MTV Buzzworthy Blog › Hit the Lights

Oh, to be an all-dude band out on the open road. In the video for "Earthquake," Ohio-based emo-punk outfit Hit The Lights pummel us with a flood of footage from their fall 2011 tour -- we get to see the rough and rowdy five-piece tearing it up onstage, showing off their tattoos, crowd-surfing, pigging out on pizza, giving a middle-finger salute from atop a city roof, chugging Four Loko and generally wreaking havoc all over the U.S. of A. Hit The Lights also racks up some major punk points with multiple shots of guitarist Kevin Mahoney's killer Black Flag T-shirt -- not to mention that bit where singer Nick Thompson pitches a crying fit on the lap of an exceedingly good-humored mall Santa.

The first video from their upcoming album Invicta (due out Jan. 31), "Earthquake" is a chaotic collage of time-lapse photography, backstage footage and snippets of shaky fan videos filmed from deep in the crowd. And no worries if you missed out on the craziness last fall -- Hit The Lights have lots more hell-raising in store, thanks to their opening slot on tour with D.R.U.G.S. (a 24-date outing kicked off on Monday). Let's just hope they go a little easier on the Four Loko this time around.

+ Watch Hit The Lights, "Earthquake."

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Tags Drugs, Hit the Lights

Not only do Hit The Lights warm up to the sweet sweet sounds of Polar Bear Club... and Mariah Carey, but they also invite you to join the wide, weird world of the Sandwich Punch Club, which is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. Sorry if you were expecting some kind of reading-is-fun book club involving Jared from Subway. You punch a Sloppy Joe, and joke's on you.

After the jump, watch Lima, Ohio's favorite fivesome share five of their freakiest obsessions, and don't miss them -- or an opportunity to punch them between two slices of bread -- this summer on Warped Tour.

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Tags Hit the Lights, Polar Bear Club, The 5, video

Hit The Lights clearly didn't have a very good time in high school. The hard-hitting Lima, Ohio five-piece that takes its name from a track on Metallica's Kill 'Em All appears to be working out some old aggression in brand-new video, "Drop The Girl." Basically it's a revenge fantasy that takes aim at every bitter dude's favorite target: cruel hot chicks, AKA chicks out of their league. Oh, and the album is called Skip School, Start Fights. Hit The Lights, WHAT WENT WRONG???

But wait... Look at Hit The Lights. Burly arms, straight teeth, nice hats... They're kinda studly, right? What do they have to complain about? And not only that, but they're about to hit the road with 3OH!3, The Maine and way more of your favorite bands on the 2009 AP Tour. Girls love dudes in bands on big tours! I mean, don't you? Girls? Here, watch "Drop The Girl." Hit The Lights is waiting for you.

+ Exclusive Hit The Lights photo session!

Tags 3OH!3, Hit the Lights, Metallica, The Maine

(Credit: Brian Sheffield)

We never knew it was possible to be on a first-name basis with the great outdoors. 'Course, that was before we saw the guys from Hit the Lights celebrate nature -- and become one with their surroundings -- by standing over a peaceful, zenlike landscape and quietly admiring the view screaming "HI MOUNTAIN!!!" at the top of their lungs.

And for those of you who are less "nature freaks" and more "freaks of nature," HTL's latest tour blog also includes tons of randomness (Think: Fargo accents, burfdays and white people dancing) plus a live performance of "Count It!" and flashbacks to their scary (Read: partially naked) Halloween show.

So check it out, plus give the guys a proper sendoff (They're heading for the U.K., 'member?) by catching up on all three tour diaries past. Hope those bloody Brits loik their U.S. pop punkahs-- and hope Omar Zehery's $49 jacket survives the fr-fr-freezing European winter.

Tags Hit the Lights

Last week, we told you all about our crazy red carpet adventures at the 2008 mtvU Woodie Awards. And in addition to stalking Locksley's publicist, making moony-eyes at Boys Like Girls' Martin Johnson and gulping down a seriously unhealthy amount of mini sliders, we also managed to score killer seats to the show.

Which means we had an un-frickin'-believable view of Lykke Li and All Time Low's performances, Paramore's acceptance speech (Oh, like you didn't already know they won) and Santogold's Aladdin-meets-Purple Rain parachute pants.

So check out a few more pics from the show (and yes, that's Hit The Lights making the most of the beer pong table) and tune in tonight on mtvU to catch the entire thing!

Meanwhile, for those of you who demand instant gratification (as in, you can't wait another SECOND without knowing whether or not There For Tomorrow got wood) here's a list of all the big winners.

+ Plus, head over to the official Woodies site at mtvU.com to flip through the show highlights. And check back soon to catch the full performances online.

Tags All Time Low, Boys Like Girls, Hit the Lights, Locksley, Lykke Li, Paramore, Santogold, There For Tomorrow, Woodie Awards

After chatting it up with Hit The Lights' buddies Motion City Soundtrack at last night's Woodie Awards (more about that later! Promise!) we were super psyched to see they'd already sent us their latest tour diary. Turns out, the boys have been soaking up the sun, sharing "energy drinks" with Forever the Sickest Kids, and getting ready to spare some innocent possums' lives (it'll make sense in a sec) by ditching the van...and heading to the U.K.

So check out what our main man Nick Thompson -- also known (to himself) as "St. Nicholas" -- had to say about kicking it in Florida and chowing down on tasty pastry, plus peep the HTL portrait that the guys are calling "one of the most amazing things we've ever seen."

Oh Sh*t, shake dat ass mah and WHAT IS UP PEEPS?! I'm typing from the back of our van (a.k.a. The Possum Destroyer - and yeah, she's eaten a possum or two) chilling before our show at The Red Door in Pensacola, Florida. YEE EFFIN' HAH!

We had a day off from the Sassy Back tour and decided we wanted to play some mo'. Florida weather has been good to us thus far -- it feels amazing out right now, let's keep it up huh? Tomorrow we'll be rejoining the tour again so no worries. I think some of the boyz in FTSK are coming down tonight to hang, EXCELLENT CHOICE if I do say so myself (and I do!).

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Tags Forever The Sickest Kids, Hit the Lights

(Credit:  Ben Ritter)

Hey there, guys and ghouls! Tomorrow's Halloween, and since we're too old to go trick-or-treating (and too young to not care) we're kicking things off with a super-spooky Hit the Lights tour diary. And having (finally!) recovered from that cafeteria melee, the guys are back to tell us their spookiest Halloween memories, fess up to their fave scary movies and let us know where they're gonna be on October 31st (Hint: It rhymes with "BEGAS, VABY, BEGAS!")

So if you're anywhere near Sin City tomorrow night, dress your dogs in something awesome, and show your love for Hit the Lights! Otherwise, sit back, enjoy the guys' third installment from the road and find out which HTLer's still haunted (so to speak) by the Halloween he spent in green face paint and a pair of undies.

+ HTL rewind! Catch up on the guys' first and second tour diaries now! Y'know, unless you're a Halloweenie...

Tags Hit the Lights

If the theme of last week's tour diary was self-pedicures and high-speed hotel chases, this time around it's all about "wicked-ass food fights" and partying like a rock star teenager. Yep, according to giant-haired guitarist, Omar Zehery, the members of Hit the Lights are "gonna pretend like they're in high school" for their new video, "Drop the Girl." And judging by the proliferation of paddles, Playmates and gaping head wounds, it doesn't seem like the guys are having much trouble getting into character.

Watch frontman Nick Thompson (almost) run out of gas in the treacherous mountain ranges of ... Southern California(?) and perfect his stage-diving in these behind-the-scenes shots from HTL's latest video shoot. Oh, and be extra nice to Omar the next time you see him -- after all, it can't be easy getting your face rearranged on camera. Or admitting you just totally got your ass kicked by a plate of mashed potatoes.

Tags Hit the Lights, Nick Thompson, Omar Zehery

(Credit: Ben Ritter)

We always knew it'd be awesome to see Hit the Lights on tour. With their crazy-insane energy, we figured they'd pretty much be bouncing off the walls nonstop. And we were basically right. From wildin' out on stage to racing around hotels, there's a good chance these guys have a perma-IV of PomX Iced Coffee pulsing through their veins. In fact, they're so revved up that the idea of a day off is pretty much a foreign concept: How else to explain the icky self-pedicure and plans to spend their 24-hour vacay in Dirty Jerz?

Watch Hit the Lights' first video tour diary, and keep an eye out for the bonus footage of their fellow tourmates: Motion City Soundtrack, Chiodos and Person L.

Plus, check out their cray-cray video interview, and give the guys props for making it all the way from Johnson City, NY to New Haven, CT without killing each other once.

Tags Chiodos, Hit the Lights, Motion-City-Soundtrack, Person L

(Credit: Ben Ritter)

If you've never heard of Hit the Lights, now's your chance to jump on the (emo) bandwagon. Find out when the group was formed ("Two thousand...three?") the real story behind their name (Hint: It has nothing to do with Christian Slater) and why they -- like Forever the Sickest Kids -- shun sports drinks in favor of human urine. Then catch up on all things HTL by checking out these exclusive band photos, watching their latest vid, "Stay Out," and reading up on their fun-lovin' tour buddies, All Time Low.

Tags All Time Low, Celebrity, Forever The Sickest Kids, Hit the Lights, Interviews, video, Videos