Interviews

Hawthorne Heights

Interview with Eron on May 11, 2004 by Archive Bot

Nina: Originally the band used to be called “A Day in the Life” What were your reasons for changing the name to Hawthorne Heights, and what is the significance behind the new name?
 
Eron: We mainly changed the name because A Day in the Life has had so many different line-up changes that no one could keep up with it. There was one original member left. Everyone else was either second generation or third generation on their instrument, so it wasn’t the same band anymore. Plus, we got tired of playing all of A Day in the Life songs since that really wasn’t who we were anymore. We wanted to start fresh, with music that we actually liked, so we changed the name and basically started over. Hawthorne actually comes from Nathaniel Hawthorne, because we all think he’s an excellent writer. Heights…hah, Heights actually comes from transcendentalism. We’re big on that. At the time, I guess it just sounded good. It’s catchy, and it’s a combination of things that we’re into.
 
Nina: “The Silence in Black and White” was recorded with the help of Sean O’Keefe and Dan Duszynski at Smart Studios in Chicago, IL. How was this experience different from any previous recordings you may have done yourself, besides the fact that it was obviously professional? What did you get out of working with those men, that maybe you could take as advice into your own musical skills?
 
Eron: Just recording was awesome. Working in Smart Studios was amazing because bands like Nirvana, AFI, Garbage, huge, HUGE, acts have worked with the producers there, so it was a really good chance for us. Most of the equipment we used had also been used by great musicians so that had an impact on us. The board we used was actually also used for Jimmy Eat World’s “Bleed American”. A lot of the mics had been previously used by Kurt Cobain and Billy Corgan as well. We were given a lot of time to get everything done too. Instead of having only a week to get everything done, we had a couple of months. There wasn’t any rush. We could mix, master, do drums, vocals, guitar parts, and not have to worry about being done by Sunday. We had the time available to us to develop what we wanted the album to sound like. Sean helped us and gave us a lot of advice on making different parts stand out, and shortening other parts to emphasis choruses, or even simple melodies. It was overall a really good experience for the band since we were just used to recording things ourselves on a low budget income.
 
Nina: While recording the album, did you have any idea what you wanted the final outcome of the CD to sound like? Do you think that everything you were looking for was achieved in working with Sean O’Keefe? Is there anything you would have liked to work more on, or add onto the album that could possibly be used for upcoming records?
 
Eron: Uhm…I think when we recorded, originally we were trying to get more of a darker feel to the album, and for the most part, a lot of the songs do bring that out. There are also brighter sides too though, where the melody shines and it does a complete turn around. We definitely got done most of what we had planned. Sean was a great help on that. For the most part, everything was exactly how we imagined it to be, and ten times better.
 
Nina: On June 1st, your album is going to be released. Are you nervous about what people are going to think of the album once they finally get a chance to hear it? I know on purevolume.com you can keep track of how many plays your songs have gotten, so maybe that can give you a general idea on what to expect in sales, and not even in sales, but in interest. But either way, as long as your happy with the outcome, that’s all that matters. What do you hope people will realize when they listen to your album that sets you apart from every other band that is currently out there?
 
Eron: It will be totally awesome if people like our album. We’re happy with it, and you’re right, that really is all that matters. But, any band can say that they would love to have people like there album, so of course we would too. It’s hard to tell what our sales are going to be like, but that’s not a major concern right now. We just want people to give us a chance and see what we’re about. I think we’re doing a good job of setting a name up for ourselves, so hopefully the album will get picked up by some kids. People do come up to us at shows looking to buy CDs, and unfortunately we don’t have any yet, but we will soon. I guess we just have to wait and see what happens.
 
Nina: There are currently three guitarists in Hawthorne Heights. Was the idea of having three guitarists always an attribute to the band that you were looking for, or did everything just sort of work out that way? What are the advantages and disadvantages of having three guitarists? In the long run, do you think it makes things easier, or more difficult? Is it two rhythm guitarists, and one lead? Do the rhythm guitarists both play the same things? During recording, was only one rhythm guitarist recorded, or are both featured on the album?
 
Eron: We have three guitarists for two main reasons, really. When you see a lot of bands live, they sound different than they do on record. On CD they sound fuller. I don’t think that one or two guitarists could really reproduce a lot of what’s on record. So, by having three guitarists, we can really bring out what’s on the CD, and emphasize on more individual parts so we sound the same live. Sometimes you expect to hear some guitar parts live when you see a band, and you get disappointed when it’s not there, so we hope that we can bring everything out and not miss out on anything. The second reason is that JT really wanted to play guitar again. He got bored with just a microphone. It’s definitely a lot easier having three guitarists. It’s a really good thing. At first it was kind of hard because we always had to haul around three huge amplifiers and cabinets, and it gets tough keeping track of all the equipment, especially at shows, but we got used to it. There really isn’t one set lead. Of course they’ll be one guitarist that picks out different notes and will alternate with the others, but actually, we have one guitarist who doesn’t play power chords at all. Everything they play is different. They usually all play different parts, but sometimes we like to double up…and even triple up on songs to bring out certain parts. We have a lot of benefits given to us having three guitarists. It’s definitely a good thing over all.
 
Nina: Unfortunately medical issues do get in the way of touring, and for Arms Bend Back that seems to have happened. Were you disappointed that they had to drop off of the tour with Hawthorne Heights and The Program, or did you at least have fun while it lasted? Have local bands just been taking their place on each date? Since you’re a relatively new band to the scene, how do you think your crowd response has been?
 
Eron: It defiantly sucks that they had to leave the tour. Especially since they were the headlining act, so it was a big drawback at first. A lot less people have shown up to the shows, just the turn out in general has been lower, but we’ve managed to get through it. The Program is an awesome band. We’ve been alternating the headlining position. If we’re playing in a city where we know people are definitely going to come out and see us, then we’ll headline. Or if The Program knows a ton of kids are coming to check them out, they’ll get the spot. Local bands have been filling in, but before us, of course. It’s cool because we get to see some of the area’s bands, but it definitely sucks about Arms Bend Back. In relation to crowd response, in certain cities we’ve seen kids that are definitely into us. Others, it’s hard to win the crowd over. That’s just interesting to see. It hasn’t been bad though.
 
Nina: As far as websites like purevolume.com and hxcmp3.com go, do you think those websites should be reserved for unsigned bands? Some people think that bands that are already on major labels have the advantage since they are on there way to becoming popular anyways, and don’t necessarily need to put their songs on websites such as purevolume. But since mp3.com is gone now, there really is no other alternative. So do you think there should be certain websites designed for unsigned bands, as opposed to signed bands? I thought it would be interesting to hear an actual band member’s opinion on the subject. I mean I know daily they post which band had the highest number of downloads, whose page was viewed the most in one day, etc…so It’s hard for say a local band to gain any sort of lead with major bands also being on the website.
 
Eron: Well, I think signed bands really get kids to go to the website, and make kids familiar with it, and what it’s about. The good thing about purevolume.com is the fact that they have featured artists that are unsigned. Like, you could go there and download the new Underoath song on the main page, but you would also see some sort of local band being advertised. So maybe kids would check the local band out as well just because they’re there, and they caught their eye. Something like that. I think it would be difficult for an mp3 site that just sponsored independent bands to really get a good name. I think it would be tough for it to become as popular as purevolume currently is. So I think it’s a good thing that signed bands are on there, mainly because they can bring kids to the site, and maybe then they’ll look around and check out some of the other bands. Unfortunately kids don’t really have any incentive to check out independent bands, even though they should, but purevolume.com helps them out, I think.
 
Nina: Aside from going on tour with Emery and label-mates Silverstein, are you guys also going to be playing a couple of dates on Warped Tour this summer? It’s certainly an opportunity.
           
Eron: We’re only playing two dates on Warped Tour. One is in Cincinnati, and the other is in Columbus. We’re glad we’re going to play in our home state, which is really what we wanted, because we know kids will come out to see us. Without a doubt, we’re looking forward to that happening. It should be fun.
 
Nina: With signing onto Victory, has everything been the way you originally imagined it to be? Well, you could say that you never even imagined the band even getting signed, but I’m sure that after the fact you had some sort of impression of what everything was going to be like. With opportunities being constantly offered, and crowds full of people being interested in your music, what do you think is the best part about being signed onto a major label? Do you ever miss being just another local band from Dayton, OH?
 
Eron: Victory being the major label is like a dream come true for us. When you’re on a label like Victory, you really get a chance to get your name out there. It’s been everything we expected plus more since we’ve gotten signed. You have so many advantages. Like, we don’t have to worry about our CD being in stores or anything. They handle that. Just things you wouldn’t be able to do if you were alone. Booking a tour is defiantly a lot harder when you’re by yourself. You’ll contact someone about booking and say “Oh, we’re Hawthorne Heights, and we’re on so and so, label” and they’ll just reply and say “Who??” There’s a type of legitimacy that goes along with Victory it seems. People hear the name and know that you’re a real band and not just…well, not just some kids. We don’t miss being a local band, because we aren’t that well known yet so there haven’t been huge differences. Maybe we will eventually, but to be honest with you, I love playing small clubs and halls. The shows are always packed. I think that even if we did get big, and I don’t want to look forward to that and expect it in case it doesn’t go through, but I think I would still want to play small shows at halls just to remember what it was always like. I think they’re the best type of shows a band can play.
 
Nina: Okay, that about concludes our interview. I just want to wish you guys luck in the future of the band, and hopefully everything will work out for you. If given the chance, I’ll be sure to check you guys out on tour. If you would like to add anything to the end of the interview, feel free.
 
Eron: Oh, I just want to thank you for doing the interview. I had a good time. Make sure to check out the album and get back to me and let me know what you think. It’d be interesting to hear your opinion. Thanks again.