Hawthorne Heights

Hawthorne Heights，2001年成立于俄亥俄州西南部城市Dayton，最早樂隊叫A Day In The Life，成立之初還是在簡單的模仿Greenday,Blink182,戲劇性的先后換掉當初所有5名成員后更名為Hawthorne Heights，新樂隊改變了原有的風格并且開始了高速的創作，他們在音樂融里入Melodic Punk（旋律punk）和hxc（硬核）/emo，樂隊獨特的氣質把這些時髦的元素交融的不溫不火，同時不落俗套。之后樂隊自費Descendents, From Autumn To Ashes，Coheed游歷了五個國家并且開始了他們的巡演生涯。2003年11月的一個周六，Victory Records的總裁Tony Brummel在例行公事般的聽了樂隊毛遂自薦的Demo CD后立即決定要簽下了這個名不見經傳的年輕樂隊，后來樂隊的表現證明了Tony Brummel的眼光獨而并非是一時的沖動。隨即五個年輕人奔赴芝加哥開始了第一支單曲《Ohio is for lovers》錄制工作，從此成為了一支真正的職業樂隊。《Ohio is for lovers》推出后便在網絡和電臺得到了極高的支持率，以至很多人都開始對俄亥俄充滿向往，他們打電話到電臺和樂隊的公司，想知道這群家伙究竟是什么樂隊。《Ohio is for lovers》的大受歡迎讓公司對樂隊充滿信心，他們請來制作人Sean O'Keefe（曾經制作過FallOut Boy, Spitalfield）開始為樂隊錄制處女專輯《The Silence In Black And White》。 The post-hardcore/emo-pop quintet Hawthorne Heights came to life in the summer of 2001. Originally called A Day in the Life, the Dayton, Ohio-based collective saw numerous lineup changes and shifting music styles before settling on a permanent formation. Composed of drummer Eron Bucciarelli, bassist Matt Ridenour, vocalist/guitar player J.T. Woodruff, and guitarists Casey Calvert and Micah Carli, Hawthorne Heights built their fan base on a solid demo recording and a series of self-booked national tours that saw them sharing the stage with the likes of From Autumn to Ashes and the Descendents. In 2003, they signed with Chicago label Victory Records, resulting in the 2004 release of their powerful full-length debut, The Silence in Black and White. As the bandmates relentlessly toured behind it, the album became Victory's highest-selling debut, while its lead single, "Ohio Is for Lovers," slowly invaded rock radio, MTV, and teenage hearts across the country. Hawthorne Heights' follow-up effort, If Only You Were Lonely arrived in 2006 alongside the This Is Who We Are DVD. Leading up to the album's release, Victory urged street team members to help it chart above urban singer Ne-Yo, whose own album was slated to be released the same day. Questionable promotional tactics included rearranging store displays to hide Ne-Yo's record and make Hawthorne Heights' more prominent. Lonely debuted at number three on the charts, though, unsurprisingly, more than a few eyebrows were raised in the band and label's direction. Regardless, the album continued to sell well, as its first single, "Saying Sorry," garnered airplay on many a modern rock radio station. However, controversy came to a head in early August when Hawthorne Heights suddenly announced that they were leaving Victory Records (despite a contractual obligation of two more albums for the label) and suing the company over various issues, including unpaid royalties and tarnishing their name and relationship with fans over the aforementioned incident (the band claimed to have no knowledge of the street team letter that was issued as though personally from them). In a statement issued online, the band compared their time at the label to being in an "abusive relationship" and directly attacked "greed driven" label head Tony Brummel. As issues were sorted out behind the scenes (and Victory counter-sued the band, claiming they just wanted to jump to a major), Hawthorne Heights continued touring nationwide and served as headliners on the fall 2006 version of the popular Nintendo Fusion Tour with openers Relient K, the Sleeping, and more. Following several court dates with their label, Hawthorne Heights returned to the road in late 2007. However, guitarist Casey Calvert died in his sleep just several hours into the tour, the victim of a lethal combination of antidepressant medications and Vicodin (Calvert had reportedly undergone a root canal prior to the band's departure, hence his need for painkillers). Soldiering on as a quartet, the bandmates resolved their issues with Victory Records and issued a third album, Fragile Future, in August 2008.