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Training for Utopia - featuring Ryan and Don Clark of Demon Hunter

Don Clark wanted to be in a band. So he decided to pick up a guitar and start playing. At the same time, his brother, Ryan Clark played guitar in a band called "Focal Point".
Don met up with three other guys named Rob Denler(vocals), Morley Boyer(Drums), and Steve Saxby(Bass). Together they formed a band called.....TRAINING FOR UTOPIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.........It was the name of a song on The Swing Kids motion picture soundtrack. So, Training for Utopia formed in 1996 and played one show when Rob Denler moved to Southern California.
Ryan Clark, Don Clark's brother, then decided to try out as their new vocalist. Ryan got the part, but he stated that his "main priority" would be Focal Point, and that TFU would be his "side project".
With Ryan Clark, they went to record some songs at Enharmonic Studious with Eric Stenman. At this time, Don had only been playing guitar for six months.TFU recorded a four song cassette demo and called it "Breathing in Disease".They sold the copies all around to get noticed.
Soon after this in 1997, TFU got signed with Solidstate Records and released "The Falling Cylce Ep".
As TFU was going places fast, Focal Point was coming to an end, thus causing Ryan to change his "priority band".
In 1998, TFU went on to record their first full length album in Burbank, California with Bryan Carlstrom(The Plastic Soul Impalement). Shortly after the release, they went to Seattle to film a video for "Two Hands". While they were there, they played a mind blowing show with another solidstate band called "Warlord". There Don also met his future wife Erika.
Later, TFU made a split EP with Zao(another solidstate band). Don and Ryan say that the two songs by TFU on the EP were the best TFU songs they ever wrote. This EP was recorded with Eric Stenman, who also recorded their first demo.
TFU and Warlord played shows all around the U.S. for four months. During this tour, Ryan met his future wife Autumn. For a while, Don was with his wife in Mesa, Arizona while Training for Utopia toured as a three piece band.
In the summer of 1999, Training for Utopia recorded their last album, again with Eric Stenman. This album was different from the rest. It had it's own unique sound. They called it "Throwing a Wrench into the American Music Machine". They then played a couple major shows and decided it was time to quit. Ryan and Don Clark are now graphic dezigners and went on to form the band "Demon Hunter". And as Demon Hunter says it "Let the hunt continue.......". Maybe it should be "Let the hunt for Utopia continue".

Training for Utopia
1996-1999