hellogoodbye

The correct title of this article is hellogoodbye. The initial letter is capitalized due to technical restrictions.

hellogoodbye is a power pop band formed in Huntington Beach, California in 2001. They are signed to Drive-Thru Records and released their first full-length album, Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs! in 2006, in addition to their previously released EP and a DVD. They are known for their DIY ethic, their shrill outfits and having a particularly close relationship with their fans. The band recently achieved fame due to their appearances on MTV's The Real World: Austin and winning MTV2's Dew Circuit Breakout.

History

The band hellogoodbye was initiated in 2001 as a recording project by Huntington Beach High School student Forrest Kline. With the aid of fellow student Jesse Kurvink, Kline started recording synthesized power pop songs on his computer, which originally only served the purpose of entertaining their friends. However, hellogoodbye's fanbase grew steadily, as more and more of their songs appeared on MP3.com — a total of eleven which spread on fan-assembled CD-Rs labeled The Parachute EP and served as demos for both their following EP and full-length. Originally The Parachute EP was planned to be officially released containing four songs, however, only a handful of copies were burnt by Kline himself.^[1] According to Kline, the band name was inspired by the Beatles song "Hello Goodbye", as well as a line from the TV series Saved by the Bell, and the general transience of opportunities.

In 2002, hellogoodbye began playing local concerts in front of crowds of hundreds without even having a release out. For live shows, vocalist/guitarist Kline and keyboardist Kurvink were accompanied on drums by either Parker Case, who would later form the now defunct JamisonParker, or Aaron Flora, formerly of the band Throwdown. Flora and bassist Marcus Cole soon joined them permanently, completing the band's line-up. ^[2]

Though California indie label Drive-Thru Records signed hellogoodbye in January 2004, everything the band does is still entirely done by themselves, ranging from recordings and album artwork to posters and merchandise designs. Shortly after their signing, Kline and Kurvink recorded the band's debut EP, Hellogoodbye, which spawned a music video to the song "Call n' Return." The video featured Kline and Flora playing a comedic game of tennis against Cole and Kurvink, with Forrest and Aaron coming out on top. In March 2004, drummer Flora left the band and was replaced by then 16-year-old high school dropout Chris Profeta (formerly of A Cutthroat Kiss).

The EP was finally released on August 17, 2004, which was supported by various U.S. tours. During one of them, the "Sounds of Change Tour" with An Angle, Socratic and Steel Train, hellogoodbye flipped and totalled their van and trailer after Cole dozed off behind the wheel while driving through Pennsylvania on October 22, 2004. All of the band members made it out without a scratch. ^[3]

While participating in 2005's South by Southwest, a music festival for mainly unsigned artists^{citation needed]} in Austin, Texas, the band appeared on several episodes of MTV's The Real World: Austin. The cast of the TV series produced a video documentary about three bands on the festival's line-up (the other two being Halifax and Enon), including interviews and live footage. The appearance certainly gave a boost to the band's popularity.

On November 22, 2005, hellogoodbye released a home DVD titled OMG HGB DVD ROTFL. It featured two hours of concert and touring footage, as well as music videos to the five songs off their debut EP. In December 2005, the band won MTV2's Dew Circuit Breakout, competing as Los Angeles' representative against New York City and Chicago finalists Pete Miser and Tub Ring. The prize included $10,000 cash, a brand new set of Gibson equipment and an opening slot on an upcoming major US tour.

In 2006, hellogoodbye appeared on the Vans Warped Tour. On August 8, 2006, Drive-Thru Records released hellogoodbye's first full-length CD Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs!. The album contains mostly re-recorded versions of previously released songs, five of which were scheduled to be on hellogoodbye's never-released 2002 debut album ("All Time Lows", "I Saw It on Your Keyboard", "Two Weeks in Hawaii", "Figures A and B", and "Touchdown Turnaround").^[4]

The band plans to release a yet to be titled DVD in September 2006. The DVD will include tour footage, concert footage of the Warped Tour, and the "Here (in Your Arms)" music video.

Members

• Forrest Kline – vocals, guitar
• Jesse Kurvink – keyboard
• Marcus Cole – bass
• Chris Profeta – drums

Former members

• Aaron Flora – drums

Discography

Albums

• Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs! (2006)

EPs

• Hellogoodbye (2004)

DVDs

• OMG HGB DVD ROTFL (2005)

Singles

• Here (In Your Arms) (2006) - #108 U.S.

Non-album tracks

• "Winter Wonderland" – released on Happy Holidays from Drive-Thru Records (2004)
• "Weird Science" – released on Dead Bands Party: A Tribute to Oingo Boingo (2005)

References

1. ↑  Parachute EP. the Hellogoodbye BuddyBoard. Retrieved on June 22, 2006.
2. ↑  Interview with Forrest Kline. Signed, sincerely me... v1.0. Retrieved on December 11, 2005.
3. ↑  270 Shove It to Van Flip. DrivenFarOff.com. Retrieved on December 11, 2005.
4. ↑  full length out by december. hellogoodbye.net (Internet Archive backup). Retrieved on July 5, 2006.

External links

• Official website
• hellogoodbye at MySpace
• hellogoodbye at PureVolume
• MTV2's Dew Circuit Breakout website
• hellogoodbye lyrics
• hellogoodbye video