History
The band was originally formed in
2003 by former members Joel Holt and Aaron Peck. They self-released their debut,
Silence is Golden EP, in early 2004 under the original line-up consisting of members Kelvin Cruz, Jeff Harber, Justin Powell, Aaron Peck, Joel Holt and Joy Welling. The EP gained them internet exposure and created an underground following. Due to musical differences, Joel Holt (original guitarist) and ATFEH parted ways. The second guitar position was then re-filled by Phil Nguyen. During the bands first nationwide tour in support of the EP, Joy Welling (violinist) also parted ways with the band due to personal differences. The band has not had a violinist since. Their first full-length album,
Things Aren't So Beautiful Now, was released on
October 19,
2004 through
Kickball Records, a small subsidiary of
Interscope. The band recorded the album in summer 2004 with producer
Shawn Sullivan (
Bleeding Through,
Reel Big Fish). After recording the album, Aaron Peck separated from the band, due to ongoing creative differences and financial disputes, and is currently the drummer of
A is for Atlantis. To this day, he still owns the trademark, "A Thorn For Every Heart".
ATFEH has since toured the country many times over, swapping drummers all the while, including a headlining tour in March
2006 sponsored by
Purevolume.com. Openers included
Hit The Lights,
Boys Like Girls,
Keating, and
Drive By. Before finally stopping by the studio to record their second full-length, Tyler Mahurin was added to the line-up as ATFEH's new drummer.
Their second full-length album,
It's Hard to Move You, was set to be released on
July 31,
2007. This album was leaked in its entirety on
June 1,
2007. However, their record label, Kickball Records, was closed by its parent company Interscope Records. The record was shelved, and ATFEH was dropped from the label. The band is currently in discussion with Interscope regarding the rights to the recordings.
After their troubles with their label and record, tension in the band led to the departure of Jeff Harber (original guitarist/vocalist) who is currently one of the guitarists of
A is for Atlantis, and Tyler Mahurin (drummer at the time) who is currently the drummer of
A Static Lullaby. As time went on, the band picked up the pieces, and put things together again, recruiting members Casey Hill (guitarist) and Matt Thorsen (drummer).
They have since started and finished the process of writing a new album and have posted songs from the EP on their
MySpace page. These songs feature the new line-up of band members.
Their second self-released EP,
Pick Up The Pieces EP was released on
July 1,
2008.
On March 20, 2009, the band posted a blog on their MySpace saying that they are going on an indefinite hiatus.
Band members
- Kelvin Cruz – Lead vocals [1]
- Phil Nguyen – Guitars/Vocals
- Casey Hill – Guitars/Vocals
- Ryan Warrell – Bass
Discography
| Title
| Release Date
| Label
|
| Silence is Golden EP
| 2003
|
|
| Things Aren't So Beautiful Now
| 2004
| Kickball Records
|
| It's Hard to Move You
| 2007
| Kickball Records
|
| Pick Up The Pieces EP
| 2008
|
|
Other works
ATFEH has been featured on a few compilations. Compilation tracks include:
- A cover of Oingo Boingo's "Dead Man's Party" on Punk Goes 80's
- A cover of "Jelly Belly" on The Killer In You – a Smashing Pumpkins tribute album
- An acoustic version of their song "February" on Punk The Clock Volume 2