Few dare to test the boundaries, to step outside the accepted and cut their own path in a crowded scene, like Lawrence, KS-based heavy music innovators THE ESOTERIC. THE ESOTERIC are a shining example of the determination, hard work ethic and do-it-yourself values so characteristic of the band’s Midwestern roots...using those traits to turn tragedy into opportunity and setbacks into starting blocks.
In February of 2005, the band's home burned to the ground, leaving THE ESOTERIC with nothing on the very morning the master CD for the band’s With the Sureness of Sleepwalking album arrived in the mail. Fitting almost, as the band embarked on what would be a non-stop whirlwind touring schedule in support of Sleepwalking just a week later with friends Nodes of Ranvier, followed by tours with The Acacia Strain, Since The Flood, LoveHateHero and Secret Lives of the Freemasons.
April 2005 then saw the release of Sleepwalking and the acclaimed "Ram-Faced Boy" music video. Directed by Matt Bass (Linkin Park, Rasputina) for Factory Features, the video garnered immediate attention at both MTV2 and Fuse and set the stage for an appearance at the New England Metal and Hardcore Festival, a summer tour with Himsa and a leg on the esteemed Vans Warped Tour.
The band continued to stay on the road through the fall and into winter, racking up nearly 300 shows that year with such diverse acts as Every Time I Die, High On Fire, The Red Chord, Boysetsfire, From Autumn To Ashes, Bear Vs Shark and Biology before taking a short break to shoot their second video for “Your New Burden.” The band began 2006 with a massive 50-date co-headlining tour across America with Scarlet, Calico System and Fight Paris before settling into the studio that spring with Producer/Engineer Paul Malinowski (Shiner, Open Hand, Roman Numerals) to begin work on Subverter, the band’s newest foray into the untapped mediums of music.
With their latest opus completed and slated for an October 17 release, the band hit the road again in August 2006 on a headlining US tour with art-rockers Mouth of the Architect, preparing themselves for the year of the Subverter; a time for THE ESOTERIC to test, break and rewrite the guidelines for today’s music and make their presence known.
With a genre-defying stab at modern conventions, Subverter provides a feral glimpse into the future of music while THE ESOTERIC bring the attack on the modern state of rock music with their unique grasp of songcraft and a live performance that MUST be seen to be truly experienced.
WE WILL NOT BE CONVINCED THAT NOW IS NOT OUR TIME.
Anthony Diale | Bass
Cory White | Guitar, Electronics, Keys
Eric Graves | Guitar, Electronics, Keys
Marshall Kilpatric | Drums, Percussion
Steve Cruz | Voice, Sounds
