Get a glimpse here of
how it all started.

LOVEHAMMERS
TIMELINE IN HISTORY

1982
Marty Casey meets Bobby Kourelis and his younger brother Dino when they're on the same Little League team in Hickory Hills, Illinois. They live just a block away from each other.

1988
Bobby buys a drum set and Marty gets a guitar, and they start learning to play in Bobby's garage. Ben Kelly lives behind Bobby, and gets a guitar so he can play with Bobby and Marty. When Dino wants in, the other guys tell him to buy a bass. He saves his money for a couple of months and buys a bass for $200. John Murdoch joins them on vocals, and the completed band is christened Swinging Lovehammers.

Early 1990s
As the boys start college, Marty has become the singer and John Murdoch has left the band. Their first college gig is at Illinois State University, at a house party. Billy Sawilchik joins them for a gig at a house party and becomes a permanent member of the band in May of 1994.

Circa 1994
SLh perform at their first bar gig at Brixies. Dino isn't yet 21, so he has to sneak in. The band begins working on writing their own songs.

1997
Swinging Lovehammers release their first CD, Ultrasound, a compilation of original songs, one of which is Into the Deep End, the first song they wrote. Velvet is also featured as a single on a compilation CD with other artists. 

1999
Demolition, an EP with four songs, is released.  Recorded, mixed and produced at DV (David Vartian) Productions in Milwaukee, WI, the CD features Real Man, Confusion, Counterfeit, and Give It Up, all of which will show up on the L'Strange CD the next year. Rain on the Brain places in the Pop category of the annual John Lennon Songwriting Contest.

May, 2000
Swinging Lovehammers (Billy, Ben, Bobby, Dino and Marty) win the Lucky Strike Band to Band Combat, a national band competition. The winner is determined by which band receives the most listener votes. SLh are awarded a $15,000 prize for their song Confusion.

June 1, 2000
The Swinging Lovehammers perform at Q101's Rock and Roar at the Lincoln Park Zoo.

June 15, 2000
SLh are awarded the big check for winning Band to Band Combat after performing at the House of Blues. 

July 8, 2000
Swinging Lovehammers perform at Summerfest in Milwaukee. They throw CDs and other merchandise (like t-shirts) out into the audience. Mixed in with their original songs, the band still plays covers such as a set of I'm Only Happy When It Rains by Garbage and Here Comes the Rain Again by Eurythmics. They also cover songs like Disconnected by Face to Face and Take Me Home.

July 21, 2000
SLh perform at the House of Blues. At this time, Throw My Head is available on garageband.com.

July 23, 2000
Dino starts a diary, Memoirs of a Madman, at the Swinging Lovehammers website. He got the idea from Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue. The band has just finished mixing the new album, L'Strange, which was recorded in Milwaukee.

July 28, 2000
SLh play at O'Malley's, where they have friends who have helped them since the beginning. 

July 29, 2000
Swinging Lovehammers perform at Lincoln's Fest in Lincoln Park.

Early August, 2000
The band discovers that people at Fox Xtreme sports love "Throw my Head," and they play it at an event for the national finals competition for water sports. One of the contestants sits in on guitar with the band for one song. (See picture at right). Swinging Lovehammers also perform at the Atlanta Music Conference.

Mid August, 2000
The boys work on the album cover and the liner notes of the L'Strange CD together. Rain on the Brain and Throw my Head are both available at garageband.com around this time. Swinging Lovehammers discover they will be playing at the CMJ Music Marathon in NYC.

September 30 , 2000
L’Strange, the band's second full length CD, is released. The band performs at Joe’s to debut the album.

October 2000
Throw My Head plays on Q101.

10/14
Swinging Lovehammers play at Sean Kaley's, which is now called Nelly’s Piper. There are Hammerheads in attendance who have attended 30 shows or more at this point. 

10/18
Fans are asked to vote for SLH in the Mars Music competition.

10/23
A fan reports that Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue had great things to say about SLH.

10/27
Show at O'Malley's

November 2000
11/4
Show at Cubby Bear

11/15
SLH schedule show with opening act Blackmaker

11/24
Show at Oasis

Top row: Marty, Bobby. Bottom left: Dino

"Ultrasound"

"Demolition"

Click here to read Dino's diary,
"Memoirs of a Madman."

Swinging Lovehammers perform at Fox Xtreme Sports competition.

December 2000
12/8
Show at Waterloo

12/18
Working on new material for upcoming EP

12/31
Show at the Rainbo

January 2001
1/8
Marty, Dino, and Bobby attend American Music Awards in Los Angeles.

1/19
Show at Illinois State University

1/27
Show at O'Malley's

February 2001
2/5
SLH finish "three intense days in the studio," according to Marty. They were recording material for the How We Live EP with Steve Albini.

2/7
Top 16 Unsigned Bands in America CD by Mars Music includes Rain on the Brain.

2/10
Show at Joe's Pub with Rubber and Flathead Fillups.

2/23
Show at Cubby Bear North-Lincolnshire, opening for Lifehouse. Show is "Guinness/Q101 Standing Room Only with Lifehouse."

March 2001
3/11
Show at O'Malley's. Included an acoustic set.

3/24
How We Live EP released and show played at the Hard Rock Cafe.

3/30
Show at Cubby Bear North-Lincolnshire.

April 2001
While band is still officially known as "Swinging Lovehammers," many fans refer to them simply as "Lovehammers."

4/6
Show at Varsity Club, Illinois State University, with special guests Chris and Joe from Bottle of Justus.

4/8
Dino adopts the nickname "El Cid."

Mid-April
Two shows in St. Louis, MO.

4/26
Show in Champaign, IL

4/27
Show at Varsity Club, Illinois State University.

4/28
Show at Joe's, opening for Vince Neil.

May 2001
5/5 Q101 Cinco de Mayo show.

5/12
Show at Sean Kaley's. Probably their first performance of Paint It Black.

5/19
Show at Joe's.

June 2001
First weekend of June
Play on same stage as New Found Glory and American Hi-Fi.

6/7
Listed songs posted for download on www.garageband.com. Rain on the Brain hits #11 of the 9,000 Pop/Rock songs posted on garageband.com. It hits #64 overall, out of over 38,000 songs.

Second weekend of June
Play a three day tour with Sponge.

6/14
Show at The Gig in Los Angeles.

6/22
Play at Mobfest. Show is televised.

July 2001
Shows at Rock Around the Block, and then later with the Warped Tour.

7/2
Play at Milwaukee Summerfest.

7/17
Show at House of Blues, opening for Planet Underground and RearView Mirror. Show is sold out.

August 2001
Name has been changed to Lovehammers. On August 8 Dino writes, "You can call us whatever you want. Most people call us Lovehammers anyway. We will keep all names to make everyone happy. We made a little change for marketing reasons, as well as ‘change is good.’"

8/11
Opened for Nine Days

8/14
www.lovehammers.com is up and running.

8/17
Dino and Bobby go on WYKT 105.5 in the morning.

8/18
Show with Tantrie at Joe's. Sponsored by Q101 and Guinness.

8/22
Radio station in Memphis has been playing Straight as an Arrow.

8/25
Show at Sean Kaley's.

Late August
Headline the JVC Emerging Artist Stage at a festival in Memphis.

September 2001
9/9
Q101 has been playing Straight as an Arrow.

9/15
Show at the Subterranean. Last party ever held at the Hammerhouse (takes place before the concert).

9/22
Show at O'Malley's.

October 2001
10/6
Play at Q101 New Rock Block at Q101 Local Stage from 9:45-10:45. Nickelback plays from 10:45-11:45.

10/14
Billy writes that the band is writing new material again.

10/21
Q101 benefit concert for juvenile diabetes at Oasis. Nine other bands also play, but Lovehammers are the only ones listed on the bill by name. Three new LH songs played for first time.

November 2001
11/2
Show at the Magic Stik, Detoit, Michigan.

11/6
L'Strange is re-released with new cover art and named changed to Lovehammers.

11/21
Show at O'Malley's. Opening bands are Blu Tongue Dog and Skinny. LH play two long sets.

11/21
Marty, Dino, and Bobby reside at a new Hammerhouse.

December 2001
House of Blues recommends seeing LH for fans of Fuel.

12/1
Show at Double Door. Sold out. Pre-party at the new Hammerhouse.

12/21
Show at Mississippi Night, St. Louis, Missouri.

January 2002
1/2 Show at Joe's.

February 2002
Airplay on Q101 (House of Blues commercials) and 105.9, which plays Real Man.

2/9
Show at House of Blues, sponsored by Q101. Show is videotaped.

2/17
Show at Double Door (benefit for Double Door and Metro).

2/22
Show at Canopy Club, Urbana, Illinois.

2/28
Show at the Continental, New York City.

Late February/early March
Show at Arlene's, New York City.

March 2002
LH are contemplating releasing a live video or CD. They have written some new songs, including Better Off (Walk Away) and Over and Out.

3/6
LH return from New York.

3/12
Play at SXSW Music Conference in Austin, Texas. Dino and Marty interviewed by MTV2.

3/23
Show at Confetti's.

April 2002
Fans bid on LH signed poster on eBay.

4/19
Show at Double Door and a Post Jamboree Party at Oasis.

May 2002
5/4
Play at Q101 Cinco de Mayo Festival.

June 2002
6/1
Show at Vic's with Wish and Gelheads.

Second version of "L'Strange."

Lovehammers History is a work in progress.
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