With an alternate identity rivaling Clark Kent’s Superman, the Dallas based rock band, 1000 Miles From Home, transforms from erudite engineers to a force of emotionally charged rockers. They fit the stereotypical geek concept - from competitive video gaming to wrestling with the paradoxes of a computer science revolution - they’re deeply submerged in the abstruse world of the inner-workings of technology. When the glare of the stage light comes, however, they adorn guitar straps and drum sticks as if it were a hero’s cape.
1000 Miles From Home
With an alternate identity rivaling Clark Kent’s Superman, the Dallas based rock band, 1000 Miles From Home, transforms from erudite engineers to a force of emotionally charged rockers. They fit the stereotypical geek concept - from competitive video gaming to wrestling with the paradoxes of a computer science revolution - they’re deeply submerged in the abstruse world of the inner-workings of technology. When the glare of the stage light comes, however, they adorn guitar straps and drum sticks as if it were a hero’s cape. For all their love of the tech world, the music is contrastingly organic. Channeling the harmonious flow of Jeff Buckley and cherishing the versatility of the Queens of the Stone Age, the band’s mesh of rock and punk influences elevates the music far beyond many of their contemporaries.
The members of 1000 Miles From Home came to Dallas for various reasons, but were brought together over their love of music. The group originated with a jam session between two co-workers, guitarist Eddie Castillo and vocalist Zach Carrington. With free-flowing chemistry invigorating each session, the two knew they had something, but their vision wasn’t realized until the band took shape, adding bassist Chris “Batman” Bender, drummer Keith Mitchell, and vocalist/guitarist Jeff Widman. Music quickly became far more than a hobby, and, more importantly, it led to a deeper connection as the members – living in an unfamiliar location and estranged from their families - found solace in a shared longing for home.
After performing throughout the Dallas region, recording an album became a matter of demand as a local following began to develop for 1000 Miles From Home. To retain full creative control the band chose to avoid the record label route and self-release the album. This daunting task was conquered with their DIY mentality, and the critically acclaimed record has already exceeded expectations. Now, the self-reliance that fueled such success continues to heighten their ambitions, as they plan for touring and a video gamed styled music video.
The title for 1000 Miles From Home’s debut EP, Collusion, serves as a play on words to symbolize the blending of their various backgrounds, meshing the spirit of each piece to create a unique work of art. The result is somewhat indefinable; bypassing the monotony of fitting a particular genre, the music is vocally evocative of Incubus’s Brandon Boyd with a sense of diversity in sound comparable to the Queens of the Stone Age, and hints of the tripped-out art rock vibe of early Smashing Pumpkins. Mainstream comparisons, however, fail to do this unique band justice as their music can best be described as “the feeling of returning home, even if you’re a thousand miles away.”