Nikhil Dev

hellogoodbye is a power pop/synthpop 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 Hellogoodbye and DVD OMG HGB DVD ROTFL. In 2005, the band appeared on MTV’s The Real World: Austin and won MTV2’s Dew Circuit Breakout.

The band 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. 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 and is currently a member of Say Anything, or Aaron Flora, formerly of the band Throwdown. Flora and bassist Marcus Cole soon joined them permanently, completing the band’s line-up.

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. 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 and 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. None of the band’s members were injured.

While participating in 2005’s South by Southwest, a music festival 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 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. Following the release, the group was also featured on the third and fourth installment of the Drive-Thru Records DVD series. 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 set of Gibson equipment and an opening slot on an upcoming major U.S. 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”). On November 7, 2006, hellogoodbye released an internet only remix EP called Remixes!, which can be purchased at the iTunes Store, as well as the band’s MySpace page.

In January 2007, the single “Here (In Your Arms)” saw a resurgence on Top 40 radio and entered the Billboard Hot 100 (peaking at #14) and the Pop 100 (peaking at #9). In the same month, they also appeared on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and began a headlining tour of Japan and the United Kingdom, supported by Houston Calls and Plain White T’s. In April, they will headline the side stage at Give It a Name 2007. On March 13, 2007, they released an iTunes exclusive three song EP, which features three different remixes of the song “All of Your Love”.

Members

Forrest Kline
Jesse Kurvink
Marcus Cole
Chris Profeta

Official website