Rogue Wave was formed in 2002 when
Zach Rogue took off from his San Francisco home, headed for New York, and came home with nearly a full album's worth of songs recorded.
Rogue then quit his post in his previous group,
the Desoto Reds, and finished the album, which was released on
Rogue's own Responsive label under the title of
Out of the Shadow. As he was completing the record,
Rogue decided to form a band to promote it and soon hooked up with drummer/keyboardist
Pat Spurgeon, bassist
Sonya Westcott, and guitarist
Gram LeBron. This outfit played shows in 2003 with the likes of
Spoon,
Mates of State, and other indie rock big shots. Sub Pop was impressed by the band and the record, and reissued
Out of the Shadow in 2004. At some point,
Westcott was replaced in the lineup by
Evan Farrell and the band began recording their second album. The first result of their efforts was the
10:1 single, released in August 2005, and it showed off a slicker and more produced sound that managed to hold on to much of what made the first record an artistic success.
Descended Like Vultures followed in late 2005. Songs from the album appeared on television shows like Weeds, Friday Night Lights, and Heroes, and the band kept to a hectic touring schedule. In 2006 they were forced to take time off as drummer
Pat Spurgeon was sidelined by a kidney ailment that required a transplant and other bandmembers dealt with death (
LeBron's father) and birth (
Rogue's new daughter). The group also lost bassist
Farrell and replaced him with
Patrick Abernathy (formerly with
Beulah). As if that weren't enough tribulation, the band couldn't come to terms with Sub Pop for future albums and was let go. They found a suitable label soon after, as their friend
Jack Johnson signed them to his Brushfire imprint and released their third album,
Asleep at Heaven's Gate, in autumn 2007. ~ Tim Sendra, All Music Guide