By Madi Mahler
Hawthorne Heights with Madi FM | Mark, Matt, Madi, and JT
20 years ago, Ohio emo legends Hawthorne Heights, released their second studio album: If Only You Were Lonely. This year, Hawthorne Heights has been traveling internationally playing the album start to finish, as part of their current, “Lonely World Tour,” celebrating the 20th anniversary of the record’s release. Hawthorne Heights, consisting of JT Woodruff on vocals and rhythm guitar, Matt Ridenour on bass and backing vocals, and Mark McMillon on lead guitar and unclean vocals, rocked Philly’s Brooklyn Bowl this past Tuesday. I had the opportunity to ask them a few questions about the tour, their fanbase continuum over time, nostalgia’s role in emo, and what’s next for Hawthorne Heights!
Currently on the second leg of the “Lonely World Tour”, the band is nearing the end of touring for the album. For the past 8 months, they have been playing nothing but If Only You Were Lonely, and have loved every minute of it. JT describes the tour experience as “beautiful,” being able to see crowds connect with the album, whether it be those who first heard the album 20 years ago, or are hearing it now for the first time, being able to come together to experience the album is “about as beautiful as it gets being in a band.”
Regarding their fanbase, I asked the guys if they’re mostly seeing “elder emos” returning after 20 years, or if their crowds are also consisting of younger fans like myself. Matt answered that at almost every show, they can expect the barricade to be the super young fans who know every word to every song. These younger fans usually bring the crowd surfing, mosh pit energy that the guys love to see living up through the newer generations. JT acknowledges though that not everybody in the crowd likes to experience music in the same way, and how they have so much love for their old school fans who show out for them as well. As a member of the crowd during their Philly show, I can attest that the mosh pit was full of fans of all ages, including a crowdsurfing eight year old!
The band described how “If Only You Were Lonely” has been really fun to play live again. The album was “designed to feel like an emotional rollercoaster,” and playing it all together captures this vibe from start to finish. This tour is where fans get to feel the magic of hearing an album that features songs like “Dead in the Water,” “Saying Sorry,” and “Decembers,” songs you wouldn’t really get to hear live otherwise.
Prior to starting the tour, JT had mentioned in an interview that playing “Dead in the Water,” was his favorite song to play live off the record. I followed up on this question, and asked if this still stands true after playing the album live so many times this year. The band agreed yes, mostly because it’s different from the rest of the tracks on the album. JT’s intentions when writing the song was to encapsulate the feeling of being home alone, and the fear and isolation this brought on when you were younger. Matt also added how the song is right in the middle of the set, marking the point where you can fully enjoy it as a band. Mark touched on how “Dead in the Water,” sits in a different groove than the rest of the record, making it a lot of fun to play live. For listeners of Madi FM, you would know I’ve played “Dead in the Water,” a billion times on my show, and it’s one of my personal favorites from the record. Matt promised me they’d play it at the show after the interview, what a sweet coincidence!
The MySpace era brought on tons of fans back when Hawthorne Heights was just starting in 2001. On this, I asked the guys how they feel about the continuous circulation of their music today through other media outlets, and how it continues to captivate new generations of fans. JT dived into what MySpace meant to bands just starting out 20 years ago, and how it was a platform to talk to fans firsthand. Being able to communicate with fans in such a way grew the band’s appreciation for their fans, which they’ve shown continuously over time through their work. However, unlike making releases on Youtube or Instagram, JT commented on how MySpace didn’t really have the “artwork” element that current media today so appreciates. Matt jumped in to talk about how Hawthorne Heights is a band that started right towards the end of the CD and at the birth of the digital age, and how they watched everything change. He added how Instagram and current media is awesome to stay connected to fans to let them know you’re still here when you’re not on tour or releasing new music.
On modern media, JT also talked about the band’s “digital library,” and how valuable it is to fans to be able to have their entire library digitized. I explained to the guys how as a younger emo, I discovered a lot of my favorite bands from music communities, like other DJs at the station, and online algorithms. My brother first found Hawthorne Heights from his Spotify algorithm years ago, and then he shared their music with me. Although this sharing of music may look different then from the MySpace era, it continues in its own way. The digital age allows for anyone to discover Hawthorne’s music at any time, adding to the diversity in age of crowds at their shows.
Thinking about the MySpace era, I asked the guys what role nostalgia plays to their fans; if they feel their fans are fueled by nostalgia to their earlier works such as If Only You Were Lonely. JT explained that some definitely listen for nostalgia, but not all fans. Specifically, JT said “for every bit of nostalgia, we also have new people being turned on in completely different ways.” They get to drink out of both cups, and experience old school fans who’ve been listening for 20 years, and new fans experiencing them for the first time, and they love it both ways. I commented on how I agree anniversary tours are so important for bringing both types of fans together to form a community among listeners of all ages. JT touched more on how emo was just growing when they first released their early albums, and how cool it is to see the emo scene continue to perpetuate in new fans, and this is something that will never go away. Matt added about the scene’s style itself, and how the community has been so authentic from the start.
Hawthorne Heights has been non-stop making music since they started in 2001. With 9 studio albums and over 8 EPs, I asked the band to name one underrated pick from their entire discography. The band answered that “Skeletons,” their 4th studio album released in 2010, is their most underrated album. JT described how there was ongoing drama behind the scenes on the business side of the release of “Skeletons,” and how much this really stopped promotion of the record, never giving it a full chance to “break through.” However, instead of viewing this negatively, JT shines once more on the digital age of media and how anything, even works released over 10 years ago, have a chance to be discovered. This obviously continues to stand true with many other works of Hawthorne Heights.
In March, Hawthorne Heights released a captivating new single “Like A Cardinal,” along with an awesome music video. This is one of the first videos the band has released since COVID. JT spoke about the beauty of being a veteran artist with a big catalog, and how this allows them to unpack new music according to their terms. After dealing with multiple different record labels throughout their time as a band, it feels “wonderful” to be able to release projects on their own time and under their own terms. JT added that they are working on new stuff, and their final message to fans was “Get ready, we got you.”
From the time conducting this interview last week, Hawthorne Heights has since released a new heavy angst screamo single and music video, “Carry Me.” Their new music encapsulates the band’s classic emo style, while blending heavy modern sounds, leaving fans like myself eager to hear what’s next.
The “Lonely World Tour” continues to travel down the east coast before heading through the midwest. Hawthorne Heights plays tonight, November 3rd, in Asheville, North Carolina, at the Orange Peel. The band has 16 more shows, including a stop at Warped Tour, wrapping up celebrating the 20th anniversary of If Only You Were Lonely live. You can find more information on their “Lonely World Tour”, as well as check out their new music on Instagram @Hawthorneheights. I would totally tag their MySpace too if it still existed.
And to add, Hawthorne Heights approves of my show name on WKDU being “Madi FM,” named after one of their most classic hits “Niki FM.”
Madi FM interviews Hawthorne Heights for 91.7 FM Philadelphia.