Cute Is What We Aim For is an American
rock band
A rock band or pop band is a small musical ensemble that performs rock music, pop music, or a related genre. A four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. In the early years, the configuration was typically two guita ...
from
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...
. The band formed in 2005 and has since released two albums: ''
The Same Old Blood Rush with a New Touch'' and ''
Rotation
Rotation, or spin, is the circular movement of an object around a '' central axis''. A two-dimensional rotating object has only one possible central axis and can rotate in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. A three-dimensional ...
''. The band was previously signed with record label
Fueled by Ramen
Fueled by Ramen LLC is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by 300 Elektra Entertainment. The label, founded in Gainesville, Florida in 1996, is now based in New York City.
History
John Janick conceived of the l ...
for their two releases.
History
Early years and signing with Fueled by Ramen (2001–05)
The original members of Cute Is What We Aim For were childhood friends.
When the band was formed in January 2005,
[ the members were still in their teenage years.] Since the band's inception, it has been subject to several line-up changes. Shortly after forming in January 2005, Cute Is What We Aim For began releasing demos through Myspace and PureVolume
PureVolume (formerly Unborn Media) was a website for uploading and streaming of music files, the first independently run of its type. PureVolume was created by Unborn Media, Inc; Mitchell Pavao; Brett Woitunski; and Nate Hudson, all from the Univer ...
, which helped the band gain initial exposure.[ Guitarist Jeff Czum said their success was brought about by ]Hawthorne Heights
Hawthorne Heights, formerly A Day in the Life, is an American rock band from Dayton, Ohio, formed in 2001. Their lineup currently consists of JT Woodruff (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Matt Ridenour (bass guitar, backing vocals), Mark McMillon (l ...
' street team: "Literally overnight we got like 10,000 fans on Myspace and started to get attention from labels." In the following months, the group continued to record and play shows, increasing their fan base and declining advances from record labels. On November 29, it was announced that the band had signed to Fueled by Ramen after their founder John Janick
John Janick is an American record executive. He is the chairman and CEO of Interscope Geffen A&M Records.
Janick has been named to Billboard’s Power 100 list every year since 2014 and was named Variety's Hitmakers Executive of the year in 2018 ...
listened to their New York City recording sessions in July.
''The Same Old Blood Rush with a New Touch'' (2006–08)
In April 2006, former bassist Donnie Arthur joined the New Tragic, alongside members of From First to Last
From First to Last is an American post-hardcore band based in the Los Angeles Area and Tampa, Florida. Formed by Matt Good, Scott Oord, and Parker Nelms in November 1999, the current line-up consists of Matt Good (lead guitar, vocals), Sonny M ...
and Maylene and the Sons of Disaster
Maylene and the Sons of Disaster is an American heavy metal band from Birmingham, Alabama. The group were founded in 2004, shortly after vocalist Dallas Taylor's departure from Underoath. In 2005, Maylene and the Sons of Disaster signed to Mo ...
. He later formed Talking in My Sleep. On June 20, 2006, Cute Is What We Aim For's debut album, '' The Same Old Blood Rush with a New Touch'' hit store shelves, debuting at number 75 on the ''Billboard'' 200.
During the fall of 2006, Cimato parted ways with the band. Jack Marin
John Warren Marin (born October 12, 1944) is an American former professional basketball player. A 201 cm (6-foot, 7-inch) guard/forward from Duke University, Marin was named to the 1967 NBA All-Rookie Team and spent 11 seasons in the Natio ...
(formerly of October Fall
October Fall was an American pop punk band from Chicago, Illinois. They formed in the summer of 2003, with Pat D'Andrea (vocals/guitar) and Clark Harrison (guitar) as the original members. These two originally played together under the name "Silve ...
) filled the role of touring bassist until departing in April 2007 due to "some personal issues with another member," leading to Cimato's return. In October 2007, Cimato was asked in an interview if he viewed his role in the band as permanent. He replied, "Definitely permanent. I had 6 months at home to finish up high school and after that I was like, 'Wow, I miss playing music.' I was blessed enough to get that opportunity again." However, Cimato left the band once again in March 2008. It was announced that Dave Melillo would play bass until further notice.
''Rotation'' and line-up changes (2008–12)
In 2008, Cute Is What We Aim For entered the studio to record with producer John Feldmann. ''Rotation'' debuted at #21 on the U.S. Billboard 200 albums chart selling around 22,000 copies.
In 2010, it was announced that the band Cute Is What We Aim For lost all of its members except for frontman Shaant Hacikyan, who stated that he planned to continue releasing music under the band's name. Dave Melillo and Jeff Czum went on to form Nocturnal Me
''Ocean Rain'' is the fourth studio album by the English post-punk band Echo & the Bunnymen. It was released on 4 May 1984 and reached number four on the UK Albums Chart, number 87 on the United States ''Billboard'' 200, number 41 on the Canad ...
. The band appeared on the ''Punk Goes Pop 3
''Punk Goes Pop Volume 03.'' is the tenth compilation album released from the '' Punk Goes...'' series created by Fearless Records and the third installment in the ''Punk Goes Pop'' franchise to feature various post-hardcore, metalcore and al ...
'' compilation, released on November 2, 2010, covering the song "Dead and Gone
"Dead and Gone" is a song by American hip hop recording artist T.I., featuring American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake. It was released on January 12, 2009 as the eighth single from T.I.'s sixth studio album, ''Paper Trail'' (2008). Due ...
" by T.I. and Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with sales of over 88 million records. Timberlake is the recipient of numerous awards and ac ...
. Their new band released two EPs before signing to Apparition Records in 2011.
On April 29, 2010, Hacikyan released a new single called "Harbor" which was made available to download online.
Comeback (2012–present)
On August 18, 2012, the band played an hour-long acoustic set with original members Shaant Hacikyan, Fred Cimato, and Jeff Czum. This was the first set the full band had performed in 6 years. During the set, the band announced that it was officially making a comeback. Cute Is What We Aim For played a comeback show with The Daydream Chronicles and Fictitious Ray on September 21, 2012 at Mohawk Place in Buffalo, New York. On January 20, 2013, Shaant Hacikyan announced at a show in Memphis, Tennessee, that the band would be releasing new material Spring/Summer 2013, with demos to come earlier than that. It is currently unclear if the release will be an EP or an LP. On 27 February 2013, Cute Is What We Aim For premiered a new demo called "Titanic". 20 days later on 27 March they posted a YouTube link to a lyric video of their new song named "Next to Me". On September 2, the band released another new song titled "A Closed Mind With an Open Mouth". The song was made available for purchase on the iTunes store the next day. A headlining tour was also announced to coincide with the newly released song. The band supported You Me at Six
You Me at Six are an English rock band from Weybridge, Surrey. The band consists of lead singer Josh Franceschi, guitarists Max Helyer and Chris Miller, bassist Matt Barnes and drummer Daniel Flint. Formed in 2004, the name for the group origi ...
on their US tour in September and October.
On January 18, 2014 the band shared some songs such as "I Was Worth Using" on SoundCloud. The band performed on the Vans Warped Tour in 2014, after which they broke up for a second time. In January 2016, Hacikyan reconnected with the rest of the band members. The group started discussing the possibility of a 10-year tour for ''The Same Old Blood Rush with a New Touch''. In March, the band announced the anniversary tour, via thei
official Instagram page
On November 23, 2016, the band was announced to perform at the Slam Dunk Festival
Slam Dunk Records or Slam Dunk Music is a British independent record label, promoter and concert organising company, founded in Leeds, England, in 2007. Some notable signees include You Me at Six and Decade. The label evolved from "Slam Dunk", ...
in the UK, where they would continue their 10-year anniversary tour.
Band members
Current lineup
* Shaant Hacikyan – lead vocals (2005–present)
* Jeff Czum – guitar, backing vocals (2005–09; 2012–present)
* Tom Falcone – drums (2005–08; 2012–present)
* Seth Van Dusen – bass (2014–present)
Former members
* Rob Neiss – drums (2005)
* Donnie Arthur - bass (2005)
* Fred Cimato – bass (2005–06; 2007–08; 2012–13)
* Jack Marin - bass (2006-07)
* Dave Melillo
David Andrew Melillo (born June 12, 1988) is the former lead guitarist for Anarbor, and the former bassist for pop rock band Cute Is What We Aim For. His earlier material as a solo artist consisted of acoustic guitar-driven acoustic rock and pia ...
– rhythm guitar (2007–08); bass (2008–09)
* Liam Killeen – drums (2008)
* Mike Lasaponara - drums (2008–09)
* Clark Spurlock – lead guitar (2008–09)
* Zach Pagano – rhythm guitar (2008–09)
* Michael Novak – drums (2009–10)
* Michael Brady – lead guitar, backing vocals (2009–10)
* Kevin Scoma – rhythm guitar (2009–10)
* Lewis Storey – rhythm triangle (2006–07)
* Pat Maclean – bass (2009–10)
* Tyler Long – bass (2013)
* Joseph White - bass (2013–14)
Timeline
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Discography
Studio albums
Singles
* I Peaked at number 191 on the UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
.
Music videos
* "There's a Class for This" (2006, directed by Jay Martin)
* "The Curse of Curves" (2007, directed by Lex Halaby)
* "Newport Living" (2007, live version)
* "Practice Makes Perfect" (2008, directed by Walter Robot
Walter Robot is a creative studio founded by artist Bill Barminski and director Christopher Louie. They work in multiple mediums including film, television, art and sculpture. Their film work has screened at several film festivals, including the ...
)
* "Doctor" (2009)
* "Next to Me" (2013, lyric video)
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
American power pop groups
Fueled by Ramen artists
Musical groups established in 2005
Musical groups disestablished in 2009
Musical groups reestablished in 2012
Musical groups from Buffalo, New York
American emo musical groups