A Thorn for Every Heart | |
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 A Thorn for Every Heart c. 2007. From left to right: Justin Powell, Phil Nguyen, Kelvin Cruz, Casey Hill | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Chino Hills, California |
| Genres | post-hardcore, emo, alternative rock |
| Years active | 2003-2009, 2013–present |
| Labels | Kickball / Interscope / Universal Music Group |
| Members |
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| Past members |
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A Thorn for Every Heart (often abbreviated to ATFEH) is a post-hardcore band from Chino Hills, California.
A Thorn for Every Heart was started in early 2003 by Joel Ryan Holt (guitar) and Aaron Peck (drums). The original lineup of Holt, Peck, Kelvin Cruz (lead vocals), Jeff Harber (guitar, keys, backing vocals), Justin Powell (bass), and Joy Welling (violin) independently released their debut EP, Silence Is Golden, in late 2003. The EP gained them internet exposure and created an underground following, [1] leading to talks of a record deal with Interscope. [2]
Over the next few years, ATFEH toured around the United States as both supporting band and headlining band, such as on their headlining tour in March 2006 sponsored by Purevolume. Openers have included From First to Last, Hit the Lights, and Boys Like Girls. ATFEH also toured with such bands as Fall Out Boy, Jimmy Eat World, Head Automatica, Taking Back Sunday, Emery, Boys Night Out, My American Heart, The Receiving End of Sirens, A Static Lullaby, and more. They played many festivals, such as Surf & Skate (2004), The Bamboozle (2005, 2006, Bamboozle Left 2006), [3] [4] and two years of The Vans Warped Tour (2004, 2005). In 2005, they self-recorded (via their bassist and notable producer Justin Powell) two cover songs for major compilation releases: Oingo Boingo's "Dead Man's Party" for the Punk Goes 80s compilation, and "Jellybelly" for The Killer in You: A Tribute to Smashing Pumpkins . Tyler Mahurin (A Static Lullaby, Hollywood Undead) was added as official drummer in 2005. ATFEH also appeared on Fuse's "Steven's Untitled Rock Show" on May 29, 2006. [5] [6]
Impressed with the debut album's success, [7] Interscope spent the next couple years grooming the band for a main label release. The resulting second full-length album, It's Hard to Move You, was ultimately set to be released on July 31, 2007. It was mostly recorded with producer Matt Squire (Panic! At the Disco); [8] some tracks were recorded with Mark Hoppus of Blink-182. After years of writing/recording and numerous delays, It's Hard to Move You leaked online in its entirety on June 1, 2007. Soon after, Interscope closed its Kickball Records subsidiary, leaving talks of a main label move indefinitely in limbo and the album shelved ever since. ATFEH is currently trying to gain the rights to the record; a petition regarding the matter began circulating the Internet in 2015. [9]
In early 2009, Powell (bass) announced that he, too, would be leaving the band, and Ryan Warrell served as the bassist during the band's final months. Cruz (lead vocals), the last member to be added to the original lineup, was the only original member left at the band's end. On March 20, 2009, the band posted a blog on their MySpace saying that they are going on an indefinite hiatus. [10] Hi-Fighter, a long-running side-project including Powell, Cruz, and Holt, also came to an end several months later. [11]
Cruz and Powell went on to start the electro/pop/rock group "Come On, Come On!" [12]
In 2013, marking the band's tenth birthday, frontman Kelvin Cruz made speculation of a band reunion including most of the original members. [13]
On June 17, 2016, A Thorn for Every Heart played a second reunion show with fellow resurrected band and long-time friends A Static Lullaby [14] at the Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood. [15] [16]
Original lineup member Joy Welling, violinist, died in March 2018 from a fall while rock climbing. [17]
On December 14, 2018, the band came together for a third reunion at Emo Night Brooklyn's 2018 West Coast Holiday Fest at the Observatory in Santa Ana, California. The event featured DJ sets by Jordan Pundik of New Found Glory, Alex Varkatzas of Atreyu, and Nate Barcalow of Finch, as well as an acoustic set by Barcalow. A Thorn for Every Heart, consisting of Holt, Harber, Powell, Cruz, and Nguyen, provided the only full-band performance. [18]
On December 14, 2019, A Thorn for Every Heart announced on their Facebook page that they would be recording "one last time" in January 2020. The announcement included a graphic showing the faces of (left to right) Powell, Nguyen, Holt, Cruz, Harber, and former drummer Matt Thorsen. [19]
| Title | Release Date | Label |
|---|---|---|
| Silence Is Golden (EP) | 2003 | [self-released] |
| Things Aren't So Beautiful Now | 2004 | Kickball Records/Interscope Records |
| It's Hard to Move You† | 2007 | Kickball Records/Interscope Records |
| Pick Up the Pieces (EP) | 2008 | [self-released] |
† never officially released
ATFEH has been featured on compilations. Compilation tracks include:
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