Hawthorne Heights Brings Tour to Jammin' Java

Hawthorne Heights achieved rock star status early in their careers, reaching the peak of a fast-moving upward trajectory in 2004 with their platinum-selling debut album, "The Silence in Black and White."

But being a rock star comes with ups and downs, the now-quartet from Dayton, Ohio has learned.

In their 10-year career, they’ve seen lawsuits, label changes and even experienced the death of guitarist Casey Calvert, who died in his sleep just hours into a 2007 tour.

They even changed their name from A Day in the Life to Hawthorne Heights.

But through it all, their fans have had their back, the band says. And now, the band says, it's time to thank them for their loyalty with a 50-stop "You Are Not Alone Tour," which stops Wednesday at They return to to the Vienna venue, which they chose again for its intimacy, they said, after first appearing there in 2009.

During this visit, they bring something new to the table, too: They formed their own record label, Carboard Empire Records, in July with a different business model, releasing EP albums and embarking on tours in between release dates.

 “It's refreshing to be the one calling the shots. If something doesn’t work out than we only have ourselves to blame,” said drummer Eron Buccialleri, with the same swagger he coined the line “If-I-can’t-make-it-on-my-own,” in their 2004 smash “Ohio is for Lovers.”

The band recently premiered their music video for “Four White Walls" – the first single released off their new EP Hate – on MTV, where much of their fame began.

The EP has helped them earn more than 10,000 followers on Twitter; more than 400,000 people that have “liked” them on Facebook.

“It’s nice to have that feedback immediately on something that your doing whether it be how you played one night or when people talk about our new songs,” Buccialleri said, referring to Twitter. “If the show wasn’t that good people will tell you and you can adjust the show accordingly with that.”

Commonly referred to as an “emo” band, Hawthorne Heights makes clear their passion for their home state of Ohio. Though lead vocalist JT Ferraro is the only member remaining from the original group,  they’ve managed to keep a distinct popular sound that pulls at heart strings and lets listeners hone in on Ferrero’s unique vocal chords.

“Anytime you see people super passionate about something you created, its probably one of the best feelings in the world,”  Buccialleri said. “One of the highest compliments I think people can pay to you is to sing along to the songs you helped create.”

at 8 p.m. Wednesday at Jammin' Java, 227 Maple Ave E, Vienna. Tickets are $12 in advance; $15 day of.