The Exploding Hearts were an American punk rock and
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 c ...
band formed in
Portland, Oregon
Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...
, United States, in 2001. The band was composed of vocalist/guitarist Adam Cox, bassist Matt Fitzgerald, guitarist Terry Six, and drummer Jeremy Gage.
Shortly after the release of their debut studio album, '' Guitar Romantic'', Cox, Fitzgerald, and Gage were killed in a car accident on July 20, 2003, after which the band ceased to exist.
History
The band rose to prominence in the US
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Tho ...
scene shortly after they formed in 2001. The band drew influences from early British punk bands such as
The Undertones
The Undertones are a rock band formed in Derry, Northern Ireland in 1974. From 1975 to 1983, the Undertones consisted of Feargal Sharkey (vocals), John O'Neill (rhythm guitar, vocals), Damian O'Neill (lead guitar, vocals), Michael Bradle ...
The Clash
The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the w ...
,
The Jam
The Jam were an English mod revival/ punk rock band formed in 1972 at Sheerwater Secondary School in Woking, Surrey. They released 18 consecutive Top 40 singles in the United Kingdom, from their debut in 1977 to their break-up in December 1 ...
The Only Ones
The Only Ones were an English rock band formed in London in 1976, whose original band members are Peter Perrett, Alan Mair, John Perry and Mike Kellie, they first disbanded in 1982. They were associated with punk rock, yet straddled the mus ...
, as well as power pop acts like
Nick Lowe
Nicholas Drain Lowe (born 24 March 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer. A noted figure in power pop and New wave music, new wave, Adam Cox invited New Orleans musician
King Louie Bankston
Louis Paul Bankston (1973 – February 13, 2022), better known as King Louie Bankston, was an American rock and roll musician from New Orleans. Associated early on with garage punk, he abandoned the genre in 1998 and focused on Louisiana swamp ...
into the band's lineup after Cox heard Bankston's song "I'm a Pretender" during a telephone conversation. Cox and Bankston formed a songwriting partnership that would produce many of the songs that would appear on ''Guitar Romantic''.
The Exploding Hearts led a revival of 1970s-era power pop and new wave in the
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
and Portland area along with bands like The Briefs and the
Epoxies
The Epoxies were an American new wave band from Portland, Oregon, formed in 2000. Heavily influenced by new wave, the band jokingly described themselves as robot garage rock. Members included FM Static on synthesizers, guitarist Viz Spectrum, ...
on the then-Seattle-based
Dirtnap Records
Dirtnap Records is an independent record label specializing in punk rock. It was founded by Ken Cheppaikode while he was living in Seattle, Washington, in 1999. He bought Green Noise record store in Portland, Oregon, in 2005 and then ran the lab ...
. Their combination of punk rock and power pop influenced melodies and their energetic live shows brought them attention on the West Coast and from magazines such as ''
Maximumrocknroll
''Maximumrocknroll'', often written as ''Maximum Rocknroll'' and usually abbreviated as ''MRR'', is a not-for-profit monthly zine of punk subculture. Based in San Francisco, ''MRR'' focuses on punk rock and hardcore music, and primarily featu ...
'' and ''Shredding Paper'', which featured them on their covers. They released their debut studio album, '' Guitar Romantic'', in April 2003. Bankston left the band shortly after the album was released.
July 2003 accident
On July 20, 2003, the band was headed home to Portland on
Interstate 5
Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels through the states of Californi ...
after having played at the
Bottom of the Hill
Bottom of the Hill is a concert venue located at the corner of 17th and Missouri streets in the Potrero Hill district of San Francisco, California According to ''Rolling Stone'', the Bottom of the Hill is the best place to hear live music in San F ...
in
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
. It is believed that Fitzgerald, who was driving, fell asleep and lost control of their van near Eugene, Oregon. Cox, 23, and Gage, 21, were thrown from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene and Fitzgerald, 20, died at a hospital. Guitarist Terry Six, 21, and manager Rachell Ramos, 35, sustained only minor injuries. The band disbanded in the aftermath of the accident.
A compilation album was released by Dirtnap Records in 2006. In 2009, their song "Modern Kicks" was listed as the 290th greatest song of the decade, and their album ''Guitar Romantic'' deemed the 60th best album of the decade by ''
Pitchfork Media
''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog.
Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...
''.
Post-Exploding Hearts projects
Terry Six joined former members of the Portland-based band The Riffs, Gabe Lageson, Colin Jarrell, Alan Mansfield, and established the Portland-based power pop band, The Nice Boys. They released a 7" single on Discourage Records entitled "You Won't See Me Anymore" b/w "Lipstick Love" and a S/T full-length album on Birdman Records. Six and former Exploding Hearts member King Louie Bankston formed the duo Terry & Louie in the 2010s and released the album ''...A Thousand Guitars'' in 2015. Bankston died on February 13, 2022.
Discography
Albums
*'' Guitar Romantic'' (CD/LP, 2003): The LP was released on Screaming Apple Records with an initial pressing of 1000. The CD was released on
Dirtnap Records
Dirtnap Records is an independent record label specializing in punk rock. It was founded by Ken Cheppaikode while he was living in Seattle, Washington, in 1999. He bought Green Noise record store in Portland, Oregon, in 2005 and then ran the lab ...
on March 24, 2003 with an initial pressing of 2300.
*''Shattered'' (CD, 2006): This Dirtnap Records CD is a compilation of all of the Hearts' singles, including their unreleased final recordings. There is also a five-song video collection of live performances from the band's second to final show at the
Bottom of the Hill
Bottom of the Hill is a concert venue located at the corner of 17th and Missouri streets in the Potrero Hill district of San Francisco, California According to ''Rolling Stone'', the Bottom of the Hill is the best place to hear live music in San F ...
in
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
.
Singles
*"(Making) Teenage Faces" (2002): Single release on Vinyl Warning Records with an initial press of 200 white and 300 black vinyl. The b-side is "Your Shadow". A second pressing of 500 on black vinyl was also made. The planned third pressing (which was to have a different cover) was canceled after the accident.
*"Modern Kicks" (2003): The single version is different from the version on the full-length album. The single was released on Pelado Records in a pressing of 700 black, 200 mixed colors. The b-side is "Busy Signals"
*" I'm a Pretender" (2003): Was also released on Pelado Records
Compilations
*''Dirtnap Across the Northwest'' (2003): This Dirtnap Records label compilation featured The Exploding Hearts' cover of FU2's song "Sniffin' Glue."
Demos
*''Original Demo'' (2001): Unreleased three song demo recorded with original drummer Matt Bunza. Contains as yet unreleased versions of “So Bored” and “Black and Blue.” The band's cover of the
Paul Collins' Beat
The Beat (soon renamed to Paul Collins' Beat) is an American rock and power pop band from Los Angeles that formed in 1979. Paul Collins' Beat resurfaced in the 1990s and continues to tour and record new material. Front man Paul Collins has rele ...
’s “Walkin out on Love” was recorded as part of this.
*''The Pink Demo'' (2002): Unreleased five song demo, recorded with engineer Pat Kearns. Most of these songs were later released on Shattered, although the demo does contain an as yet unreleased version of “Still Crazy.”
Their song "Your Shadow" is featured in the EA skateboarding video game ''
Skate
Skate or Skates may refer to: Fish
*Skate (fish), several genera of fish belonging to the family Rajidae
* Pygmy skates, several genera of fish belonging to the family Gurgesiellidae
* Smooth skates or leg skates, several genera of fish belongin ...
''.
Filmography
A documentary film is currently in production and is scheduled for a future release.