Biography
Emerging amid the emo-punk wave that defined the early 2000s, Hawthorne Heights achieved major commercial breakthroughs via their opening pair of full-lengths, each earning gold certification, while the 2006 track "Saying Sorry" similarly attained that status. The Ohio-based group navigated personal tragedies, repeated personnel shifts, and evolving musical trends across subsequent years, yet persisted in refining their signature strain of angst-driven pop-punk well into the 2010s and afterward, delivering their eighth studio album, The Rain Just Follows Me, during 2021.
Featuring drummer Eron Bucciarelli, bassist Matt Ridenour, vocalist/guitar player J.T. Woodruff, and guitarists Casey Calvert and Micah Carli, the outfit cultivated a devoted following through an early demo and multiple independently arranged national outings that placed them alongside acts such as From Autumn to Ashes and the Descendents. They inked a deal with Chicago imprint Victory Records in 2003, which yielded their potent 2004 debut full-length, The Silence in Black and White. Amid relentless promotion, the record became Victory's top-selling first release, and its opening single, "Ohio Is for Lovers," gradually gained traction at rock radio.
Hawthorne Heights delivered their sophomore effort, If Only You Were Lonely, in 2006 alongside the concert film This Is Who We Are. Ahead of its launch, Victory encouraged street-team participants to promote its chart position over R&B artist Ne-Yo's competing album slated for the identical date. Dubious methods encompassed repositioning retail displays to obscure Ne-Yo's release while elevating Hawthorne Heights'. Lonely entered at number three, although the maneuver drew scrutiny toward both the group and its label. The album nevertheless maintained strong sales and ultimately reached gold status.
The matter escalated in early August when Hawthorne Heights abruptly declared their departure from Victory Records—an action breaching a contract that required two additional albums—and filed suit against the company concerning unpaid royalties plus damage to their reputation stemming from the prior episode, which the band asserted occurred without their awareness. In an online statement the members likened their tenure there to an "abusive relationship" and singled out "greed-driven" label head Tony Brummel. While legal matters were resolved offstage and Victory countersued alleging an intent to sign with a major, Hawthorne Heights maintained nationwide touring and topped the bill on the Nintendo Fusion Tour that fall of 2006.
After multiple court appearances, the band resumed the road in late 2007. Guitarist Casey Calvert, however, passed away in his sleep hours into the trek from a fatal mix of antidepressant medications and Vicodin, following a root canal that had necessitated painkillers. Continuing as a quartet, they settled their disputes with Victory and released their third album, Fragile Future, in August 2008. Opting against a direct replacement for Calvert, they assigned additional vocal duties to guitarist Micah Carli. Hawthorne Heights eventually switched imprints in 2010 when Wind-Up Records issued their fourth album, Skeletons. Victory meanwhile concluded its obligations via the compilation Midwesterners: The Hits drawn from the first three releases. The group parted ways with Wind-Up that same year and launched their independent outlet, Cardboard Empire. Between tours they initiated a sequence of EPs, starting with Hate in summer 2011 and Hope in late 2012. The next year they expanded their scope with Zero, a post-hardcore concept album centered on rebels in a dystopian near-future America. March 2018 brought the single "Pink Hearts" prior to the full-length Bad Frequencies, which appeared that April through Pure Noise. They followed with Lost Frequencies, a companion set of previously unreleased tracks from those sessions. The single "Constant Dread," featuring guest vocals from Counterparts' Brendan Murphy, surfaced in early 2021 and featured on the band's eighth studio album, The Rain Just Follows Me, issued that September.
Featuring drummer Eron Bucciarelli, bassist Matt Ridenour, vocalist/guitar player J.T. Woodruff, and guitarists Casey Calvert and Micah Carli, the outfit cultivated a devoted following through an early demo and multiple independently arranged national outings that placed them alongside acts such as From Autumn to Ashes and the Descendents. They inked a deal with Chicago imprint Victory Records in 2003, which yielded their potent 2004 debut full-length, The Silence in Black and White. Amid relentless promotion, the record became Victory's top-selling first release, and its opening single, "Ohio Is for Lovers," gradually gained traction at rock radio.
Hawthorne Heights delivered their sophomore effort, If Only You Were Lonely, in 2006 alongside the concert film This Is Who We Are. Ahead of its launch, Victory encouraged street-team participants to promote its chart position over R&B artist Ne-Yo's competing album slated for the identical date. Dubious methods encompassed repositioning retail displays to obscure Ne-Yo's release while elevating Hawthorne Heights'. Lonely entered at number three, although the maneuver drew scrutiny toward both the group and its label. The album nevertheless maintained strong sales and ultimately reached gold status.
The matter escalated in early August when Hawthorne Heights abruptly declared their departure from Victory Records—an action breaching a contract that required two additional albums—and filed suit against the company concerning unpaid royalties plus damage to their reputation stemming from the prior episode, which the band asserted occurred without their awareness. In an online statement the members likened their tenure there to an "abusive relationship" and singled out "greed-driven" label head Tony Brummel. While legal matters were resolved offstage and Victory countersued alleging an intent to sign with a major, Hawthorne Heights maintained nationwide touring and topped the bill on the Nintendo Fusion Tour that fall of 2006.
After multiple court appearances, the band resumed the road in late 2007. Guitarist Casey Calvert, however, passed away in his sleep hours into the trek from a fatal mix of antidepressant medications and Vicodin, following a root canal that had necessitated painkillers. Continuing as a quartet, they settled their disputes with Victory and released their third album, Fragile Future, in August 2008. Opting against a direct replacement for Calvert, they assigned additional vocal duties to guitarist Micah Carli. Hawthorne Heights eventually switched imprints in 2010 when Wind-Up Records issued their fourth album, Skeletons. Victory meanwhile concluded its obligations via the compilation Midwesterners: The Hits drawn from the first three releases. The group parted ways with Wind-Up that same year and launched their independent outlet, Cardboard Empire. Between tours they initiated a sequence of EPs, starting with Hate in summer 2011 and Hope in late 2012. The next year they expanded their scope with Zero, a post-hardcore concept album centered on rebels in a dystopian near-future America. March 2018 brought the single "Pink Hearts" prior to the full-length Bad Frequencies, which appeared that April through Pure Noise. They followed with Lost Frequencies, a companion set of previously unreleased tracks from those sessions. The single "Constant Dread," featuring guest vocals from Counterparts' Brendan Murphy, surfaced in early 2021 and featured on the band's eighth studio album, The Rain Just Follows Me, issued that September.
Albums
The Rain Just Follows Me
2021
Lost Frequencies
2019
Bad Frequencies
2018
The Silence in Black and White (acoustic)
2014
Zero
2013
Skeletons
2010
Fragile Future (Bonus Track Version)
2008
Fragile Future
2008
If Only You Were Lonely
2006
If Only You Were Lonely (Instrumental)
2006
The Silence In Black And White (Instrumental)
2004
The Silence In Black And White (Re-Issue)
2004
Singles
