Hawthorne Heights hits the road following a dream
By Chris Nixon
For the Union-Tribune
October 26, 2006
I was born in a small town, and I can breathe in a small town, sang Ohio native John Mellencamp in his well-worn '80s hit song. But breathing don't pay the bills. In reality, Mellencamp had to leave his small town in order to attain fame and notoriety.
So did Hawthorne Heights, the emo-pop fivesome from Dayton, Ohio. But for drummer Eron Bucciarelli, vocalist JT Woodruff, bassist Matt Ridenour and guitarists Casey Calvert and Micah Carli, the escape from Dayton set Hawthorne Heights on a rapid ascendance to record label contracts and a full-time gig making music.
“We understood early on that if we were going to realize our goal and our dream of being professional musicians, then we'd have to get out of Dayton and play elsewhere,” said Bucciarelli on a recent stop in Arkansas on the current Nintendo Fusion Tour. “Our fans aren't really swarming all over Dayton or anywhere in the Midwest.”
Formed in 2001, Hawthorne Heights came out of a hardcore, punk and metal background. But as years progressed and the band matured, more pop sentiment and mainstream sentimentality worked its way into the group's music: “As we've gotten older, we've gotten more into pop and songwriting, so we like to blend all those elements together.”
Hawthorne Heights signed with Victory Records and released two albums – 2004's “The Silence in Black and White” and this year's “If Only You Were Lonely” – gaining more fans through national distribution and constant touring. Mixing grinding guitars, metal growls and saccharine sweet pop hooks, Hawthorne Heights found a foothold in the disenchanted youth of America.
Despite all the promise, the relationship with Victory would end as most disagreements do in the music industry: in a court of law. Hawthorne Heights is currently suing the label for breach of contract, copyright and trademark infringement, fraud and abuse.
“I guess we've learned that you really can't trust anybody. You have to look out for yourself. If I had one piece of advice: Definitely get a good entertainment lawyer to watch your back,” said Bucciarelli.
Until the legal issues get sorted out, Hawthorne Heights remains in a holding pattern regarding fresh material and new albums. But on the current tour, which hits SOMA tomorrow, the kids from Dayton are writing the songs that will become the band's next record.
“We were in the back of our bus working on a new song,” Bucciarelli said. “As far as a new record label, we kind of have to see what happens. But we're open to any possibilities.”
Chris Nixon is a San Diego writer.
