Who is DTE?
Who is Distance to Empty? Well, do you want the long version or the short version? Too bad, you get this version:
(For a .PDF version of our bio and one sheet, please click here)
The Bottleneck, in Lawrence Kansas -- the club from which emerged Paw, Stick and Frogpond…host joint for Butthole Surfers, Burning Spear and Lucinda Williams – in May 2002 was also the first stage for Distance to Empty, an upbeat indie rock band with a frontman crooner. Think Harry Connick, Jr. backed by Incubus, four Kansas natives with little in common but location and the sheer enjoyment of playing music.
Meet:
- Curtis, a hair stylist with a fondness for Frank Sinatra, Liza Mineli and Maynard James Keenan. He’s also the son of a preacher man.
- Bo, once frat boy and varsity collegiate rower who wrote the band’s first songs between classes and surfing as an exchange student in Australia in 2001.
- Kyle, published poet and self-described computer geek torn between the technology of the information age and the music of the soul era.
- Ryan, a high school drumline teacher who spent five summers touring with an international drum and bugle corps. He cut his musical teeth on Squarepusher, Aphex Twin and Nirvana and can’t really stand the “pop” crap the rest of the band listens to.
“Yeah, there are some different personalities in this group for sure. Ultimately, I think this is the source for a lot of the spark and creativity in the music,” says Bo McCall, guitarist and one of D.T.E.’s three lyricists. “I think it really comes out when you’re listening to the songs and watching the band perform live.”
In the spring of 2004, the band released their first full-length album. One reviewer called the self-titled LP "hopelessly romantic, yet painfully bitter, full of adolescent definitions of love sung with a man's maturity." Over the course of their first two years the band played various small clubs around the Midwest. Strangely noteworthy gigs included a PGA golfer's house party, the Chevy End Zone Stage at a Kansas City Chiefs game and the VIP tent at a Coldplay/Rilo Kiley concert. Promoting themselves through online outlets, D.T.E. sold over 1,000 copies of their independently funded album, all accomplished while self-managing, self-booking and self-promoting.
With the debut album’s success, Distance to Empty took a two-month break from their hectic touring schedule to work on new material. Recorded in a nine-day flurry and mastered by Grammy award winner Trevor Sadler (whose résumé includes Live, Nine Inch Nails, Moby, Cracker and the Crash Test Dummies), Relaxcitement is an indie pop roller coaster ride crackling with dynamics, hooks, and a visceral energy hijacked from the band’s live performances. “The goal was to keep the sound as pure and driving as possible on this one. It seems that a lot of modern albums are chock-full of digital edits and pitch correction. Nobody in this band wanted that over-produced sound. We wanted to capture raw energy,” says Whitehouse.
Minutes after Relaxcitement was shipped to the manufacturer, D.T.E. jumped into the van, and ventured over 5,000 miles on their first international outing. In 5 weeks on the road, they performed 28 shows in 24 cities in the U.S. and Canada, and consumed over 50 boxes of pasta and 5 jars of crunchy peanut butter. “Ramen and peanut butter,” Akers muses “are cornerstones of our nutrition program.”
Upon their return to Lawrence, Distance to Empty ushered in the release of "Relaxcitement with a spot at the 2006 Wakarusa Music Festival, among the likes of The Flaming Lips, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Keller Williams, STS9, Robert Randolph and Les Claypool. D.T.E. is going into 2007 with a bang, having played more than 150 shows across North America over the course of 2006 and receiving airplay (charting Top #30 on multiple playlists in major markets including Chicago and Seattle) on over 115 college radio stations in the U.S. and Canada. Expect them to throw down in front of live audiences with the same conviction displayed on Relaxcitement. Energy, sweat, dancing and free Dum Dums are all part of the experience. "Ha," Curtis laughs, "people love the free Dum Dums."
What do people say about them?
Relaxcitement Reviews:
- Hybrid Magazine - "With this album you can Relax and you can get Excited... either way you'll enjoy what you hear. Go out and pick up a copy, or if your curiosity is perked, head over to one of the stops on their tour and get your first experience of "Kansas techno". Go ahead, I dare you!"
- London Indie - "A combination of addicting vocals, meaningful lyrics, and a calming aura
makes for an exceptional CD that’s perfect for listening..."
- Progressive Ears - "The songs are well crafted, the musicianship is tight, and the disc has a crisp and clear production."
- Chicago Flame-Inferno - "Distance to Empty is, indeed, their own band, and, thankfully enough, are forging their own path through the original brand of indie rock that Hayton, McCall, Akers and drummer Ryan Whitehouse create musically."
- Kweevak.com - "Distance To Empty is poised to go the distance with songs fueled on driving rhythms, catchy hooks and haunting harmonies!"
What radio stations are they spun on?
-
United States
Alabama
-
WEGL
Auburn
-
WVUA
Tuscaloosa
Arizona
California
-
KALX
Berkley
-
KDVS
Davis
-
KIDE
Hoopa
-
KVMR
Nevada City
-
WPMD
Norwalk
-
BAGL
San Francisco
-
KCSB
Santa Barbara
-
KSCU
Santa Clara
-
KZSU
Stanford
-
KCSS
Turlock
Colorado
-
KVCU
Boulder
-
KAFA
US Airforce Academy
Connecticut
-
WYBC
New Haven
-
WWUH
West Hartford
Florida
-
WMNF
Tampa
-
WPRK
Winter Park
Georgia
-
WREK
Atlanta
-
WVVS
Valdosta
Illinois
-
WIIT
Chicago
-
WNUR
Evanston
-
WONC
Naperville
Indiana
-
WICR
Indianapolis
-
WMHD
Terre Haute
Iowa
Kansas
-
KJHK
Lawrence
-
KRBZ
Westwood
Kentucky
Louisiana
-
KLSU
Baton Rouge
-
KSLU
Hammond
-
KRVS
Lafayette
Maine
-
WERU
East Orland
-
WUMM
Machias
-
WMPG
Portland
Maryland
Massachusets
-
WMBR
Cambridge
-
WSMU
Dartmouth
-
WMFO
Medford
-
WCFM
Williamstown
Michigan
-
CJAM
Dearborn
-
WXOU
Rochester
Minnesota
-
KFAI
Minneapolis
-
KMSC
Moorhead
-
KRLX
Northfield
-
KCMP
Saint Paul
-
KQAL
Winona
Mississippi
Missouri
-
KCOU
Columbia
-
KKFI
Kansas City
-
KMNR
Rolla
-
KDHX
St. Louis
New Hampshire
-
WUNH
Durham
-
WNEC
Henniker
New Jersey
-
WUCR
Cranford
-
WRSU
New Brunswick
-
WSOU
South Orange
New Mexico
New York
-
M3RA
New York
-
WTSC
Potsdam
-
WITR
Rochester
-
WSIA
Staten Island
-
WRPI
Troy
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
-
ACRN
Athens
-
WBWC
Berea
-
WBGU
Bowling Green
-
BCSB
Cleveland
-
WRUW
Cleveland
Oklahoma
Oregon
-
KBVR
Corvallis
-
KBOO
Portland
Pennsylvania
-
WRDT
Ambler
-
WLVR
Bethlehem
-
WKDU
Philadelphia
-
WRKC
Wilkes-Barre
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
-
KSYM
San Antonio
-
KTSW
San Marcos
Utah
-
KWCR
Ogden
-
KRCL
Salt Lake City
Vermont
Virginia
-
WTJU
Charlottsville
-
WVRU
Radford
Washington
-
KTCV
Kennewick
-
KAOS
Olympia
-
KZUU
Pullman
-
KSUB
Seattle
West Virginia
Wisconsin
-
WIPZ
Kenosha
-
WSUM
Madison
-
WMSE
Milwaukee
-
WRST
Oshkosh
-
WWSP
Stevens Point
-
International
Australia
-
CAST FM
Gosford, New South Wales
-
IRL Television and Radio
New Castle, New South Wales
-
Highlands 100.7FM
Maldon, VC
-
91.3FM Radio NAG
Canada
-
CJSW
Calgary, Alberta
-
CJSR
Edmonton, Alberta
-
CKXU
Lethbridge, Alberta
-
CFBX Radio
Kamloops, BC
-
CFUV
Victoria, BC
-
CJUM
Winnipeg, Manitoba
-
Globe And Mail
Nova Scotia
-
CFRE
Mississauga, Ontario
-
CISM
Montreal, Quebec
-
CBC
Montreal, Quebec
-
CFCR
Saskatoon, Sas.
Germany
-
Radio Unerhört Marburg
Marburg
-
Aloga Radio
Sinzig
Italy
Netherlands
-
Radio Heerde - Internet Radio
-
Alphen Stad FM
Marsstraat
Luxembourg
Portugal
-
RUA FM
Faro
-
Musicatotal Radio
Ponta Delgada-Açores
Scotland
-
Zeitgeist/MetalUK/Space Rock - Internet Radio
Edinburgh
Switzerland
What happened to the Ketchup Bottle!?
Don't worry. It's right here. Don't break anything....
|