Guitarist Andy Wildrick put the original line-up of The Junior Varsity together in 2002. After a few line-up changes, they recorded an EP and began playing around central Illinois. Following the release of full length album on British Records, the band played over 200 shows. “Many people say all you have to do to make it is tour, tour, tour, but we found out this isn’t the case, building a fan base comes slowly,” explained Wildrick, “nevertheless, we got good reviews for the album, and decided to drop out of college and pursue the band full time.” Moving into a dilapidated house in Bloomington, they wrote the album and rehearsed constantly. The band took jobs at fast food joints and in Wildrick’s case, doing experimental drug trials to make ends meet; they spent every spare minute rehearsing or touring in preparation for their next move. Victory Records took notice of their frequent, well-received shows in Chicago, and signed the band to a deal, the same day as their close friends from the local scene, June.
Matt Squire, known for his work with Midtown, Northstar and The Explosion, came on board to produce the album, and the band headed to Maryland to record in his Phase Studios. “We spent five weeks on the album, which was huge for us, it gave us the chance to really make the professional sounding album we had in mind, and Matt’s contributions helped us gain perspective on how to achieve this. We spent a full week on pre-production and changed aspects of every song, and wrote two new ones as well” explained Wildrick, “Tracking was great; it is much easier to be creative when you hear yourself sounding so clear and pristine in studio monitors, there seemed to be more room for experimentation.” Squire encouraged the band to make the most of their time, leaving the studio every night after giving them “homework”, and by morning, sticky arrangements and guitar leads would be completed. “Sometimes when the task is in front of you and there’s nothing else you can do but write, you actually use your most natural creative force,” commented Wildrick.
Lyrically, The Junior Varsity avoid boy/girl conflicts in favor of obscure references that run the gamut from the mythological bent of “Mad For Medusa” to family dramas mentioned in “What It Meant To Be Clean”. Their fascination with the more bizarre side of pop culture evolved into a Big Foot homage and commentary conceived while watching a Girls Gone Wild commercial. But it wasn’t all fun and hard work – some seriously bad luck occurred as well, threatening the morale of the entire band. Their van was broken into four times during the recording phase, losing a vintage moog organ lent by a friend, computers, ipods and thousands of dollars worth of CDs and t-shirts on the eve of their U.K. tour with Straylight Run. “The last attempted robbery was when some assholes backed a U-Haul truck up to the studio door and broke in at 1am with plans to ransack the place,” remembers keyboard player Nick, “luckily we defused the situation and they took off. It was hard to keep out minds completely on our goal of making a great record with stuff like this happening, but somehow nobody was really affected by it. We understood that all we have is this band and making the album was one of the most important things we’ve done in our lives.”
Songs like “If It Hurts You” showcase minor key arpeggios for a spacey presentation, while “Everyone’s Got Something They’re Running Out Of” pays homage to Rush in guitar breaks and lyrical phrasing. “Mad For Medusa” brings a lighter pop side of the band out, with multi-tracked, dual guitars and chiming keyboards giving it extra sheen. The Junior Varsity names bands like American Football, Radiohead and Yes as influences on their sound, and while their influences are heard, they are blended into unique arrangements and augmented by their signature breaks and fills. “Wide-Eyed” is chock full of pop songs with ethereal vocals, layered guitars, tight rhythm and surging keyboards bridging it all.
Their debut release, The Great Compromise, was re-released through Victory Records on May 30, 2006.
The Junior Varsity finished recording their third LP at the conclusion of their December 2006 tour with labelmates Bayside. This album, entitled Cinematographic, was released by Victory Records on June 19, 2007. The Song "The Sky!" was released on "Oven Fresh" on Fuse from their latest effort called Cinematographic.
In August 2007, they were set to tour with Permanent Me and Scenes from a Movie. Soon before the tour started, rumors about Asa Dawson leaving the band were confirmed, and The Junior Varsity left the tour.The JV did play a show at the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame without Dawson. The vocalist/ bass player at this show was Brandon Carnes who used to be the frontman for Midnight Fall, a band from Springfield, IL. On October 21, 2007, Andy Wildrick announced that the group would be going on indefinite hiatus, and that the band members would be going to college but may do occasional one-off shows locally in Illinois.
Andy Wildrick is currently in The Dear Hunter, an Indie Rock band from Boston, Massachusetts.
On December 28th, 2007, The Junior Varsity had their official farewell show at Club Chrome in Springfield, IL with opening bands The Graduate, Wise & Burn, and Greenwood. The full lineup performed that evening for the first time since Summerfest.
The band reunited in 2010 and played a show with Park at the Dublin Pub in Springfield, IL. since then, the band has reunited for shows in 2016 and 2022 throughout Illinois & the Chicagoland area.
https://thejuniorvarsityreunion.com/
current/classic line-up:
Asa Dawson - Vocals, Bass
Andy Wildrick - Guitar
Sergio Coronado - Guitar
Nick Dodson - Synth
Chris Birch - Drums
Former Members:
Brandon Carnes - Bass, Vocals
David Bradbury - Bass
Noah Wenger - Vocals
Tony Peck - Drums (plays now in The Forecast)
Get Comfortable
The Junior Varsity Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like i'm not supposed to be where i should be
But i creep
To the backbone of my being
Rasie your flags but keep your distance
Steal and skin go get your reasons
Raise your flags but keep your distance
I fell right at home in my town
Happy day
And step out into the freezing morning air
Feels good to know that everyone here
Feels good to know that everyone waves by habit
But it makes my day by habit
But it makes my day by
I thought i'd be
Right where i wanted to be
So what now
I crashed the course
Could i get back on it?
Steal ot live and thats my reason
Steal to live
I feel right at home in my town
Happy day
And step out into the scorching day by day
Feels good to know that everyone here
Feels good to know that everyone waves by habit
But it makes my day by habit
But it makes my day by
Now i lay down and stare
Watch my walls
Find the friendly faces
Anyone i know
I feel out of place in my old town
Just a day
Another day
Feels strange to know that everyone here
Feels strange to know that everyone waves by habit
Just another day by habit
Just another day by
In "Get Comfortable," The Junior Varsity sings about feeling out of place in their hometown, but finding comfort in the familiar habits of the people there. The opening lines suggest that the singer feels like an outsider, perceived by the locals as someone who shouldn't be there. But despite this, they still find their way to the heart of their identity. This highlights the tension between the desire to belong and a sense of individual identity.
The lyrics are rich with imagery, such as the line "raise your flags but keep your distance" which could reference territorialism or the labeling of people as outsiders. The line "steal and skin" is enigmatic, but could be interpreted as a reference to survival or protectionism. Throughout the song, the feelings of alienation and the desire for acceptance are juxtaposed, as the singer vacillates between feeling at home and feeling out of place.
The final lines speak to the human need for connection, as the singer searches for friendly faces and anyone they know. It is a poignant reminder that even in our hometowns, we can sometimes feel isolated and disconnected.
Line by Line Meaning
Locals read me
People in my hometown judge me
Like i'm not supposed to be where i should be
As if I don't belong here
But i creep
I stay anyway, even if they don't want me to
To the backbone of my being
Because it's a part of who I am
Rasie your flags but keep your distance
People here are territorial
Steal and skin go get your reasons
Some people here are violent and motivated by greed
I fell right at home in my town
I'm comfortable here
Happy day
Being here makes me happy
And step out into the freezing morning air
I deal with the difficult parts of living here because it's worth it
Feels good to know that everyone here
I like the sense of community here
Feels good to know that everyone waves by habit
Even if they don't know me well, we acknowledge each other
But it makes my day by habit
This routine lifts my mood regularly
I thought i'd be
I had expectations for myself
Right where i wanted to be
But I'm not quite there yet
So what now
I'm unsure of my next steps
I crashed the course
I made some mistakes
Could i get back on it?
But I'm willing to try again
Steal ot live and thats my reason
Some people resort to stealing to survive here
I feel right at home in my town
I still feel comfortable here
And step out into the scorching day by day
Even if the weather is unpleasant, I still go about my business here
Feels strange to know that everyone here
Sometimes I feel like an outsider here
Feels strange to know that everyone waves by habit
The routine acknowledgement of others doesn't always make me feel included
Just another day by habit
But I keep trying to make a home for myself here
Contributed by Joseph J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Meow
nothing but ping back all night long!
"Get Comfortable"
Locals read me
Like I'm not supposed to be where I should be
But I creep
To the backbone of my being
Raise your flags but keep your distance
Steal and skin go get your reasons
Raise your flags but keep your distance
Steal and skin
I fell right at home in my town
Happy day
And step out into the freezing morning air
Feels good to know that everyone here
Feels good to know that everyone waves by habit
But it makes my day by habit
But it makes my day by
I thought I'd be
Right where I wanted to be
So what now
I crashed the course
Could I get back on it?
Steal to live and thats my reason
Steal to live
I feel right at home in my town
Happy day
And step out into the scorching daylight air
Feels good to know that everyone here
Feels good to know that everyone waves by habit
But it makes my day by habit
But it makes my day by
Now I lay down and stare
Watch my walls
Find the friendly faces
Anyone I know
I feel out of place in my old town
Just a day
Another day
Feels strange to know that everyone here
Feels strange to know that everyone waves by habit
Just another day by habit
Just another day by
Peruvian Princess
Kinda sad they didn't blow up, they definitely had talent , bring back a lot of memories
Nathan Kinney
+Gamebox88 no why?
Working Single-Handed
reunion tour getting ready for the summer...
These Bitches Want Nikes
They should've been popular.
Steve the Pirate
the guitarist told me he wishes the JV would have ended up a big band like Yellowcard. regardless of whether or not Yellowcard's songwriting is better or more "hit worthy", this band smashes yellowcard on style and technicality. this is an all around cool band with so much personality, and i'm honored to be covering their songs.
Steve the Pirate
@Working Single-Handed 2022 reunion show! check it!
CorporalToaster
TJV was one of the most underexposed and underrated bands I've ever listened to. It breaks my heart that they're not around anymore.
Janoy Cresva
Definitely one of the best albums under the Victory Records label. I really can't think of one track I don't like.
Axel Nine
Playing MVP NCAA baseball 06 and this shit comes on...Awesome song!
amazingteknique
Lol Wow.