We got to hang backstage at Vans Warped Tour in Ventura where Eron Bucciarelli (Hawthorne Heights’ drummer) came to chat with us about their upcoming release ‘Zero!’
LN: WE ARE HERE WITH ERON BUCCIARELLI FROM HAWTHORNE HEIGHTS! YOU GUYS ARE A FEW SHOWS INTO VANS WARPED TOUR – WHAT’S THE CRAZIEST THING THAT’S HAPPENED TO YOU SO FAR?
EB: Umm, let me think. Not a lot of crazy stuff has happened yet. Maybe semi-crazy, but not full on crazy. The craziest thing for us really is the great response we’ve been getting to all the new songs we’ve been playing live!
LN: YEAH, WE’RE PRETTY AMPED FOR THE NEW ALBUM – ONLY A COUPLE MORE DAYS UNTIL ‘ZERO’ DROPS!
EB: Yeah, I mean for us to see people reacting to the new songs before the album even comes out is a real boost to our self-esteem!
LN: WHAT IS IT ABOUT VANS WARPED TOUR THAT KEEPS THE FESTIVAL GOING AND KEEPS IT POPULAR EVERY YEAR?
EB: I think it’s the diversity in its line-up – there’s usually something here for everyone.
LN: WARPED IS HEADING BACK TO THE UK THIS FALL – DO YOU THINK IT’S IMPORTANT TO KEEP EXPANDING THE FEST IN THE UK AND WHAT OTHER COUNTRIES WOULD YOU REALLY LIKE TO SEE IT IN?
EB: Absolutely! It’s already heading back to the UK, and I think it’s heading to Europe and I believe even Australia as well. I would really love to be a part of it if it went to Southeast Asia – because we’ve never been there. To go in the capacity of a tour like this would be a lot of fun!
LN: IF YOU HAD TO BE STUCK ON A DESERTED ISLAND WITH NOE OTHER BAND FROM THIS YEAR’S LINE-UP, WHO WOULD IT BE?
EB: It would probably be Forever Came Calling, because we’ve toured with them in the past and they’re all just hilarious.
LN: GIVE US A LITTLE MORE 411 ON THE NEW ALBUM.
EB: Yeah! It’s a concept album – something we haven’t tried before. We have a lot of really good songs on it and it’s something new, so we’re really excited about it.
LN: THIS IS DEFINITELY A DIFFERENT IDEA FOR YOU GUYS – WHAT WERE THE MAIN INFLUENCES BEHING THE ALBUM?
EB: A lot of literary & film influences on top of current news and events that are going on!
LN: THE LAST TIME I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO SEE YOU GUYS WAS IN 2006 SO I’M PRETTY EXCITED FOR YOUR SET THIS AFTERNOON! WHAT CAN I EXPECT FROM YOU GUYS ONSTAGE?
EB: You can definitely expect a high energy show! We try and get the crowd as involved as possible. The set list will be comprised of mainly older songs and probably one or two new tracks.
LN: ANY CLOSING REMARKS TO FRIENDS AND FANS?
EB: Yeah! Please make sure you check out our new album ‘Zero’ and if you already have it or have already heard it please do us a favour and tell your friends because without your support and word-of-mouth we would probably cease to exist!
Hawthorne Heights played a pretty kick ass set that afternoon, and when their album ‘Zero’ dropped the following Tuesday I definitely scoped it out. It’s a different sound than HH has presented us with in the past, and totally worth adding to your already awesome auditory collection!
LAUREN NOVIK