Hyland was an American

Christian rock Christian rock is a form of rock music that features lyrics focusing on matters of Christian faith, often with an emphasis on Jesus, typically performed by self-proclaimed Christian individuals. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Ch ...

band originating from

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. The band released two EPs independently before signing to

Tooth & Nail Records Tooth & Nail Records is a Christian rock record label founded by Brandon Ebel in California in November 1993. The label later moved to Seattle, Washington where it is situated today. It is home to many well-known musical acts, including Underoat ...

on October 25, 2010. Their debut album was released on May 3, 2011.

Formation (2006-2009)

Hyland formed in 2006 in

as a local

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...

band. Hyland gained local attention as they traveled the state of

, and eventually the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, and performed at local clubs and various scenes, including performing at U.S. festivals (

Lifest Lifest is an annual Christian music festival that takes place in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, at the Sunnyview Expo Center. Lifest has the slogan "A Party with a Purpose." It is one of the largest Christian music festivals in America. History Lifest start ...

, Sonshine, etc.), and winning a music tournament at

Club 3 Degrees Club 3 Degrees, sometimes shortened to Club 3, is a Christian nightclub located in the warehouse district of Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is believed to be the largest Christian nightclub in the United States today. Club 3 Degrees is a branch of ...

, which is described by the awarding organization as "nationally recognized." During that time, Hyland released their first two EPs independently. ''Polyphonic Telegraph No. 1'' was released on July 22, 2008 and ''Quotients'' was released on May 13, 2009.

Record deal (2010)

On October 25, 2010,

added Hyland to their artist roster. According to lead vocalist Jon Lewis, the band was preparing songs for their third independent release when musician/producer

Aaron Sprinkle Aaron Sprinkle (born March 20, 1974) is an American singer, songwriter and record producer from Seattle, Washington. Career His career in music began in high school with a group called BellBangVilla. BellBangVilla became Poor Old Lu and the ...

contacted the band and requested a personal pitch to Tooth & Nail. The request came following the discovery of the band by Sprinkle after one of his interns accidentally left one of Hyland's song samples on Sprinkle's computer without closing the program before leaving for the night. According to the band, the record label was "blown away" by Hyland's live performance and strong original songs. After the signing, Aaron Sprinkle agreed to produce the band's debut album, '' Weights & Measures'', which was released on May 3, 2011. The album was mixed by JR McNeely.

National tours (2011–2014)

Hyland performed on the "Overcome Tour," headlined by

Fireflight Fireflight is an American Christian rock band formed in Eustis, Florida in 1999. The band was signed by Flicker Records. The band currently consists of Dawn Michele, Glenn and Wendy Drennen and Justin Cox (who left in 2013 but rejoined in 201 ...

and featuring

After Edmund After Edmund was an art rock band from LaGrange, Georgia. Band history The members of After Edmund formed as a band in 2001, originally under the name ''Taken''.

and

Royal Tailor Royal Tailor was an American Christian pop rock band. The group disbanded in 2015. History Royal Tailor was started by Tauren Wells, DJ Cox, Jeremy Guzman, and Blake Hubbard while they were attending Indiana Bible College in 2004. Jarrod Ingram ...

. Hyland has also performed on the "Mother, May I?" Tour, with

Abandon Kansas Abandon Kansas is an American alternative rock band originating from Wichita, Kansas that formed in 2005 and went on indefinite hiatus in 2015. The band has rebranded to Glass Age in 2019 and is making new music. History Abandon Kansas forme ...

and

Wavorly Wavorly is an American rock band from Tupelo, Mississippi. History Wavorly formed in 2001 under the name Freshmen 15, and independently released two albums under this name. The group changed its name after signing to Flicker Records because they ...

. The group continued playing shows into 2014.

Media recognition

Aside from touring, Hyland has been the subject of an interview on ''The Harvest Show'', a show on

World Harvest Television Family Broadcasting Corporation, formerly known as LeSEA Broadcasting, is an American Christian television network. Founded by Lester Sumrall in 1972, Family Broadcasting Corporation is headquartered in South Bend, Indiana, and broadcasts Christ ...

, a nationally-broadcasting channel. Hyland is also in regular rotation on

RadioU WUFM (88.7 FM, "RadioU") is a non-commercial radio station licensed to Columbus, Ohio. The station retransmits its signal to several FM stations and FM translators nationwide including KRQZ, a full-service FM station licensed to Lompoc, Califo ...

and the

Northwestern Media Northwestern Media is the Christian radio ministry of the University of Northwestern – St. Paul, an evangelical university in Roseville, Minnesota. Northwestern Media operates two radio networks serving listeners primarily in the Midwestern Un ...

network. Hyland's second radio

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

, "This Love Is Free," from their debut album, '' Weights & Measures'', peaked at No. 29 on the

Christian Songs Hot Christian Songs is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It ranks the popularity of Christian songs using the same methodology developed for the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, the magazine's flagship songs ...

chart published by ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

''. Billboard.combillboard.com. Retrieved May 30, 2011.

Band members

Current * Jon Lewis – lead vocals, rhythm guitar * Steve Weigel – drums Former * Matt Lennander – lead guitar * Tim Neff – rhythm guitar * Lee Carter – bass * Mitch Hansen – lead guitar * Ben Early – keyboards, backing vocals, additional guitar * Josiah Erickson – bass

Discography

Studio albums

Studio EPs

References

{{reflist Christian rock groups from Minnesota Musical groups established in 2006 2006 establishments in Minnesota