Discipline

Progressive rock band Discipline were formed by high-school students Matthew Parmenter (vocals, keyboards), Jon Preston Bouda (guitar), Matthew Kennedy (bass), and Paul Dzendzel (drums) in Royal Oak, Michigan. From their early days, Parmenter augmented the group's live shows by changing into elaborate costumes for each song, much like Peter Gabriel in early-'70s Genesis. With lyrics that focus on relationship issues and the addition of Parmenter's alto sax into the band's music, Discipline were also compared to Van der Graaf Generator and Marillion. Thanks to their great live shows and a series of cassette-only releases, Discipline built up a good reputation in Detroit, Michigan, and in 1993 released their first album, Push & Profit. In support of the album, the group toured the United States in support of such artists as Steve Howe and Anekdoten. In 1997 they released Unfolded Like Staircase, which featured four songs that clocked in at least 15 minutes long. The live album Discipline Live: Into the Dream... was released in 1999.