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The Red Hot Valentines

The Red Hot Valentines - Summer Fling
The Red Hot Valentines

Summer Fling

Regular price
$5
Regular price
The Red Hot Valentines - Calling Off Today
The Red Hot Valentines

Calling Off Today

Regular price
$1
Regular price

After forming in a dorm room at an Illinois college, The Red Hot Valentines quickly took shape when founding membersJeff Johnson and Toby Kirk began collaborating on guitars and vocals. "Weoriginally set out to write the catchiest pop songs possible and along with theguitars, we used this little Casio synth" explains Johnson. "In away, it was our own sarcastic response to the cheesy mainstream pop stuff thatwas becoming popular at the time," Kirk elaborates. Melding early 90'srock influences with a more overt pop sensibility earned the attention ofdrummer Eric Humbert and bassist David Gerkin. The band soon relocated to Champaign, Illinoiswhere full time keyboardist Tyson Markley traded in the Casio synth for a MoogProdigy, becoming the fifth member.

The Red HotValentines self-recorded and self-released their eponymous debut inJanuary 2002 followed by a split EP with RetroMorning released in the spring of 2002. The band's audience in the Midwest continued to grow, thanks in part to overwhelmingsupport from Champaign-Urbana's resurgent music community. Encouraged by theirsuccess at home, the Red Hotsdecided to take their show on the road. This led to tour stories involving suchthings as armadillo sightings, Texashigh school football, and a visit to the Pearl Brewing Company (home of PabstBlue Ribbon). Equally as important were the crowds of kids they rocked to fromSante Fe to New York Cityand everywhere else in between.

June 2002 saw the band signing with local label Polyvinyl Records. The bandsoon entered Pogo Studio to record their CallingOff Today EP with engineer Mark Rubel (Hum,Shiner). January 2003, they againreturned to Pogo Studio to record SummerFling, their debut Polyvinyl full-length which saw release in May 2003.

After active touring throughout 2003 and 2004, The Red Hot Valentines went theirseparate ways.