Waking Ashland formed in 2003 and released two EPs and two full-length albums. Singer/keyboardist Jonathan Jones (of Formula316), guitarist Ryan Lallier, and original drummer Thomas Lee met at California State University, Northridge, where all were music majors.
The band played the 2004 Warped Tour, attracting the attention of Tooth and Nail Records, who signed the band and released their first full-length album, Composure, produced by Lou Giordano. The album debuted at number 19 on Nielsen SoundScan's "Alternative New Artist" chart and at number 53 on their "Top New Artist Album" chart.
After numerous lineup changes, the band broke up in mid-2007. The final lineup included Jones, Lallier, bassist Nate Harold, and drummer Tim Very. Jonathan Jones formed We Shot the Moon, along with two members of Sherwood, Dan Koch and Joe Greenetz. As of 2009, Ryan Lallier was reportedly working on solo projects.
In late 2010, the band announced it was booking several reunion shows.