Austin’s Distant Lights combine complex instrumentation and masterful lyricism into a powerful, progressive sound, and while the group has been favorably compared to Metallica, Radiohead and A Perfect Circle, the quintet is unquestionably unique. Unlike any other current outfit, Distant Lights showcases Jon Dexter, featured soloist from A Scanner Darkly, on his electrified, antique cello. The unusual arrangement, combined with piercing vocals, allows the group to meticulously toe the line between pop and metal, rock and performance art, serenity and a storm.

Intelligence and curiosity inspire Distant Lights to push the boundaries that separate auditory and visual perception and prompt them to question their surrounding world. 2008’s concept album Simulacrum, the group’s debut, utilized Plato’s Allegory of the Cave as a metaphor for the dismal state of current affairs. During select performances, projections of artwork and video accompany each track, creating an astonishing visual manifestation of each song. Such presentation, combined with the force of Distant Lights’ sound, offers the audience something far beyond the normal concert experience.

Perhaps the unlikely serendipity that united two small-town friends, a Texas music student, a wandering cellist and a singer-for-hire is what inspires Distant Lights to question the forces at work around them. Soon after guitarist Gaelan Bellamy and bassist Sam Marshall convinced drummer Chris Hynes to abandon life in tiny Tehuacana, TX, they were joined by the world-traveling Dexter and his cello. Less than two years later, singer Gabriel Fry was sought out by Bellamy and the quintet was complete. After playing together for only a year, Distant Lights released their critically acclaimed debut, Simulacrum, in March 2008. The momentum of the album and a subsequent 16-city east coast tour vaulted the group into the playlists of over 200 radio stations nationwide, licensing agreements with MTV, exclusive representation at the 2009 NACA Convention and opportunities to perform from coast to coast.

Distant Lights’ momentum continues to accelerate through 2009 as their musical exploration has drawn increasing attention. In addition to concentrating on a new album, the group has begun work on a collaborative effort with scientist Richard Merrick, author of Interference: A Grand Scientific Musical Theory. While still in the works, the educational endeavor plans to combine an explanation of harmonic interference theory through live performances and lectures. Additionally, Distant Lights celebrated their three year anniversary on September 15th by joining with a private investor in an ambitious plan for touring, recording and promoting throughout the next year.