Hawthorne Heights
Biography
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. ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide
Selected Discography
hey give em credit. they made a sweet first two albums with melodic screams and emotionally charged lyrics. sure their third was a disaster but thats just cuz caseys gone.
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OK, im not this die hard fan of hawthorne, but people really need to not dog on any band at all.
Too, their bio needs revision due to an unfortunate line up change. |
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fragile future is a nice progression forward, but it would be better with casey...
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miss you casey and live yo and your inward screams
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Proof that theres no vendetta against your precious sissies...
check out the Foreign Exchange page I'm sure Hilary Duff's mug is elsewhere as well... |
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R.I.P Casey
we miss you. Hawthorne Heights will never be the same without your screams. |
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I Love HH!! RAWR! theyre GREAT!
& I miss Casey :( R.I.P |
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I love this band. They are so amazing. Especially with the death of Casey. They handled it well. I'm glad they're not trying to replace him. "When Five Becomes Four", on the Fragile Future album is so sad!, but its a beautiful song too.
They'll never be able to come back as wonderful as they were before they lost Casey but, they'll always be great. Rest in piece, Casey Calvert! |
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an entire compilation of songs about hillary duff!
eleven never-before - h e a r d songs! how could you resist? |
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uhh... picture of hilary duff for the album cover on my comp for this album, wondering if anyone else has that too?
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i also dont think there as good since casey died he was a great guitarist im glad there going back on tour though never got to see them
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even after casey died... theyre still awesome.
i saw their first performance when they came backk and im still in love with themmm. we love you casey forever and everrr. <3 |
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Wow, is that all you kids can say? Maybe he shouldn't have been on antidepressa n t s . Its a shame he died but that kind of s**t is a cop out on life. Prescribed medication is for the weak, manufactured by mega-corpora t i o n s to get your $$$, only people that really have an excuse are people with actual diseases and metal illnesses.
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Anyway Hawthorne Heights is Awsome Band. They Just Aren't As Good Since Casey Died, But Either Way They're Still Good None the Less. My Favorite Album is If Only You Were Lonely. It Helped Me Get Through Some Hard Times.
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Dude laxxfreak2 That is Kinda of Insenstive Concerning the Fact That Casey Died, But It Can't Be Half as Bad as What I Have Seen This Guy on Youtube Say About Dimebag (If You Want to Know What I'm Talking About Check Out This Guy Named analcarbomb on Youtube).
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What happened to casey? (don't kill me i'm new to the band) did he leave, die, or do a side project?
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i miss casey's screaming so much...but they're still a great band, and one of my all time favorites. i saw them live and micah did some screaming, but like that other guy said, not the same. (good, though.)
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I love casey and it suxs to hear hawthore heights not screaming. Micah can kind of scream but it will never be the same as casey. Fragile future is such an amazing comeback. Bricka and captainmunch jo gots nooo balls
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i feel so bad about casey "leaving". it must be hard for the guys having to move on without him. They may still sound good but it will never be the same without him. :(
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captainmunch jo and bricka can shut the f**k up.
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