PureVolume

Band Bio



Laetus originally began in December of 2005 as a solo project Mike Jandreau (vocals/guitar) did in his spare time. Despite a large library of original tunes to draw from it was difficult to play live without other members to fill the spots. For nearly a year the search for like-minded musicians continued, until the fall of 2006, when Kurt Knudsen (bass) posted an ad searching for musicians. Shortly thereafter, Tom Meehan (drums) and Nate Moyer (lead guitar) came into the picture. Between September 2006 and May 2007, Laetus wrote and recorded most of the material for what would be their first album.



The following year was to be difficult for the group. In May of 2007, Nate amicably parted ways with the group to pursue a degree in law at the University of Southern California. Nate left some pretty big shoes to fill, and Jon Allen of [Rebirth] to [Ends] temporarily stepped in. Due to creative differences, Jon left Laetus in the fall of 2007. One of the hardest blows was when Kurt decided to resign less than a week after Jon. For remaining members Mike and Tom, it seemed like the end of the line.



Despite the thinning ranks, Laetus remained busy. Live shows were put on the back burner while the primary focus shifted to completing the album that had been in the works for almost a year. With a lot of patience and hard work, A Few Seconds of Silence became a reality. With the album finished, the focus is shifting once again to completing the lineup and hitting the scene harder than before.



Etymology of the name



The name Laetus (pronounced lie-ate-us) comes from Latin and equates to "happy" or "joyful." The name may at first seem antithetical to our style of music, like a big man being nicknamed "Tiny," but that is not the case.



We settled on the name partly because we thought it sounded cool, but also because of its root meaning. We play because we like to, not for a paycheck or popularity; we're happy doing it and that is enough. Whether rehearsing, writing new material, or performing for a crowd we aren't just guys playing music. We are Laetus, in every sense of the word.