Following a dispute with Victory Records (who allegedly logged onto the Hawthorne Heights
MySpace, urging fans to go to record stores and hide copies of the band’s closest competition on the Billboard 200, R&B artist
Ne-Yo‘s album
In My Own Words), Hawthorne Heights broke off from the label in late 2006. The move sparked a number of lawsuits from both sides, with a federal judge eventually ruling in late 2007 that Hawthorne Heights could release albums on other labels, as long as they eventually deliver two more albums for Victory sometime in the future as per their original contract.
Although Hawthorne Heights patched up their relations with Victory and has since returned to the label, disaster struck in late 2007 when longtime guitarist and background singer Casey Calvert died suddenly died while on tour, the result of a fatal reaction between a pain medication and an antidepressant - both legally prescribed. The band has announced that they do not intend to replace Casey, and will still include some of his recordings postmortem on their third album, which they hope to release sometime in mid 2008.
From Discogs:Emo-punk band from Dayton, Ohio, U.S.A.Formed in 2001 as A Day In The Life, the band soon went through some changes in lineup and musical direction, which led also to a name change.They released their debut album, "The Silence In Black And White", in 2004 on Victory Records.On November 24th, 2007, Casey Calvert died in his sleep while being on tour with the band.Lineup:Micah Carli - guitarCasey Calvert (deceased) - guitar, backing vocalsEron Bucciarelli - drumsMatt Ridenour - bassJT Woodruff - vocals, guitar
From Lastfm:Formed in Dayton, Ohio in 2001. Playing from the start on self-booked tours across the country gave them some initial national exposure, but they weren't signed to Victory Records until late 2003.
As one of the first bands to utilize social networking to gain a fan base, Hawthorne Heights developed a huge MySpace following that became a catalyst that would launch them from underground to international awareness. The band became regulars on MTV, their signature hit Ohio Is For Lovers the anthem for the new wave of ?emo?. Their debut album The Silence In Black And White soon went Gold, and with their second album If Only You Were Lonely, the band scored Victory Records? biggest ever debut, landing at #3 on the Billboard 200 in 2006. The band appeared on Conan O?Brien and Jimmy Kimmel, and became magazine cover stars, sending sales of The Silence? to Platinum status.
In November 2007, whilst in the midst of legal disputes, tragedy struck within the Hawthorne Heights family. Casey Calvert, the much loved guitarist and resident ?screamer? of the band, lost his life while on tour, due to an accidental overdose of medications prescribed by his doctor and dentist, which proved to be lethal combination. The effects on the band were evident, both personally and musically.
On August 5 2008, Hawthorne Heights return with Fragile Future, a brand new album. Although the sound is still distinctly Hawthorne Heights, the music, as with the band, has understandably evolved.
?After spending the last 2 years in a deep dark place, we decided to try to find the bright lights again with Fragile Future,? noted singer J.T. Woodruff. ?We, as a band, noticed that everyone has tremendous ups and downs, so we wanted this record to communicate that. We chose the title Fragile Future, because it sums up the current state of our band, as well as what is going on in the outside world. We must all make good choices to create a better situation in our lives.?
"With the loss of Casey, and no plans to replace him, we've had to make some obvious changes to our sound on this record,? added drummer Eron Bucciarelli. ?Originally there were less screams planned for this record than the second one, but sadly we never got the chance to do even that. This forced us to take a creative approach to certain songs. We've beefed up the guitars in parts, added gang vocals, choirs and all sorts of effects to still capture some of the energy that Casey brought.?
Current Members
JT Woodruff: Vocals/Guitar
Micah Carli: Guitar
Eron Buciarelli: Drums
Matt Ridenour: Bass
Previous Members:
Casey Calvert(deceased): Guitar/Backup Vocals
For more information, visit: http://www.hawthorneheights.com
From Wikipedia:Hawthorne Heights is an American rock band from Dayton, Ohio, formed in 2001. Their line-up currently consists of lead-singer and rhythm guitarist JT Woodruff, lead-guitarist and vocalist Micah Carli, bassist and backing vocalist Matt Ridenour, and drummer Eron Bucciarelli. On November 24, 2007, guitarist and unclean vocalist Casey Calvert died of accidental causes, leaving the band as a four-piece. The band, who were originally named A Day in the Life, have released three studio albums on Victory Records since changing their name to Hawthorne Heights.
The band found success with both of their first two albums, with 2004's The Silence in Black and White achieving Platinum certification, and their 2006 album If Only You Were Lonely achieving Gold certification, after it peaked at #1 on the Billboard's Independent Albums chart and #3 on the Billboard 200 charts. They are also well known for their 2006 single "Saying Sorry", which reached Gold status and peaked at #7 on the Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart. The band's third album, Fragile Future, was released on August 5, 2008, surprisingly through Victory Records again, after a lengthy legal battle between the two parties. Hawthorne Heights released their fourth studio album with Wind-up Records (who also represent popular acts such as Creed and Cartel) on June 1, 2010. The album's title is Skeletons.