High School Sweethearts
High School Sweethearts
Genres: spotify, All, power pop, Garage Rock, alternative rock
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About High School Sweethearts
The High School Sweethearts were an American rock band formed in Rutherford, New Jersey, in 1995 by singer Cynthia Santiglia and rhythm guitarist John Steele. The band released one single, two studio albums, and appeared on various compilations. Cynthia Santiglia met John Steele in New York, in search of forming a band. Steele was a former member of hardcore punk bands Electric Frankenstein and Holeshot, and became close friends with Santiglia after meeting her. The two would form the High School Sweethearts in 1995, and recruited Holeshot’s vocalist, Bill Gill, to perform lead guitar duties. After Holeshot officially disbanded, the band’s bassist, Jason Pavia, would join the band. Pavia would then introduce the band to Ari Katz, former vocalist of hardcore punk band Lifetime. He would join the band as their drummer. The band would release the single “Find a Way” with the b-side “Single White Female” on July 3, 1998. Katz would later introduce the band to Tannis Kristjanson, who appeared with the band on a contribution to a Blondie tribute album. Kristjanson’s experience with the Sweethearts would inspire her to join the group for their debut album as a session musician. On August 30, 1999, the High School Sweethearts would release their debut album, Passing Notes, through Get Hip Recordings. The album was primarily produced by Alap Momin, and recorded at Mix-O-Lydian in Lafayette, New Jersey, with the lineup of Santiglia, Kristjanson, Gill, Steele, Pavia, and Katz. The band’s pop-punk sound shined with an upbeat energy present through the album. Passing Notes included a cameo from sixties pop artist Peggy Santiglia, who performed lead vocals on the band’s cover of the Angels song “Has Anyone Seen My Boyfriend?”, which was a follow-up to the band’s 1963 hit “My Boyfriend’s Back.” In January 2001, two new members would join the Sweethearts; Paige Sixteen on farfisa and Dennis Zyla on drums. Ari Katz and Tannis Kristjanson had left the band. Recording for the band’s second studio album began in January 2002. Zyla would leave the band in May 2002, and would be replaced by Joel Sweetheart. Throughout 2002 and 2003, the band were mixed between recording and playing live gigs, which ultimately pushed the finishing touches on the album back. In July 2003, longtime bassist Jason Pavia would leave the band, with Bill Gill filling in until Jahna Rain officially joined the band in August. The first announcement of the High School Sweethearts' second studio album would come in January 2004, where they revealed the first working title for the album, Afterschool Special. By September, the albums name would be changed to Heels & Wheels, which would be stylized as Heels ‘n’ Wheels by January 2005. Heels ‘n’ Wheels would be released in March 2005 on CD, with the vinyl being released on May 10. After the release of Heels ‘n’ Wheels, the band started to became relatively quiet on their website, touring throughout 2005 and 2006. By 2007, however, the band were presumably broken up, as their official links would end up being abandoned and fully taken down by 2008. Former members and longtime married couple Ari Katz and Tannis Kristjanson would form Zero Zero in New Bruinswick, New Jersey, after leaving the Sweethearts. The band would last from 2001 until 2006, with Kristjanson—now going by the stage name Miss TK—and Katz forming the group Miss TK and the Revenge, a name that was inspired by them being rejected by multiple record labels.
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