Have Heart (2002-2009)

*Thank you Wikipedia!*

Have Heart was a straight-edge hardcore band, formed in New Bedford, Massachusetts in 2002. The band recorded a demo that was released in 2003. In 2004, they released the What Counts EP (Think Fast! Records), with their debut full-length, The Things We Carry (Bridge Nine Records) arriving in 2006. Their latest full-length, Songs To Scream At The Sun (Bridge Nine Records), has garnered much critical acclaim from hardcore critics and fans alike, winning 'album of the year' from many Hardcore-oriented websites.

Have Heart's lyrics cover a variety of subjects from the hardcore scene to a much larger scale. Many topics include self-image and its transition to popularmedia, the Straight Edge lifestyle, self-control and respect, pacifism, pressure (especially youth pressure), perseverance, self-destruction, friendship, and family. Such lyrical themes have allowed Have Heart to have a commanding force in at least the positive hardcore scene, and even the scene as a whole.

Part of the resurgent Boston hardcore scene, Have Heart formed in 2002 around the core lineup of singer Patrick Flynn, guitarist Ryan Hudon, and bassist Ryan Briggs. Hailing from the coastal town of New Bedford, the trio moved to Boston after graduating high school. Initially working with a revolving lineup of local musicians, the band played their first show in July 2003, and in November, their debut demo was released. The demo came to the attention of Think Fast! Records, who signed them for the release of the What Counts EP in 2004. The EP showcased long-time guitarist Ben Kelley and drummer Justin Paling.

In 2005, Have Heart moved to the estimable hardcore indie Bridge Nine Records and underwent a lineup change, with Kelley and Paling replaced by Kei Yasui and Shawn Costa, respectively. The following year they released The Things We Carry, their first full length. In 2007, the band toured through the U.S., Canada and Europe.

In 2008, the band released their second full-length album on Bridge Nine, Songs To Scream At The Sun, which debuted and peaked at No. 193 on the Billboard top 200 and No. 16 on the Top Heatseekers chart.

Have Heart has garnered many favorable reviews for their albums from many sites such as Sputnikmusic and Punknews. Songs To Scream At The Sun gained a 4.0 (excellent) from Sputnikmusic, and a 4/5 stars from Punknews, and later on was given the No. 11 spot as album of the year for 2008.

Patrick Flynn has cited numerous influences from their local hardcore scene. In My Eyes and Bane, as well as Chain Of Strength and Turning Point, have been known to have influence the band. TheirMyspace page also cites Deftones, Far, and Verbal Assault. 

On May 13, vocalist Patrick Flynn told the world that Have Heart was breaking up after they completed their scheduled world tour, posting a bulletin on the group's Myspace account:

"Once the Fall rolls around, we can't really do this band the way we would prefer to anymore. Knowing this deadline of ours and having a whole world tour already booked, we'd like to take advantage of the chance to say goodbye to all the people we have met around the world over the years. So, please come check us out in the remaining months on our little trip around the globe. So far Asia has been a wonderful experience and we're very happy to have had the chance to meet so many kind people and look forward to the rest of Asia. We will be playing our last show on this year's National Edge Day on October 17, 2009 with a bunch of our friends bands and a sweet guest. It will be somewhere T accessible in the Boston area. It will also be a benefit for a women's shelter in New Bedford, MA, run by my kind mother. It's been a nice 7 years and we'd like to thank all the unique hardcore kids and bands we have encountered. And in the words of DFJ, thanks to all the shit talkers for all the material to get off on. But, really....we have met so many wonderful people who we'll just never forget. It's been so great. Take care and hope to see you over the next couple months."

The bulletin received over 400 comments from fans after it was posted.

Have Heart's final tour covered every major continent (except Antarctica) with fellow band Shipwreck. However, due to a family crisis, Flynn was absent on the first week, of shows in the European tour. In this time, Sam Yarmuth from Triple B Records filled in for Flynn, and he rejoined the tour on July 3 In Wiesbaden, Germany. On May 13, Have Heart announced after finishing their world tour and doing a final show on October 17, 2009 for National Edge Day in Massachusetts, they will split. On July 25, 2009, Pat Flynn told the audience during their set on Moshvalleyfest in Belgium that they might release a last EP later that year. However, this plan was scratched.

Bridge Nine Records posthumously released a live recording of Have Heart's final show, titled 10.17.09, on November 23, 2010. The release features, in one package, the performance on both CD and DVD. Included with 10.17.09 was a pamphlet announcing We Were Supposed To Stay Young, an upcoming DVD chronicling the band's career and general scene of the time. Named after lyrics from Minor Threat's "Betray", the DVD is set to be released at some point in 2012.

Have Heart's final show was played on National Edge Day 2009 in Revere, Massachusetts, along with other straight edge bands. Many members of bands presented testimonies of how members from Have Heart had a huge influence on their lives and careers, along with presenting stories of good times shared with members of Have Heart. Have Heart's last performance consisted of songs from all three of their releases and went for roughly one hour. The crowd performed typical moshing and the archetypal hardcore dancing, and boogie boards were even used by people for stage diving. The last song they played was "Watch Me Rise" from The Things We Carry. Afterwards, Flynn laid out on the stage and a good majority of the crowd surrounded him onstage cheering and chanting, "Have Heart," along with fans shouting their personal testimonies to the significance Have Heart had on their lives. This lasted for around 20 minutes straight. Patrick Flynn estimated approximately 1500 people attended, whilst Bridge Nine estimated around 2000. The show was safe overall. With the presence of club security and police officers, moshing injuries were minimal, and no fighting broke out throughout the duration of the show.Have Heart meant a lot to me back then. They were one of the bands that inspired me to become straight edge a few years back. Even though I'm not straight edge anymore, I truly understood what they really meant. Lyrically, they were the Bad Religion of straight edge. Now, these were guys who sang a lot more than just being edge. They didn't sing about how cool it is to be edge, they didn't sing about beating the living shit out of alcoholics, they didn't sing about vegetarianism or veganism. The were singing about life, about the hardships and struggles they face every single day. And that truly meant something to me, as if Patrick Flynn was singing about how fucked up my day is. Whether they are talking about love, family or friendship, Have Heart really did know what to say right. These weren't militant straight edge assholes, these were 5 dudes telling people that 'love is the movement'. So, in a sense, I guess they truly something more than ink.

So, thank you, Patrick, for making me realize just how blessed this life can be...

R.I.P Have Heart (2002-2009)