The band, led by singer and guitarist Matt Joynt, often consisting of seven or eight members, operated in a relentlessly DIY manner for the first six years of its existence, releasing three EPs (one independently, and two on Selah Records) one full-length album (Sparrows originally on Selah Records) and independently booking eighteen national tours between the years 2000 and 2006.

[5] The group relocated to Chicago, Illinois, and accepted an invitation to be artists-in-residence at Berry United Methodist Church where they began working on their follow-up LP, "Canopy Glow".

[7] Following the release of Canopy Glow, the band toured with an eclectic variety of artists including Sam Amidon, Brand New, Aloha, Page France, The Format, Dosh, Manchester Orchestra and Rainer Maria, played Austin City Limits, Coachella, and Lollapalooza, and shared the stage with Joanna Newsom, Broken Social Scene and Sufjan Stevens.

One which included month-long van rides, small rooms in the back filled with bottled water, playing Tetris with a trailer and seven people's musical equipment, a dry hoodie over a sweat-filled shirt by the end of each night.

[8](letters denote albums that former members recorded and or wrote: a Luminous Luminescence in the Atlas Position, b Sparrows, c A Holiday at the Sea, d Hymns EP, e Floating World)