Overview

Trevor McNevan founded the band in Peterborough, Ontario, a city northeast of Toronto, where he went to high school. Joel Bruyere, born in Brantford, Ontario, was McNevan's childhood friend who had moved away but remained in contact with him. Drummer Steve Augustine is from Hamilton, Ontario. McNevan's first band was Oddball, which featured Dave Smith on guitar, Tim Baxter on bass and McNevan's good friend, Three Days Grace's Neil Sanderson, on drums. Oddball recorded only one album, Shutterbug, which was released in 1995. McNevan is the founding member of TFK (along with original guitarist Dave Smith), formed in 1997 in Peterborough, Ontario. McNevan came up with TFK's name "symbolizing the point in our lives that we realize we can't make it on our own strength". He has written and released seven albums with Thousand Foot Krutch to date and another four with his side project FM Static.

TFK has worked with Aaron Sprinkle (Mae/Anberlin/MxPx), Gavin Brown (Three Days Grace/Billy Talent/Thornley), Arnold Lanni (Our Lady Peace/Finger Eleven/Simple Plan), and Ken Andrews (Beck/Chris Cornell/Pete Yorn/Tenacious D) on their last three Tooth and Nail-released records.

History

Shutterbug (1995-1996)

Shutterbug was released by Trevor McNevan in 1995 under the band name Oddball. McNevan had friends Dave Smith (guitar), Tim Baxter (bass) and Neil Sanderson (drums), play on the album. There were 27 songs on the album, the first half rock, the second half hip-hop. McNevan recorded it at Barry Haggarty's studio in his home town of Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. He worked at McDonalds and other jobs to pay for the studio time. The song "Lift It," first appeared here and was later re-recorded for Thousand Foot Krutch's first release That's What People Do and appeared again on Set It Off.

That's What People Do (1997-1999)

That's What People Do was written the year McNevan started TFK in 1997. It was released independently in 1998 and is out of print. It sold over 5,000 copies. TFK climbed the ladder of local notoriety throughout Ontario and abroad. Reaching the ears of Ontario commercial radio, CKWF 101.5 FM in their home town of Peterborough added "Rhyme Animal", the band's first single from their independent recording, to their rotation. It clicked with listeners and within two months ended up being one of the five most requested songs of the year. In 1999, TFK was chosen by 7 Ball Magazine as one of the top 25 bands in North America. They were also awarded "Best Indie Recording" and McNevan awarded "Vocalist of the Year" by the readers of The Wire Magazine. They were then awarded "Band of the Year" at the 2000 Wire Awards. They were also voted as the No. 1 band of the millennium on 100.3 FM in Barrie, Ontario.

Set It Off (2000-2002)

Set It Off was released on November 14, 2000. It was the group's first indie label release. The sound of the album was distinct in its heavily hip-hop influenced nu metal, and though a few songs from the record (including "Puppet" and "Supafly") impacted at both secular and Christian radio, the band gained notoriety almost entirely through self-promotion and word of mouth. The band toured it extensively across North America and ended up garnering much label attention by selling 85,000 copies of the indie release out of their van. The band also printed a limited edition "Pre-release" version of "Set It Off" only sold at their release party at The Gordon Best Theatre in Peterborough, Ontario for their local fans. TFK toured with Finger Eleven, Econoline Crush, Treble Charger, The Tea Party, Matthew Good Band, Gob, Sum 41 and others. Three Days Grace, which was a cover band at that time, was TFK's regular support act. McNevan helped with recordings of Three Days Grace's demo album. He is also featured on their song "This Movie" from this album. Around this same time, Dave Smith left the group, making McNevan the only original member. Smith was replaced with Myke Harrison, who parted ways about a year later. After Dave Smith's departure, McNevan began writing all the guitar lines and the band has used a live guitar player instead of officially replacing him.

Track seven from this album, entitled "Unbelievable" - a cover of the EMF song of the same name - appeared on the soundtrack for the 2010 movie "Just Wright".

Phenomenon (2003-2004)

In 2003, the band signed with Seattle-based Tooth & Nail Records after long consideration and released their critically acclaimed second full-length CD, Phenomenon. Though something of a departure from the rap-heavy sound of Set it Off, Phenomenon still relied on McNevan's rhythmic vocals, albeit with a solid modern metal sound. Phenomenon was well received, and spawned 4 popular radio singles, including the anthemic "Rawkfist." The CD sold 200,000 units making it one of the best-selling albums in Tooth & Nail's history. They continued this success with the 2004 re-release of Set it Off through Tooth & Nail, allowing for a larger print run and adding 6 songs, including five from "That's What People Do", and one new song "Everyone Like Me", produced by Gavin Brown (Three Days Grace/Billy Talent/Thornley).

In this same time, McNevan and Augustine started a side band called FM Static, which can be classified as a pop-punk or pop/rock band and is usually much more light-hearted. FM Static scored numerous No. 1 hits, including their songs "Crazy Mary", and "Something to Believe in." In 2004, they toured with Kutless on the "Sea of Faces" tour alongside Falling Up and FM Static.

The Art of Breaking (2005-2006)

On July 19, 2005, they released their third full-length album The Art of Breaking, produced by Arnold Lanni (Our Lady Peace/Finger Eleven/Simple Plan). This album makes almost a complete break from the nu metal sound of Phenomenon, focusing more on heavy elements. The record is the first to feature short guitar solos as well. The Art of Breaking was received well from fans, although some criticized the album's change of style. The single "Move" peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart early 2006. Other singles included "Absolute" and "Breathe You In", which was released to alternative radio and was one of the band's first slower songs. During this time the band toured extensively.

The Flame in All of Us (2007-2008)

After working in the studio with producer Ken Andrews (Beck/Chris Cornell/Pete Yorn/Tenacious D/Mae) they released The Flame in All of Us on September 18, 2007, with a move to a more mainstream rock sound, with some heavy influences from bands such as fellow Canadian artists Our Lady Peace & other various metal bands. The album features the singles "Falls Apart", "What do we Know?", "Favorite Disease" and "The Flame in All of Us". On January 20, 2008 "The Flame in All of Us" became the 1000th song to ever make it on the ChristianRock.Net Top 30 Chart. Also on Purevolume.com, Thousand Foot Krutch was the favourite artist on July 2, 2007 and August 26, 2007.

In 2006, McNevan became involved with TobyMac and helped him write the song "Ignition" found on Portable Sounds. The song has been used in many TV/film placements including Monday Night Football and NASCAR. Because of this, in the spring of 2007 the band was part of the TobyMac Portable Sounds tour. The tour was such a success that Toby asked them to do the fall tour as well.

The next tour was in the spring of 2008 when the band toured with Skillet and Decyfer Down. TFK performed with P.O.D., Chevelle, Sevendust, 10 Years, Daughtry, Red and many other bands on this album. After a lengthy summer playing festivals and one-offs, they were direct support for the very first Creation Festival: The Tour. The tour consisted of the following nine bands: Kutless, TFK, Pillar, KJ-52, Fireflight, Worth Dying For, Run Kid Run, Esterlyn, and Capital Lights. TFK was asked to headline the tour three shows in, but declined. TFK covered the Christmas song "Jingle Bell Rawk" for the Christmas album X Christmas, put out by Tooth & Nail Records.

Welcome to the Masquerade (2009-2011)

Thousand Foot Krutch's next album, titled Welcome to the Masquerade, first announced in early 2009. In April '09, McNevan appeared in a live chat with fans via TFKTV hosted by Mogulus Live Broadcast, where he revealed several facts about the record. The band reunited with Aaron Sprinkle to co-produce this album (Sprinkle had previously produced the TFK album Phenomenon) with Emery's Matt Carter assisting and Randy Staub (Metallica/Stone Sour/Nickelback/Our Lady Peace) mixing. The song "Fire It Up" was featured in video games such as EA Sports NHL 10 and a few others and was featured in the G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra movie trailer. The record was released on September 8, 2009 and peaked at No. 35 on the Billboard 200.

In summer 2009, McNevan underwent emergency surgery on his appendix, causing TFK to cancel at Creation West Festival (not to be confused with Creation Festival: The Tour). He returned to play shows a week later. The band did appear at many other festivals, including their debut appearance at Soulfest. Thousand Foot Krutch then announced a fall tour to support Welcome to The Masquerade and during fall 2009, TFK performed again on Creation Festival: The Tour, with Jars of Clay, Audio Unplugged, B.Reith, FM Static, and This Beautiful Republic, and also a Christmas holiday show with Thirty Seconds to Mars, Flyleaf, After Midnight Project, and The Veer Union.

On September 8, 2009, TFK's three albums, Phenomenon, The Art of Breaking, and The Flame in All of Us were re-released as a three-CD set called Deja Vu: The Thousand Foot Krutch Anthology.

Thousand Foot Krutch toured with Breaking Benjamin, Chevelle and Red in March 2010.

The Peterborough Examiner reported on January 29 that an unspecified Thousand Foot Krutch song may be used in Iron Man 2.

In a concert video posted on February 1, 2010 the band was seen with new guitarist, Ty Dietzler, who replaced Nick Baumhardt as the touring guitarist. He has also played rhythm guitar for The Letter Black.

In the first week of April 2010, "Fire it Up" was released for the Rock band music store in Rock Band 2. On April 19, The Detroit Red Wings featured "The Invitation" and "Welcome to the Masquerade" during the pre-game introduction. On May 11, 2010, McNevan announced on his personal Facebook page: "We covered "The Heat Miser Song" from the old classic Christmas special, gonna do one with FM too, but that's a surprise..." referring to their upcoming appearance on the album "X-Christmas 2" by Tooth and Nail Records. He has also stated that a live DVD for TFK is planned for the very near future and is being recorded on May 28 at YC Alberta at Rexall Place in Edmonton in front of an audience of 14,000 people. The live DVD is likely to be released in the fall of 2010 according to McNevan. TFK's song "Unbelievable" is to be used in the movie Just Wright. During the 2010 NBA playoffs, TFK's song "Move" is being used by ABC.

In 2010, TFK performed at Creation Festival: The Tour Presents the Welcome to the Masquerade Fall Tour. They are headlining the tour, which will also feature Disciple and Ivoryline, with Decyfer Down replacing Disciple during the last week of the tour. The band also stated that they have just started writing tracks for a new record.

In January 2011 TFK joined the Rock And Worship Roadshow national tour headlined by MercyMe.

On March 2, 2011 Ty Dietzler announced via his website that he would be leaving the band at the end of the month. The band was searching for a replacement guitarist for Dietzler. On March 30, 2011 the band announced that Dietzler would be remaining with the band, and canceled the search for a replacement.

On June 7, 2011 the band released a live album/DVD called Live at the Masquerade, recorded live at YC Alberta in front of a sold-out crowd of 18,000.

On September 10, 2011 TFK headlined at the First Love Festival in Buena Vista, NJ along with Decyfer Down, Remedy Drive, Addison Road, Dave Pettigrew, and Compelled.

The End Is Where We Begin (2011-2013)

At Soulfest 2011, Thousand Foot Krutch announced that they would be in-studio to start recording the album The End Is Where We Begin on August 8. The album was released on April 17, 2012. McNevan tweeted that the title would be "The End Is Where We Begin". On November 29, 2011 they announced that they would be leaving Tooth & Nail Records to release The End is Where We Begin independently. The band has set up a web page offering fans various pre-release packages in exchange for advance support for the costs in recording and releasing the album. The song "War of Change" was made available for free download in early December. Fans who donated to the band received early downloads of the songs "The End is Where We Begin" and "Courtesy Call" on January 7, 2012.

The album debuted No. 5 on iTunes in US, and No. 1 in Canada. "War of Change" was the Theme Song for the 2012 Edition of WWE Over the Limit.

On October 15, 2013, Thousand Foot Krutch released Made in Canada: The 1998-2010 Collection, a fourteen-track collection featuring two new songs, "Searchlight" and "Complicate You".

OXYGEN:INHALE and EXHALE (2014-present)

On March 27, 2014 the band announced that they will be recording the new album on April 21. In an interview at Rock on the Range, McNevan stated that the album would be released on August 26, 2014 under the title OXYGEN:INHALE. The band launched a Pledge Music campaign to raise funds for the album in May. The first single from the album, "Born This Way", was released on July 22. The second single, titled "Untraveled Road" was released on August 6 on YouTube. On August 19, the entire album, OXYGEN:INHALE, was released on iTunes First Play, a part of iTunes Radio.

Joshua Sturm, husband of former Flyleaf vocalist Lacey Sturm, is filling in for Joel Bruyere, who has been in the hospital, due to his lungs collapsing.

Writing and recording has been finished for TFK's follow-up or companion album to OXYGEN:INHALE, with the announcement made on November 19, 2015, that the next album would be the second half following "OXYGEN:INHALE", titled EXHALE.

Three singles have been released of Exhale, "Born Again" on December 11, 2015, "Incomplete" on February 1, 2016 and "Running with Giants" on February 25, 2016.

Exhale is to be released on June 17, 2016.

Members

Current

• Trevor McNevan - vocals, guitar (studio) (1995-present)
• Joel Bruyere - bass guitar, backing vocals (1999-present)
• Steve Augustine - drums (2002-present)

Former

• Neil Sanderson - drums (1996-1997)
• Tim Baxter - bass guitar (1995-1998)
• Dave Smith - guitar (1996-2002)
• Christian Harvey - drums (1997-2000)
• Geoff "Johnny Orbital" Laforet - drums (2000-2002)

Touring

• Joshua Sturm - bass (shows in August and September in 2015)
• Andrew Welch - guitar (2012-present) backing vocals(2014-present)
• Paul Pedasiuk - bass guitar (1998-1999)
• Myke Harrison - guitar (2002-2003)
• Jamie Aplin - guitar (2003-2007)
• Nick Baumhardt - guitar, backing vocals, keyboards (2007-2010)
• Ty Dietzler - guitar (2011-2012)

Session

• Aaron Sprinkle - keyboards and additional guitars
• Arnold Lanni - keyboards
• Ken Andrews - keyboards
• Phil X - additional guitars
• Randy Torres - additional guitars
• Pete Stewart - additional guitar
• Charlotte Martin - backing vocals
• Adam Gontier - additional vocals

Timeline

Discography

Main article: Thousand Foot Krutch discography

As Oddball

• Shutterbug (1995)

As Thousand Foot Krutch

• That's What People Do (1997)
• Set It Off (2001)
• Phenomenon (2003)
• The Art of Breaking (2005)
• The Flame in All of Us (2007)
• Welcome to the Masquerade (2009)
• The End Is Where We Begin (2012)
• Oxygen: Inhale (2014)
• Exhale (2016)

Awards and recognition

Gospel Music Association Canada Covenant Awards

Year	Award	Result
2005	Artist of the Year	Won
	Group of the Year	Won
	Modern Rock Album of the Year (The Art of Breaking)	Won
2006	Video of the Year ("Move")	Won
2008	Group of the Year	Nominated
	Hard Music Album of the Year (The Flame in All of Us)	Nominated
	Hard Music Song of the Year ("Falls Apart")	Nominated
2010	Rock Album of the Year (Welcome to the Masquerade)	Won
	Rock Song of the Year ("Forward Motion")	Won
	Hard Music Song of the Year ("Bring Me to Life")	Won

GMA Dove Awards

Year	Award	Result
2004	Rock Album of the Year (Phenomenon)	Nominated
2005	Rock Album of the Year (Set It Off)	Nominated
2006	Rock Album of the Year (The Art of Breaking)	Nominated
	Short Form Music Video of the Year ("Move")	Nominated
2008	Short Form Music Video of the Year ("Falls Apart")	Nominated
2010	Rock Album of the Year (Welcome to the Masquerade)	Nominated
	Rock Song of the Year ("Bring Me to Life")	Nominated
2013	Rock Album of the Year (The End Is Where We Begin)	Nominated

Juno Awards

Year	Award	Result
2005	Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album of the year (Phenomenon)	Nominated
2006	Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album of the year (The Art of Breaking)	Nominated
2008	Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album of the year (The Flame in All of Us)	Nominated
2010	Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album of the year (Welcome to the Masquerade)	Nominated
2013	Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album of the year (The End Is Where We Begin)	Nominated

Shai Awards (formerly The Vibe Awards)

Year	Award	Result
2004	Hard Music Album of the Year (Phenomenon)	Won

Other

• TFK won Taco Bell's "Feed The Beat" competition in 2008 along with Fireflight and Hit The Lights, they played the Winter X Games in Aspen with ESPN/Taco Bell.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]