Kutless
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Kutless |
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Kutless is a Christian rock band from Portland, Oregon formed in 2000. Since their formation, they have released six studio albums including their latest, It Is Well. The band has also released a live album, Live from Portland.[1] Currently, they have sold almost 2 million records.[2]
Biography
Formed in Portland, Oregon as a Campus Worship band named Call Box. They performed during the 1999-2000 school year at Warner Pacific. Their first guitarist, Andrew Morrison, decided to leave the band shortly before they signed with BEC records. James Mead replaced Andrew at lead guitar.[3][4] The Band changed their name to "Kutless" in October 2001 [5] before releasing their first three track EP followed up by their full-length album in 2002 on BEC Recordings. Kutless chose their name because of a specific Bible verse. Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (NRSV). Because of this, the band says, "He took our cuts for us... leaving us 'Kutless'." Their first single was called "Your Touch". Their second single from their debut album, "Run", would go on to hold the record for the longest charting song in the history of the R&R Top 40 charts.
Kutless got their big debut between February and April 2003 when they opened up for Audio Adrenaline and MercyMe, two famous Christian bands at that time.In 2004, after releasing and selling over 250,000 copies of their second full-length album, Sea of Faces, Kutless would go on their first headlining tour, X 2004. That same year, Kutless was slated to perform at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Greece, but could not make it due to the airline canceling their flight. In 2005, Kutless played a Katrina Benefit Relief Concert in their hometown of Portland Oregon. They also released their first worship album, Strong Tower. After recording but before release of Strong Tower, bassist Kyle Zeigler and drummer Kyle Mitchell left the band to form VERBATIM Records, a nationally distributed record label based in the Portland, Oregon area. They were replaced with bassist Dave Luetkenhoelter and drummer Jeffrey Gilbert, who both came from the recently broken-up Christian rock band Seven Places. Kutless also went on the Strong Tower tour that year. Later in 2005, Kutless began recording their fourth full-length album. The album, Hearts of the Innocent, was released on March 21, 2006. The band followed up with a tour, also featuring Stellar Kart, Disciple, and Falling Up.
On the March 28, 2006, episode of NBC's Scrubs, titled "My Bright Idea", a significant portion of the song "All of the Words" from Sea of Faces was featured during the final scene. The episode hit an eleven week ratings high, and was among the first Scrubs episodes that can be downloaded on iTunes. Laura Hutfless from the William Morris Agency said, "Placing the Kutless song, 'All the Words', on Scrubs was truly a team effort. We at William Morris were all very pleased with the way the song was incorporated into the television show and are thrilled that millions of Americans have now been exposed to this incredible band. I'm confident that this is only the beginning for Kutless as they continue to give their audience captivating and inspirational music and win new fans everyday." Kutless’s video "Shut Me Out" has been placed on an exclusive Microsoft/Wal-Mart DVD give-a-way. Consumers who purchase the new Xbox game The Apprentice, featuring Donald Trump, will receive a copy of Kutless's new video. This is estimated to be in the hands of 350,000 gamers. Plus, Target Stores announced that the "Shut Me Out" video will play nationwide in all stores on Target TV (Red Channel) beginning in May (from Big Machine Media). Suzuki Motor Corporation announced that it will be the sole sponsor of the band's Hearts of the Innocent tour.
Departure of Shrout
In May 2007, longtime Kutless guitarist Ryan Shrout decided to leave Kutless, after his daughter was diagnosed with a rare eye disease. Shrout chose to support his family during this time, and left Kutless to do so.[6] Another guitarist named Nick De Partee has since taken the spot of Ryan, and has recently been a tech for the band before playing guitar for them.[citation needed]
Kutless has left William Morris Agency as their booking company and now book through the DCB Agency which is owned and operated by their management company, Platform Artist Management.
The band's songs "Hearts of the Innocent" and "Beyond the Surface" are playable songs on the Christian Guitar Hero game called "Guitar Praise." [7] Their songs "Shut Me Out" and "Your Touch" were later featured in Guitar Praise's Expansion Pack 1.[8] Their song "The Feeling" appears on the video game Rock Band 2 as an extra downloadable song.[9] "Strong Tower" was added in 2011.[citation needed]
Recent activities
The band made a headline appearance at the "Ultimate Event" Christian concert at Alton Towers in the United Kingdom during May 2009. It was their debut UK appearance.[10] In 2009, the band released another worship album, It Is Well. It was co-produced by Dave Lubben.[11]
They toured with Casting Crowns on the spring leg of the Until The Whole World Hears Tour, and then headlined the It Is Well Tour with Chasen and The Museum. On the fall leg of the tour they toured with Sidewalk Prophets and Above The Golden State. The band then toured on Winter Jam 2011, alongside Newsboys, David Crowder Band, RED, KJ-52, and others.[citation needed]
Members
- Current members
- Jon Micah Sumrall - lead vocals, rhythm guitar, piano (2000–present)
- James Mead - guitar, backing vocals (2001–present)
- Jeffrey Gilbert - drums (2005–present)
- Dave Luetkenhoelter - bass guitar (2005–present)
- Nick DePartee - lead guitar, backing vocals (2007–present)
- Former members
- Nathan "Stu" Stuart — bass guitar (2000–2002)
- Kyle Zeigler — bass guitar (2002–2005)
- Kyle Mitchell — drums (2000–2005)
- Ryan Shrout — guitar, backing vocals (2000–2007)
Discography
Albums
| Year | Title | Label(s) | Certifications |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Kutless | BEC Recordings | |
| 2004 | Sea of Faces | BEC Recordings | |
| 2005 | Strong Tower | BEC Recordings | Gold[12] |
| 2006 | Hearts of the Innocent | BEC Recordings | |
| 2008 | To Know That You're Alive | BEC Recordings | |
| 2009 | It Is Well | BEC Recordings |
Miscellaneous Releases
| Year | Title | Label(s) | Type of Release |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Kutless DVD | BEC Recordings | DVD |
| 2006 | Hearts of the Innocent: Special Edition | BEC Recordings | CD/DVD |
| 2006 | Live From Portland | BEC Recordings | Live Album (CD/DVD) |
| 2007 | Strong Tower: Deluxe Edition | BEC Recordings | Re-release (CD/DVD) |
| 2010 | The Beginning: A Kutless Anthology | BEC Recordings | Compilation (CD) |
Music Videos
- All videos copyright BEC Recordings 2002-2009
| Year | Title | Album | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Your Touch | Kutless | Kutless.com/media |
| 2002 | Tonight | Kutless | Kutless.com/media |
| 2003 | Run | Kutless | Kutless.com/media |
| 2004 | Not What You See | Sea of Faces | Kutless.com/media |
| 2004 | Sea of Faces | Sea of Faces | YouTube: Link |
| 2005 | Strong Tower | Strong Tower | Kutless.com/media |
| 2005 | Shut Me Out | Hearts of the Innocent | Kutless.com/media |
| 2006 | Somewhere in the Sky | Hearts of the Innocent | YouTube: Link |
| 2009 | To Know That You're Alive | To Know That You're Alive | YouTube: Link |
| 2009 | What Faith Can Do | It Is Well | YouTube: Link |
| 2011 | Everything I Need | It Is Well |
Other songs (not included in an album)
- "More Than It Seems" - Music Inspired by the Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (2005)
- "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear" - WOW Christmas (2005)
- "Mary Did You Know?" - X Christmas (2008)
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak Chart Positions[13] | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US Christ |
US Heat | |||
| 2002 | "Your Touch" | - | - | - | Kutless |
| "Run" | - | - | - | ||
| 2003 | "Tonight" | - | - | - | |
| "Pride Away" | - | - | - | ||
| 2004 | "Treason" | - | - | - | Sea of Faces |
| "Sea of Faces" | - | 8 | - | ||
| "Not What You See" | - | - | - | ||
| "It's Like Me" | - | 21 | - | ||
| 2005 | "Strong Tower" | - | 4 | - | Strong Tower |
| "Draw Me Close" | - | 12 | - | ||
| "Better is One Day" | - | - | - | ||
| "We Fall Down" | - | 26 | - | ||
| 2006 | "Shut Me Out" | - | - | - | Hearts of the Innocent |
| "Winds of Change" | - | - | - | ||
| 2007 | "Somewhere in the Sky" | - | - | - | |
| "Promise of a Lifetime" | - | - | - | ||
| 2008 | "The Feeling" | - | - | - | To Know That You're Alive |
| "Complete" | - | 18 | - | ||
| 2009 | "To Know That You're Alive" | - | 41 | - | |
| "I Do Not Belong" | - | 38 | - | ||
| "What Faith Can Do" | 119 | 1 | 14 | It Is Well | |
| 2010 | "Everything I Need" | - | 10 | - | |
Awards
GMA Dove Awards
| Year | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Group of the Year | Nominated |
| Praise & Worship Album of the Year (Strong Tower) | Nominated | |
| Worship Song of the Year ("Strong Tower") | Nominated | |
| 2007 | Rock/Contemporary Album of the Year (Hearts of the Innocent) | Nominated |
| Recorded Music Packaging of the Year (Hearts of the Innocent) | Nominated | |
| 2008 | Long Form Music Video of the Year (Live from Portland) | Nominated |
| 2009 | Rock Album of the Year (To Know That You're Alive) | Nominated |
| 2010 | Rock/Contemporary Album of the Year (It Is Well) | Nominated |
References
- ^ http://www.google.com/musica?aid=kyvgwawzgaP&sa=X&oi=music&ct=result
- ^ http://www.dcbagency.com/
- ^ personal account from Andrew Morrison
- ^ Thompson, Scott A. "Kutless History." Kutless. Warner Pacific College, 2005. Web. 17 May 2010. <http://www.kutless.com/kutlessHistory.aspx>.
- ^ http://www.kutless.com/kutlessTimeline.aspx
- ^ Kutless Guitarist Leaves Band After Eight Years on ChristianPost.com
- ^ Guitar Praise Official Site Song List on GuitarPraise.com
- ^ Guitar Praise Expansion Pack 1 Song List on digitalpraise.com
- ^ 20 Free DLC Tracks Note/Jukebox Clarification on RockBand.com
- ^ "Ultimate Event" Site
- ^ Kutless April 2009 Blog
- ^ www.kutless.com
- ^ http://www.billboard.com/charts/christian-songs#/artist/kutless/chart-history/490195?f=355&g=Singles
External links
- Official website
- Bible Study and Rock Music - by John David Barry