When it comes to the emo-rock scene, few have taken off
in such a dramatic fashion as (Dayton) Ohio five-piece act Hawthorne
Heights. Founded back in 2001 (under the name of A Day In The Life),
Hawthorne Heights seemed to be moving onto bigger and better things
when they signed on to Victory Records in November 2003. But little
did both know just what the future would hold.
Released in 2004, Hawthorne Heights' debut 'The Silence
In Black And White' has maintained a position in Billboard's Top 200
from day one (which has resulted in the album selling close to platinum
- which was helped with the album's re-release a year later with bonus
tracks and a DVD) along with the bands debut DVD (2006's 'This Is Who
We Are') following closely behind.
Two years on and with the hype surrounding the band only
heightened, Hawthorne Heights return with their stunning sophomore effort
'If Only You Were Lonely'.
While out on their current mini-headlining tour (with
support coming from Emery, Anberlin, June and Bleed The Dream), I caught
up with drummer Eron Bucciarelli to find out what the recording experience
was like for the band the second time around, the expectations that
many have (including themselves) of their sophomore effort, their plans
in regards to touring and their place long term within the emo-rock
trend.
"We're all very happy and proud about what we've
managed to achieve with our new album 'If Only You Were Lonely'. I think
a lot of people seem to agree that the album is a lot stronger than
our debut, and I think that's something that we couldn't agree more
with."
While a natural progression within a musician's ability
can help make a follow up album stand out from their past achievements,
it would seem that there was another important factor that helped Hawthorne
Heights the second time around more than anything else.
"We were way more prepared this time. We started
writing for the album around February 2005, because we knew that we
were going to have to record around October. So with that deadline sitting
there in the back of our minds, and quickly approaching, we knew that
we had to prepare ourselves in advance. By the time we got to do pre-production
with the producer (David Bendeth, who previous credits include Breaking
Benjamin and Towers Of London), we already had ninety percent of the
songs written. We had even managed to produce a little bit of the album
on our own as well. We obviously had a much bigger budget to work with
too compared to our debut, so we were able to spend a little more time
working on everything that we missed out on doing the first time around.
That enabled us to play around with tones, different parts and melodies,
and that's something that I think really helped us and this album a
lot."
Although Hawthorne Heights have shown a slight change
of direction from their debut to their follow up, it's not a move that
the band made consciously, but rather a progressive step forward in
regards to writing to their known strengths.
"I think as we started to write the songs for the
new album, we could definitely hear what we were doing, and where this
album was heading sound wise. We didn't make a conscious effort to take
the things that we liked about the last record and do them again on
this new one. But at the same time, we kept what we liked about the
first record, and only improved on them, alongside removing some parts
altogether because that's the sound and style of music that we're known
for."
While it's hard for most acts to pinpoint any particular
favourite from their most recent recordings, Bucciarelli says the band
(who are otherwise vocalist/guitarist JT Woodruff, guitarists Casey
Calvert and Micah Carli and bassist/vocalist Matt Ridenour) have earmarked
a few songs from 'If Only You Were Lonely' that have stood out from
day one.
"I think we all like 'Saying Sorry', 'Pens And Needles'
and 'This Is Who We Are'. But for me personally, I believe that 'Decembers'
is a very strong song. I think that song shows that we have all these
other influences that aren't just simply hard rock. We just love The
Beatles, The Beach Boys, Death Cab For Cutie and Postal Service, so
we just kind of brought those influences into the rehearsal room and
spread them out onto the table. 'Decembers' isn't really all that different
from what we've done in the past. The reissue of 'The Silence In Black
And White' included acoustic versions of 'Silver Bullet', 'The Transition'
and 'Ohio Is For Lovers' on there. So being so happy with the way those
tracks turned out before, especially 'Silver Bullet', we decided to
create a whole new song with that same sort of vibe to it, only perhaps
a little more subdued. That's how 'Decembers' came about really."
You would think that with an almost platinum selling debut
on their hands, Hawthorne Heights would have some expectations with
'If Only You Were Lonely'. It would seem that is not the case, as Bucciarelli
explains.
"I guess we expected to have stronger songs than
we had on the first record, and show the transition we have made in
the time between the two albums within the song structures. Obviously
we knew that we were heading into the studio with a real producer, and
going into a much nicer studio, so I guess we expected the final product
to be better than what we were doing before. When you're spending four
times the amount on money on the recording budget than what you did
on your debut, you should expect a lot better sound. I think we all
agree that we managed to get that."
Victory Records on the other hand have huge expectations
of the new album, with claims in their bio stating that the band, who
previous held the record as having the biggest selling debut on the
label, expect 'If Only You Were Lonely' to debut at number one, with
sales totalling two hundred thousand copies within its first week!
"Yeah, I heard that too! (Laughs) All that amounts
to us is sales figures. It's cool to hear that, and yes we did have
the highest selling debut, but Aiden has since gone on to beat our record
(with 2004's 'Nightmare Anatomy'). It's not something that we dwell
on or anything, or even gloat about. I think statements like that would
be scary if they were predicting that it would sell that many copies
before we had even started recording it. I think the general frame of
mind within the group is that if that happens, then that's cool. If
it doesn't, then it's no big deal. Our last album debuted quite high,
and it managed to sell 3,500 copies in the first week. So with that
in mind, if we sell anything over that, that's a huge improvement. If
'If Only You Were Lonely' sells one hundred thousand copies, fifty thousand
or even twenty thousand albums, it's still way better than what we started
off with. Personally, I would rather see the album sell a decent amount
of copies over a lengthy period of time, rather than simply being a
flash in the pan. I don't want to see this band sell everything in the
first week, and then drop off the radar the week later."
One of the more novel ways to promote a new single is
the approach Hawthorne Heights have taken with their new albums lead
off single 'Saying Sorry'. Starting only last week, fans of the band
can enter a competition for the chance to have the band themselves deliver
a personal apology from the stage on their current tour.
"To tell you the truth, I really don't know much
of the details behind that. That's simply something Victory Records
put together. We just got back from a UK tour, and literally two days
after that we had to fly out to New York, and after two days there,
we had to fly out to LA. The very next day, we had to start this tour.
So it's been really, really busy lately, and I haven't actually had
a chance to see what they have done on the promotion side of things
to tell you the truth. I guess it's just something that they wanted
to do. It's just a way to get people interested in the single and the
album."
Another subject that manages to perplex both Bucciarelli
and the rest of the band is the level of success that Hawthorne Heights
have managed over the countless other emo-rock bands on the scene.
"I think it's because we try and blend all our influences
together. We really try hard to make the songs catchy, as well as adding
guitars into the mix. In other words, the vocals might be doing one
thing, but the guitars might be doing a counter melody to make everything
sound a little more interesting. We just try and incorporate everything
we are influenced by, and make them fit well together. That's actually
quite a tough question, and one that everybody asks. I get it a lot
actually. I guess there's no real answer to that. I can only hope that
we have enough influences that separate us from the bands that are really
popular right now. I sort of hope that we have something that makes
us outlast the others when the trend sort of dies off. We have so many
different influences, and I think that's something that really separates
us from the rest. And it's something that we hope to expand upon in
the future. I consider us a rock band, with emo-rock influences rather
than an emo-rock act with punk and hardcore influences."
One thing that Bucciarelli is a little surer of is the
bands touring plans. While details have yet to be finalised in regards
to future plans, he's fairly adamant that Hawthorne Heights will be
spending the greater part of 2006 (and possibly beyond) somewhere out
on the road.
"Between now and May, we'll only be home for a week.
We're doing a secondary market tour right now with Emery, Anberlin,
June and Bleed The Dream, and then we go out with Fallout Boy, All-American
Rejects and From First To Last. Apart from those tours, we don't have
very much planned yet. There's nothing finalised yet after the summer,
or the fall, but there's plenty that's already in the planning stages.
We're actually trying at the moment to get down to Australia on the
international jaunt of Taste Of Chaos and branch out a little bit. We
would all love to visit down there, and it would be a cool place for
us to play because it would be something new. For us, that would be
so cool."
I would like to thank Eron Bucciarelli for his generous
time and Darren Cherry at Stomp Records Distribution for making the
interview possible.
For more information on Hawthorne Heights, check out -
http://www.hawthorneheights.com
© Justin Donnelly - justindonnelly@ozemail.com.au
