Kansas (band) 1970-1973: Early years Who are the original band members? In 1969 Lynn Meredith, Don Montre, Dan Wright and Kerry Livgren (guitars, keyboards, synthesizers) were performing in a band called The Reasons Why
What was the band's original name?
What was the band Kansas's original name?
In 1969 Lynn Meredith, Don Montre, Dan Wright and Kerry Livgren (guitars, keyboards, synthesizers) were performing in a band called The Reasons Why in their hometown of Topeka, Kansas. After changing the band's name to Saratoga, they started playing Livgren's original material with Scott Kessler playing bass and Zeke Lowe on drums.  In 1970 they changed the band's name to Kansas and merged with members of rival Topeka progressive rock group White Clover. White Clover members Dave Hope (bass) and Phil Ehart (drums, percussion) joined with Livgren, vocalists Meredith and Greg Allen, keyboardists Montre and Wright and saxophonist Larry Baker. This early Kansas group, which lasted until early 1971 when Ehart, Hope and some of the others left to re-form White Clover, is sometimes referred to as Kansas I.  Ehart was replaced by Zeke Lowe and later Brad Schulz, Hope was replaced by Rod Mikinski on bass, and Baker was replaced by John Bolton on saxophone and flute. (This lineup is sometimes referred to as Kansas II, and 30 years later would re-form under the name Proto-Kaw).  In 1972, after Ehart returned from England (where he had gone to look for other musicians), he and Hope once again re-formed White Clover with Robby Steinhardt (vocals, violin, viola, cello), Steve Walsh (vocals, keyboards, synthesizers, percussion) and Rich Williams (guitars). In early 1973 they recruited Livgren from the second Kansas group, which then folded. Eventually they received a recording contract with Don Kirshner's eponymous label, after Kirshner's assistant, Wally Gold, heard one of their demo tapes and came out to check out the band at one of their local gigs in March 1973. After signing with Kirshner, the group decided to return to using the name "Kansas". CANNOTANSWER
After changing the band's name to Saratoga, they started playing Livgren's original material with Scott Kessler playing bass and Zeke Lowe on drums.
Kansas is an American rock band that became popular in the 1970s initially on album-oriented rock charts and later with hit singles such as "Carry On Wayward Son" and "Dust in the Wind". The band has produced nine gold albums, three multi-platinum albums (Leftoverture 4×, Point of Know Return 4×, and The Best of Kansas 4×), one other platinum studio album (Monolith), one platinum live double album (Two for the Show), and a million-selling single, "Dust in the Wind". Kansas appeared on the Billboard charts for over 200 weeks throughout the 1970s and 1980s and played to sold-out arenas and stadiums throughout North America, Europe and Japan. "Carry On Wayward Son" was the second-most-played track on US classic rock radio in 1995 and No. 1 in 1997.

History

1970–1973: Early years
In 1969, Don Montre and Kerry Livgren (guitars, keyboards, synthesizers) were performing in a band called the Reasons Why in their hometown of Topeka, Kansas. After leaving to form the band Saratoga with Lynn Meredith and Dan Wright, they started playing Livgren's original material, with Scott Kessler playing bass and Zeke Lowe coming in on drums.

In 1970, they changed the band's name to Kansas and merged with members of rival Topeka progressive rock group White Clover. White Clover members Dave Hope (bass) and Phil Ehart (drums, percussion) joined with Livgren, vocalists Meredith and Greg Allen, keyboardists Montre and Wright and saxophonist Larry Baker.  This early Kansas group, sometimes called Kansas I, lasted until early 1971 when Ehart, Hope and some of the others left to re-form White Clover.

Ehart was replaced by Zeke Lowe and later Brad Schulz, Hope was replaced by Rod Mikinski on bass and Baker was replaced by John Bolton on saxophone and flute. This lineup is sometimes referred to as Kansas II, and 30 years later would re-form under the name Proto-Kaw.

In 1972, after Ehart returned from England (where he had gone to look for other musicians), he and Hope once again re-formed White Clover with Robby Steinhardt (vocals, violin, viola, cello), Steve Walsh (vocals, keyboards, synthesizers, percussion) and Rich Williams (guitars). In early 1973, they recruited Livgren from the second Kansas group, which then folded. Eventually they received a recording contract with Don Kirshner's eponymous label, after Kirshner's assistant, Wally Gold, heard one of their demo tapes and came out to check out the band at one of their local gigs in March 1973, in Ellinwood, Kansas. After signing with Kirshner, the group decided to return to using the name "Kansas".

1974–1979: Rise to national prominence
Their self-titled debut album, produced by Gold, was released in March 1974, nearly a year after it was recorded in New York. It defined the band's signature sound, a mix of American-style boogie rock and complex, symphonic arrangements with changing time signatures. Steinhardt's violin was a distinctive element of the group's sound, being defined more by heartland rock than the jazz and classical influences which most progressive rock violinists followed.

The band slowly developed a cult following due to promotion by Kirshner and extensive touring for the debut album and its two follow-ups, Song for America (February 1975) and Masque (October 1975). Song for America was co-produced by Wally Gold and their former White Clover bandmate Jeff Glixman, who would go on to produce all of their albums from Masque to Two for the Show (October 1978) on his own, returning to the helm for 1995's Freaks of Nature. Both Masque and their next release, Leftoverture, were recorded at a studio in the middle of the Louisiana Bayou named Studio in the Country.

Kansas released its fourth album, Leftoverture, in October 1976, which produced a hit single, "Carry On Wayward Son", in 1977. The follow-up, Point of Know Return, recorded at Studio in the Country in Bogalusa, Louisiana and Woodland Sound in Nashville and released in October 1977, featured the title track and "Dust in the Wind", both hit singles. Leftoverture was a breakthrough for the band, hitting No. 5 on Billboard's pop album chart. Point of Know Return peaked even higher, at No. 4. Both albums sold over four million copies in the U.S. Both "Carry On Wayward Son" and "Dust in the Wind" were certified gold singles, selling over one million units each. "Dust in the Wind" was certified gold as a digital download by the RIAA in 2005, almost 30 years after selling one million copies as a single. Leftoverture was eventually certified five-times platinum by the RIAA in 2001.

During this period, Kansas became a major headlining act and sold out the largest venues available to rock bands at the time, including New York's Madison Square Garden. The band documented this era in 1978 with Two for the Show, a double live album of recordings from various performances from its 1977 and 1978 tours. The band gained a solid reputation for faithful live reproduction of their studio recordings.

In March 1978, Kansas was brought over to tour Europe for the very first time and later on that same year, they were named UNICEF Deputy Ambassadors of Goodwill.

The follow-up studio album to Point of Know Return was Monolith (May 1979), which was self-produced. The album generated a Top 40 single in "People of the South Wind", whose title refers to the meaning of the 'Kanza' (Kaw) Native American people, after whom the state and the band are named. The album failed to garner the sales and radio airplay of its two predecessors. Nevertheless, the album eventually went platinum. Livgren's platinum award for the album is on display at the Kansas Museum of History. The band toured the US for Monolith during the summer and fall of 1979 then went over to tour Japan for the first time in January 1980.

1980–1984: Creative tensions
Kansas bandmembers began to drift apart in the early 1980s. During the tour supporting Monolith, Livgren became a born-again Christian, and this was reflected in his lyrics on the next three albums, beginning with Audio-Visions (September 1980). "Hold On", a Top 40 single from that album, displayed his new-found faith. Hope soon converted to Christianity as well. This would be the final album with the original lineup (until they briefly reunited in 1999–2000), and also the last Kansas studio album to be certified gold by the RIAA.

Due to creative differences over the lyrical direction of the next album, Walsh left in October 1981 to form a new band, Streets. In early December of that year, Walsh was replaced by vocalist/keyboardist/guitarist John Elefante, who—unknown to Livgren and Hope at the time—was also a Christian. He was chosen from over 200 applicants, such as Sammy Hagar, Doug Pinnick, Ted Neeley (who played the title character in the movie Jesus Christ Superstar), Warren Ham (ex-Bloodrock, who would join the band on the road in 1982, adding sax, flute, harmonica,  back-up vocals and extra keyboards) and Michael Gleason (who would supply keyboards and back-up vocals on the group's 1983 tour).

The first Kansas album with Elefante, Vinyl Confessions, was released in June 1982. The record renewed interest in the group and generated the band's first Top 20 hit in several years, "Play the Game Tonight", which hit No. 4 on Billboards newly deployed Mainstream Rock chart. The album's mostly Christianity-based lyrics attracted a new audience and garnered radio airplay on the then fledgling Contemporary Christian Music format. The album featured backing vocals from Queen drummer Roger Taylor, who was recording in the studio next door. Still, sales of the album fell short of gold status.

Drastic Measures followed in July 1983. For various reasons, Livgren contributed only three songs to the album; the rest were penned by John Elefante and his brother Dino. With violinist Steinhardt leaving the group before the recording sessions, the result was a more mainstream pop-rock album. Though the album charted lower than any Kansas album since Masque, peaking at No. 41, its single "Fight Fire with Fire" fared better. It did not crack the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100, but reached No. 3 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. It was the highest chart position of any Kansas release on any chart, though this particular chart did not exist prior to 1981. For their 1983 tour for Drastic Measures, Kansas was joined on stage by the aforementioned Michael Gleason and Terry Brock (who covered the absent Steinhardt's harmony vocals).

During the band's time with Elefante as lead vocalist, Livgren became increasingly uncomfortable with Kansas representing his Christian worldview. After a final New Year's Eve performance on December 31, 1983, Livgren and Hope left to form AD with Warren Ham and Michael Gleason. They were joined by drummer Dennis Holt.

Elefante, Ehart and Williams sought to continue as Kansas and recorded one more song, "Perfect Lover", which appeared on the retrospective The Best of Kansas (August 1984), which has sold over four million units in the U.S. alone. The song would eventually be removed in favor of other songs on the remastered release of the compilation. The group disbanded after its release, which thus became the final Kansas recording with Elefante. Since leaving the band, Elefante has become a popular Contemporary Christian music artist and has not performed with the group since.

In the summer of 1984, Ehart, Williams and Elefante were part of a United Service Organizations (USO) tour of US military bases that had been put together by Ehart, called 1st Airborne Rock and Roll Division, that also included Patrick Simmons (Doobie Brothers), Leon Medica (LeRoux), David Jenkins, Cory Lerios and John Pierce (from Pablo Cruise) and Robin Zander, Rick Nielsen and Bun E. Carlos (from Cheap Trick). The supergroup began four days of rehearsals in Hawaii on March 10 before beginning a 17-day tour playing for the United States Seventh Fleet in the Indian Ocean and land-based troops in Korea, Okinawa, Diego Garcia and the Philippines. This was followed by a second USO tour in March 1985 that included Ehart, Williams and Steve Walsh.

1985–1990: Reformation

In March 1985, the band came back together with Ehart, Williams and Walsh (who had briefly played keyboards on the road for Cheap Trick in the spring and summer of 1985, after the break up of Streets), but without Livgren, Hope or Steinhardt. The new lineup included Streets bassist Billy Greer and guitarist Steve Morse (formerly of the Dixie Dregs). The first performances of the new lineup with Morse and Greer took place during a third USO 1st Airborne Rock and Roll Division tour that toured US military bases in the US, Japan, Okinawa, the Philippines, Singapore, Iceland and most of Europe during the late summer through early October 1986.

The re-formed band released Power in November 1986. The first single, "All I Wanted", became the last Kansas single to hit the Billboard Top 40 chart, peaking at No. 19. It also received considerable airplay on MTV. Two more singles, the title track and "Can't Cry Anymore", were less successful, "Power" hitting the lower end of the Hot 100 and getting substantial play and charting on the Rock Charts, but "Can't Cry Anymore" receiving little airplay despite a clever music video.

The band added Baton Rouge native Greg Robert on keyboards and back-up vocals at the suggestion of LeRoux's Leon Medica. Greg played his first show with Kansas on January 31, 1987 along with 38 Special at Roberto Clemente Coliseum in Puerto Rico. The new lineup released a second album, In the Spirit of Things, in October 1988. The concept album and subsequent tour were popular with the fan base but did not receive widespread airplay beyond the "Stand Beside Me" video on MTV. Morse temporarily left the band at the end of a tour of Germany in April 1989.

On September 15, 1990 Walsh, Williams and Ehart played a charity event at the Saddlerock Ranch in Malibu, California, alongside Saga, Lou Gramm (of Foreigner), Mr. Big, Eddie Money, Kevin Cronin (from REO Speedwagon) and others. Alex Lifeson joined them on stage for a short set of Kansas before Geddy Lee flew in to join Alex for a Rush set, with Ehart on drums subbing for Neil Peart.

In November 1990, a German promoter arranged to reunite all the original members of Kansas (except for Steinhardt) for a European tour. Greer joined them, along with keyboardist Greg Robert. At the end of the tour, Hope left again, but Livgren remained on into 1991.

1991–1997: Addition of David Ragsdale
In April 1991 violinist David Ragsdale (who had submitted a tape of his playing to Ehart several years earlier) was invited to join the group and the return of the violin allowed Kansas to perform earlier material in arrangements closer to the originals. Livgren left during the 1991 summer tour, to be replaced temporarily by Steve Morse again. After the tour, Morse left the band for good to return to his own projects and eventually become a member of Deep Purple, and Ragsdale took over the extra guitar parts, leaving Williams as the primary guitar player. The resulting lineup of Ehart, Greer, Ragsdale, Robert, Walsh and Williams lasted from 1991 to 1997. This period saw one live album and accompanying video, Live at the Whisky (July 1992), and one studio album, Freaks of Nature (May 1995).

During the fall of 1993, drummer Van Romaine (formerly of Blood Sweat and Tears and Steve Morse's band) came in to substitute for Ehart, who was taking care of the group's business and putting together The Kansas Boxed Set, which was released in July 1994. Bryan Holmes, from The Producers, likewise filled in for Ehart during the spring and summer of 1994 until that December, when Phil returned for a tour of Germany.

On July 28, 1995 Kansas was inducted into the Rock Walk of Fame in Hollywood.

1997–2006: Return of Robby Steinhardt
In early 1997, Robert and Ragsdale left the band and Steinhardt returned.

In May 1998, Kansas released Always Never the Same, which featured Larry Baird conducting the London Symphony Orchestra. The album was a mix of older Kansas material (with new arrangements by Baird), several new songs and a cover of "Eleanor Rigby".

Somewhere to Elsewhere, a new studio album released in July 2000, featured all the original members of Kansas, plus Greer, with all songs written by Kerry Livgren. That same summer, Kansas was the opening act for Yes during their "Masterworks" tour.

During the late 1990s and early 2000s, Livgren would occasionally attend Kansas shows and come on stage to play one or more songs with the band. At a March 9, 2002 concert at Lake Tahoe, he played the whole show, subbing for Rich Williams who was "under the weather", and another live album and DVD from Kansas, entitled Device - Voice - Drum, which was recorded in the band's present home of Atlanta on June 15, 2002, was released that October.

Also in 2002, Kansas II (the lineup prior to the recording and release of the first Kansas album) released an album under the name Proto-Kaw, featuring demos and live material recorded from 1971 to 1973. It led to a new studio album, Before Became After (2004), with most of the Kansas II members participating. Proto-Kaw released a third album, The Wait of Glory in 2006, and their fourth and final studio album, Forth, was released in 2011, after which the band ceased.

2006–2013: Continued touring and regained popularity
Kansas continued to tour every year. The 2006 tour was delayed for a few weeks due to Steinhardt's second departure in March and Ragsdale's subsequent return to the lineup.

In 2008, the Kansas website announced that four of the five members (Ehart, Ragsdale, Williams, and Greer) had formed a side recording group called Native Window and they released their self-titled debut album in June 2009. 

In February 2009, Kansas recorded a concert in Topeka featuring a full symphony orchestra, with Larry Baird conducting. Morse and Livgren appeared as special guests on several songs. The performance was released on CD, DVD, and Blu-ray as There's Know Place Like Home that October and the DVD hit No. 5 on the Billboard Music Video Chart the week after its release.

In July 2010, Kansas completed a 30-day "United We Rock" tour with fellow classic rock acts Styx and Foreigner. Kansas then began a collegiate tour in September 2010. On this tour they performed with the symphony orchestras of various US colleges in an effort to raise money for the individual schools' music programs. The success of the tour led the band to start another one the following year.

On September 13, 2012 Kansas began a new tour with a performance at the Best Buy Theater in New York City. Opening for them was the band King's X and a one-man-band called That 1 Guy. This tour featured many hits from the albums Leftoverture and Point of Know Return, as well as material from a number of their other albums.

The band kicked off 2013 being featured on the Rock Legends II cruise. The floating rock festival for a cause aboard Royal Caribbean International's Liberty of the Seas departed January 10, 2013 from Fort Lauderdale, FL. Other big names included Foreigner, Paul Rodgers, Creedence Clearwater Revisited, Bachman & Turner, 38 Special, The Marshall Tucker Band, Blue Öyster Cult, Foghat and Molly Hatchet.

On March 1, 2013 Kansas announced a 40th-anniversary celebration was in the works. However, Steinhardt suffered a heart attack days before the concert and was unable to participate. Nevertheless, the show went on, billed as the 40th Anniversary Fan Appreciation Concert, performed in Pittsburgh on August 17, 2013 at the same venue, Benedum Center (formerly The Stanley Theater), which had propelled them to national recognition. The show featured guest appearances by Kerry Livgren and Dave Hope and the first set featured symphonic accompaniment by the Three Rivers Orchestra, conducted by Larry Baird. Intermission featured Phil Ehart overseeing random prize drawings of autographed band merchandise, videotaped 40th anniversary well-wishes from other bands and an exclusive first-look at the trailer for the upcoming feature-length documentary Miracles Out of Nowhere.

2014–2020: Retirement of Steve Walsh, The Prelude Implicit
On August 2, 2014 a statement was issued on the band's official Facebook page announcing the impending retirement of lead singer Steve Walsh.

On August 6, 2014 former Kansas lead singer John Elefante issued a statement that he had been contacted by the band on August 2 to discuss rejoining. However, on August 4, after turning to prayer, he said that it was not meant to be. At that point, he also cited Steve Walsh as one of the reasons he wanted to become a singer.

A statement was issued on August 14, 2014 through the band's official Facebook page stating that Chicago native Ronnie Platt (who had previously sung with Shooting Star) had been selected as the band's new lead vocalist and keyboard player.

On August 24, 2014 the band announced that their longtime lighting specialist David Manion would be handling the main keyboard parts for the band on stage along with Platt, giving the group a full-time keyboardist for the first time since Greg Robert's departure in 1997. Manion had also handled keyboard responsibilities for Kansas bassist and vocalist Billy Greer's band, Seventh Key.

In March 2015, the band released the aforementioned documentary, Miracles Out of Nowhere. The documentary chronicles the band's formation and follows them throughout their success with Leftoverture and Point of Know Return. It was initially available in a limited-edition release that contained an extra DVD of bonus interviews. The documentary was released alongside a companion CD of the same name that contained a selection of the band's greatest hits along with snippets of commentary from the documentary.

On September 1, 2015 a press release announced that Kansas had signed with Inside Out Music, a German label dedicated to progressive rock and related genres, for the release of their upcoming 15th studio album. The release of this album marked the longest period to date between studio releases since the previous album, Somewhere to Elsewhere, had been released over 15 years prior, in 2000. On February 26, 2016 the group officially announced The Prelude Implicit for a September 2016 release. The album's co-producer and co-writer, Zak Rizvi, was subsequently named as a full member of the band, giving Kansas a second full-time guitarist for the first time since Steve Morse's departure in 1991.

On September 30, 2016 the current lineup kicked off a multi-city tour at the Benedum Center in Pittsburgh, in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the release of Leftoverture, which was done again in the spring of 2017 with a 12 show 40th anniversary tour, that, like the fall jaunt, included performances of newer tracks, older songs and a complete rendering of the full Leftoverture album. A two-CD set, Leftoverture Live & Beyond, was released in November 2017 that contained 19 songs culled from different shows during the tour and the band's 2017 fall dates also included further 40th anniversary shows.

In 2018 the group decided to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Point of Know Return by playing that album in its entirety at the shows on a tour, set to begin in September.

After the conclusion of the fall tour dates, keyboardist David Manion departed the band and in December Tom Brislin (who had played with Yes, Meat Loaf, Debbie Harry, Renaissance, Camel, Dennis DeYoung and others) was announced as the new keyboardist, with the second leg of the Point 40th anniversary tour slated to resume in March 2019.

On June 25, 2019 The New York Times Magazine listed Kansas among hundreds of artists whose material was destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.

In December 2019, the band played the entire Leftoverture and Point of Know Return albums in a special performance at the Beacon Theater in New York City.

2020: The Absence of Presence
On March 20, 2020, the band announced the upcoming release of a new studio album, The Absence of Presence. Due to manufacturing delays, the album was released on July 17, 2020. It has been promoted by the release of videos for three songs: "Throwing Mountains", "Memories Down the Line" and "Jets Overhead". Recording for the album took place simultaneously during the band's 2019 touring schedule.

To promote the album, an autumn 2020 tour of Europe was scheduled, but following the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, the tour has been postponed to 2022.

Rizvi left the band in April 2021 in order to pursue new projects.

On May 28, 2021, the group released Point of Know Return: Live and Beyond, with performances taken from various dates on the 2019 to early 2020 legs of the Point of Know Return 40th Anniversary Tour.

Former violin player and vocalist Robby Steinhardt died from pancreatitis on July 17, 2021, at the age of 71.

Influences
Kansas's musical style, a fusion of hard rock, southern rock, and progressive rock, was influenced by several bands. The music of Yes and Genesis was inspirational to Kansas, especially demonstrated in the lyrics of Walsh. Livgren cited the 1960s band Touch as foundational to his development. Livgren's evolving spirituality is reflected in the band's songs, with early works showing an interest in the mysticism of Eastern religions, works in the late 1970s influenced by the American spiritual philosophy of The Urantia Book, followed in the early 1980s by works embracing born-again Christianity. The re-formed band produced a harder pop metal album in the late 1980s.

In a 2003 interview with The A.V. Club, Berkeley Breathed, the creator of the Opus comic strip, revealed that "Opus was named after a Kansas song." From the band's 1976 album Leftoverture, the songs "Opus Insert" and the epic "Magnum Opus" could both be the inspiration for the name. He also added, "If you're too young to know who Kansas was, to hell with you."

Appearances in other media

"Carry On Wayward Son" has been covered by many artists. It was included on soundtracks for the following movies and television shows: Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Family Guy, Gentlemen Broncos, Happy Gilmore, Heroes (1977)*, Scrubs, South Park ("Guitar Queer-o" episode), King of the Hill ("My Own Private Rodeo") and Strangers with Candy ("Yes You Can't"). It was also featured in the video games Grand Theft Auto V, Guitar Hero II, Guitar Hero Smash Hits, Rock Band 2, and Rock Band Unplugged.

The song is frequently played throughout the show Supernatural and also appears in Supernatural: The Anime Series (as the ending for each episode). It is often hailed as the show's unofficial theme song.

"Carry On Wayward Son"  was removed from the 1977 movie Heroes when it was discovered that the movie had not obtained rights to use the song. The DVD release by MCA/Universal Home used a different (unknown) song, yet the credit for "Wayward Son" remains.

"Dust in the Wind" was parodied by comedian Tim Hawkins, the parody called "A Whiff of Kansas" which is on the Pretty Pink Tractor album, and a video parody on the Insanitized live DVD. In 2016, the music video for the song was parodied on The Late Late Show with James Corden.  In the 2003 movie Old School, the song was sung by Frank "The Tank" Ricard, played by Will Ferrell, at the funeral for Joseph "Blue" Pulaski, a fraternity brother, played by Joseph Patrick Cranshaw, and as such, the song appears on the movie's soundtrack.  In the 1989 movie Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Ted, played by Keanu Reeves, quotes the song lyric "All we are is dust in the wind, dude" to philosophize with Socrates.

"Point of Know Return" was featured as part of the soundtrack for the 2021 film The Suicide Squad.

Members

Current members
Phil Ehart – drums, percussion 
Rich Williams – lead and rhythm guitars 
Billy Greer – bass, acoustic guitar, backing and lead vocals 
David Ragsdale – violin, rhythm guitar, backing vocals 
Ronnie Platt – lead and backing vocals, keyboards 
Tom Brislin – keyboards, backing and lead vocals

Discography

Kansas (1974)
Song for America (1975)
Masque (1975)
Leftoverture (1976)
Point of Know Return (1977)
Monolith (1979)
Audio-Visions (1980)
Vinyl Confessions (1982)
Drastic Measures (1983)
Power (1986)
In the Spirit of Things (1988)
Freaks of Nature (1995)
Always Never the Same (1998)
Somewhere to Elsewhere (2000)
The Prelude Implicit (2016)
The Absence of Presence (2020)

References

External links

 
 Billy Greer
 Kerry Livgren
 David Ragsdale
 Steve Walsh
 John Elefante
 
 
 AllMusic: Kansas - Artist Biography
 
 Innerviews: Career-Spanning 2015 Band Interview

 
American hard rock musical groups
American progressive rock groups
Art rock musical groups
Epic Records artists
Musical groups established in 1973
Musical groups disestablished in 1984
Musical groups reestablished in 1985
1973 establishments in Kansas
1984 disestablishments in Kansas
1985 establishments in Kansas
Musicians from Topeka, Kansas
Rock music groups from Kansas
Symphonic rock groups
Inside Out Music artists
MCA Records artists
Magna Carta Records artists
After the Anthems was a band based in Mississauga, Ontario, and originally from Owen Sound. The band formed in October 2006; their sound was described as 'pop/rock/punk'.

History

Early bands and formation (2000-2006)
Philip Ciufo, Lee Zavitz, and Phil Johnston began playing together in 2000, in high school. When Johnston entered high school in 2000, he was recruited as their drummer. They formed the band 6 Days Late; the name was changed shortly afterward to Unidentified 6.

The band performed their first show during their junior year at their school. They played local shows and created four albums of songs collectively titled: Do Humans Look Like Their Pets?, Lights Go Out, Unaware, and Loser, as well as several untitled EPs which they distributed at their school. The band's title remained Unidentified 6 until 2004, when they changed their name to One Way Out. Up until that time, Zavitz played bass. After the name change, Tim Stead joined the trio to play bass while Zavitz switched to guitar.

One Way Out released a self-titled album in 2004 and an EP titled Salvage What's Left in 2005. Shortly after the release of their EP the band went on a short tour with John Reuben and also opened for Thousand Foot Krutch, Seventh Day Slumber, and Hawk Nelson. Stead then left the band and was replaced by long-time friend Dan Curry who played with the band until March 2006. At this time the four went on hiatus.

This is the Sound (2007)
In October 2006, Ciufo re-joined with Zavitz and Johnston to officially form After the Anthems. Over the course of 2006 and 2007, the three went on to record This is the Sound which was released in September 2007. In August, Jason Soloduik was added to the lineup to play bass. The band then went on tour throughout North America from October to December at which point Soloduik left the band.

On February 24, 2009 After the Anthems released a 6-song EP titled It's DejaVu All over Again. The album contained the cover version of the Huey Lewis and the News song "The Power of Love", as well as five new original songs. "The Power of Love" went to No. 1 on the CT20 in May 2009.

On April 29, 2010, the band released a mashup cover of three songs. One is titled "One Time I Replayed the Empire State of Mind" and is a cover of "One Time" by Justin Bieber, "Empire State of Mind" by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys, and "Replay" by Iyaz. The song was released on a new Facebook application called MuSwap. This was the first song released through MuSwap and went semi-viral receiving over 500 downloads on its first day.

What if the Astronauts Are Lying (2011)
The band released its last album on iTunes on February 19, 2011 titled What if the Astronauts are Lying?. The official release party was held at The Opera House (Toronto). The first single from the album was "1623" and a music video was released via the band's website in August 2011. The entire album was given away for free via MuSwap.com; it was downloaded over 5000 times. Also, the band released over 5000 hard copies of the album to give to fans at shows.

Discography

 This is the Sound (2007)
 It's DejaVu All over Again (EP, 2009)
 What if the Astronauts Are Lying (2011)

References

Musical groups established in 2006
Musical groups from Ontario
Owen Sound
Canadian pop punk groups
Canadian musical trios
2006 establishments in Ontario The Monroes were a new wave band from San Diego active throughout most of the 1980s. They are best known for their single "What Do All the People Know".

Background
For keyboardist Eric Denton, forming the Monroes fulfilled his early fantasies of becoming a rock star. Born in Lansing, Michigan, Denton moved to Ventura, California with his family at a young age, at which point he began immersing himself in piano studies. By the late 1970s, Denton had already performed at several high school dances, when his family moved to San Diego. In addition to his musical talents, by this point, he had also become very savvy on the business and organizational aspects of the music world, an attribute that would serve him well during the Monroes years. Before long, he was playing in the band Peter Rabbitt. However, after touring with this band for a while, Denton returned to San Diego, where he bought a recording studio with the goal of creating a group that played all original material.

While working in the recording studio (Accusound), Denton had brushes with other budding musicians, one of whom was bassist Bob Davis (a.k.a. "Bob Monroe"), with whom he was especially impressed. Before long the two had joined together, forming the nucleus of what would become The Monroes. Another musician who regularly visited the studio was guitarist Rusty Jones, who had previously played with Davis in the Ken Dixon Band (an all-covers band), and he became the next to join this fledgling group. Denton's former Peter Rabbitt bandmate, drummer Jonnie Gilstrap came on board, and the search was then on for a lead singer. The band ultimately decided on Jesus "Tony" Ortiz (a.k.a. "Tony Monroe"), who Denton described as having the ability to "make any song, good or bad, sound great", to fill this capacity.

According to Ortiz, the band's name, "The Monroes" was derived from a band Bob Davis was originally in with the now well-known singer-songwriter Rick Elias called "Rick Elias and the Monroes". In this context, the "Monroes" part of the name was a direct reference to the fact that Elias was originally from Monroe, Louisiana. Once Elias left for a solo career, he allowed Davis to keep the name.

The band began recording demos of early tracks at Accusound, and they began shopping them around the Los Angeles area. They soon recruited John Deverian as their manager, who signed them to a small Japanese label, Alfa Records. Before long, the band was recording what would become their debut EP at Chateau Studios. One of the most recent songs they had written was called "What Do All the People Know", for which Bob Monroe had come up with the basic melody.

"What Do All the People Know" generated a local buzz around the San Diego area, and it was selected as the first single released from the group's self-titled EP, completed in 1982. They then toured with the likes of Toto, Greg Kihn, and Rick Springfield while their single climbed the charts. However, as the band was pondering ideas for their first music video, they found out that their Japan-based record label Alfa was abandoning its US market. Without the backing of a label, they were left with no promotion, and the band's single and mini-album quickly fell off the charts.

The band attempted to continue, signing with CBS, but any new musical projects were shelved. Individual band members gradually quit the group over the next several years. The remaining members would continue until the band eventually broke up in 1988.

Aftermath
After the breakup, bassist Bob Davis formed the band Street Heart.

Denton owned Guitar Trader in San Diego, California, which closed, after being a long-time pillar of the San Diego music scene, in December 2014. Jones returned from a long musical hiatus in 2005, and began writing and performing again in the San Diego area. Gilstrap returned to San Diego in 2006 and studied tribal fusion and Middle Eastern drumming. In 2007, Denton had a son named Kyle.

Ortiz left the band in 1986 and, disillusioned with the music business, moved to Minneapolis shortly thereafter. He would remain there for the next twenty years. Then, in 2006, he returned to California, where he reconnected with Jones. By 2007, the two were performing live and did not rule out the possibility of a complete Monroes reunion. Ortiz later returned to Minnesota to be closer to his children and has continued performing on his own there.

Although the band separated years ago, all members in one fashion or another are still involved in their passion for music. Three of the original five band members met in June 2009. Band members included Jonnie Gilstrap, Tony Ortiz and Eric Denton. The three musicians discussed seriously the possibility of reuniting and doing a USA tour.

2013–present: New developments
In 2013, the band released a seven-song EP, What Do All the People Know?, featuring an alternate version of "What Do All the People Know?" (including a portion of the final verse extracted from the version featured on the original 1982 EP) as well as previously unreleased material from their early recording sessions.

On August 28, 2020, a long-awaited "official" music video for "What Do All the People Know?" was released, interpolating the original vision for the video 38 years prior with modern scenes and vintage footage from past Monroes shows.

Discography

EPs
The Monroes (Alfa Records AAE-15015) – 1982 (U.S. version has five tracks)
(The Japanese version of the album (Alfa Records ULR-18001) features "Yamarock", the b-side of the "What Do All the People Know" single as a sixth track and a different cover from the U.S. edition.)
What Do All the People Know? (MusicPower.com) – 2013

Seven-Inch singles
"What Do All the People Know" / "Yamarock" (Alfa Records ALF-7119) 1982 U.S.

Compilations
Each of these albums include the song "What Do All the People Know"
 1994 Living in Oblivion (The 80's Greatest Hits – Volume 3) (EMI E2-27674) U.S.
 1994 Just Can't Get Enough: New Wave Hits of the '80s, Vol. 4 (Rhino R2 71697 ) U.S.
 2001 Shake Some Action Vol. 4 (Shake Some Action SSA 4) Europe

Notes/References

External links
 
[ The Monroes] on Allmusic
More Extensive Bio/Eric Denton Update (Sanford, Jay Allen (2007). "Remember the Monroes??")
Band Photo
The Monroes Founding Member Website – Eric Denton Keyboardist
Rusty Jones' YouTube page
Tony Ortiz' YouTube page
Tony Ortiz' website
Rusty Jones update (includes more extensive Monroes information)
Article about Ortiz and Jones' recent activities
Rusty Jones' MySpace Page
Jonnie Gilstrap's MySpace Page
BidOnSound, (Exclusive Music related Online Action)- Eric Denton, Co-founder

American pop music groups
American new wave musical groups
Musical groups disestablished in 1988
Musical groups from San Diego