Some bands have all the luck. Your guitarist's sister is on the Disney Channel. Pete Wentz is your drummer's uncle. Your bassist is capable of forming complete sentences. Your singer has really pretty blonde hair. Unfortunately, these things don't occur to a lot of teenagers when starting a band. Accordingly, The Hoodies' vocalist/guitarist Dan Armbruster found himself stuck with Paul Brenner, Joey Morinelli, and Brandon Desormeaux when he formed the group in 2004. Quickly realizing that Paul had no relation to any business moguls, Joey's sister had no prior acting experience, and Brandon was definitely incapable of even the most basic use of the English language, the foursome decided to start their trek up the long, winding road of success.
After a few small local releases in their native Rochester, NY, the band released “A Place on Solid Ground” in April 2007. With praise coming from national publications such as Alternative Press Magazine, the group quickly found themselves on the road touring across the country. Slowly but surely they began building a dedicated fan base. Shows with The Format, Say Anything, Gym Class Heroes, and Hellogoodbye would reward the boys for their hard work.
With the new year would come a new opportunity. In May of 2008 the band flew to Los Angeles to work with super-producer Mark Trombino (Blink 182, Jimmy Eat World, The Starting Line, etc). “I sdfh lkw siuy alkh,” says Brandon of the experience. Shortly thereafter The Daily Chorus would name the band the 12 unsigned act in the country. With steady touring throughout the rest of the year and song placements on numerous MTV Networks shows (The Hills, Real World, Paris Hilton, etc), the group ended the year as one of Purevolume.com's “Top 20 Unsigned Artists of 2008”.
It was clear that the band could not be kept a secret for long, and no one discovered that faster than the boys themselves. A head to head battle with Taylor Swift would come in the Spring of 2009 when an innocent cover of her song “Love Story” turned into a world of cease and desist orders overnight. The situation would reach its boiling point at “Taylorgeddon” (an epic head to head “Love Story-off” held in Rochester) in March 2009. The Hoodies soundly defeated Taylor, who came so close (but yet so far) to winning an autographed poster of the boys. She returned home to cry herself to sleep every night, staring at the empty space on her wall that she had reserved for what was to be her most prized possession. No multitude of Grammys, CMT Awards, or expensive chocolates could ever heal what wound she had sustained (Ms. Swift could not be reached to comment for this article.)
Yes, it's been a long steady rise for the band from Rochester, beginning as four high school friends and maturing into four immaculate brothers. Although they still don't have pretty blonde hair, rich uncles, or Hannah Montannas, The Hoodies have amassed a sizable and fiercely loyal following. With a new EP on the horizon (Summer 2009), the group is excited as ever to share their gift with the world. Be on the lookout for the band in a town near you!
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