Forty Foot Echo frontman Murry Yates used to be in the Canadian alt-rock outfit Templar, which found some success with its mixture of hard-hitting rock and techno grooves. The album Under the Sun was even nominated for a Juno award. However, in November 2001, Yates found himself without band and without label, after Templar's unceremonious breakup. Despite this setback, Yates persevered. He began writing songs on his own, and eventually recorded them as a demo with pal Joe Moi. Moi, a producer and engineer who had worked with Canadian powerhouses Nickelback, passed the tapes around and sparked label interest in Yates. He eventually signed with Hollywood and assembled his band. Forty Foot Echo came together after Yates had decamped to L.A. to record, but all of its members were actually Canadian. In addition to Yates, the band included rhythm guitarist Eric Schraeder, bassist Mike Sanchez, drummer Rob Kurzreiter, and lead guitarist Pete Thorn, who joined after a stint as Five for Fighting's touring guitarist. Hollywood released Forty Foot Echo's self-titled debut in May 2003. It was produced by Jim Wirt (Hoobastank) and mixed by Tom Lord-Alge (Fuel). Upon release, the album was compared to such broad post-grunge acts as Creed, the Calling, and Fuel. ~ Johnny Loftus