Plain White T's

Members: Tom Higgenson, Dave Tirio, Mike Retondo, De'Mar Hamilton, Tim Lopez

Active: 1997 - present

HISTORY

Plain White T's is a pop-rock band based in Villa Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. The members are Tom Higgenson (vocals), Dave Tirio (guitar), Mike Retondo (bass and vocals), De'Mar Hamilton (drums), and Tim Lopez (guitar, vocals). Their original lineup consisted of Tom, Dave, Steve Mast (guitar and vocals), and Ken Fletcher (bass). Dave initially played drums for the band, and Tom also played guitar before exclusively doing vocals. Steve Mast moved on to form the Waiting Game. Prior to the T's, Mike was in a band called Tone Deaf George.

MUSIC

The Plain White T's play upbeat pop music, with songs like "A Lonely September" and "Take Me Away" that deal with the age-old themes of heartbreak, angst, and betrayal. They have released three full length CDs: 2002's Stop, 2005's All That We Needed on Fearless Records, and 2006's Every Second Counts, as well as a CD of Christmas songs. They also released a six-song EP in 2006 called Hey There Delilah. They have two self titled tapes and a self-released LP called Come on Over. Stop was also originally self-released, but they rereleased it after being signed to Fearless. De'Mar Hamilton previously played for Knockout, also signed to Fearless Records. Their videos can be seen on Fuse.

Their newest album, Every Second Counts, was released September 12, 2006, and features the same catchy melodies and upbeat guitar riffs that characterized their previous releases. The band claims that the new album improves and expands upon their sound a bit, but wasn't supposed to constitute a drastic change.

RISE TO POPULARITY

The band gained exposure when the song "What If," was featured on a popular MTV show. Prior to getting signed, several songs from Come On Over were featured on MTV's show Undressed. The very first Plain White T's music video, though never released, was for the song "Stop" performed by the original members. The song "Take Me Away," also had a music video that helped further them into the mainstream. They followed that success up with a stint on the Vans Warped Tour in 2005. Soon after that, the song "Hey There Delilah" became a minor hit and introduced them to a new demographic. Many now compare their success to that of My Chemical Romance or Fall Out Boy, due to these bands' rapid rise to popularity in the teen crowd after releasing a hit single.

The band's popularity has brought them to be moved from only being a part of selected dates in 2003 to one of the smaller stages at Vans Warped Tour in 2005 to one of the largest stages (The Hurley stage) in 2006.

On June 17, the band announced they would be in the Nintendo Fusion Tour in 2006, along with headliner Hawthorne Heights, and supporting acts Emery, The Sleeping, and Relient K.

ALBUMS

2000 - Come On Over

2002 - Stop

2005 - All That We Needed

2006 - Every Second Counts

EP'S

2006 - Hey There Delilah EP

SINGLES

2006 - "Hate (I Really Don't Like You)"