Kutless

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Kutless
From left to right: Dave Leutkenhoelter, Ryan Shrout, Jon Micah Sumrall, Jeffrey Gilbert, James Mead
From left to right: Dave Leutkenhoelter, Ryan Shrout, Jon Micah Sumrall, Jeffrey Gilbert, James Mead
Background information
Origin Portland, Oregon, United States
Genre(s) Post-Grunge, Christian Rock, Hard Rock
Years active 2001-present
Label(s) BEC Recordings
Website Kutless.com
Members
Jon Micah Sumrall
James Mead
Ryan Shrout
Dave Luetkenhoelter
Jeffrey Gilbert
Former members
Nathan Stuart
Kyle Zeigler
Kyle Mitchell

Kutless is a Christian rock band from Portland, Oregon.

Contents

[edit] Biography

They began in college as a worship band called "Call Box" in 2000. They released their first full-length album in 2002 on BEC Recordings under the name by which people now know them, Kutless. They had renamed the band in 2001. Their first single was a song called "Your Touch". The single, "Run", off of their debut album, would go on to hold the record for the longest charting song in the history of the R&R Top 40 charts and be the most played song of the first 5 years on ChristianRock.net. In 2004, after releasing 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 they could not make it because the airline canceled their flight. In 2005, Kutless decided to release their first worship album, Strong Tower. After recording Strong Tower, but before it was released, bassist Kyle Zeigler and drummer Kyle Mitchell left the band. Zeigler and Mitchell now own and operate VERBATIM Records, a nationally distributed record label based in the Portland, OR area. They were replaced with bassist Dave Leutkenhoelter 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.

They are currently on the Hearts of the Innocent tour with Stellar Kart, Disciple, and Falling Up in support of the album, Hearts of the Innocent. Their latest single, "Shut Me Out", is doing well on Christian rock charts.

On the March 28, 2006, episode of NBC's Scrubs, titled "My Bright Idea", the song "All Of The Words" from Kutless’s third album Strong Tower played for almost two minutes during a pivotal scene in the season. The episode hit an eleven week ratings high, and is 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 ground breaking 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.

In the Christian video game Dance Praise, three Kutless songs can be added to the song lineup via the Dance Praise expansion pack, Dance Praise Expansion Pack Volume 3: Pop & Rock Hits. The songs are "Strong Tower", "Sea of Faces", and "Run".

[edit] Meaning behind the name

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'."

[edit] Members

[edit] Former members

[edit] Discography

[edit] Full-length albums

[edit] Other Music CDs

[edit] Music Videos

[edit] DVD

[edit] Singles

Year Title Peak Chart Positions Album
Hot Christian Songs
2002 "Your Touch"  ? Kutless
2002 "Run"  ? Kutless
2005 "Strong Tower" 4 Strong Tower
2006 "Shut Me Out" - Hearts of the Innocent

[edit] External links

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