Augustana

Formed in the early 2000s around Daniel Layus and Josiah Rosen, Augustana began in southern Illinois before relocating to Southern California and later San Diego. The project sits in melodic American rock at the intersection of indie rock, roots rock and piano pop, featuring songs carried by Layus’s voice, spare arrangements and a strong sense of the ballad. After early self-released albums Midwest Skies and Sleepless Mondays and the Mayfield EP (2003), Augustana signed to Epic and released All the Stars and Boulevards in 2005, which includes “Boston,” a song closely associated with the band and widely played in the mid-2000s. That was followed by Can’t Love, Can’t Hurt (2008) and Augustana (2011), before a lineup change: from that point Daniel Layus continued Augustana as the project’s central and sole member, both on record and live with accompanying musicians. In that form Augustana released Life Imitating Life (2014), later adopted a more stripped-back approach with Everyday an Eternity: Solo Piano Works (2022), and returned to a rock format with Something Beautiful (2024). Over the years the band has also toured alongside American rock and pop acts such as Switchfoot, The Fray and Counting Crows.