Flee the Seen

Infobox musical artist
Name = Flee The Seen


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Origin = Kansas City, Missouri
Genre = Post-hardcore Punk Screamo Alternative rock
Years_active = 2003 – Present
Label = Facedown Records (2005 - 2007)
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Current_members = Kim Anderson R. L. Brooks Manuel Sanchez Aaron Crawford Lucas Dills
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Flee the Seen is a Rock band based out of Kansas City, Missouri. They were signed to Facedown Records in December, 2005 and released their first full length record, Doubt Becomes The New Addiction, on March 14, 2006. Flee The Seen has toured extensively throughout the U.S. They have since split with Facedown as of July 2007. They are currently writing a new record and looking for a new record label to call home. The group is currently comprised of Kim Anderson (Vocals), R.L. Brooks (Vocals/Guitar), Manuel Sanchez (Guitar), Aaron Crawford (Drums), and Lucas Dills (Bass). Anderson also played bass from 2003-07, including on their debut album. Dills was recruited about a year after the release.

Biography

Kim Anderson and R.L. Brooks met in 2000 while attending Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph. They formed a band, Stellar, in 2001 with Anderson on bass and vocals, Brooks on guitar, and Tom Flaska as drummer. The group played a handful of local shows before disbanding when Anderson left for St. Louis to finish school. When she returned to Kansas City in 2003, she and Brooks made contact again and formed a new band called Fighting Chance with drummer Jared Hoffman, releasing one self-titled EP in 2003 under that name.

Fighting Chance continued playing several local shows throughout the year as a three-piece band, first with Hoffman on drums, then with a handful of rotating fill-in drummers, until a permanent replacement could be found. Toward the end of 2003, the band began to consider recruiting a second guitarist. Having met Manuel Sanchez as a mutual acquaintance at a few prior shows, Brooks contacted him in November of that year about possibly playing with the band. Sanchez ended up inviting Brooks to his birthday party, where the two became more closely acquainted and arranged a time to practice together. Within a matter of days, Sanchez was officially added as a second guitarist.

In early 2004, while playing a show with a temporary drummer at Groundwork Coffee House in Leavenworth, Kansas, sound technician Aaron Crawford arrived to fix a problem with the building's PA System. After watching the band perform he requested to audition for the position as the band's permanent drummer. Crawford became the band's official drummer shortly afterward.

Throughout most of the year, the band performed scores of shows in the Kansas City area. On August 17, 2004 they announced the bands’ name-change to "Flee The Seen".Fact|date=August 2007 They released their second EP "The Sound of Sirens" (their first under the new name) in September of 2004. The band continued playing several shows throughout 2004 and 2005 and gained significant airplay on local stations. 96.5 The Buzz helped arrange for the band to open for such acts as Weezer in July 2005 and Coheed and Cambria in December 2005.

Flee The Seen signed with Facedown Records on December 4, 2005 and made a formal announcement of the signing later that week. Despite the label's Christian Hardcore roots, Facedown was actually looking to expand their catalog of genres and sign a more melodic act. Flee The Seen’s debut full length album "Doubt Becomes the New Addiction" was released on March 14, 2006, having been recorded, mixed and mastered almost a year earlier. Shortly thereafter, the band was named to Alternative Press Magazine's "100 Bands To Know" in 2006. The album has sold 10,000+ copies to date.

Flee The Seen has toured in support of Haste The Day, Heavy Heavy Low Low and Calico System. On February 9, 2007 the band announced that Anderson would begin performing solely as a vocalist, and would no longer play bass. The band hired a fifth member, Lucas Dills, to take over bass duties. They plan to spend the next months finishing songs for their second album which is scheduled to begin recording in the fall of 2007. Their newer music for the upcoming release is a step away from the abrasive post-hardcore-influenced sound of their debut album, and returns to a more indie rock/punk feel, reminiscent of their first two releases prior to signing with Facedown.

Band Members

* Kim Anderson (Vocals)
* R.L. Brooks (Vocals/Guitars)
* Manuel Sanchez (Guitars)
* Aaron Crawford (Drums)
* Lucas Dills (Bass)

Albums

* "Fighting Chance" EP (2003)
* "The Sound of Sirens" EP (2004)
* "Doubt Becomes the New Addiction" (2006)
* "November 2007 Demos" EP (2008)

Awards

* "Best Vocalist: Kim Anderson" 2005 Heavy Frequency Awards
* "Best Hardcore/Punk/Crossover Band: Flee the Seen" 2005 Heavy Frequency Awards
* "Achiever of the Year: Flee the Seen" 2005 Heavy Frequency Awards

External links

* [http://www.fleetheseen.com Flee The Seen Homepage]
* [http://www.myspace.com/fleetheseen Flee The Seen on MySpace]
* [http://www.behindtheseen.org/ Unofficial Fan Community Page] (created by Manuel Sanchez's brother, Thomas)
* [http://www.heavyfrequency.com/archives/interviews.php?id=143 Interview with Flee the Seen at Heavy Frequency]
* [http://www.heavyfrequency.com/archives/columns/ff.php?id=24 Interview with Kim Anderson of Flee the Seen at Heavy Frequency]
* [http://www.kccast.com/2007/03/30/iview-flee-the-seen-033007/ Interview with Flee the Seen at KC Cast (kccast.com)]