| Hawthorne Heights was formed from big dreams – its members wanted to play music they were passionate about and take a shot at being a full time band. Signing to Victory Records in November 2003 was the first step towards realizing their goal of playing music for a living. Fast Forward to June 2005: their debut album, “The Silence In Black And White,” has been out for a year and it has sold more than 325,000 copies, heading rapidly towards a gold certification. The band has done national television, appeared on the covers of magazines like Alternative Press and AMP, and they have sold out venues across the country. Hawthorne Heights and Victory Records released a deluxe re-issue of their debut album, literally jam-packed with interviews, performances and other extras on June 14th – almost a year to the day of its original release.
Forming in Dayton, OH in June of 2001 under the name “A Day In The Life”, the band decided to rename their previous musical endeavor due to lineup changes and evolving musical styles. With the final lineup in place, Hawthorne Heights began playing out on several national self-booked tours, sharing stages with bands like Descendents, From Autumn To Ashes and Coheed And Cambria. In November, 2004, Victory Records’ President, Tony Brummel, is doing his usual Saturday morning demo listening and plays the Hawthorne Heights CD. He is sold on the band immediately, as is the rest of the Victory staff, and the Hawthorne Heights boys drive from Dayton to Chicago to showcase for the label. They signed a deal with Victory shortly thereafter.
Hawthorne Heights recorded “The Silence In Black And White” over four weeks in Madison, WI at Smart Studios and in Chicago, IL at Big Gold Studios with Dan Duszynski and Sean O’Keefe (Fall Out Boy, Spitalfield) in February and March of 2004. “The recording process this time around was an experience within itself. We got to take our time and experiment a lot more than we’ve been used to in the past. Sonically, this record is such a step up from anything else we’ve done. We are very proud of the finished product”, commented Eron Bucciarelli (drums).
“The Silence In Black And White” contains songs of frustration, personal growth and evolution. Musically, it tests the limitations of the “post-hardcore” and “screamo” music genres, adding deeper and darker subtleties. Influenced by bands that range from Led Zeppelin to Quicksand to Nirvana and Shades Apart, Hawthorne Heights’s brand of radiant and fiery post-hardcore is expansive yet more focused than the efforts of other bands they will be categorized with. Their triple guitar attack alone sets them apart from the rest. “With JT, Casey and Micah all playing guitar, we can add a lot of layering effects and intricacies to our music along with legitimately pulling in different musical styles”, said Eron. “To us, ‘The Silence In Black And White’ is the perfect melting pot of all of our different musical tastes.”
Upon release, the album broke the Victory record for highest selling debut album, beating Taking Back Sunday with a first week of 3,458 sold. As the industry paused and took notice of this previously unknown band, they hit the road, opening for label mates Silverstein, followed by MEST. Their first headlining run was very successful, so the next move was to accept a spot on the highly regarded Take Action Tour ’05 with Sugarcult. The record continued to sell in leaps and bounds, blowing away expectations no matter how highly placed. AOL Sessions came calling, and Hawthorne Heights joined legends like Green Day and Robert Smith in their catalog. MTV added their first single, “Ohio Is For Lovers” into rotation, and the sleeping dinosaur that is Alternative radio slowly began to stir, with stations across the country supporting the single.
By the summer of 2005, the band began filming the video for their next single, “Niki FM” – an homage to the 80’s cult movie, “Say Anything”. With just days to spare they joined Warped Tour for the rest of the summer. The band will kick off a headlining tour of North America and the United Kingdom this fall and begin recording the follow up to their incredibly successful debut. Not only have their dreams been fulfilled and then some, but Hawthorne Heights are poised to join rock’s perennial acts, touring and releasing records for the foreseeable future.
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