US rock band formed in late 2002 in Greenville, Illinois, by college students Dan Layus (vocals, piano, guitar), Josiah Rosen (guitar/vocals) and Simeon Lorhmann (bass). This line-up of the band proved only temporary, however, with Jared Palomar (bass, keyboards, vocals) joining Layus and Rosen. The new line-up recorded a debut, Midwest Skies And Sleepless Mondays, which was released in an extremely limited run for distribution at the band’s live shows. Shortly afterwards, Layus, Rosen and Palomar relocated to San Diego, California in search of a recording contract. After being joined by drummer Justin South they began shopping their demos around various record companies, eventually signing a contract with Epic Records and teaming up with noted producer Brendan O’Brien. Augustana’s major label debut, All The Stars And Boulevards, expanded upon the traditional guitar rock approach sketched out on their debut album, with a couple of memorable melodies (‘Boston’ and ‘Stars And Boulevards’) shining through the rather slick AOR production.
Rosen left the band in April 2006 to pursue a solo career and was replaced by two new members, Chris Sachtleben (guitar) and David Lamoureux (keyboards).
