Hidden in Plain View is an American five-piece

post-hardcore Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. It was initially inspired by post-punk and noise rock. Like post-punk, the term has been ...

band from northern

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York (state), New York; on the ea ...

. They formed in 2000 and originally disbanded in 2007. During this seven-year run, the group released records with four record labels (most notably the

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...

Drive-Thru Records Drive-Thru Records was a California-based independent record label owned by siblings Richard and Stefanie Reines. The label was partially responsible for popularizing the pop-punk/ emo merger sound of the early to mid-2000s. After facing financi ...

), including two full-length

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

s and three

EPs EPS, EPs or Eps may refer to: Commerce and finance * Earnings per share * Electronic Payment Services, in Hong Kong, Macau, and Shenzhen, China * Express Payment System, in the Philippines Education * Edmonton Public Schools, in Edmonton, Al ...

. Hidden in Plain View played numerous venues, including The Capitol in

Shamokin, Pennsylvania Shamokin (; Saponi Algonquian ''Schahamokink'', meaning "place of eels") ( Lenape Indian language: Shahëmokink) is a city in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. Surrounded by Coal Township at the western edge of the Anthracite ...

, and concert tours such as the

Warped Tour The Warped Tour was a traveling rock tour that toured the United States plus three or four stops in Canada annually each summer from 1995 until 2019. It was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running touri ...

and the Drive-Thru Records Invasion Tours in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...

and Japan. In 2015 they reunited and released an EP entitled ''Animal'' via Rise Records. In 2022, the band released their latest EP ''Tantrums''.

History

Hailing from towns around

Hopatcong, New Jersey Hopatcong ( ) is a borough in Sussex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 14,362, a decrease of 785 (−5.2%) from the 2010 census count of 15,147, which in turn reflecte ...

, Hidden in Plain View formed in August 2000, when former 8 over Par members Joe Reo (

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or witho ...

) and Rob Freeman (

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are u ...

) merged with former Jersey Nonsense members Kenny Ryan (guitar) and Chris Amato (

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

), as well as Derek Reilly (

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...

). The name "Hidden in Plain View" refers to a situation at singer Reo's day job in a supermarket, where a customer used the expression after needing help finding a blatantly visible item. With this original line-up, the band recorded a three-track demo and soon got in touch with the local record label DAB Records, who released their Chris Badami produced debut ''Find'' in March 2001. With the label facing bankruptcy, and the band substituting Jay Snyder for Reilly (who went on to form Red Light Green Light), Hidden in Plain View were picked up by Note to Self Records in early 2002. For their second EP titled ''Operation: Cut-Throat'', the band exchanged their heavy distortion guitars and genre-typical fast-paced drums for a lighter, more uplifting sound, yet they still maintained a degree of melancholy, especially in the lyrics and vocal melodies. The CD was released on June 11, 2002. Before the end of the year, Ryan left to co-form Rushmore Records (now

) signing Houston Calls, while he was replaced by Mike Saffert. Even though a full-length had been announced by Note to Self, who had since been licensed by LLR Recordings, Hidden in Plain View signed with southern California pop-punk label

in June 2003. Simultaneously with the announcement of their signing, LLR re-printed ''Operation: Cut-Throat''. The band went on and recorded four songs for their self-titled Drive-Thru debut. After the recording of the EP, Snyder left the band to start John Connor (Negative Progression Records). ''Hidden in Plain View'' was released in November 2003, featuring the

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the record sleeve, sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner n ...

picturing his replacement,

Newnan, Georgia Newnan is a city in Metro Atlanta and the county seat of Coweta County, Georgia, about southwest of Atlanta. Its population was 42,549 at the 2020 census, up from 33,039 in 2010. History Newnan was established as county seat of Coweta Co ...

resident Spencer Peterson, born in

Oil City, Pennsylvania Oil City is a city in Venango County, Pennsylvania known for its prominence in the initial exploration and development of the petroleum industry. It is located at a bend in the Allegheny River at the mouth of Oil Creek. Initial settlement of O ...

. Peterson was a student at the Atlanta Institute of Music when he joined the band at the age of 19. In 2004, the band appeared on the

Counting Crows Counting Crows is an American rock band from San Francisco, California. Formed in 1991, the band consists of guitarist David Bryson, drummer Jim Bogios, vocalist Adam Duritz, keyboardist Charlie Gillingham, David Immerglück, bass guitarist ...

tribute album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...

'' Dead and Dreaming: An Indie Tribute to Counting Crows'' and the Drive-Thru Christmas compilation '' Happy Holidays from Drive-Thru Records'', and toured extensively in both the

and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. They also recorded their first full-length album, '' Life in Dreaming'', which dropped in early 2005, showcasing a much more mature, yet edgier and at times darker sound than the band's previous EPs, thanks to the latest two additions to their line-up, Saffert, and Peterson. A demo version of their song "Bleed for You" was contributed to the compilation album ''Take Action! Volume 04 ''. The majority of 2005 was spent touring domestically and internationally, as the band played 24 dates of the

, visited Japan for the first time, and co-headlined the European Drive-Thru Invasion Tour 2005, which hit sixteen cities in seven countries across Europe. On October 16, 2005, Hidden in Plain View participated in

MTV2 MTV2 (formerly M2) is an American pay television channel owned by the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. The channel launched initially as an all-music video service, once the original MTV had started to shift its programmin ...

's ''Dew Circuit Breakout'' (a television battle of the bands), competing in the

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

finals against Pete Miser. In January 2007, the band announced that they have broken up, citing creative differences. The follow-up record previously recorded, titled '' Resolution'', was released on Drive-Thru Records on July 24, 2007. The CD leaked onto file-sharing networks on July 15, 2007. On April 16, 2013, Hidden in Plain View announced via their Twitter that they were reuniting for one show, at the Theater of the Living Arts in Philadelphia, US. The show took place on September 7, 2013. In 2015, the band announced they were embarking on a tour in celebration of the 10th anniversary of their debut album, '' Life In Dreaming''. They also announced that they would be releasing their new EP on Rise Records, called ''Animal''.

Members

*Joe Reo –

* Rob Freeman –

, vocals *Mike Saffert – guitar *Chris Amato –

*Spencer Peterson –

Former members

*Derek Reilly – drums *Kenny Ryan – guitar *Jay Snyder – drums *Nick Pultz – drums

Discography

Albums

* '' Life in Dreaming'' (2005) * '' Resolution'' (2007)

EPs

* ''Find'' (2001) * ''Operation: Cut-Throat'' (2002) * ''Hidden in Plain View'' (2003) * ''Animal'' (2015) * ''Tantrums'' (2022)

Non-album tracks

* "Mr. Jones" – released on '' Dead and Dreaming: An Indie Tribute to Counting Crows'' (2004) * "Hot 'n' Sexy" – released on the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

of the 7" vinyl single "Ashes Ashes" (2004) * "Christmas Song" – released on '' Happy Holidays from Drive-Thru Records'' (2004) * "Bleed For You" – released on ''Punk the Clock Vol. 1'' (2004) * "Bleed For You (demo)" – released on ''Take Action! Volume 04'' (2004) * "I Ran" – released on ''

Punk Goes 80's ''Punk Goes 80's'' is the fourth in album in the '' Punk Goes...'' series created by Fearless Records Fearless Records is an American independent record label that was founded in 1994. Fearless is based in Culver City, California, and is best k ...

'' (2005) * "Ferriswheel" – released on the three-track demo * "Kicking Stones" – released on the three-track demo * "To Your Grave" – released on the three-track demo

References

External links

Hidden In Plain View
on MySpace {{Authority control Musical groups disestablished in 2007 Musical groups established in 2000 American post-hardcore musical groups Emo musical groups from New Jersey Drive-Thru Records artists Pop punk groups from New Jersey Alternative rock groups from New Jersey