Dan Sullivan and Chris Hillier met in the most unlikely of places... a middle school men's room. [Insert your punch line here] They were both first year school teachers in Round Rock, TX. Dan was originally from Missouri and Chris from Nebraska. They quickly realized they knew some of the same folks from the Lincoln and Kansas City music scenes. The Detentions were born and they played their first official gig for a faculty Christmas party. For over a decade now, The Detentions have been helping folks "retire one weekend at a time" playing their blend of Country/Rock/Coastal/Americana they call Rockamole.
Growing up in the Midwest, Dan and Chris had a broad range of musical influences but after moving to Austin they became inspired by the likes of Texas songwriters Robert Earl Keen, Jerry Jeff Walker, James McMurtry, Lyle Lovett and Walt Wilkins. The Detentions began writing their own songs pulling from their experiences playing in the Texas Hill Country and vacationing along the Gulf of Mexico. As an acoustic duo, The Detentions rely on bold truthful lyrics, memorable melodies and air tight harmonies to move their listeners.
In 2010, they released a debut album called Rockamole, and their song "Salty Dog" was nominated for country song of the year by the Austin Songwriters Group.
The Kerrville Folk Festival tapped Dan and Chris in 2012 to perform as a regional finalists for their New Folk Competition.
In 2013 their second album, The Detentions, caught the ear of Sirius XM Radio Margaritaville's Program Director, Kirsten Winquist and their songs "Coast" and "Sunburned" were placed in heavy rotation.
2016 saw the release of the duo's third album, Three, and their first ever national tour. The Detentions finished out the year with two Trop Rock Music Association nominations and took home their first "Duo of the Year" award.
In 2017, The Detentions received their second TRMA "Duo of the Year" award and they landed the "three-peat" in 2018 with their third consecutive TRMA "Duo of the Year" award.
The Detentions released their fourth studio album Yes It Is in 2019. It was recorded and produced by Ron Flynt at Jumping Dog Studios and featured top-shelf musicians including Eric Darken [Jimmy Buffett], Geoff Queen [Hayes Carll], Rich Brotheron [Robert Earl Keen], Ron Flynt [20/20] and Warren Hood. Two of the singles "Beach in Heaven" and "Yes It Is" shot all the way to #1 on Chicago-based radio station, The Tikipod.