Q&A: Hawthorne Heights drummer Eron Bucciarelli

Dayton, Ohio rock band Hawthorne Heights started their 2011 "You Are Not Alone" tour on Aug. 20, playing old favorites and new songs off their recently released EP "Hate."

"Hate" is the first of a trilogy; they expect to release a new EP every four to five months. Implementing their own record label, Cardboard Empire, gives them the freedom to release music whenever they want. The nine-track EP is honest, deep and gives a look into the band's hardships through the past years, including the loss of their bandmate Casey Calvert and their record label drama.

Hawthorne Heights drummer Eron Bucciarelli took time before the band's show Sept. 2 in Charleston, S.C., to speak to the Central Florida Future about the band's tour, record label and more.

Central Florida Future: Hawthorne Heights have performed about 11 shows on "You Are Not Alone" tour. How has the reaction been so far?

Eron Bucciarelli: We played at odd venues recently. One of our shows was at a casino, so that was a little awkward, but we've gotten a positive reaction.

CFF: Which song on your tour has gotten fans most hyped?

Bucciarelli: We have played a couple new songs of our new EP "Hate." The title track [Hate] has gotten the best reaction out of the new stuff we've played.

CFF: What is your favorite song to play?

Bucciarelli: In general or off-the new album?

CFF: In general.

Bucciarelli: We played "Four White Walls" a couple times off our new EP, and that was a lot of fun. In general, out of all our old stuff, it changes for me from tour-to-tour, but right now our old underground stuff.

CFF: Do you [Hawthorne Heights] change your songs while on tour or is it a set list?

Bucciarelli: No, we have five albums' worth of material to play, and every tour we do we change it up. It gives the fans sort of a treat from the past.

CFF: I read you [Hawthorne Heights] considered this EP more underground and less mainstream, but when I listened to "Oceans" and "Hate" I heard some of that "Ohio is for Lovers" and "Saying Sorry" mainstream music. What do you think?

Bucciarelli: It's not that we were not trying to write catchy songs, or not write hooks in our music because we've always done that – that's just sort of how we write music. We like it to be catchy and we like when people listen it to it over and over again. It wasn't like we were saying "Oh we're going to go be this hardcore band" by any means because that's not exactly who we are. We have those influences, but we are writing music that comes from the heart now. We are not allowing a record label or an A&R (Artists and Repertoire) person to have control; we are able to do whatever it is that we want to do

CFF: Your music is easily relatable. Was that on purpose or did it just sort of happen that way?

Bucciarelli: I think it sort of just happened that way. I think the experiences we had are not unlike what a lot of people go through on a pain basis or things that happen to people in their life. Not everyone has a lawsuit with their record label by any means, but people have lost their friends, gotten into an argument with somebody that they care about and felt the emotional pain and heartache, which that all brings so there may be parallels there to the lives we've lead over the last several years and what people go through. I don't know if that was intentional – they were just made to be songs– more or less just us getting stuff off our chest. If people can relate to what we're doing that's even better.

CFF: How much added work is your new record label, Carboard Empire?

Bucciarelli: It's much more than what we're accustomed to. We've always been hands on with our business, even when we had a manager. We've always done a lot of self-managing, working along with the managers, the record labels and trying to do things a little different than the traditional approach. In some areas, you have to make sure your song is uploaded to a distributor – that kind of thing. So it's not a whole lot more.

CFF: Is the little extra work worth working for yourselves?

Bucciarelli: If we want to release an album, and we want that album to have nine songs, as is the case with "Hate," then we can do it. When you're on a record label, there are a lot of standards you have to adhere to because of a retailer like Best Buy. Best Buy requires you to have a certain amount of tracks, for a certain price point then additional content like explicit content that can only be heard at their store. We don't have to worry about that anymore. If we want to release one song tomorrow, we can do it. We don't have to have band time frames, where you have to have 90 days before your music gets out and ever reaches the people. We're much more nimble now. It's refreshing to have this kind of freedom.