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)
Lifted
The Junior Varsity Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's about an arm's length reach
Who would have ever thought
Just let me know if you're ready to stop
You'd be the perfect catch
For a small town cop but he's coming up
To keep us grounded
Not a cloud that's in sight
We don't talk about it
Tell me, why would you walk away?
When you know we've got everything you need
Now, you're throwing it all away
God, I hate to be such a major disappointment
How did we survive?
When you build a wall around yourself
You get used to the insides
If you ask me to describe
I couldn't find the words to say
I could hide out for a while
But I know I could never stay
Got a place in the sky
To keep us grounded
Not a cloud that's in sight
We don't talk about it
Tell me why did you walk away?
When you know we've got everything that you need
Now, you're throwing it all away
Now, I start to think
Well, don't knock till you've tried it
But I swear it isn't like that
Yeah, I swear it isn't like that
Tell me, what you thought now
Because your first time could be your last time
And I can't say you won't regret it
But I can't say you will
Tell me why did you walk away?
Tell me why did you walk away?
When you know we've got everything you need
Now, you're throwing it all away
The Junior Varsity's song "Lifted" seems to be about a person who is hesitant to commit to a relationship. The song starts with the line "Now, here it comes if you like it or not", which suggests that the person speaking is trying to move forward with the relationship but the other person is unsure. The lyrics "Who would have ever thought Just let me know if you're ready to stop You'd be the perfect catch For a small town cop but he's coming up" suggest that the person speaking sees potential in the relationship, but the other person is still unsure.
The chorus includes the lines "Got a place in the sky To keep us grounded Not a cloud that's in sight We don't talk about it", which could be interpreted as the person speaking telling the other person that they have a solid, stable future together but they don't want to talk about it yet because they are still unsure if it will work out. The line "God, I hate to be such a major disappointment How did we survive? When you build a wall around yourself You get used to the insides" suggests that the other person has closed themselves off emotionally, making it difficult for the relationship to progress.
The song ends with the lines "Tell me why did you walk away? When you know we've got everything you need Now, you're throwing it all away", which could be interpreted as the person speaking frustrated that the other person is not willing to commit to the relationship despite everything they have to offer.
Overall, "Lifted" seems to be a song about the frustrations of trying to start a relationship with someone who is hesitant to commit.
Line by Line Meaning
Now, here it comes if you like it or not
Something is coming whether or not you're prepared for it
It's about an arm's length reach
The thing that's coming is very close
Who would have ever thought
No one would have predicted this thing coming
Just let me know if you're ready to stop
If you need to stop, just say so
You'd be the perfect catch
You're a great match for someone
For a small town cop but he's coming up
But you can do better than that
Got a place in the sky
There's somewhere higher we can reach
To keep us grounded
This place keeps us on the right path
Not a cloud that's in sight
There are no obstacles in our way
We don't talk about it
We keep this place a secret
Tell me, why would you walk away?
Why would you leave this good thing we have?
When you know we've got everything you need
We have what you're looking for
Now, you're throwing it all away
You're giving up what we have
God, I hate to be such a major disappointment
I don't want to let you down
How did we survive?
How did we make it this far?
When you build a wall around yourself
When you close yourself off from others
You get used to the insides
You become comfortable with being alone
If you ask me to describe
If you want me to explain
I couldn't find the words to say
I can't put it into words
I could hide out for a while
I could avoid the situation for a bit
But I know I could never stay
But I could never avoid it forever
Now, I start to think
Now, I'm beginning to consider
Well, don't knock till you've tried it
Don't criticize until you've experienced it
But I swear it isn't like that
But believe me, it's not what you think
Tell me, what you thought now
Tell me what you were thinking
Because your first time could be your last time
You never know when it's the last time you'll experience something
And I can't say you won't regret it
I can't guarantee you won't regret it
But I can't say you will
But I can't guarantee you'll regret it either
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: Christopher Michael Birch, Sergio Armando Coronado, Asa Steven Dawson, Nicholas Adam Dodson, Andrew Paul Wildrick
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind