Kutless, a Christian alternative band specializing in melodic hard rock, released their self-titled debut on BEC Recordings in 2002. The group, which consists of James Mead (guitar), Nathan "Stu" Stuart (bass), Kyle Mitchell (drums), Ryan Shrout (guitar), and Jon Micah Sumrall (vocals), came together in Portland, Oregon in 1999, inspired by such Christian rock predecessors as the Supertones as well as mainstream modern rockers like Staind, Creed, and Incubus. The seeds of the band were sown when Stuart moved to Portland from his native North Dakota to attend college, where he met Sumrall, Mitchell, and Shrout. All of the members of Kutless attended the same church, Athey Creek, where they began playing music together. They soon decided to forego college to concentrate on their music career, moving into a group house where they hosted basement party gigs. The band headlined such jaunts as the Extreme Days tour and often played events to benefit battered women and children and cancer victims. The group's albums, all released by BEC Recordings, include Kutless (2002), Sea of Faces (2004), Strong Tower (2005), Hearts of the Innocent (2006), Live from Portland (also from 2006), To Know That You're Alive (2008), It Is Well (2009), and Believer (2012). The group's eight studio album, Glory, appeared in 2014. In 2015, Kutless released the Aaron Sprinkle-produced Surrender, featuring the single "Mirror." The album peaked at number thirteen on the Billboard Christian Albums chart, and garnered the band a Dove Award nomination for Rock/Contemporary Album of the Year. Two years later, they returned with their tenth studio album, Alpha/Omega, which included a reworked version of "Strong Tower" as well as the single "King of My Heart." ~ Erik Hage & Steve Leggett