29
25.
Steal Your HeartPlaylist: The Very Best of ..3:33$1.29

Top Music Videos

Boston, Augustana
1. Boston
Sweet and Low, Augustana
2. Sweet and Low
Hey Now (Acoustic Version), Augustana
3. Hey Now (Acou...
Steal Your Heart, Augustana
4. Steal Your He...
Hey Now (Acoustic Version)
5. Hey Now (Acou...
Sweet and Low, Augustana
6. Sweet and Low
Sweet and Low, Augustana
7. Sweet and Low
Stars and Boulevards, Augustana
8. Stars and Bou...


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