Bio

UNCHAiNED is a study in contrasts. A high-octane rock band from Illinois, the quartet serves up the funk that gets the body moving, but they’re more introspective than that. Maybe because, in the end, they’re a family affair that’s dealt with their share of tragedy — and came out swinging. You see, the guys were in the midst of recording their debut LP, Waterfront (due out in 2025), when their mentor and producer, Camron Yates, was killed in a car accident just minutes after leaving the studio. Then, three weeks later, singer David Allen lost his father on that same road. Other bands may have crumbled, but UNCHAiNED is not other bands. They owed it to Yates and their musical family to carry on.

UNCHAiNED formed on a kind of dare from another paternal figure: drummer Matthew Runions’ father/band manager, who urged his son to get out of his shell and play music for more than just the tools in his garage. Soon enough, Runions had a stellar lineup: bassist Ty Ellis (a fellow fan of the likes of Rush, Sublime, and 311); guitarist Jakob Hebenstreit (a thrash metal fan); former footballer and choirboy David Allen (vocals); and Lucas McCafferty, a singer who loves Earth, Wind, and Fire and ASAP Rocky in equal measure. The guys went on to release their debut EP, the fun and funky Psychedelic Picnic, in 2021. Whether they’re singing about love or death, UNCHAiNED really have one mission, one they forged in the fires of loss and life. “We want people of all different backgrounds to have a safe space to go and be able to jump around, dance, and be free and that starts with us bringing high energy on stage so the crowd knows it’s OK to let loose,” Ellis says.