Hawthorne Heights, formerly A Day in the Life, is an American
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band from
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Day ...
, formed in 2001.
Their lineup currently consists of JT Woodruff (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Matt Ridenour (bass guitar, backing vocals), Mark McMillon (lead guitar, unclean backing vocals), and Chris Popadak (drums, percussion).
On November 24, 2007, rhythm guitarist and unclean backing vocalist Casey Calvert died, leaving the band as a four-piece.
[ In June 2014 it was announced the departure of original drummer Eron Bucciarelli. On January 20, 2015, it was announced that Micah Carli (lead guitar, unclean backing vocals) had left the band as well.
The band found success with both of their first two albums, their 2004 release, '']The Silence in Black and White
''The Silence in Black and White'' is the debut studio album by the American rock band Hawthorne Heights, and their first release after changing their name from A Day in the Life.
Background and recording
Writing for the album commenced shortly a ...
'', and their 2006 album, ''If Only You Were Lonely
''If Only You Were Lonely'' is the second studio album by American rock band Hawthorne Heights and the final album to feature rhythm guitarist and unclean backing vocalist Casey Calvert before his death on November 24, 2007. It was produced by Dav ...
'', both achieving Gold certification
Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...
. Their second album additionally peaked at No. 1 on the ''Billboards Independent Albums
The Independent Albums chart (previously titled Top Independent Albums) ranks the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays (EPs) in the United States, as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by '' Billboard'' maga ...
chart and No. 3 on the ''Billboard'' 200 charts. They are also well known for their 2006 single "Saying Sorry", which reached Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...
status[ and peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart.] The band's third album, ''Fragile Future
''Fragile Future'' is the third studio album by Hawthorne Heights.
Background
On August 7, 2006, it was announced that the band had left Victory Records, citing a lack of royalty payment and filed a lawsuit against them. On December 6, the band an ...
'', was released on August 5, 2008, surprisingly through Victory Records again, after a lengthy legal battle between the two parties.
The band's fourth album ''Skeletons
A skeleton is the structural frame that supports the body of an animal. There are several types of skeletons, including the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside ...
'' peaked at No. 50 on the ''Billboard'' 200. The band's former label, Victory, released a Hawthorne Heights "greatest hits" album, entitled '' Midwesterners: The Hits'', on November 9, 2010. Shortly afterward, Hawthorne Heights left Wind-up Records to begin their own record label, Cardboard Empire. Via this new label, the band released an EP trilogy, beginning with ''Hate
Hatred is an intense negative emotional response towards certain people, things or ideas, usually related to opposition or revulsion toward something. Hatred is often associated with intense feelings of anger, contempt, and disgust. Hatred is s ...
'' released August 23, 2011, and followed by ''Hope
Hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one's life or the world at large.
As a verb, its definitions include: "expect with confidence" and "to cherish ...
'' released June 5, 2012.
After signing with Red River Entertainment in 2013, the band postponed the release of the third EP in the trilogy, and released a full-length concept album titled ''Zero
0 (zero) is a number representing an empty quantity. In place-value notation
Positional notation (or place-value notation, or positional numeral system) usually denotes the extension to any base of the Hindu–Arabic numeral system (or ...
'' on June 25, 2013. The band played on the 2013 Vans Warped Tour. In September 2015, the band released Hurt, the third EP of the trilogy. The band's sixth LP, titled ''Bad Frequencies
''Bad Frequencies'' is the sixth studio album by American post-hardcore band Hawthorne Heights. The album was released on April 27, 2018 through Pure Noise Records.
Background and production
Vocalist/guitarist JT Woodruff stated that the album wa ...
'' followed in 2018.
Hawthorne Heights released their 7th full-length album titled ''The Rain Just Follows Me'' on September 10, 2021, via Pure Noise Records.
History
Early days (2001–2003)
A Day in the Life were formed by JT Woodruff, Jesse Blair, Andy Saunders, Josh Bethel, and Andy Lazier in Dayton, Ohio
Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Day ...
, in 2001. They took their name from the popular Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developme ...
song " A Day in the Life".
Their first record was a demo titled ''Four Bullets for One Girl'', which sold its 500 copy run in 2 months.[Show Preview: A Day In The Life, When Sparks Fly - by Maggie Brown - 4/23/2003](_blank)
This brought them to the attention of Confined Records, with which they released an album titled ''Nine Reasons to Say Goodbye
''Nine Reasons to Say Goodbye'' is an album by the rock band A Day in the Life. It was released in 2001 and is the only album by the band under the A Day in the Life name before their name change to Hawthorne Heights. It features their entire or ...
''. Finally, they released a 6-song EP titled ''Paper Chromatography: The Fade from Dark to Light'' (which was later re-released as part of the compilation ''From Ohio With Love'') in the winter of 2003.
In 2003, Matt Ridenour, bassist and vocal harmonies, would pass a Hotel called Hawthorn Inn & Suites on his way to work. He decided to add an e and Heights to make Hawthorne Heights. The rest of the band agreed.
''The Silence in Black and White'' and ''If Only You Were Lonely'' (2004–2006)
Their first album ''The Silence in Black and White'', was recorded over a four-week period, and was released in 2004. The album was slow to build sales at first; however, soon the video for the song "Ohio Is for Lovers
"Ohio Is for Lovers" (also known as simply "Ohio") is a song by American rock band Hawthorne Heights. It was released as the debut single in 2004 from their debut full-length studio album, ''The Silence in Black and White''. It was produced by Ja ...
" began getting airplay on MTV, and the band enjoyed breakout success at radio as well as a growing nationwide fan base, and the album became Victory Records' highest selling debut. ''The Silence in Black and White'' peaked at number 56 on the Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
charts. The singles "Niki FM" and "Silver Bullet" were released in 2005.
When their second album ''If Only You Were Lonely'' was released on Feb 28, 2006, it debuted at number 3 on the Billboard charts, powered by the lead single " Saying Sorry" which has received regular airplay on MTV, VH1
VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Commun ...
and Fuse. The Legion of Doom
The Legion of Doom is a group of supervillains who originated in ''Challenge of the Super Friends'', an animated series from Hanna-Barbera based on DC Comics' Justice League. The Legion of Doom has since been incorporated into the main DC Univers ...
remixed a song from the album, entitled "Where Can I Stab Myself in the Ears?" and it appeared on the '' Underworld: Evolution Original Motion Picture Soundtrack''. The remix was re-titled "Where Do I Stab Myself in the Ears".
The band performed on the 2006 Nintendo Fusion Tour. A live CD/DVD was intended to be recorded from this tour, but was cancelled, likely due to complications with Victory.
Death of Casey Calvert (2007)
Casey Calvert, the band's rhythm guitarist, was found dead on the band's tour bus on November 24, 2007. The band had begun its American tour just the day before in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...
. Toxicology and autopsy reports stated that Calvert died of combined drug intoxication
Combined drug intoxication (CDI), or multiple drug intake (MDI), is a cause of death by drug overdose from poly drug use, often implicated in polysubstance dependence.
Deaths by combined drug intoxication are relatively rare (one in several mil ...
. A statement issued by the members of the band said that Calvert died in his sleep, and that his body was discovered before the band was to carry out a sound check before its show at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
The members of the band spent a few days mourning, reflecting, and writing a song about the death.
This song became "Four Become One" on its album ''Fragile Future
''Fragile Future'' is the third studio album by Hawthorne Heights.
Background
On August 7, 2006, it was announced that the band had left Victory Records, citing a lack of royalty payment and filed a lawsuit against them. On December 6, the band an ...
''. The members also dedicated another song to Calvert called "Sugar in the Engine". In the end of the song, JT Woodruff can be heard speaking of Calvert. Calvert was 26 years old when he died. When the band plays old hits from either ''The Silence in Black and White
''The Silence in Black and White'' is the debut studio album by the American rock band Hawthorne Heights, and their first release after changing their name from A Day in the Life.
Background and recording
Writing for the album commenced shortly a ...
'' or ''If Only You Were Lonely
''If Only You Were Lonely'' is the second studio album by American rock band Hawthorne Heights and the final album to feature rhythm guitarist and unclean backing vocalist Casey Calvert before his death on November 24, 2007. It was produced by Dav ...
'', Carli stepped in and did all of Calvert's parts, until he left the band in 2015 Mark McMillon is now the current unclean vocalist for the band.
According to the results of an autopsy performed by the office of the chief medical examiner in Washington, and released in December 2007, Calvert's death was accidental. Dr. John Mendelson, a pharmacologist at the California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute, told MTV News
MTV News is the news production division of MTV. The service is available in the US with localized versions on MTV's global network. In February 2016, MTV Networks confirmed it would refresh the MTV News brand in 2016, to compete with the likes ...
that "Cases like Calvert's are so rare that they're almost nonexistent. It's so rare that you can't even put a number on it," and that "It's exceedingly rare that 26-year-olds die of ''anything'' medical. This kind of death is one in several million." Both citalopram (also known by the brand name Celexa) and clonazepam (also known by the brand names Klonopin
Clonazepam, sold under the brand names Klonopin and Rivotril, is a medication used to prevent and treat seizures, panic disorder, anxiety disorders, and the movement disorder known as akathisia. It is a tranquilizer of the benzodiazepine clas ...
and Rivotril
Clonazepam, sold under the brand names Klonopin and Rivotril, is a medication used to prevent and treat seizures, panic disorder, anxiety disorders, and the movement disorder known as akathisia. It is a tranquilizer of the benzodiazepine clas ...
) are prescription drugs, the former an antidepressant and the latter used to treat seizure disorders and panic attacks.
Drummer Eron Bucciarelli issued the following statement:
From the time of the incident we suspected a possible drug interaction as the cause. Casey wrestled with depression for as long as we knew him. He saw numerous doctors and took an ever-changing array of medicines to get better. He finally had his depression under control. According to the toxicology report, the cause of death was due to a fatal interaction between depression meds, anxiety meds, and an opiate. Opiates being mentioned along with the term "substance abuse", coupled with "rockstar" stereotypes immediately conjure up images of hard drug use and addiction, which simply couldn't be further from the truth in Casey's instance. What the toxicology report doesn't show is that before our leaving for tour, Casey had a root canal, and he was prescribed Vicodin (an opiate) for the pain. Once again, Casey was not involved in anything illegal, nor was he a substance abuser.
JT Woodruff has stated that "We won't add another guitar player or add another screamer", and that "In our albums, it'll always say 'Casey Calvert: guitar/vocals.'" Bucciarelli stated in another interview that, "We don't need another screamer ... If the fans want screaming, they can provide it themselves."
''Fragile Future'' and ''Rhapsody Originals'' (2008–2009)
Hawthorne Heights released a demo for their new song "Come Back Home" on their MySpace page in 2007. A reprised version of the song became one of the twelve tracks that were selected for the band's third studio album. A second song was released on their Myspace, a cover
Cover or covers may refer to:
Packaging
* Another name for a lid
* Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package
* Album cover, the front of the packaging
* Book cover or magazine cover
** Book design
** Back cover copy, part of co ...
of the Smashing Pumpkins
Smash may refer to:
People
* Smash (wrestler) (born 1959), professional wrestler
* Moondog Rex, another professional wrestler who briefly wrestled as the original Smash, before being replaced by the above.
* DJ Smash, DJ and music producer
Art, ...
song " Bullet with Butterfly Wings", which was contributed to MySpace Tribute to The Smashing Pumpkins. This cover song, however, did not become a track on the album.
Hawthorne Heights and Victory Records patched up their relationship and the band's third album, ''Fragile Future
''Fragile Future'' is the third studio album by Hawthorne Heights.
Background
On August 7, 2006, it was announced that the band had left Victory Records, citing a lack of royalty payment and filed a lawsuit against them. On December 6, the band an ...
'', was released with the label on August 5, 2008. Jeff Schneeweis
Jeff G. Schneeweis (born June 1, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, audio engineer and record producer from Redding, California, best known as the founder and vocalist/guitar player for Number One Gun, with whom he r ...
produced the album. The lead single "Rescue Me" was released on July 22, 2008. Hawthorne Heights played "Rescue Me" live as special guests on '' The Tonight Show'' with Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir Leno (; born April 28, 1950) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and actor. After doing stand-up comedy for years, he became the host of NBC's ''The Tonight Show'' from 1992 to 2009. Beginning in September 2009 ...
as host after the album's full release, on September 18, 2010, as promotion for ''Fragile Future''.
''Rhapsody Originals'' was released exclusively for Rhapsody
Rhapsody may refer to:
* A work of epic poetry, or part of one, that is suitable for recitation at one time
** Rhapsode, a classical Greek professional performer of epic poetry
Computer software
* Rhapsody (online music service), an online m ...
as the first EP by Hawthorne Heights on August 26, 2008. It was recorded by Rhapsody, and released as promotion for the studio album ''Fragile Future''. It contains three live acoustic songs from ''Fragile Future'', and one from their second studio album, ''If Only You Were Lonely
''If Only You Were Lonely'' is the second studio album by American rock band Hawthorne Heights and the final album to feature rhythm guitarist and unclean backing vocalist Casey Calvert before his death on November 24, 2007. It was produced by Dav ...
''.
Hawthorne Heights performed at Linkin Park's Projekt Revolution 2008 tour this year on the Revolution Stage with former labelmates Atreyu, Armor For Sleep, Street Drum Corps
Street Drum Corps is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 2004 by Bobby Alt, of S.T.U.N. and Faculty X; Adam Alt, of Circus Minor; and Frank Zummo, of TheStart. To date the group have released four albums and have been part of tours su ...
, and 10 Years
10 Years or Ten Years may refer to:
*Decade, a period of ten years
Film
* ''10 Years'' (2011 film), a film starring Channing Tatum
* ''Ten Years'' (2015 film), a Hong Kong film
Music
*10 Years (band), an American alternative metal band
* ''10 Ye ...
. Joining Linkin Park on the Main Stage was Chris Cornell, The Bravery, Busta Rhymes
Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after NFL and CFL wide receiver ...
, and Ashes Divide.
''Skeletons'' and ''Midwesterners: The Hits'' (2009–2011)
Hawthorne Heights posted a blog through their MySpace profile stating that they had officially been signed to Wind-up Records
Wind-up Entertainment was an American independent record label founded by Alan and Diana Meltzer in 1997. It was based in New York City and was distributed by BMG Distribution. Wind-up's best-selling artists worldwide were Creed and Evanescence ...
, and had been writing and recording for a new record. The band revealed that while there is not a new member of the band and no replacement was made for Hawthorne Heights former vocalist, Casey Calvert, the new album would feature a new "screamer". While on tour, Hawthorne Heights announced that Micah Carli would now be providing screaming vocals for the band.
As the album was being recorded, lead singer JT Woodruff and drummer Eron Bucciarelli named two songs from the record on several occasions, leading many to believe that they would be released as singles. Acoustic versions of the two songs were also said to have been recorded. The songs are entitled "Here I Am" and "Nervous Breakdown". " Nervous Breakdown" did become the first single from the album on March 23, 2010. On October 2, 2009, both Woodruff and Buicarelli posted updates on their Twitter pages saying that they had just finished gang vocals for the record. Woodruff stated "Just finished up doing gang vocals on a few songs. Return to hardcore!"
On October 14, an e-mail was sent out to the official mailing list telling fans that the new album would be titled ''Skeletons
A skeleton is the structural frame that supports the body of an animal. There are several types of skeletons, including the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside ...
'' and would be released in early 2010. The e-mail stated:
Not all of the bands mentioned, however, ended up joining Hawthorne Heights for the 2009 Never Sleep Again tour.
As promised, download cards for the song "Unforgivable" were distributed while on tour. In addition, a song entitled "End of the Underground" has been performed live.
After the Never Sleep Again 2009 tour, frontman JT began performing several solo acoustic shows with songs he had written outside of Hawthorne Heights.
The track listing for the album was announced on February 5, 2010. ''Skeletons'' was released on June 1, 2010. According to JT Woodruff's February ''SayNow'' voice message (also uploaded on the band's Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
), Micah Carli plays ukulele
The ukulele ( ; from haw, ukulele , approximately ), also called Uke, is a member of the lute family of instruments of Portuguese origin and popularized in Hawaii. It generally employs four nylon strings.
The tone and volume of the instrumen ...
, mandolin
A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of 8 ...
, and various other "weird instruments" in the lute
A lute ( or ) is any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted.
More specifically, the term "lute" can ref ...
family for many of the bonus tracks on ''Skeletons''.
Victory Records announced the release date for their " best of" compilation of Hawthorne Heights songs, entitled '' Midwesterners: The Hits''. The album was released on November 9, 2010, and contains 16 songs taken from the band's first three Victory Records' studio albums.
Cardboard Empire and EP trilogy (2011–2012)
In July 2011, Hawthorne Heights parted ways with Wind-up Records
Wind-up Entertainment was an American independent record label founded by Alan and Diana Meltzer in 1997. It was based in New York City and was distributed by BMG Distribution. Wind-up's best-selling artists worldwide were Creed and Evanescence ...
and created their own record label, Cardboard Empire. The band will be self-releasing a trilogy of EPs, beginning with ''Hate
Hatred is an intense negative emotional response towards certain people, things or ideas, usually related to opposition or revulsion toward something. Hatred is often associated with intense feelings of anger, contempt, and disgust. Hatred is s ...
'', released August 23, 2011. Each EP will be released within four or five months of the prior release. Between releases the band will embark on various North American tours.
On August 11, 2011, the album art and track listing for ''Hate'' was revealed. The next day the band premiered one of the EP's tracks, "Four White Walls". The EP leaked onto the internet on August 21, 2011. Hawthorne Heights plans to release a music video for each track from ''Hate'', the first for the song "Is This What You Wanted?".
On April 24, 2012, the band announced that the second EP in the trilogy, titled ''Hope'', would be released on June 5, 2012. They also announced dates for their Summer of Hope tour, in support of the EP, which began on June 1 and will end on July 14. Their first single from ''Hope
Hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one's life or the world at large.
As a verb, its definitions include: "expect with confidence" and "to cherish ...
'', entitled "New Winter", is the only song by Hawthorne Heights to be featured on MTV in almost 5 years. During their Autumn of Hope European tour, they did a
interview in a bathtub.
''Zero'', line-up changes and ''Bad Frequencies'' (2013–2020)
It was announced that the band has signed with Red Entertainment. They released a new album titled ''Zero
0 (zero) is a number representing an empty quantity. In place-value notation
Positional notation (or place-value notation, or positional numeral system) usually denotes the extension to any base of the Hindu–Arabic numeral system (or ...
'' on June 25, 2013. The band played at Vans Warped Tour 2013 on all dates. It was as part of this announcement that Mark McMillon of The Story Changes
The Story Changes is an American two piece punk/indie rock band based out of Dayton, Ohio, United States. Featuring Mark McMillon guitarist of the multi-platinum selling artist Hawthorne Heights and as of the past year, Christopher "Poppy" Lee ...
was formally introduced as part of the band, though he had been a touring member for many years.
On June 1, exactly 10 years after Hawthorne Heights' debut album ''The Silence in Black and White'' was released, an acoustic version of the album was released via inVogue Records. The band embarked on a tour to celebrate the albums 10-year anniversary, kicking off the European leg in Fibber Magees, Dublin, Ireland
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 cen ...
. On June 18, it was announced that Eron Bucciarelli had parted ways from the band shortly after its release. On January 20, 2015, it was announced Micah Carli had also departed. On February 13, it was announced on the band's Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
page that they are recording new material. The Band performed at Emo Nite LA in March 2018. '' Hurt'', the final part of the EP trilogy was released on September 18, 2015. "Pink Hearts" was made available for streaming on March 1, 2018. The group's next album, ''Bad Frequencies
''Bad Frequencies'' is the sixth studio album by American post-hardcore band Hawthorne Heights. The album was released on April 27, 2018 through Pure Noise Records.
Background and production
Vocalist/guitarist JT Woodruff stated that the album wa ...
'', was released on April 27 through Pure Noise Records. The band supported Silverstein on their 15-year anniversary tour of their debut album ''When Broken Is Easily Fixed
''When Broken Is Easily Fixed'' is the debut studio album by Canadian post-hardcore band Silverstein, released in 2003 under the label Victory Records.
Background and recording
Forming in early 2000, Silverstein released two EPs, '' Summer's Stel ...
''.
''The Rain Just Follows Me'' (2021–present)
During their first post-pandemic tour with peers Bayside and Senses Fail, the band released their 7th full-length album titled ''The Rain Just Follows Me'' on September 10, 2021, via Pure Noise Records. The 10-song LP was produced by Grammy-winning producer Cameron Webb. The album's lead single, "Constant Dread", features guest vocals by Counterparts
Counterpart or Counterparts may refer to:
Entertainment and literature
* "Counterparts" (short story), by James Joyce
* Counterparts, former name for the Reel Pride LGBT film festival
* ''Counterparts'' (film), a 2007 German drama
* ''Counterp ...
frontman Brendan Murphy.
Musical style and influences
The band has been referred to as hard rock
Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...
and alternative rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
. The band has been mainly categorized as post-hardcore
Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. It was initially inspired by post-punk and noise rock. Like post-punk, the term has been ...
, emo
Emo is a rock music genre characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of and hardcore punk from the Washington D.C. hardcore punk scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore and pioneered b ...
and screamo
Screamo (also referred to as skramz) is an aggressive subgenre of emo that emerged in the early 1990s and emphasizes "willfully experimental dissonance and dynamics".Jason Heller, "Feast of Reason". ''Denver Westword'', June 20, 2002Access date: ...
. The band is often described as post-hardcore
Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. It was initially inspired by post-punk and noise rock. Like post-punk, the term has been ...
because this genre encompasses a wide range of musical styles, making it a general enough term to be applied to Hawthorne Heights' diverse style. Likewise, Hawthorne Heights's albums have been tagged as alternative rock by iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
. Hawthorne Heights also have been described as indie rock
Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...
, indie emo
Emo is a rock music genre characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of and hardcore punk from the Washington, D.C. hardcore, Washington D.C. hardcore punk scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore ...
, and punk rock.
Eron Bucciarelli, the band's drummer, noted that the band's sound has "always been pigeon holed as emo or screamo". In the same interview he said that the band prefers to be referred to simply as "a rock band".
While commenting on the band's first album, ''The Silence in Black and White
''The Silence in Black and White'' is the debut studio album by the American rock band Hawthorne Heights, and their first release after changing their name from A Day in the Life.
Background and recording
Writing for the album commenced shortly a ...
'', Eron said that the "triple guitar attack" allows them to "add a lot of layering effects and intricacies to our music along with legitimately pulling in different musical styles." The album also includes feminine backing vocals provided by band member Micah Carli's sister, Graci Carli. This gave many of the songs a broader emotional spectrum not limited by gender.
Hawthorne Heights began to be recognized as melodic hardcore due to the release of ''If Only You Were Lonely
''If Only You Were Lonely'' is the second studio album by American rock band Hawthorne Heights and the final album to feature rhythm guitarist and unclean backing vocalist Casey Calvert before his death on November 24, 2007. It was produced by Dav ...
''. After "softening their lyrical stance, incorporating melancholy keyboards and adding upbeat melodies that were a perfect counterbalance to their screaming backup chants" their unique sound became more recognized.
Even after the death of one of the guitarists, Hawthorne Heights continued to allow its sound to evolve. With the release of ''Fragile Future
''Fragile Future'' is the third studio album by Hawthorne Heights.
Background
On August 7, 2006, it was announced that the band had left Victory Records, citing a lack of royalty payment and filed a lawsuit against them. On December 6, the band an ...
'', the band used elements of power pop
Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and ch ...
. Hawthorne Heights' fourth album, ''Skeletons
A skeleton is the structural frame that supports the body of an animal. There are several types of skeletons, including the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside ...
'', stylistically reverts to "music similar to their first two albums", yet is much softer. The album, however, "refuses to stomp over old ground" by incorporating "electro" and "pop punk" elements into a few of the tracks. The album also "broke new ground by adding a unique electronica
Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that started in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mostly used to r ...
sound." In addition, various other musical styles are incorporated into ''Skeletons''. The acclaimed blues rock
Blues rock is a fusion music genre that combines elements of blues and rock music. It is mostly an electric ensemble-style music with instrumentation similar to electric blues and rock (electric guitar, electric bass guitar, and drums, sometimes w ...
track, "Gravestones," opens with "uncharacteristic western acoustics, and then delves into a more fascinating chorus, leaving the wild wild west sound and replacing it with pianos and ethereal presence."
After forming their own record label, Hawthorne Heights made plans to release a trilogy of EPs. The first of the trilogy, ''Hate
Hatred is an intense negative emotional response towards certain people, things or ideas, usually related to opposition or revulsion toward something. Hatred is often associated with intense feelings of anger, contempt, and disgust. Hatred is s ...
'', lyrically deals with feelings of hate, anger, and solitude. According to Woodruff, ''Hate'' features more "aggressive songs" that are "a lot heavier than anything we've ever done." The EP has been compared to other screamo albums, such as releases by Senses Fail. Screamed vocals and breakdowns are prominent features throughout the album, reflecting the musical style of the band's first two albums. One review states "this aggressive side, dormant for the past few years, has finally boiled over all at once."
Hawthorne Heights cite Sunny Day Real Estate, The Get Up Kids
The Get Up Kids are an American rock band from Olathe, Kansas. Formed in 1995, the band was a major player in the mid-1990s Midwest emo scene, otherwise known as the " second wave" of emo music. Their second album ''Something to Write Home About' ...
, Quicksand
Quicksand is a colloid
A colloid is a mixture in which one substance consisting of microscopically dispersed insoluble particles is suspended throughout another substance. Some definitions specify that the particles must be dispersed in a ...
, Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...
, Youth of Today, Gorilla Biscuits, and Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy met ...
as their influences.
Controversy
Incident with Ne-Yo
In February 2006, as the band was readying the release of ''If Only You Were Lonely
''If Only You Were Lonely'' is the second studio album by American rock band Hawthorne Heights and the final album to feature rhythm guitarist and unclean backing vocalist Casey Calvert before his death on November 24, 2007. It was produced by Dav ...
'', Victory Records issued two statements to fans through the band's mailing lists as well as their MySpace profile, stating that "ROCK music needs your support" and that "the No. 1 slot belongs to us." They also pleaded with fans to go into chain stores and make sure Hawthorne Heights CDs are in stock and to sabotage the sales count of Ne-Yo's record ''In My Own Words
''In My Own Words'' is the debut studio album of American singer-songwriter Ne-Yo. It was released by Def Jam Recordings on February 28, 2006. Conceived following his songwriting breakthrough with " Let Me Love You" for fellow R&B singer Mario in ...
'', which was being released the same day. The statement said:
They ended their rallying cry by quoting Winston Churchill: "Victory at all costs, Victory in spite of all terror, Victory however long and hard the road may be; for without Victory, there is no survival."
Later, group members claimed that the statements were issued by their record label without their consent.
On August 7, 2006, the band announced they would be leaving Victory Records, and sued the label for breach of contract
Breach of contract is a legal cause of action and a type of civil wrong, in which a binding agreement or bargained-for exchange is not honored by one or more of the parties to the contract by non-performance or interference with the other party ...
, copyright
A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, education ...
and trademark infringement
Trademark infringement is a violation of the exclusive rights attached to a trademark without the authorization of the trademark owner or any licensees (provided that such authorization was within the scope of the licence). Infringement may o ...
, fraud and abuse
Abuse is the improper usage or treatment of a thing, often to unfairly or improperly gain benefit. Abuse can come in many forms, such as: physical or verbal maltreatment, injury, assault, violation, rape, unjust practices, crimes, or other t ...
.
Victory Records then countersued for breach of contract and libel in September 2006.
In October 2006, a Chicago judge dismissed two of the three main claims in the band's suit, ruling that the trademark and copyright violation allegations were unsound.
On March 5, 2007, a federal judge in Chicago ruled that Victory Records does ''not'' hold exclusive rights for the band's recording services and that the band can record for any label. Specifically, the Judge stated: "The agreement contains no exclusivity provision, nor does any of its language appear to prevent he band
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (pronoun), an English pronoun
* He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ
* He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets
* He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' in ...
from recording elsewhere during the life of the agreement".
The judge later reaffirmed this ruling on May 17, 2007, stating that Hawthorne Heights is still contractually bound to deliver two albums to Victory, but may record albums which are released elsewhere.
Wild Justice Records lawsuit
On October 16, 2007, Wild Justice Records sued Hawthorne Heights for breach of an oral contract, stemming from a dispute over the management company's share of the band's revenues.
Band members
;Current members
* James Thomas "JT" Woodruff – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, piano, keyboards (2001–present)
* Matt Ridenour – bass, backing vocals (2001–present)
* Mark McMillon – lead guitar, unclean vocals (2015–present); rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2013–2015, touring and session 2009–2013)
* Chris "Poppy" Popadak – drums, percussion, backing vocals (2017–present, touring and session 2014–2017)
;Former members
* Micah Carli – lead guitar (2001–2015); unclean vocals (2001–2002, 2008–2015)
* Eron Bucciarelli – drums, percussion (2001–2014)
* Casey Calvert – rhythm guitar, unclean vocals (2002–2007; his death)
;Former touring and session musicians
* Grace Carli – female backing vocals on ''The Silence in Black and White'' (2004) and ''Midwesterners: The Hits'' (2004)
* John Bender – backing vocals on ''If Only You Were Lonely'' (2005)
* Sebastian Davin – piano on ''If Only You Were Lonely'' (2005)
Timeline
ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:25
PlotArea = left:130 bottom:100 top:5 right:15
Alignbars = justify
DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy
Period = from:01/01/2001 till:01/08/2022
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy
Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom
ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:2001
ScaleMinor = increment:2 start:2002
Colors =
id:CV value:red legend:Lead_vocals,_keyboards,_piano
id:UV value:claret legend:Unclean_vocals
id:BV value:pink legend:Backing_vocals
id:LG value:teal legend:Lead_guitar
id:RG value:green legend:Rhythm_guitar
id:Bass value:blue legend:Bass
id:Drums value:orange legend:Drums,_percussion
id:Lines value:black legend:Studio_albums
id:Lines2 value:gray(0.5) legend:EP
id:bars value:gray(0.93)
BackgroundColors = bars:bars
LineData =
at:01/06/2004 color:Lines layer:back
at:28/02/2006 color:Lines layer:back
at:05/08/2008 color:Lines layer:back
at:01/06/2010 color:Lines layer:back
at:25/06/2013 color:Lines layer:back
at:27/04/2018 color:Lines layer:back
at:10/09/2021 color:Lines layer:back
at:23/08/2011 color:Lines2 layer:back
at:05/06/2012 color:Lines2 layer:back
at:01/01/2015 color:Lines2 layer:back
at:18/09/2015 color:Lines2 layer:back
at:10/09/2021 color:Lines layer:back
BarData =
bar:TJ text:"JT Woodruff"
bar:Micah text:"Micah Carli"
bar:Casey text:"Casey Calvert"
bar:Mark text:"Mark McMillon"
bar:Matt text:"Matt Ridenour"
bar:Eron text:"Eron Bucciarelli"
bar:Poppy text:"Chris Popadak"
PlotData=
width:11
bar:TJ from:01/01/2001 till:end color:CV
bar:TJ from:01/01/2001 till:end color:RG width:3
bar:Matt from:01/01/2001 till:end color:Bass
bar:Matt from:01/01/2001 till:end color:BV width:3
bar:Mark from:25/06/2013 till:20/01/2015 color:RG
bar:Mark from:25/06/2013 till:20/01/2015 color:BV width:3
bar:Mark from:20/01/2015 till:end color:LG
bar:Mark from:20/01/2015 till:end color:UV width:3
bar:Micah from:01/01/2001 till:20/01/2015 color:LG
bar:Micah from:01/01/2001 till:01/01/2002 color:UV width:3
bar:Micah from:24/11/2007 till:20/01/2015 color:UV width:3
bar:Eron from:01/01/2001 till:18/06/2014 color:Drums
bar:Casey from:01/01/2002 till:24/11/2007 color:RG
bar:Casey from:01/01/2002 till:24/11/2007 color:UV width:3
bar:Poppy from:01/03/2017 till:end color:Drums
bar:Poppy from:01/03/2017 till:end color:BV width:3
Discography
;Studio albums
*''The Silence in Black and White
''The Silence in Black and White'' is the debut studio album by the American rock band Hawthorne Heights, and their first release after changing their name from A Day in the Life.
Background and recording
Writing for the album commenced shortly a ...
'' (2004)
*''If Only You Were Lonely
''If Only You Were Lonely'' is the second studio album by American rock band Hawthorne Heights and the final album to feature rhythm guitarist and unclean backing vocalist Casey Calvert before his death on November 24, 2007. It was produced by Dav ...
'' (2006)
*''Fragile Future
''Fragile Future'' is the third studio album by Hawthorne Heights.
Background
On August 7, 2006, it was announced that the band had left Victory Records, citing a lack of royalty payment and filed a lawsuit against them. On December 6, the band an ...
'' (2008)
*''Skeletons
A skeleton is the structural frame that supports the body of an animal. There are several types of skeletons, including the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside ...
'' (2010)
*''Zero
0 (zero) is a number representing an empty quantity. In place-value notation
Positional notation (or place-value notation, or positional numeral system) usually denotes the extension to any base of the Hindu–Arabic numeral system (or ...
'' (2013)
*''Bad Frequencies
''Bad Frequencies'' is the sixth studio album by American post-hardcore band Hawthorne Heights. The album was released on April 27, 2018 through Pure Noise Records.
Background and production
Vocalist/guitarist JT Woodruff stated that the album wa ...
'' (2018)
*''The Rain Just Follows Me'' (2021)
See also
*The Great American Beast
The Great American Beast (formerly known as The Red Affair) was an American Southern rock/ metalcore band from Dayton, Ohio. The group disbanded in 2010 to focus on other pursuits.
History Formation and early releases (2002-2007)
Formed in 2002 a ...
References
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heights, Hawthorne
Musical groups established in 2001
Musical quintets
2001 establishments in Ohio
American emo musical groups
Victory Records artists
American post-hardcore musical groups
American screamo musical groups
Musical groups from Dayton, Ohio
Wind-up Records artists
Pure Noise Records artists
American punk rock groups
Alternative rock groups from Ohio