Dan Layus (of Augustana)

When rock band Augustana‘s original lineup disbanded in earlier this decade, frontman Dan Layus continued recording under that name – until the Nashville-based musician released his debut solo album Dangerous Things on Oct. 21, 2016.

Layus says the title track came to him one afternoon when he was “stumbling around some chords and the phrase ‘I can’t help playing with playing with dangerous things’ popped into his head after he was exploring some melodies. “I can’t explain how or why it happens, but when it does it feels like everything makes perfect sense,” he says. The song invokes some personal reflections about moderation and balance, in both the physical and mental sense – there’s a clear character in the tune, but it’s informed much by Layus’s own life and feelings.

Augustana formed in 2003 and released four albums – the final one as a band was 2011’s self-titled set. [...] He says the biggest difference between his new solo work and his past with Augustana is that this time around, there was a set path to completion. “I had a vision that made complete sense to me from day one,” he says.

The album was recorded in just a week in Nashville, and several numbers feature singing duo the Secret Sisters adding harmonies. For Layus, this minimalist approach has been a gestating goal for a long time. “I had always dreamt about recording an album over the course of just a few sessions, in the same way that many of my musical heroes did many decades ago,” he says. “I wanted to capture the song in its purest and most distilled form in front of a microphone. I gave myself a few takes, playing a song on guitar or piano while singing, and if I felt that magic in the air when it was over, it was a keeper.” [WSJ]