A Warped Tour Interview With Eron Bucciarelli of Hawthorne Heights
Another band from the Vans Warped Tour 2013, I got to sit down with Eron Bucciarelli of Hawthorne Heights. We talked about the fans, a tragic incident from the Never Sleep Again tour, and Warped Tour itself.
New Transcendence: I’m sitting with Eron Bucciarelli, drummer for the band Hawthorne Heights. How are you Eron?
Eron: I’m great. How about you?
NT: I’m great. Exhausted from this heat though. Let’s get right to business, what is it like living the dream of being a world famous musician?
Eron: It’s awesome. I never expected it to get this far. I just wanted to play when we started and now we’re here. It’s an amazing feeling.
NT: I can only imagine that feeling. What do you feel when a fan says your music changed their life or saved them?
Eron: It’s literally the highest compliment to me. It’s such a positive feeling and I love it so much.
NT: So heartwarming. It really is. What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever had to sign for a fan?
Eron: Oh boy. I’ve had to sign a pregnant stomach. Hell, I had to sign a baby once. And then this guy made me sign his brand new car. So many crazy things.
NT: A baby…Wow…That’s insane. Well then. Let’s talk about the new album. You just dropped Zero last month. What was it like writing it?
Eron: It was fun. We went in with the idea of a concept album. It’s getting through life struggles set against a dystopian, war-ravaged backdrop. It was so much fun to write and put together.
NT: Your fans always could relate to your music well. You have any funny recording stories?
Eron: We were doing gang vocals, and we wanted one more take. Well, when it happened, I was the only one. And not only was I the only one you heard, my voice cracked. So it’s more embarrassing for me but I laugh now.
NT: I feel if you ever release a concert DVD with backstage life, that’d be perfect to put into it. What’s the craziest incident to ever happen on a tour?
Eron: It’s more of a tragic story, but also crazy. It was on the Never Sleep Again tour back in 2005, and after the Boulder, Colorado show ended, our friends in Bayside ended up in a road accident when they hit a patch of ice and the van flipped. Their bassist Nick Ghanbarian was seriously injured, but the worst part was their drummer John “Beatz” Holohan was killed. It was one of those moments when you feel everything stop and you wonder what the hell just happened. You don’t want it to be real, but it was and it was heartbreaking for everyone.
NT: Wow. That’s horrible. I don’t want to imagine what that was like. You brought major feels here.
Eron: I’m sorry man (laughs)
NT: Hey, the fans want the gritty stuff. Next question, what band do you wanna go on tour with?
Eron: Let’s see. I think Jimmy Eat World would be awesome to tour with. I believe Foo Fighters are on hiatus, but I’d love to tour with them. And being on Warped with Bring Me The Horizon, I’d love to do a tour with them sometime.
NT: Amazing choices. Does anyone in the band have a bad habit that you hate?
Eron: Everyone has that irritable quirk, but our guitar tech is somewhat of a slob and it’s kind of disgusting at times.
NT: I feel like every band has that ONE person that is a slob or a messy person. What are the plans going forward with the band?
Eron: I can’t say much, but we have a fall US tour coming up. I can’t reveal any details, but stay tuned.
NT: I feel like Spongebob when it came to Patrick’s secret box, man. Finally what has Warped been like this year?
Eron: Oh it’s been a blast. Just hanging out with the bands and the fans, meeting all the new people and seeing bands you’d never see without Warped. It’s hot as hell and it’s a lot of hard work, but it’s all worth it.
NT: Emphasis on that last part for me today. But thank you so much for talking with NT today. Have a great day and kick some ass on the last leg of the tour.
Eron: You know it man! Thank you for interviewing me!