Craft Recordings announces 20th anniv. deluxe reissue for Hawthorne Heights’ ‘The Silence in Black and White’
HAWTHORNE HEIGHTS’ BESTSELLING DEBUT
THE SILENCE IN BLACK AND WHITE
SET FOR DELUXE 2-LP VINYL REISSUE
IN CELEBRATION OF 20TH ANNIVERSERY
Gold-certified album features the iconic emo hit, “Ohio Is for Lovers,” plus fan-favorites
“Niki FM” and “Silver Bullet”
Band remains on an extensive North American tour through the fall, and will perform
The Silence in Black and White in its entirety at Las Vegas’ When We Were Young Festival
Los Angeles, CA (August 27, 2024)—Craft Recordings celebrates the 20th anniversary of The Silence in Black and White—the electrifying debut from Hawthorne Heights, with a deluxe vinyl reissue. Set for release on November 22, this limited-edition 2-LP set features the rock band’s signature hit “Ohio Is for Lovers,” plus such enduring fan-favorites as “Niki FM” and “Silver Bullet,” in addition to a host of live recordings, demos and other bonus tracks (all originally featured on the 2005 deluxe edition of the album). A gatefold jacket also includes a double-sided insert, new artwork, plus updated liner notes, in which the band reflects on the album and their two decades together.
In addition to classic black vinyl, The Silence in Black and White is available for pre-order in several exclusive colorways, including “Black and White Split” (hawthorneheights.com), “Dissolve Clear” (ziarecords.com), and “Decay” (craftrecordings.com and victoryrecords.com). The band’s Spotify followers will be able to pre-order a limited-edition “Silver Bullet” variant via Spotify Fans First starting on September 3rd.
Formed in Dayton, OH in 2001, Hawthorne Heights exploded onto the alt-rock scene with their captivating blend of pop punk, hardcore, and emo. After releasing an album and an EP under their original name, A Day in the Life, the band caught the attention of Victory Records—the storied rock, metal, punk and hardcore label, which boasts Thursday, Between the Buried and Me and Taking Back Sunday among its legendary alumni. Victory Records was acquired by Concord in 2019, while its influential catalog, which spans over three decades, is managed by Craft Recordings.
Weeks after signing to Victory, the five-piece—which, at the time, included lead vocalist/guitarist JT Woodruff, guitarist Micah Carli, guitarist/unclean vocalist Casey Calvert, bassist/backing vocalist Matt Ridenour, and drummer Eron Bucciarelli—entered Madison, WI’s hallowed Smart Studios (owned by Butch Vig and home to classic recordings by Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, and Garbage) to record their debut as Hawthorne Heights, The Silence in Black and White. Working with producer Sean O’Keefe (Fall Out Boy, Plain White T’s, Motion City Soundtrack), the band drew from personal experiences—as well as some of their favorite films—for the album’s 11 anthemic and emotion-filled tracks.
“A lot of the lyrics were inspired by the feeling of being by yourself,” explained Woodruff in a 2014 interview with Killthemusic.com. “Everyone feels isolated to a degree, because we all have to live inside our own minds. Whether we are locked in a small town, struggling in a big city, trapped in a dead-end job, or raised in a harmful environment…we all have to deal with isolation.” He continued, “The album was meant to sound bleak, desolate, sad, but hopeful. It was meant to show that music can be a guiding light, in a world in which the arrow is constantly pointed downward.”
Reflecting those themes are songs like “Silver Bullet,” named for Woodruff’s favorite ’80s horror film, and written while he was attending college, working two jobs, and devoting the rest of his time to the band—often second-guessing if they would ever make it. Such uncertainties also feature prominently in “Wake Up Call,” in which Woodruff speaks to the vulnerability that comes with putting songs out into the world. “People are either going to love something or hate it these days,” he wrote in the album’s original liner notes. “I wish there was no such thing as a critic, but I myself am one.” Similarly, “Niki FM” (the music video for which was inspired by the classic teen flick, Say Anything), speaks to the relationship between artists and music journalists. The band also touches upon the highs and lows of life on the road in the emotive “Life on Standby,” while “Ohio Is for Lovers,” which became Hawthorne Heights’ signature tune, found the group yearning for their significant others while on tour.
The latter song became the band’s signature hit—earning regular airplay on MTV, breaking the Top 40 of Billboard’s Alternative Songs chart, and earning a Gold certification from the RIAA. The Silence in Black and White, released in June 2004, found similar success—topping Billboard’s Heatseekers chart, peaking at No.3 and No.23 on the Independent and Rock Albums charts, respectively, and landing at No.56 on the Billboard 200. In addition to earning a Gold certification, The Silence in Black and White also became a landmark title for Victory, as the label’s highest-selling debut album at the time.
Yahoo! Music praised, “[These] punks aren’t afraid of adding a little riffage to their attack arsenal. But while the riffs hurl fast and furious…the band still centers around sentiment.” AllMusic praised their “catchy choruses,” while Alternative Press ranked “Ohio Is for Lovers” at number 88 on their “Best 100 Singles from the 2000s” roundup. An enduring album in the emo canon, The Silence in Black and White remains one of Hawthorne Heights’ bestselling albums—and a beloved fan favorite. In 2014, owing to the LP’s popularity, the band recorded an acoustic version of The Silence in Black and White. Perhaps most importantly, however, the album launched Hawthorne Heights’ lengthy career.
Reflecting on The Silence in Black and White in the LP’s new liner notes, the band writes: “It is impossible to articulate into any language what the last 20 years have meant to us, and how our fans have helped us grow into adults, while living our most wildest dreams…. We think that the art truly begins when we start to build and develop relationships with our fans, and learn who they are and why these songs have helped them. The stories you have told us are equally important to the ones we’ve shared with you, which is exactly why 20 years feels so special.”
They continue, “Hawthorne Heights has experienced catastrophic lows and meteoric highs, all while trying to settle into a comfortable zone somewhere within a normal Midwestern existence… Despite the triumphant and tragedy, we’ve always been able to hold each other together, and we’ve realized that these songs are way more than who we are. They are beacons of hope for whoever needs them, because they’ve always been written from a place where sometimes the darkness overtakes light. That feeling is constant, and will continue to be constant until we are all dead and gone, but the songs continue to shine a light and find their way through the darkness. As our fans share this music with their kids, the relationship of uncaged pure emotional hope will simply grow over time, and what a special journey that will be.”
Today, Hawthorne Heights—whose lineup currently consists of Woodruff and Ridenour, plus Mark McMillon (vocals, lead guitar) and Chris Popadak (drums)—continues to maintain an active schedule on the road and in the studio. To-date, the band has released nine studio albums, including the chart-topping If Only You Were Lonely (2006), Fragile Future (2008), and Skeletons (2010). Last year, Hawthorne Heights thrilled fans with a reimagining of If Only You Were Lonely and released their sixth EP, Lost Lights. The four-piece is currently on an extensive North American tour which culminates with a highly anticipated performance of The Silence in Black and White in its entirety at Las Vegas’ When We Were Young Festival. For tickets and more info, visit the band’s official website.
Click here to pre-order The Silence in Black and White
Tracklist:
Side A
1. Life On Standby
2. Dissolve And Decay
3. Niki FM
4. The Transition
5. Blue Burns Orange
6. Silver Bullet
Side B
1. Screenwriting An Apology
2. Ohio Is For Lovers
3. Wake Up Call
4. Sandpaper And Silk
5. Speeding Up The Octaves
Side C
1. Silver Bullet—Demo
2. Niki FM—Demo
3. Speeding Up The Octaves—Demo
4. Ohio Is For Lovers—Live Acoustic On Q101
Side D
1. The Transition—Live Acoustic On A101
2. Silver Bullet—Acoustic In The Studio
3. Apparently Hover Boards Don’t Work on Water (As A day In The Life)
Hawthorne Heights Upcoming Tour Dates:
August 3 - Magic Springs (Hot Springs, AR)
August 8 - The St. Augustine Amphitheatre (St. Augustine, FL)
August 9 - House of Blues Orlando (Orlando, FL)
August 10 - Handlebar (Pensacola, FL)
August 12 - The Fillmore New Orleans (New Orleans, LA)
August 13 - Home Run Dugout (Katy, TX)
August 14 - Stubb's Waller Creek Amphitheater (Austin, TX)
August 16 - Uptown Theater (Kansas City, MO)
August 17 - Reverb Music Festival (Eau Claire, WI)
August 18 - Earth Rider Fest Grounds (Superior, WI)
August 19 - Outdoors at Fargo Brewing Company (Fargo, ND)
August 21 - Epic Event Center (Green Bay, WI)
August 22 - McGrath Amphitheatre (Cedar Rapids, IA)
August 24 - Iowa Is For Lovers Festival (Council Bluffs, IA)
August 26 - Toyota Music Factory (Dallas, TX)
August 27 - Sunken Garden Theater (San Antonio, TX)
August 28 - Lonestar Events Center Pavilion (Lubbock, TX)
August 31 - California Is For Lovers Festival (Los Angeles, CA)
September 1 - The Van Buren (Phoenix, AZ)
September 2 - Revel Entertainment Center (Albuquerque, NM)
September 5 - Minglewood Hall (Memphis, TN)
September 7 - Ohio Is For Lovers Festival (Cincinnati, OH)
September 8 - Pickering Casino Resort (Pickering, ON)
September 10 - Cross Insurance Center (Bangor, ME)
September 11 - Starland Ballroom (Sayreville, NJ)
September 12 - Palladium Times Square (New York, NY)
September 13 - XL Live Southside Stage (Harrisburg, PA)
September 14 - FOrX Summer Stage (Wayland, NY)
September 15 - The Palladium (Worcester, MA)
October 10 - Aftershock Festival (Sacramento, CA)
October 19-20 - When We Were Young Festival (Las Vegas, NV)
About Craft Recordings:
Craft Recordings is home to one of the largest and most essential collections of master recordings and compositions in the world. Its storied repertoire includes landmark releases from icons such as Joan Baez, John Coltrane, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Celia Cruz, Miles Davis, Isaac Hayes, John Lee Hooker, Little Richard, R.E.M., Joan Sebastian, and Traveling Wilburys. Plus, the catalog recordings of celebrated contemporary acts including A Day to Remember, Evanescence, Alison Krauss, Nine Inch Nails, Taking Back Sunday, and Violent Femmes, to name just a few. Renowned imprints with catalogs issued under the Craft banner include Fania, Fantasy, Fearless, HITCO, Musart, Nitro, Panart, Prestige, Riverside, Rounder, Specialty, Stax, Vanguard, Varèse Sarabande, Vee-Jay and Victory, among many others. Craft creates thoughtfully curated packages, with a meticulous devotion to quality and a commitment to preservation— ensuring that these recordings endure for new generations to discover. Craft is also home to the Billie Holiday and Tammy Wynette estates which preserve and protect their respective names, likeness, and music through day-to-day legacy management of these cultural trailblazers.
Craft Recordings is the catalog label team for Concord. For more information, visit CraftRecordings.com and follow us on Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
