Hellogoodbye January 25, 2007

The band hellogoodbye 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. 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, without even having a release out, hellogoodbye began playing local concerts in front of crowds of hundreds. 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, 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, with Forrest and Aaron coming out on top. In March 2004, drummer Flora left the band and was replaced by then 16-year-old Christian high school dropout Chris Profeta (formerly of A Cutthroat Kiss).

The EP was finally released on August 17, 2004, which was supported by various U.S. tours. While participating in 2005's South by Southwest, a music festival for mainly unsigned artists 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, including interviews and live footage. The appearance certainly gave a boost to the band's popularity.

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").

Official Website: http://manchesteracademy.net/hellogoodbye.html