Genres: Alternative/Indie,RockHawthorne Heights is an American rock band; they were formed in Dayton, Ohio, in 2001. The band was originally called A Day in the Life. Under this name, they released a demo, an album (Nine Reasons to Say Good-Bye), and an extended play recording.
Hawthorne Heights
Just a lot of work, like the Internet promotions and stuff. Before we got signed, we really worked our a***s off. We sent out tons of demos, and we were writing songs non-stop and all that kind of stuff. We just got lucky, I guess.
The Early Years
Hawthorne Heights is an American rock band; they were formed in Dayton, Ohio, in 2001. The band was originally called A Day in the Life. Under this name, they released a demo, an album (Nine Reasons to Say Good-Bye), and an extended play recording. The band went through a number of roster changes and eventually, the band changed their name to Hawthorne Heights.
The Silence in Black and White was their first album with their current name; it was released in 2004. The band was slow to catch on, but ultimately certified gold and peaked at #3 on the US Indie charts. This success was due, in part, to the MTV airplay of their video, Ohio is for Lovers. The popularity of the video led to increased radio play, which, in turn, led to more record sales.
Building on their Success
Thanks to the fan base they earned with their debut album and released singles, their second album, If Only You Were Lonely, was eagerly welcomed by fans. It debuted at #3 on the Billboard charts. The lead single became a hit and reached the Top Ten on the Billboard Top Rock Tracks. In 2006, they performed with the Nintendo Fusion Tour, a touring rock and video game festival.
While on their headlining tour in 2007, the band’s guitarist, Casey Calvert died of a fatal interaction of prescription medications. The remaining members of Hawthorne Heights reeled from the shock. They wrote a song about the loss, entitled Four Become One, which would show up on their next album. The band chose not to replace him, and Calvert is still billed as guitarist/vocalist on their albums.
Here and Now
In 2008, they released Fragile Future. They performed the following year at Linkin Park’s Projekt Revolution 2008, and embarked on the Never Sleep Again Tour. Their next album, Skeletons, is due out during the summer of 2010. The first single, Nervous Breakdown, was released in March of 2010 on line and is available for mp3 download or for streaming.
In 2006, Vitamin Records released a tribute album, entitled Arteries Untold: A String Quartet Tribute to Hawthorne Heights. It is an entirely instrumental album, with covers of Hawthorne Heights. These tracks are also available online for download.
Did you know . . .
The members of Hawthorne Heights named their band after author, Nathaniel Hawthorne.
In 2007, Wild Justice Records sued hawthorne heights for breach of verbal contract over royalties that had not been paid to the management company.
In 2006, when their album was being released on the same day as that of R&B artist, fans were encouraged to sabotage Ne-Yo’s sales by doing things like taking his CD’s off the shelves and hiding them.