Hatbox

Andrew Green

Christopher Simmonds

Geoff Pittman

**Hatbox** is an American rock band formed in Duluth, Minnesota in 1996. They achieved mainstream popularity upon the release of their debut album, *My Perfect Flaw* in 1999. In recent years, the band has been making a comeback, thanks in part to some stylistic changes.

## History

Hatbox was formed in 1996 by vocalist Josh Kirschner and guitarist Joel Fletcher in Duluth, Minnesota, who brought their friends Geoff Pittman on drums and George Keller on bass. They released their first EP, *Obitchuary* in 1997, and became a popular band in that area, eventually getting the attention of Roadrunner, who signed them in 1998. Also that year, during production of the band's debut album, bassist George Keller left the band and was replaced by former Tangerine member Andrew Green after the latter band dissolved that year. They were soon joined by Green's former bandmate Christopher Simmonds, who joined the band as a rhythm guitarist.

In 1999, the band released *My Perfect Flaw*, the band's first major label release and first full length album. Headlined by the singles *Crisis*, *Hostility* and *Reject*, the album went on to sell over 5,000,000 copies in the United States alone. The band later went on tour in support of this album, and also performed at the infamous Jamfest 1999. In 2001, the band released their second album, *In the Flesh*, which saw the band start to move away from their earlier nu metal sound and towards a sound influenced more by post-grunge and alternative rock/metal acts of the time. Although this album was more well-received by critics, it wasn't liked as much by many of the band's earlier fans. This album also contained the song *Brave*, which reached number 5 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock charts

The band released their 3rd album, *Reasons to Live*, in 2005. This album failed to reach the success of the previous two, but still spawned a hit single, *Fade to Black* (Not to be confused with the Metallica song of the same name). This album, which had marked the band's full transition to post-grunge, recieved a lukewarm reception from critics, and was unpopular with the majority of fans. This trend repeated itself when the band released their self-titled fourth album in 2010. This album was panned by both fans and critics, who believed that the band had run out of ideas, and was beating a dead horse. It was this negative reception, according to Josh Kirschner, that gave the band a wake up call; "We knew that we had fallen off, and we decided that we had to act", he later said.

In 2013, Hatbox released their fifth album, *Road to Nowhere*. This album was seen by many to be a return to form, as the band abandoned the post-grunge sound of their previous releases, and returned to the heavier, fast paced nature of their first two albums. Headlined by the singles *We Are the Revolution* and *Downwards Going Up*, this album seemed to set the band back on the right track. It was also their first album released through their new label, Dayglow. After opening for Korn in a nationwide tour, the band was once again in better shape. The band's next album, *Songs From my Bleeding Heart*, was released in 2018, and saw the band venture into the world of metalcore. With guest vocals from The Nothing's Mark Calhoun, this album exposed the band to a new audience, and gave them even more attention. In 2022, the band announced that they were working on their next album *Se7en*, which was released in July 2023.

## Members

### Current Members

Josh Kirschner - lead vocals (1996-)

Joel Fletcher - lead guitar, backing vocals (1996-)

Andrew Green - bass, backing vocals (1998-)

Christopher Simmonds - rhythm guitar (1998-)

Geoff Pittman - drums (1996-)

## Discography

*Obitchuary* (EP, 1997)

*My Perfect Flaw* (1999)

*In the Flesh* (2001)

*Reasons to Live* (2005)

*Hatbox* (2010)

*Road to Nowhere* (2013)

*Songs From my Bleeding Heart* (2018)

*Se7en* (2023)