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| Left to Right: Mark Jones, Andrew Blake, Matt Clark, Dan Miller, Richard Hofherr, Mark Kennetz |
| Band members this year |
Richard Hofherr - Guitar/Vocals
Dan Miller - Drums
Andrew Blake - Guitar/Vocals
Mark Kennetz - Bass
Mark Jones - Guitar/Vocals
Matt Clark - Vocals
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| Photos from this year |
2003 Photo Album
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| CD released this year |
Silver
October - 2003
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| Songs we wrote/played this year |
Gravity
Cellophane
Kill The Cycle
Ghost Of Me
Undone
Ethereal
Medicated
Fall Into You
While You Dream
The One
Trembling
She
Broken
On The Inside
Face Of Terror
Everlasting Love
Invisible
Ordinary World
I Still Need You
Misunderstood
Truth
Erased
Letting Go
Shelter
This Pressure
Cope
Windows
Breakin Me Up
Walk Into The Light
Brand New Day
Song For You
Everything You Want
Falling Back Down
Gazing At The Stars
High & Dry
Crazy Beautiful
Things That I Do
Starting Over Again
Transparent
Unused
Something Wicked This Way Comes
Running Away
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| Videos from this year |
Coming Soon
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| Crew this year |
Matt Zelinski
Dino Manzella
Bob Jozwiak
Jerry Rock
Kim Scheck
Jen Kushnir
Nicole Rock
Joe Buchberger
Harley Rich
Ryan Scimeca
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| Shows this year |
December 31
- Chicago City Limits
December 20
- Bourbon St.
December 18
- Prairie Rock Brewing
December 13
- Sideouts
December 12
- Shark City
December 6
- Chicago Loop
December 5
- Sean Kaley's
November 29
- The Loft
November 28
- North Beach
November 22
- Durty Nellies
November 20
- Prairie Rock Brewing
November 14
- Stix
November 8
- Change of Pace
November 7
- Ju-Ju's
November 1
- Starbusters
October 31
- Pop's
October 30
- Prairie Rock Brewing
October 24
- Bourbon Street
October 23
- Georgio's
October 16
- The Lodge
October 11
- Cubby Bear North
October 10
- Chicago City Limits
October 4
- Joe's - on Weed St.
October 3
- Sean Kaley's
September 20
- Change of Pace
September 19
- Stix
September 13
- Huntley Fest
September 12
- Blarney's Island
September 6
- Shark City
September 5
- Daddios
September 4
- Sideouts
August 31
- Schaumburg Septemberfest (w/ Lou Gramm / Foreigner)
August 30
- Durty Nellies
August 29
- Walter Payton's Roundhouse
August 28
- Prairie Rock Brewing
August 23
- Sharkey's Live
August 22
- Lenny The Legends
August 21
- Prairie Rock Brewing
August 16
- 602 North
August 15
- Bourbon Street
August 14
- The Lodge
August 7
- Sideouts
August 2
- Sean Kaley's (w/ The Outfield)
August 2
- Castway's
August 1
- Joe's on Weed St.
July 26
- Long Shots - Sammy K's
July 25
- Cubby Bear North
July 18
- Prairie Rock Brewing
July 17
- Sideouts
July 16
- Glendale Heights Fest
July 12
- Chicago City Limits
July 11
- Duke O Briens
July 10
- Prairie Rock Brewing
July 4
- Hoffman Estates 4th of July Fest
July 3
- Frontier Days Fest
June 27
- Durty Nellies
June 21
- Shark City
June 20
- Sideouts
June 14
- Idols
June 14
- Castaway's
June 13
- Prairie Rock Brewfest
June 7
- Penny Road Pub
June 3
- Tower
May 31
- Bourbon Street
May 28
- The Element
May 25
- Famous Freddies
May 24
- Taste of Candlewick
May 23
- Chicago City Limits
May 17
- Sean Kaley's (w/ Firehouse)
May 2
- El Sombrero Cinco De Mayo Fest |
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2003 was all about re-building the band and focus on what the band's purpose was...
to write, record and promote 7th heaven's music.
Finding the right combination of players wasn't a easy task and doing the best to retain the band's ability to perform a high energy show with wide range of styles took a while to find the right combination.
Richie found Matt Clark on a music industry website. Matt was living in Nashville at the time seeking a career in music. Matt's songs on the website had a folk flavor, but Richie knew that underneath this folk front was a pop/rock singer. Richie emailed Matt and a friendship began. Richie gave Matt access to a website where Richie kept songs he had writen but needed words to and gave Matt access to those songs. Wihtin 24 hours Matt had written a song "Everything You Want". Richie and Matt chatted on the phone for hours while Richie was driving to Texas to produce another singer. In those conversations it seemed like there was a marriage in writing good pop songs together. Matt soon would move to Chicago to work with Richie full time and eventually join 7th heaven.
Since Nick Cox left the band Richie was looking for someone who could play guitar and sing very well. Introduced by a mutual friend, Richie met Andrew Blake who was in a cover band called "Decades". Andrew and Richie instantly relaized they were into the same wide range of styles of music and that working together in some fashion would produce positive results. Andrew joined 7th heaven as a 2nd guitarist/singer.
Richie knew of Mark Jones from the old crew member Bob Celosky. Bob had asked Richie to have his badn "Flood" open for 7th heaven at a Vic theater show. While watching the band perform Richie saw Mark's tremendous energy he has and remembered him when looking for a singer that can evoke power and the ability to rap, something Mark did with his band Mr. Macky. Mark also could play guitar and Mark joined 7th heaven as a 3rd guitarist, 3rd singer.
Richie went to see the band Wicked Garden to hear the singer, but was surprised to see this charismatic bass player in Mark Kennetz. After listening to Mark play thru headphones while he played live Richie asked Mark to join 7th heaven as the bass player. Mark Joined.
Now all was needed was a drummer... after audtioning a few people, it became very obvious that the right person for this job was Dan Miller. Since Dan had retired, getting him to commit to play again wasn't a easy task.
A friend of the band, Matt McBride called Dan and told him he must at least listen to the demos of the songs this line-up was writing and should seriously re-consider playing again. Dan picked up 3 CD's of 50+ songs and was blown away with the quality o fthe material the band was creating. Dan decided to join 7th heaven once again and continue as the bands drummer.
Managing all these type A personalities was no easy task for Richie. Each had different motivations to be in 7th heaven. One mistake Richie made was to pay the band members on different pay scales, something that was never done before in 7th heaven. This would later turn out to be the death of this line-up.
Mark Jones wrote a bunch of songs about his ex-girlfriend who he couldn't get over. Right after he finished writing these songs, he hooked up with the "ex" again and married her. He left 7th heaven after a few months of playing in the band.
Matt Clark wasn't happy sharing the lead vocal duties with the other band members. The original plan was for Matt to front 7th heaven for a year and build his name in Chicago and then release his own band called "Blemish". Matt was not happy with the pace the band was progressing and left the band. Matt was the lyric writter on many of 7th heaven's songs on "Silver". Matt had left the band two weeks prior to the "Silver" CD release, which was already advertised.
Now down to four, Andrew was asked if he wanted the lead role as the lead singer, which he took. Andrew re-sang all the songs off "Silver" in a week and Richie Mixed it in a week to meet the deadline and have product for the CD release.
Silver was made out of the passion that Richie wanted out fo the band. It was the first time he was able to release a product as he saw fit without the input from anyone eles. The entire band did not want Silver to be a 30 song double CD. Hofherr insisted that it stays that way.. in fact the original CD was suppose to be 40 songs in a metal tin and have four singers on it: Matt, Andrew, Mark Jones and Richie.
Richie got "Silver" to be placed on MTV again on the show "Punk'd" and "Making the Video"
Fun Fact: 7th heaven dressed as Superhereos for Halloween:
Andrew - Batman • Richie - Hulk • Dan - Spiderman • Mark - ??? Something only he knows ???
2003 newsletter (click to enlarge)
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2003 Websites
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(story continues in 2004) |
