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Hit the Lights

By: Emily Zemler

Anyone who has secretly listened to their little brother or sister’s CD collection will love Hit the Lights. The Ohio fivesome crafts nasal pop-punk songs that harken back to the days when New Found Glory only had one album out on Drive-Thru and were whinier than a five-year-old before bedtime. It may not be the next bit of musical genius, or even be all that original, but Hit the Lights have that undeniably hooky appeal even an indie rock snob can’t shy away from.

Formed in the summer of 2003 by Colin Ross (vocals), Omar Zehery (guitar), Nate Van Dame (drums), David Bermosk (bass and vocals), and Nick Thompson (guitar and vocals), Hit the Lights eventually signed to Triple Crown, who re-released their EP, We Get Caught, in November of 2005. The band’s debut, This Is a Stickup…Don’t Make It a Murder, furthers their strong pop sensibilities with the aid of producer of the month Matt Squire (Panic! at the Disco, the Receiving End of Sirens). Combining the three-chord punk-influenced rock of bands like Midtown and the Starting Line with Ross’ high-pitched vocals, annoying surface levels give way to infectious hooks and sing-along melodies on songs like “Body Bag” (Listen).

Hit the Lights tour dates:

4/11, Chicago, IL (House of Blues)*
4/12, Cincinnati, OH (Bogarts)*
4/13, Pontiac, MI (Clutch Cargo’s)*
4/14, Columbus, OH (Newport Music Hall)*
4/21, Lima, OH (Shawnee United Methodist Church)
4/24, Portland, OR (Hawthorne Theatre)+
4/25, Seattle, WA (El Corazon)+
4/26, Boise, ID (The Venue)+
4/27, Salt Lake City, UT (Avalon Theatre)+
4/28, Denver, CO (Rock Island)+
4/29, Kansas City, MO (El Torreon)+
4/30, Minneapolis, MN (Triple Rock)+
5/5, Millvale, PA (Mr. Smalls Theatre)+^
5/6, East Rutherford, NJ (The Meadowlands: Bamboozle)
5/11, Raleigh, NC (Lincoln Theatre)@
5/12, Levittown, NY (Ritual)@
5/13, South Hackensack, NJ (School of Rock)@
5/14, Kingston, PA (Backstage Enterprises)@
5/15, Allston, MA (ICC Church)@
5/17, Buffalo, NY (The Icon)@
5/18, Cleveland, OH (Peabody’s Downunder)@
5/19, Columbus, OH (The Basement)@
5/20, Lima, OH (Stage Right)@
5/21, Lansing, MI (Temple Club)@
5/22, Covington, KY (The Madhatter)@
5/23, Huntington, WV (Hyamp)@
5/25, Atlanta, GA (Masquerade)@
5/26, West Palm Beach, FL (Rays Downtown)
5/27, Orlando, FL (The Social)@
5/28, Jacksonville, FL (Jack Rabbits)@

(*w/Matchbook Romance, The Early November, Chiodos, Amber Pacific)
(+w/The Receiving End of Sirens, I Am the Avalanche, Weatherbox)
(^w/ As Tall as Lions)
(@w/Cartel, Permanent Me, Summer Obsession)

Hit the Lights official site