Hellogoodbye’s beginning: “I started recording really
horrible midi music on my PC in my bedroom,” remembers Kline. “The
rhythm was all jittery because my computer sucked and the vocals
were all soft cause my parents were sleeping upstairs while I
recorded them.” Writing songs for friends and girls he wanted
to woo, Kline kept the material to himself never sending demos
to any labels. A mutual friend shared the songs with Drive-Thru
owners Richard Reines and Stefanie Reines and they flipped out!
With the unconditional support of Drive-Thru and the addition
of Kurvink on keys, Hellogoodbye was born. Well, sort of. “We
went through a few drummers until we found Chris and a few bass
players until we found Marcus.”
After Kline rounded up his players, they got to work recording
their self-titled EP, also know as the “Avocado EP” because
of the sunny California Warholesque cover art. The EP spawned
the Baywatch inpsired and MTV2 choice-cut video “Shimmy
Shimmy Quarter Turn.” Although initially meant to be a free,
download, the EP flew off the digital shelves scoring 750K downloads
and eventually selling more than 125K copies at retail. After
appearing on MTV2’s The Real World Austin and winning MTV2’s
Dew Circuit Breakout contest in 2005, the band had no choice
but to give the fans more of what they wanted—Hellogoodbye!
The foursome started headlining—and selling out—venues
and practically had to be surgically removed from the road in
order to get back in the studio. Luckily, it didn’t leave
a scar.
For Hellogoodbye’s long-awaited debut album, Zombies! Aliens!
Vampires! Dinosaurs!, the band enlisted the help of Matt Mahaffey,
singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist of the power-pop band
Self, turn-table master on albums by Pink and Smash Mouth, member
of Beck’s back-up band, and personal musical hero of Kline.
The 2006 release debuted at lucky #13 on the Billboard Top 200
and is the highest charting Drive-Thru Records release to date. “Here
(In Your Arms),” became the first platinum record for Hellogoodbye
as well as Drive-Thru.
Since the release of Z! A! V! D!, Hellogoodbye has toured extensively
playing to sold-out audiences in North America, the U.K., Japan,
and Australia, making friends and fans all over the world. HGB
has been the musical guest on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Last Call with Carson
Daly, MTV’s TRL, MTV Live, and FUSE’s Steven’s
Untitled Rock Show. The group was featured in Spin, Blender,
Alternative Press, Teen People, Kerrang!, Rock Sound, Cosmo Girl,
New York Post, Los Angeles Times, and many other national and
international publications. In total, Hellogoodbye has sold more
than 550K albums to date.
Hellogoodbye use Dean Markley's Blue
Steel Electric REG and JZ,
and Blue Steel NPS Bass CL.
Forrest said
this about Dean Markley’s
strings:
I like Dean Markley’s
strings because they’re brighter, stronger and more lively for
longer than other strings I've used. I can go longer between
changes and they still seem pretty new and fresh, and don't break
if I use the same set at two shows.
Jesse on his strings:
No bullshit: these are the longest lasting
strings I’ve ever played with. I've gone through a few different
brands in the past—I won't name any names—but the lifespan is
always sub par to me, the less I have to change my strings, the
better. Big ups to the big and mighty DM.
Be sure to visit the HelloGoodBye website at:
www.Hellogoodbye.net
or
www.MySpace.com/hellogoodbye.
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