# Hawthorne Heights
**Hawthorne Heights** is an American rock band formed in [Dayton, Ohio](https://www.edgepedia.org/dayton-ohio), in 2001, known for its role in the 2000s emo and post-hardcore scene and for the signature hit "Ohio Is for Lovers".[1](https://victoryrecords.com/artist/hawthorne-heights/) • [2](https://cdnc.heyzine.com/files/uploaded/v3/0e15c9906c62271d05ce4c609ac8d17705b2989c.pdf) Before adopting the name Hawthorne Heights, the group performed as the emo-rock outfit [A Day in the Life](https://www.edgepedia.org/a-day-in-the-life), whose style resembled a young Saves the Day more than the screamo-influenced sound that later defined the band.[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/a-day-in-the-life-mn0001494049)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Origin | Formed in Dayton, Ohio, in 2001; previously called A Day in the Life[1](https://victoryrecords.com/artist/hawthorne-heights/) • [4](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/194eeda1-e662-43bc-b9be-32fc1afecc8b) |
| Breakthrough | Debut album *The Silence in Black and White* (2004) went Gold and became Victory Records' highest-selling debut; "Ohio Is for Lovers" spread through rock radio and MTV[5](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/hawthorne-mn0000098361) |
| Peak chart position | *If Only You Were Lonely* (2006) debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 with 113,816 copies sold in its first week[6](https://www.antimusic.com/dayinrock/06/march/09/05.shtml) |
| Certified singles | "Saying Sorry" earned gold status; both of the first two albums went Gold[5](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/hawthorne-mn0000098361) • [7](https://www.purenoise.net/artists/hawthorne-heights/) |
| Loss | Guitarist and screamer Casey Calvert died in October 2007 while on tour, from an accidental overdose of prescribed medications[1](https://victoryrecords.com/artist/hawthorne-heights/) |
| Later labels | *Skeletons* on Wind-up Records; *Bad Frequencies* (2018) and *The Rain Just Follows Me* (2021) on Pure Noise Records[8](https://thetartan-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/edition/pdf/207/tartan_web_1-31-11.pdf) • [7](https://www.purenoise.net/artists/hawthorne-heights/) |
| Anniversary era | In 2026 the band toured the 20th anniversary of *If Only You Were Lonely* and released the single "Like A Cardinal" on March 20[9](https://www.lambgoat.com/news/52235/hawthorne-heights-expand-2026-touring-schedule-with-us-tour-dates-ft-letlive-and-creeper/) |
## Early career and breakthrough
The band built its following through self-distributed demos and self-booked tours, sharing stages with acts such as the [Descendents](https://www.edgepedia.org/descendents) and [Coheed and Cambria](https://www.edgepedia.org/coheed-and-cambria) before signing to [Victory Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/victory-records) in late 2003.[10](https://concord.com/artist/hawthorne-heights/) • [1](https://victoryrecords.com/artist/hawthorne-heights/) As one of the early bands to use social networking to reach fans, it developed a large MySpace following that helped carry it from the underground to mainstream exposure.[1](https://victoryrecords.com/artist/hawthorne-heights/)
The debut album *The Silence in Black and White* appeared in 2004 on Victory Records. While the bandmates toured relentlessly behind it, the record became the label's highest-selling debut, and its lead single, "Ohio Is for Lovers," gradually spread through rock radio; the band became regulars on MTV, and the song was described as the anthem for the new wave of emo.[5](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/hawthorne-mn0000098361) • [1](https://victoryrecords.com/artist/hawthorne-heights/) The album went Gold, and later coverage credited magazine covers, appearances on [Conan O'Brien](https://www.edgepedia.org/conan-obrien) and [Jimmy Kimmel](https://www.edgepedia.org/jimmy-kimmel), and continued touring with sending it to Platinum status.[1](https://victoryrecords.com/artist/hawthorne-heights/)
## If Only You Were Lonely and the Victory dispute
The second album, *If Only You Were Lonely* (2006), produced by David Bendeth and titled after a Replacements B-side, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the Independent Albums chart.[1](https://victoryrecords.com/artist/hawthorne-heights/) • [11](https://www.rocklists.com/albums/hawthorne-heights/if-only-you-were-lonely/) First-week sales were 113,816 copies, with 114,215 total units sold that week.[6](https://www.antimusic.com/dayinrock/06/march/09/05.shtml) The single "Saying Sorry" also went gold.[5](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/hawthorne-mn0000098361)
The success came with conflict. A Victory street-team letter had urged fans to buy the album to beat a major-label release to the top of the charts; the band said it had no knowledge of the letter, and [MTV News](https://www.edgepedia.org/mtv-news) interviewed frontman JT Woodruff and drummer Eron Bucciarelli, who denied the band's involvement.[12](https://www.avclub.com/hawthornes-tricky-path-to-victory-1798209083) In early August 2006 the band announced it was leaving Victory Records, a move that violated a contractual obligation calling for two more albums, and sued the company over issues including unpaid royalties and damage to its name.[5](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/hawthorne-mn0000098361)
## Casey Calvert's death and later albums
In October 2007, guitarist [Casey Calvert](https://www.edgepedia.org/casey-calvert), the band's resident screamer, died while on tour from an accidental overdose of medications prescribed by his doctor and dentist, a combination that proved lethal. The band described the decision to carry on as the toughest it would ever have to make.[1](https://victoryrecords.com/artist/hawthorne-heights/)
Hawthorne Heights returned on August 5, 2008, with *Fragile Future*, its third and final album for Victory Records, on which the sound remained recognizably the band's while evolving.[1](https://victoryrecords.com/artist/hawthorne-heights/) After a hiatus from touring to work on new material, the band released *Skeletons*, its debut for Wind-up Records, and supported it with an acoustic tour intended to make performances more intimate.[8](https://thetartan-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/edition/pdf/207/tartan_web_1-31-11.pdf) A series of self-released efforts followed before *Bad Frequencies* (2018), the band's first album for [Pure Noise Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/pure-noise-records), re-established the group in the scene, leading to tours with [New Found Glory](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-found-glory) and Silverstein. *The Rain Just Follows Me* followed on September 10, 2021, and the *Lost Lights* EP was announced for September 2023.[7](https://www.purenoise.net/artists/hawthorne-heights/)
## Sound and genre
The band's music spans emo, post-hardcore, and screamo, and [MusicBrainz](https://www.edgepedia.org/musicbrainz) additionally lists emo pop and pop screamo among its genres.[13](https://altsounds.tv/artists/hawthorne-heights/) • [4](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/194eeda1-e662-43bc-b9be-32fc1afecc8b) A contemporary academic description notes a singing pattern common to hardcore-influenced emo bands of the period: songs that start with soft singing and crescendo into an angst-ridden wail, over a heavily metal-influenced guitar sound with screamo-style yells.[14](https://etd.ohiolink.edu/acprod/odb_etd/ws/send_file/send?accession=bgsu1147712034&disposition=inline) AllMusic places the band among the biggest breakout successes of the new millennial emo-punk explosion.[5](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/hawthorne-mn0000098361)
## Recent activity
In 2026 the band marked 20 years of *If Only You Were Lonely*, performing the album in full on an anniversary tour with support acts including letlive. and Creeper, with dates across the United States as well as Japan, Australia, and the UK/EU.[9](https://www.lambgoat.com/news/52235/hawthorne-heights-expand-2026-touring-schedule-with-us-tour-dates-ft-letlive-and-creeper/) • [15](https://www.antimusic.com/p/26/r0319hawthorne_heights_expand_if_only_you_were_lonely_20th_anniversary_tour.shtml) A new single, "Like A Cardinal," was released on March 20, 2026; the band said it was recorded at its own studio, A Nightmare on North Elm Street, in search of a heavier, denser sound while keeping the melodic choruses it called its trademark.[9](https://www.lambgoat.com/news/52235/hawthorne-heights-expand-2026-touring-schedule-with-us-tour-dates-ft-letlive-and-creeper/)
## References
1. [Hawthorne Heights, Victory Records](https://victoryrecords.com/artist/hawthorne-heights/)
2. [2025 State Fair of Texas Music Lineup](https://cdnc.heyzine.com/files/uploaded/v3/0e15c9906c62271d05ce4c609ac8d17705b2989c.pdf)
3. [A Day in the Life, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/a-day-in-the-life-mn0001494049)
4. [Hawthorne Heights, MusicBrainz](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/194eeda1-e662-43bc-b9be-32fc1afecc8b)
5. [Hawthorne Heights Biography by James Christopher Monger, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/hawthorne-mn0000098361)
6. [Chart Victory, antiMUSIC (March 2006)](https://www.antimusic.com/dayinrock/06/march/09/05.shtml)
7. [Hawthorne Heights, Pure Noise Records](https://www.purenoise.net/artists/hawthorne-heights/)
8. [The Tartan (January 31, 2011)](https://thetartan-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/edition/pdf/207/tartan_web_1-31-11.pdf)
9. [Hawthorne Heights expand 2026 touring schedule, Lambgoat (March 19, 2026)](https://www.lambgoat.com/news/52235/hawthorne-heights-expand-2026-touring-schedule-with-us-tour-dates-ft-letlive-and-creeper/)
10. [Hawthorne Heights, Concord](https://concord.com/artist/hawthorne-heights/)
11. [If Only You Were Lonely (2006), RockLists](https://www.rocklists.com/albums/hawthorne-heights/if-only-you-were-lonely/)
12. [Hawthorne's Tricky Path to Victory, The A.V. Club](https://www.avclub.com/hawthornes-tricky-path-to-victory-1798209083)
13. [Hawthorne Heights Music Video Channel, AltSounds](https://altsounds.tv/artists/hawthorne-heights/)
14. [Emo and the Performance of Masculinity, M.A. thesis, Bowling Green State University (2006)](https://etd.ohiolink.edu/acprod/odb_etd/ws/send_file/send?accession=bgsu1147712034&disposition=inline)
15. [Hawthorne Heights Expand 'If Only You Were Lonely' 20th Anniversary Tour, antiMusic](https://www.antimusic.com/p/26/r0319hawthorne_heights_expand_if_only_you_were_lonely_20th_anniversary_tour.shtml)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Ensembles and groups › Rock, pop, and metal bands › Rock, indie, and pop groups › Indie and alternative bands › Emo bands*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license