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All Music Guide:
Punkish Portland, OR, power pop quartet the Exploding Hearts had been playing together for over two years before their debut recording, Guitar Romantic, was released by Seattle-based indie Dirtnap Records in spring of 2003. Taking influence from bands like the Clash, the Undertones, and the Only Ones, the group comprised bassist Matt "Lock" Fitzgerald, drummer Jeremy "Kid Killer" Gage, vocalist/guitarist Adam "Baby" Cox, and guitarist Terry Six; early on, the band also included keyboardist "King" Louie Bankston and original bassist Jim Evans, but they both left prior to Guitar Romantic's release. The album won the guys (all in their early twenties) a well-deserved buzz among music fans, scribes, and labels, and the band was in high demand on the West Coast touring circuit. Tragically, though, just as the group was gearing up for a nationwide tour and rumored to be signing with Lookout! Records, their van veered out of control while returning home on July 20, 2003, from a San Francisco concert, killing Gage, Cox, and Fitzgerald. Six managed to escape with only minor injuries. Dirtnap released the LP Shattered in the fall of 2006, compiling singles from the band's much-too-brief career, including alternative versions and mixes, as well as their unreleased final recordings; the album also featured five songs of live footage from (what became) the Exploding Hearts' final show at San Francisco's Bottom of the Hill.
Wikipedia:
The Exploding Hearts were an influential American punk rock and power pop band formed in Portland, Oregon in 2001. The band was composed of vocalist/guitarist Adam Cox, bassist Matt Fitzgerald, guitarist Terry Six, and drummer Jeremy Gage.
Shortly after the release of their debut studio album, Guitar Romantic, Cox, Fitzgerald, and Gage were killed in a car accident on July 20, 2003, after which the band ceased to exist.Cite error: There are <ref> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist}} template (see the help page).
History[edit]
The band rose to prominence in the US Pacific Northwest scene shortly after they formed in 2001. The band drew influences from early British punk bands such as The Undertones, Buzzcocks, The Clash, The Jam, The Boys and The Only Ones, as well as power pop acts like Nick Lowe.
The Exploding Hearts led a revival of 1970s-era power pop and new wave in the Seattle and Portland area along with bands like The Briefs and the Epoxies on the then-Seattle-based Dirtnap Records. Their combination of punk rock and power pop influenced melodies and their energetic live shows brought them attention on the West Coast and from magazines such as Maximumrocknroll and Shredding Paper, which featured them on their covers. They released their debut studio album, Guitar Romantic, in April 2003.
July 2003 accident[edit]
On July 20, 2003, the band was headed home to Portland on Interstate 5 after having played at the Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco. It is believed that Fitzgerald, who was driving, fell asleep and lost control of their van near Eugene, Oregon. Cox, 23, and Gage, 21, were thrown from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene and Fitzgerald, 20, died at a hospital. Guitarist Terry Six, 21, and manager Rachell Ramos, 35, sustained only minor injuries. The band ceased to exist in the aftermath of the accident.
A compilation album was released by Dirtnap Records in 2006. In 2009, their song "Modern Kicks" was listed as the 290th greatest song of the decade and their album Guitar Romantic deemed the 60th best album of the decade by Pitchfork Media.Cite error: There are <ref> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist}} template (see the help page).
Post-Exploding Hearts projects[edit]
Terry Six joined former members of the Portland-based band The Riffs, Gabe Lageson, Colin Jarrell, Alan Mansfieldwent, and established the Portland-based power pop band, The Nice Boys. They released a 7" single on Discourage Records entitled "You Won't See Me Anymore" b/w "Lipstick Love" and a S/T full length album on Birdman Records.
