Jesusfreakhideout.com Music News, October 2007: KUTLESS

TALENTED KUTLESS FANS PLAY LIVE ON STAGE AFTER WINNING PRS GUITARS CONTEST
11-Year-Old Aspiring Guitar Player From North Carolina Wins Online Vote

NEWS SOURCE: Spinhouse PR
October 9, 2007

SEATTLE, Wash. – October 9, 2007 – Rock band Kutless invited six Kutless fans and talented guitarists to perform live on stage throughout the summer festival season as part of an innovative promotional partnership with PRS Guitars, which makes guitars favored by some of the world’s most renowned touring professional musicians such as Carlos Santana, Dave Navarro, Dave Matthews and James Mead of Kutless.

In the PRS Guitars invites you to ROCK THE FESTIVAL with KUTLESS online contest, 11-year-old Caleb Knott from Rolesville, N.C. was the grand prize winner, of not only a spot on stage at Creation Northeast, but also the recipient of a coveted PRS SC250 guitar and a slew of Kutless merchandise. The promotional contest featured a two-round online battle of the band’s style competition with Kutless choosing the semi-finalists from self-produced videos submitted via YouTube.com. The winner, Caleb Knott, was then determined by an online fan vote.

“We were totally blown away, first by the amount of guys and girls that entered, then by the amazing productions the contestants put together and finally by the fact that an 11-year-old put together a performance that made him the overwhelming favorite by the huge online vote to pick the winners. It was a blast to perform on stage with the six winners and we hope they will remember that experience for a long time,” said Lead Kutless guitarist, James Mead.

The other winners in the contest and at which summer festivals they performed were:

2nd Place - Caleb Bradshaw of Tucson, Ariz.
Spirit West Coast (Monterey) finalist
Prize: PRS SE Custom guitar and Kutless merchandise

3rd Place -- Ryan Hammond of Cloquet, Minn.
Sonshine Festival finalist
Prize: PRS Leather Jacket and Kutless merchandise

4th Place -- Joe Kilgore of Ohio
Alive Festival finalist
Prize: Complete Kutless CD Discography and a Kutless t-shirt

5th Place -- Ben McPherson of Plano, TX
Rock the Desert finalist
Prize: Kutless merchandise

6th Place -- Serge Pupko of Boise, ID
Creation Northwest finalist
Prize: Kutless merchandise

Kutless guitarists James Mead and Nick DePartee play an extensive collection of PRS guitars including the Custom 22, Custom 24, Singlecut Trem, Standard 24, Singlecut, Singlecut Satin and Hollowbody II. The Kutless players are part of an impressive roster of touring musicians who have helped make PRS Guitars a premier guitar maker alongside Gibson and Fender. Other well-known PRS Guitar players include Chris Henderson of 3 Doors Down; Tim Mahoney of 311; Billy Martin of Good Charlotte, Brad Delson of Linkin Park, Jason Truby of P.O.D. and Noah Henson of Pillar.

About Kutless
With multiple #1 singles, four hit albums and sales now exceeding one million units, Kutless’ bold lyrics and driving, guitar-based music have garnered them legions of fans worldwide. Launched by original members Jon Micah Sumrall (lead vocals) and guitarist James Mead (and now includes drummer Jeffrey Gilbert, bass player Dave Luetkenhoelter and guitarist Nick DePartee), the band formed first as a modern rock/worship band at Warner Pacific College in Portland in 2000, influenced by Christian rock predecessors such as the Supertones as well as mainstream modern rockers like Staind, Creed, and Incubus. Kutless signed to Tooth & Nail/BEC in late 2001 and released its self-titled debut the following year, a CD which went on to become the fastest-selling debut in the label’s history. Excitement and sales have grown with each of the band’s subsequent releases: Sea of Faces, Strong Tower and 2005’s Hearts of the Innocent, which also launched a new sponsorship relationship with Suzuki. Kutless places a big emphasis on giving back and have raised more than $60,000 for Hurricane Katrina victims. They have also served as an artist representative for world child relief agency Compassion International. The band’s latest release is a live CD and DVD project, Kutless: Live From Portland. For more information, visit www.kutless.com.

About PRS Guitars
Guitar building is an ongoing process of discovery. We are devoted to the guitar's rich heritage while committed to new technologies that will enrich our products with uncompromised tone, playability and beauty. Our success depends on our ability to listen, implement positive change and continually refine our craft. Believing this, we strive to build the best guitars and guitar products possible and to serve our employees, customers, suppliers and community with distinction. For more information, visit www.prsguitars.com.