Hailing from towns around Hopatcong, New Jersey, Hidden in Plain View formed in August 2000, when former 8 over Par members Joe Reo (vocals) and Rob Freeman (guitar/backing vocals) merged with former Jersey Nonsense members Kenny Ryan (guitar) and Chris Amato (bass), as well as Derek Reilly (drums).
[1] 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.
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.
Hidden in Plain View was released in November 2003, featuring the liner notes picturing his replacement, Newnan, Georgia resident Spencer Peterson, born in Oil City, Pennsylvania.
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.
On October 16, 2005, Hidden in Plain View participated in MTV2's Dew Circuit Breakout (a television battle of the bands), competing in the New York City finals against Pete Miser.