Lovehammers
Encyclopedia
Lovehammers is a Chicago
-based, Alternative rock
band. Their sound is best described as a combination of Pop-punk, and Grunge
influences.
Since 1997, Lovehammers have independently released five full-length albums and EPs and one major label LP. For their self-titled major label debut (released January 24, 2006), they were known as Marty Casey & Lovehammers. They are now back to just "Lovehammers". They have also appeared live on VH1
, playing acoustic versions of their songs - Trees, The Tunnel, and The Riddle.
, Bobby Kourelis and his younger brother Dino Kourelis became friends in 1982 when the three were on the same Little League team in their hometown of Hickory Hills, Illinois
. As young teens they formed a cover band
with fellow neighborhood friends, Ben Kelly on guitar and John Murdoch as lead vocalist. They called themselves Swinging Lovehammers. After they entered college, John Murdoch left the band and Marty Casey took over as vocalist.
In 1994, they discovered Billy Sawilchik
, who was at the time playing lead guitar for a band called 9 Arms. In May 1994 they officially recruited him to become a member of Swinging Lovehammers. With the line-up in place the band began writing original material.
In 1997, Swinging Lovehammers released their first full-length album, Ultrasound, an early incarnation of the band's now, signature, genre melding "un-pretentious rock" sound.
In 1999, the band released Demolition, a four song EP
recorded at DV Productions in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Demolition features the songs Real Man, Give It Up, Counterfeit and Confusion. These songs were later re-released on the Lovehammers second LP L'Strange
. That same year their song Rain on The Brain is awarded a place in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest
By the year 2000, Swinging Lovehammers began to acquire a larger fanbase throughout the Midwest, winning various Battle of The Bands competitions and booking gigs at notable venues and festivals such as House of Blues
, Summerfest
and Lincoln's Fest and are booked to play the CMJ Music Marathon in New York City
. They also began receiving local radio play.
's Nikki Sixx
reportedly reviews the band favorably, calling them "Another new band to keep your eyes open for".
On 24 March 2001 Swinging Lovehammers released their second EP
How We Live produced by legendary Indie rock
impresario Steve Albini
, known for his work with Nirvana
, PJ Harvey
and Pixies.
On 8 August 2001, the band officially changes its name from Swinging Lovehammers to simply Lovehammers, bass-player Dino Kourelis explained the change on the band's website, "You can call us whatever you want. Most people call us Lovehammers anyway. We will keep all names to make everyone happy. We made a little change for marketing reasons, as well as ‘change is good.’" http://www.lovehammersfanclub.com/lhfanclub/History.html On 6 November 2001, Lovehammers re-released L'Strange
complete with new cover art which reflects the name change.
In Fall of 2003 Ben Kelly officially left the band. In an informal to the fans via their website lead singer Marty Casey
explained the departure. "He [Ben] was apart of this band for a long time. I can't honestly sit here and say I do not miss him. ... There are only 24 hours in a day and Ben was operating on a 48 hour schedule. We wanted to put every single moment of energy into our next CD. This is what I have been building up to for my entire life. I wanted to put every moment of my life into creating the best Lovehammer CD anyone has ever heard. This requires singular focus from every person involved in the record." At this point Billy Sawilchik
became and remains the band's only lead guitarist.
On July 27, 2003 Lovehammers released their third full-length album entitled Murder on My Mind
. The album featured a number of songs written by Marty Casey
during his stay in New York City
, including Wait For No One, Better Off (Walk Away) and Eyes Can't See which form a thematic trilogy.
and Gomez
on the 21 city Virgin College Mega Tour. At that time, Marty Casey
was participating in ongoing auditions for the reality television
show Rockstar: INXS. The show's purpose was to discover a replacement lead singer for the band, INXS
through a televised singing competition. Casey made it onto the show and quickly became a fan favorite. Despite the rest of the band's initial apprehension, they supported Casey and could occasionally be seen in the television crowd cheering him on during his performances. On September 6, 2005 Marty Casey debuted a different version of the pop-heavy Lovehammers song, Trees, which had been previously available for download on the Lovehammers website. It became an instant hit with the audience and debuted on MSN.com as a #1 download. After Marty made it to runner up in the competition the Lovehammers were immediately offered a contract with Epic records
and a spot as the opening band on INXS's Switched On
tour.
In Summer of 2006, Lovehammers headlined the Get Live tour, most of the dates were quickly sold out and the reviews were overwhelmingly favorable.
On January 24, 2006 Lovehammers released their major label debut entitled, Marty Casey & Lovehammers
, composed mostly of retooled versions of previously released and recorded Lovehammers tracks. The album was generally very well received by critics and fans alike.
produced by Stonecutter Records entitled Acoustic Chicago, which features unplugged tracks from various Chicago based bands. They are also in the process of writing and recording their next major-label LP.
They have also organized a charity campaign called Shoeboxes @ Home which helps provide necessities for both men and women serving overseas in the military
as well as military veterans in need residing in the U.S.
In 2009, Lovehammers released a new album titled "Heavy Crown
." The album was previously set to be called "Let Me Out," but was later changed to "Heavy Crown."
In June 2009, Lovehammers played a free concert at the Taste of Chicago. They opened for The Wallflowers.
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
-based, Alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band. Their sound is best described as a combination of Pop-punk, and Grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
influences.
Since 1997, Lovehammers have independently released five full-length albums and EPs and one major label LP. For their self-titled major label debut (released January 24, 2006), they were known as Marty Casey & Lovehammers. They are now back to just "Lovehammers". They have also appeared live on VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
, playing acoustic versions of their songs - Trees, The Tunnel, and The Riddle.
Beginnings
Lovehammers band members Marty CaseyMarty Casey
Martin Xavier "Marty" Casey is an American rock musician who is the lead singer, primary songwriter and second guitarist of the band Lovehammers....
, Bobby Kourelis and his younger brother Dino Kourelis became friends in 1982 when the three were on the same Little League team in their hometown of Hickory Hills, Illinois
Hickory Hills, Illinois
Hickory Hills is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 13,926 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Hickory Hills is located at ....
. As young teens they formed a cover band
Cover band
A cover band , is a band that plays mostly or exclusively cover songs. New or unknown bands often find the cover band format marketable for smaller gigs, and these bands may be known as a wedding band, party band and function band. A band whose covers consist mainly of songs that were chart hits is...
with fellow neighborhood friends, Ben Kelly on guitar and John Murdoch as lead vocalist. They called themselves Swinging Lovehammers. After they entered college, John Murdoch left the band and Marty Casey took over as vocalist.
In 1994, they discovered Billy Sawilchik
Billy Sawilchik
William Craig Sawilchik, better known as Billy Sawilchik is the lead guitarist, co-songwriter and back up vocalist for the band The Lovehammers.He was born in Oak Lawn, Illinois on July 28, 1971...
, who was at the time playing lead guitar for a band called 9 Arms. In May 1994 they officially recruited him to become a member of Swinging Lovehammers. With the line-up in place the band began writing original material.
In 1997, Swinging Lovehammers released their first full-length album, Ultrasound, an early incarnation of the band's now, signature, genre melding "un-pretentious rock" sound.
In 1999, the band released Demolition, a four song EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
recorded at DV Productions in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Demolition features the songs Real Man, Give It Up, Counterfeit and Confusion. These songs were later re-released on the Lovehammers second LP L'Strange
L'Strange
L’Strange is the second full-length album by Alternative rock band Lovehammers. The album was originally released on September 30, 2000 with different artwork under the band's original name "Swinging Lovehammers" , then re-released on November 6, 2001 with the current album artwork and under the...
. That same year their song Rain on The Brain is awarded a place in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest
John Lennon Songwriting Contest
The John Lennon Songwriting Contest, named for the former member of The Beatles, is a songwriting competition for songwriters, open to amateurs and professionals. The contest accepts instrumental pieces as well as songs with a vocal component. Though all entries must include a CD, cassette, or...
By the year 2000, Swinging Lovehammers began to acquire a larger fanbase throughout the Midwest, winning various Battle of The Bands competitions and booking gigs at notable venues and festivals such as House of Blues
House of Blues
House of Blues is a chain of 13 live music concert halls and restaurants in major markets throughout the United States. House of Blues first location was in Cambridge's Harvard Square. It was opened in 1992 by Isaac Tigrett, co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, star of The Blues Brothers...
, Summerfest
Summerfest
Summerfest is a yearly music festival held at the Henry Maier Festival Park along the lakefront in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. The festival lasts for 11 days, is made up of 11 stages with performances from over 700 bands, and since the mid-1970s has run from late June through early July, usually...
and Lincoln's Fest and are booked to play the CMJ Music Marathon in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. They also began receiving local radio play.
Name change and Ben Kelly's departure
Around 2000, Swinging Lovehammers' fanbase swelled and their devotees were referred to as Hammerheads. On 30 September 2000, Swinging Lovehammers released the original version of their second album, L'strange.http://lovehammersfanclub.com/lhfanclub/History.html By October, Mötley CrüeMötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1981. The group was founded by bass guitarist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, who were later joined by lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil...
's Nikki Sixx
Nikki Sixx
Nikki Sixx is an American musician, songwriter, author, fashion designer, radio host, and photographer, best known as the co-founder and bassist of the band Mötley Crüe. Prior to forming Mötley Crüe, Sixx was a member of Sister before going on to form London with his Sister band mate Lizzie Grey...
reportedly reviews the band favorably, calling them "Another new band to keep your eyes open for".
On 24 March 2001 Swinging Lovehammers released their second EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
How We Live produced by legendary Indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
impresario Steve Albini
Steve Albini
Steven Frank Albini is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, audio engineer and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman, and Flour, and is currently a member of Shellac...
, known for his work with Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
, PJ Harvey
PJ Harvey
Polly Jean Harvey is an English musician, singer-songwriter, composer and occasional artist. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments including piano, organ, bass, saxophone, and most recently, the autoharp.Harvey began her career in...
and Pixies.
On 8 August 2001, the band officially changes its name from Swinging Lovehammers to simply Lovehammers, bass-player Dino Kourelis explained the change on the band's website, "You can call us whatever you want. Most people call us Lovehammers anyway. We will keep all names to make everyone happy. We made a little change for marketing reasons, as well as ‘change is good.’" http://www.lovehammersfanclub.com/lhfanclub/History.html On 6 November 2001, Lovehammers re-released L'Strange
L'Strange
L’Strange is the second full-length album by Alternative rock band Lovehammers. The album was originally released on September 30, 2000 with different artwork under the band's original name "Swinging Lovehammers" , then re-released on November 6, 2001 with the current album artwork and under the...
complete with new cover art which reflects the name change.
In Fall of 2003 Ben Kelly officially left the band. In an informal to the fans via their website lead singer Marty Casey
Marty Casey
Martin Xavier "Marty" Casey is an American rock musician who is the lead singer, primary songwriter and second guitarist of the band Lovehammers....
explained the departure. "He [Ben] was apart of this band for a long time. I can't honestly sit here and say I do not miss him. ... There are only 24 hours in a day and Ben was operating on a 48 hour schedule. We wanted to put every single moment of energy into our next CD. This is what I have been building up to for my entire life. I wanted to put every moment of my life into creating the best Lovehammer CD anyone has ever heard. This requires singular focus from every person involved in the record." At this point Billy Sawilchik
Billy Sawilchik
William Craig Sawilchik, better known as Billy Sawilchik is the lead guitarist, co-songwriter and back up vocalist for the band The Lovehammers.He was born in Oak Lawn, Illinois on July 28, 1971...
became and remains the band's only lead guitarist.
On July 27, 2003 Lovehammers released their third full-length album entitled Murder on My Mind
Murder on My Mind
Murder on my Mind was the third independent album by the Lovehammers, released in 2003. Many songs on the album also appear on the later Marty Casey and Lovehammers album. The albums title comes from a lyric in the "The Tunnel", the first track on the album. The album is notable for the raw, edgy...
. The album featured a number of songs written by Marty Casey
Marty Casey
Martin Xavier "Marty" Casey is an American rock musician who is the lead singer, primary songwriter and second guitarist of the band Lovehammers....
during his stay in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, including Wait For No One, Better Off (Walk Away) and Eyes Can't See which form a thematic trilogy.
Rockstar:INXS and major label debut
In 2005, Lovehammers were opening for CakeCake (band)
Cake is an American alternative rock band from Sacramento, California. Consisting of singer John McCrea, trumpeter Vince DiFiore, guitarist Xan McCurdy, bassist Gabe Nelson and drummer Paulo Baldi, the band has been noted for McCrea's sarcastic lyrics and deadpan voice, DiFiore's trumpet parts, and...
and Gomez
Gomez (band)
Gomez are an English indie rock band from Southport, comprising Ian Ball , Paul "Blackie" Blackburn , Tom Gray , Ben Ottewell and Olly Peacock . The band is distinguished for having three singers and four songwriters, employing traditional and electronic instruments...
on the 21 city Virgin College Mega Tour. At that time, Marty Casey
Marty Casey
Martin Xavier "Marty" Casey is an American rock musician who is the lead singer, primary songwriter and second guitarist of the band Lovehammers....
was participating in ongoing auditions for the reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
show Rockstar: INXS. The show's purpose was to discover a replacement lead singer for the band, INXS
INXS
INXS are an Australian rock band, formed as The Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney, New South Wales. Mainstays are Garry Gary Beers on bass guitar, Andrew Farriss on guitar/keyboards, Jon Farriss on drums, Tim Farriss on lead guitar and Kirk Pengilly on guitar/sax...
through a televised singing competition. Casey made it onto the show and quickly became a fan favorite. Despite the rest of the band's initial apprehension, they supported Casey and could occasionally be seen in the television crowd cheering him on during his performances. On September 6, 2005 Marty Casey debuted a different version of the pop-heavy Lovehammers song, Trees, which had been previously available for download on the Lovehammers website. It became an instant hit with the audience and debuted on MSN.com as a #1 download. After Marty made it to runner up in the competition the Lovehammers were immediately offered a contract with Epic records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
and a spot as the opening band on INXS's Switched On
Switched On
Switched On is a compilation of Stereolab's first three releases, and was originally released in 1992. The album's name is in tribute to Switched-On Bach and other similar titles from the late 1960s to 1970s that feature Moog synthesizers as the primary instrument...
tour.
In Summer of 2006, Lovehammers headlined the Get Live tour, most of the dates were quickly sold out and the reviews were overwhelmingly favorable.
On January 24, 2006 Lovehammers released their major label debut entitled, Marty Casey & Lovehammers
Marty Casey and Lovehammers (album)
Marty Casey & Lovehammers is the self-titled, major label debut album for Rock Star: INXS runner-up Marty Casey's band, Lovehammers. The album consists primarily of songs from the Lovehammers' previous three independent albums, remixed and remastered: "Hold On", "Rain on the Brain", "The Tunnel",...
, composed mostly of retooled versions of previously released and recorded Lovehammers tracks. The album was generally very well received by critics and fans alike.
Recent events: 2007–present
As of 2007 Lovehammers have recorded a live acoustic compilation CD/ DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
produced by Stonecutter Records entitled Acoustic Chicago, which features unplugged tracks from various Chicago based bands. They are also in the process of writing and recording their next major-label LP.
They have also organized a charity campaign called Shoeboxes @ Home which helps provide necessities for both men and women serving overseas in the military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
as well as military veterans in need residing in the U.S.
In 2009, Lovehammers released a new album titled "Heavy Crown
Heavy Crown
Heavy Crown is the fourth album released by the Lovehammers on July 21, 2009. It contains twelve new tracks as well as acoustic versions of "Eyes Can't See" which was on the Murder on My Mind album, and "Velvet" which was on the Ultrasound EP....
." The album was previously set to be called "Let Me Out," but was later changed to "Heavy Crown."
In June 2009, Lovehammers played a free concert at the Taste of Chicago. They opened for The Wallflowers.
Members
- Marty CaseyMarty CaseyMartin Xavier "Marty" Casey is an American rock musician who is the lead singer, primary songwriter and second guitarist of the band Lovehammers....
- lead Vocals, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Billy SawilchikBilly SawilchikWilliam Craig Sawilchik, better known as Billy Sawilchik is the lead guitarist, co-songwriter and back up vocalist for the band The Lovehammers.He was born in Oak Lawn, Illinois on July 28, 1971...
- lead GuitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists... - Dino Kourelis - bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Bob Kourelis - drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Studio albums
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Ultrasound | REEP Records |
| 2002 | L'Strange L'Strange L’Strange is the second full-length album by Alternative rock band Lovehammers. The album was originally released on September 30, 2000 with different artwork under the band's original name "Swinging Lovehammers" , then re-released on November 6, 2001 with the current album artwork and under the... |
REEP Records |
| 2003 | Murder on My Mind Murder on My Mind Murder on my Mind was the third independent album by the Lovehammers, released in 2003. Many songs on the album also appear on the later Marty Casey and Lovehammers album. The albums title comes from a lyric in the "The Tunnel", the first track on the album. The album is notable for the raw, edgy... |
Swinging Lovehammers Records |
| 2006 | Marty Casey and Lovehammers Marty Casey and Lovehammers (album) Marty Casey & Lovehammers is the self-titled, major label debut album for Rock Star: INXS runner-up Marty Casey's band, Lovehammers. The album consists primarily of songs from the Lovehammers' previous three independent albums, remixed and remastered: "Hold On", "Rain on the Brain", "The Tunnel",... |
Epic Records Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A... |
| 2009 | Heavy Crown Heavy Crown Heavy Crown is the fourth album released by the Lovehammers on July 21, 2009. It contains twelve new tracks as well as acoustic versions of "Eyes Can't See" which was on the Murder on My Mind album, and "Velvet" which was on the Ultrasound EP.... |
REEP Records |
Singles and EPs
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Demolition EP | Reep Records |
| 2001 | How We Live EP | Swinging Lovehammers Records |
| 2006 | Merry Christmas (All Year Long) | Swinging Lovehammers Records |
DVDs
| Year | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Live/Raw | Swinging Lovehammers Inc |
| 2006 | And The Rest Is History... | Swinging Lovehammers Inc |
External links
- Lovehammers official site
- Lovehammers Store: Official Merch from the Band
- Lovehammers Fan Club
- Marty Casey Official Site
- Billy Sawilchik's Official Site
- LiveJournal
- Free Lovehammers eCards
- ROCKBANDLOUNGE.COM: Lovehammers
- An Exclusive Interview with Lovehammers on Tour: A CONVERSATION WITH LOVEHAMMERS
- Interview with Marty Casey at WickedInfo.com