HAWTHORNE HEIGHTS Quintet adds success to label

The group will be appearing in Cleveland and Pittsburgh.
By JOHN BENSON
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
Hawthorne Heights drummer Eron Bucciarelli couldn't care less about genre labels. Whether it's emo, post-hardcore or just rock, he'll take it.
"Just the fact that people know what your band sounds like is pretty cool," said Bucciarelli, calling from Arizona.
Such was not always the case for the five members of Hawthorne Heights, who formed the band four years ago in the Dayton area, with the New Jersey native percussionist being the only University of Dayton graduate. Early on the band toured independently, playing plenty of Northeast Ohio dates -- including the Grog Shop -- as a then-anonymous emo-influenced outfit.
Signed to Victory Records two years ago this month, the quintet has been on the fast track ever since, recording its debut album, 2004's "The Silence in Black and White," and watching its lead single "Ohio is for Lovers" put the band on the MTV2 map. Seemingly overnight, the band attracted a Vans Warped Tour-friendly audience.
Unusual sound
While the debut is solid, the band's ace in the hole comes from its live show that features a three-guitar attack, which Bucciarelli says allows the outfit on stage to create a thicker sound that mirrors the experience heard in studio.
As for fans checking out the band's upcoming Tuesday show at Pittsburgh's Mr. Small's Theater and Nov. 29 date at Cleveland's House of Blues, they can expect a power-packed set list that features new material.
Having recently finished recording its highly-anticipated sophomore release, "If Only You Were Lonely," due out in February, Bucciarelli said the next album will find Hawthorne Heights taking its music into a more indie rock aesthetic. In fact, if you're wondering about that direction, listen no further than the acoustic version of "Silver Bullet," which can be found on a newly released expanded set of "The Silence in Black and White." Oddly enough, the song takes on a distinct and completely unexpected Death Cab for Cutie vibe.
"We liked how that turned out so we were like, let's try something like that on a new song," said Bucciarelli, regarding newly recorded track "December." "I can't really pinpoint what exactly makes [Death Cab's] Ben Gibbard and Chris Walla sound so unique, but there is definitely something there and we thought we'd cash in a little bit on that one song we have on the album."
Recently the band has encountered a dose of unexpected reality after opening band Bayside lost its drummer John "Beatz" Holohan when the group's tour bus flipped over. The Hawthorne Heights bus was just a few car lengths ahead of the Bayside bus. The tragedy took place a few weeks ago and Bucciarelli is still trying to deal. Perhaps not surprisingly, the nightmare has drawn the band together.
"Yeah, you are sort of like, life is so fragile and anything can happen at any second, and you sort of appreciate what you have more right now," Bucciarelli said.
There's no denying the members of the band appreciate their accomplishments. Perhaps driven by a fear that tomorrow it could all be gone, the members of Hawthorne Heights have been running nonstop. When success hits suddenly, the results are often confusing and misleading. It's almost as if the outfit fears any time off will equate to a loss of momentum just when its getting started.
"The ride was kind of really quick and surreal that it happened like it did," Bucciarelli said. "If somebody told me two years ago that we'd have a gold record and we'd be headlining a tour right now, I'd tell them they were crazy. Basically, we released our record, hit the road immediately and haven't really come off the road for any significant amount of time since. We've just played every show like it's our last."