20 Years of Tears is an apt title for Hawthorne Heights’ tour, which stops by The Clyde Theatre on Thursday, July 25, with Thursday, Anberlin, Armor for Sleep, Stick to Your Guns and This Wild Life. 

Hawthorne Heights are an emo band that have enjoyed commercial and critical success over their two-decade run.

They emerged from the out-of-the-way musical hotbed of Dayton, Ohio, which also spawned indie rock legends Guided By Voices, fronted by the brilliant Robert Pollard, and the seminal Breeders.

But Hawthorne Heights veered in another direction. The group, which was influenced by such larger than life emo figures as Sunny Day Real Estate, forged their own path. 

“We certainly do things our own way,” frontman J.T. Woodruff said. “Fortunately it worked out.”

Plenty of resolve

Hawthorne Heights, which also includes bassist Matt Ridenour, guitarist Mark McMillon, and drummer Chris Popadek, enjoyed considerable success out of the gate. 

The band’s first two albums, 2004’s The Silence in Black and White and 2006’s If Only You Were Lonely, went gold. The latter album’s initial single, the infectious “Saying Sorry” also went gold. 

The music industry changed during the aughts and so did Hawthorne Heights’ lineup. The band have weathered personnel alterations and other hardships. They overcame the agony of guitarist Casey Calvert’s death in 2007. Calvert was found dead on the band’s tour bus at the age of 26. The band spent only a few days mourning before carrying on.

Perhaps it’s not surprising how much resolve Hawthorne Heights possess. 

Woodruff, who came of age in a small, rural West Virginia city of St. Marys along the Ohio River, is stronger than most, perhaps due to his background.

“I grew up in a trailer in a small town and we didn’t have a lot,” Woodruff said. “I was a child of divorce. We didn’t have material things, but we had love. I think I appreciate it all since I didn’t have much as a kid. I can deal with the ups and downs of life.”

Experience provides fodder for songs. 

“Ohio Is for Lovers,” “The Transition,” and “Wake Up Call” are tunes from The Silence in Black and White, which are relatable and full of hooks.

“We just try to write the best songs that we can,” Woodruff said. “The fact that we’re still at this all these years after we formed proves that we’re fine.”

Diverse Discography

Like another of the band’s heroes, Jimmy Eat World, Hawthorne Heights have been remarkably consistent. 

Their 2008 album, Fragile Future, proved the band could succeed following the loss of Calvert. The album features some of Hawthorne Heights’ darkest and heaviest songs, such as “Rescue Me,” “Somewhere in Between,” and “Desperation.” Fragile Future is arguably Hawthorne Height’s deepest album. 

In 2010, they released Skeletons, which features a more mature Hawthorne Heights, featuring strong songwriting and lyrics that are raw and vulnerable. Hawthorne Heights put themselves out there in a way few bands are brave enough to attempt. “Bring You Back” and “Gravestones” are well-constructed anthems.

Hawthorne Heights upped the ante with 2013’s Zero, which is a dystopian, post-hardcore concept album about teens known as the Zero Collective, who battle oppressive corporate America in the near-future. Concept records are few and far between, and they aren’t easy to execute. But Hawthorne Heights knocked it out of the park with Zero.

In 2018, they released Bad Frequencies, whichis filled with angst-ridden tunes with big choruses. 

The Rain Just Follows Me from 2021 is filled with ringing melodies and visceral guitar riffs. 

“We recorded that album in Orange County (California) and that had a big impact on it,” Woodruff said. “We were staying at a beach house in Newport Beach, and I would get up every morning before anyone else and I would sit on the beach and reflect about some of the worst things I went through over the last 20 years. I would sit there and think about all the things I usually had no time to think about, including the passing of Casey. 

“I was still writing lyrics, and I suffered by looking back, but it helped make the album better. A lot of times in life we’re moving so quickly and working and doing so much that we have these memories of things we never dealt with. It’s good to actually go back and deal with stuff. In my case, it was very productive doing that.”

Life-Changing song

Woodruff can go back and recall creating “Ohio Is For Lovers” off their debut. He had no idea the tune would resonate with so many fans.

“We had no idea that song would catch on,” Woodruff said. “When we were in the studio we only had the instrumental of the song. I was getting yelled at by the producer when I wrote those lyrics. He was saying, ‘Your singer doesn’t even have the lyrics to that song. I don’t know why we’re working on it.’ I had just come up with the words about 10 minutes before he said that. I told him that I had the lyrics and he said, ‘Well, I haven’t heard it. Sing it.’ I sang the lyrics and it worked out. 

“I’m sure there are many stories like that one. Sometimes it’s best to just be in the moment. You surprise yourself how things work out. Who knew that song would catch on with anybody, but it worked out for us.”

“Ohio Is For Lovers” was a staple on MTV in 2005. The music network had the power to launch a band out of nowhere, which was the case for Hawthorne Heights. 

“When that song was embraced it was like being part of a rocket and we just had to hold on,” Woodruff said. “Everything happened so fast. All of a sudden we were playing on MTV and on the cover of magazines. We were headlining the Warped tour. It was an incredible time, and the cool thing is that it’s still great. It’s just different.”

It’s a completely different era in 2024. MTV has replaced videos with reality shows and Warped Tour, which showcased an eclectic batch of bands, is no more. 

However, some bands from that era are still around and Hawthorne Heights is one of those.

“It’s great to still be creating music and touring,” Woodruff said. “I still appreciate every minute of this.”