Mile

Mile exists primarily to highlight the songwriting of vocalist and guitarist Noel Hartough. Raised in Houston after his birth around 1973, Hartough deliberately ignored prevailing tastes by immersing himself in 1980s recordings by Chameleons U.K., the Smiths, and Lloyd Cole. Exposure to U2’s “Sunday Bloody Sunday” prompted him to convince his parents to purchase his first guitar. During his twenties he relocated to Tallahassee, Florida, began playing live, and drew the interest of manager Jeff Hanson. Within a few years, however, he abandoned music for medical studies. Hanson, who had meanwhile taken on management duties for Creed, successfully urged him to reconsider; in the meantime a track of his appeared on an Aware Records compilation, after which Hartough assembled Mile alongside drummer Stan Turner, guitarist Marlin Clark, bassist Davy Mason, and guitarist/vocalist David Lareau. A New York showcase in spring 1999 attracted Columbia Records, which placed the band on its C2 imprint. The resulting debut album, Driving Under Stars, arrived in stores in late August 2000.