‘Catch of the Day’ – Josh Abbott Band – “Amnesia” [AUDIO]

Our spotlight group today was formed in 2006 at Texas Tech University by members of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity. The leader of the group was just a thesis away from his Master's degree, when he put his education on hold to pursue his musical dreams.

When Josh Abbott brought together fraternity brothers Austin Davis, Neel Huey and Drew Hurt to play music, he knew he has something to fall back on. Close enough to his masters degree to make a parent cringe, Abbott just needed to finish his thesis to receive his degree, but decided to take a break to pursue his music. Abbott had been playing informally in clubs around the Texas Tech campus in Lubbock. When frat brother Davis started sitting in with Abbott, they found a connection. When Davis & Abbott invited Huey and Hurt to join them, the Josh Abbott Band was born.

The quartet played regularly around Lubbock, building a good following in the Lone Star State. In 2007, the group added drummer Edward Villanueva and shortly after headed into the studio to record their first single "Taste", which was the lead single from their debut album, 2009's Scapegoat. The group produced the album and single themselves, releasing the project on Texas Red Dirt Indy label Pretty Damn Tough Records. Soon after the single was released, Huey and Hurt left the band and were replaced by Preston Wait. The single received significant airplay on Texas radio and the band toured almost nonstop in support of the single.

In 2010, bass player James Hertless and guitarist Caleb Keeter signed on, and the now sextet headed into the studio to record their second album, She's Like Texas. The influence of the new members was evident, bringing out bluegrass influences in the band; Valenzuela's powerful drumming added undertones that hadn't been there on the first album. Publications gave the album 4 out of 5 stars, comparing it favorably to artists like Steve Earle, calling on the "maturity" of Abbott's songwriting. The third single from the album, "Oh, Tonight", a pairing with another Texas favorite Kacey Musgraves became JAB's first charting single, peaking at #44 on the Billboard Country Singles chart.

In 2012 the band released its third album, Small Town Family Dream. By this time the band's line-up had stabilized, and while the name is centered around their lead singer, they showed they are truly a group effort. The album was their highest charting album to date, peaking at #5 on the Billboard Country Albums chart, and the second of the album's 4 singles, "Touch" appeared in the movie The Longest Ride, and became the group's highest charting single, peaking at #41. To keep its fanbase satiated, the group released the EP Tuesday Night in 2014, to hold them over while the band went back into the studio.

The wait was over in November of 2015, when the group released it's fourth album, Front Row Center. It released the album's lead single "Amnesia", which made it to #45 before being pulled back in favor of the single "Wasn't That Drunk". For the song, which became their first top-40 hit, the band teamed with another Texas singer, Carly Pearce. After remixing "Amnesia", the band has decided to re-release the song, which is in our spotlight today. The latest from the Josh Abbott Band is today's Catch of the Day, new music you haven't heard, but you'll want to hear it again.