Hit the Lights

The Lima, OH-based emocore band Hit the Lights formed in the summer of 2003. Vocalist Colin Ross and guitarist Omar Zehery had previously teamed together in the little-known group Goodbye Session, while guitarist Nick Thompson tenured with the Summer Departure. Bassist David Bermosk and drummer Nate Van Dame (a former roadie for emo favorites Hawthorne Heights) completed the lineup, and after taking their name from a track on Metallica's influential debut LP, Kill 'Em All, Hit the Lights earned a fervent cult following on the basis of their feverish live shows. Studio time followed, and the group recorded their debut EP, 2004's From Ohio with Love, alongside A Day in the Life and Red Affair. After self-releasing the Until We Get Caught EP in 2005, Hit the Lights signed to the Triple Crown label, which reissued the disc in advance of the band's first full-length effort, 2006's This Is a Stick Up... Don't Make It a Murder. Two years later, Skip School, Start Fights marked the band's sophomore release. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi