Army of Freshmen
| Army of Freshmen | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Genre (s) |
Pop-Punk Power-Pop Rock |
| founding | 1997 |
| Website | www.armyoffreshmen.com |
| Founding members | |
| Chris Jay | |
Trumpet , singing |
Aaron Goldberg |
Keyboard , vocals |
Owen Bucey |
| Dan Clark | |
| One Nielsen | |
| Mike Rini | |
| Current occupation | |
singing |
Chris Jay |
Guitar, vocals |
Aaron Goldberg |
Keyboard, vocals |
Owen Bucey |
Keyboard, Minimoog
|
Dan Clark |
bass |
Kai Dodson (since 2003) |
Drums |
James Schlachter (since 2012) |
| former members | |
bass |
One Nielsen (until 2003) |
Drums |
Mike Rini (until 2004) |
Drums |
Mike Milligan (until 2012) |
Army of Freshmen (dt. Army of beginners ) is a pop-punk - band from Ventura in California . It has six members and has performed over 1000 in 10 countries worldwide. Together with Bowling for Soup , they founded the annual Get Happy Tour .
Band history
Band formation and beginnings
Chris Jay left his home state of New Jersey after graduating from school in 1997 and went to California with the goal of starting a band. There he made friends with keyboardist Owen Bucey , trombonist Dan Clark , trumpeter Aaron Goldberg , drummer Mike Rini and bassist One Nielsen . The group performed at the Teltron Internet Cafe with Jay's written songs .
Within a few months, Army of Freshmen made a name for itself in Ventura County and enjoyed a growing fan base. During the first two years after the founding, Jay played guitar and Goldberg and Clark worked as wind instruments. As their sound turned more and more towards pop-rock , Goldberg switched to guitar and Clark became the band's additional keyboardist. Without having a contract with a record label , they organized their own tours.
Record deal and first release
In 2001 the band signed a recording deal with Blue Hand Records , a small label from Ventura. The released self-titled debut album was produced by Jay Ferguson , a member of the 60s rock band Spirit .
In the summer of 2001 Army of Freshmen took part in the Moto Music Madness Tour , which included over 50 performances in the United States .
At the beginning of 2003 Nielsen left the band because he wanted to get married and start working in the real estate industry. He has been replaced by Kai Dodson , a longtime friend of the band and a former member of 19th Hole . It was around this time that the debut album was discovered by Sonic Label , a Japanese record company, and Army of Freshmen was invited to play at Supersonic , one of the largest music festivals in Japan. In autumn, the band toured for the first time together with Bowling for Soup, which developed a close friendship between the two bands. This led to the creation of the Get Happy Tour in 2006.
Second album and many appearances
At the end of 2003, the recordings for the second album entitled Beg, Borrow, Steal began . It was produced by Angus Cooke and was released by the 33rd Street Records label , which was part of the now defunct music store chain Tower Records . The single Get Um Up was played by over 20 alternative radio stations and was in the top 20 of the US alternative radio specialty charts for five weeks .
In 2004 the band returned to Japen to perform with The Living End , Bowling for Soup and Sugarcult . Army of Freshmen's second album made it into the top 10 in Sapporo .
After returning from Japan, the band took part in the 2004 Warped Tour . While touring in Toronto ( Canada ) Mike Rini was asked to leave the band. Mike Milligan, who had played Short Arm Trick on several shows with his previous band , officially became the new drummer for Army of Freshmen in December 2004. Shortly after the Warped Tour, the band toured with The Littlest Man Band and Suburban Legends by the United Kingdom . Back in the US, the band ended their most active year with a tour with Lucky Boys Confusion .
Also in 2005 the band toured in order to further increase the awareness and sales success of their second album. They also returned to England, where they played the opening concert of the Bowling for Soup tour. In support of the tour, they released the UK EP At the End Of the Day , which was recorded in Texas and produced by Bowling for Soup frontman Jaret Reddick .
Third album and Get Happy Tour
Army of Freshmen's third album, Under the Radar , was released in 2006. It was recorded in Los Angeles and produced by Jay Ruston. Originally the album was supposed to be released by American Blood , a small independent label, but this got out and left all rights to the band. The album was eventually released by the band themselves. In the spring of the same year, the band returned to Japan and took part in the Nutcase Entertainment Tour for the third time . Its organizer was the band's new label in Japan after Sonic Label had withdrawn.
In the summer of 2006, Army of Freshmen and Bowling for Soup formed and played on the first Get Happy tour , which consisted of fan interaction and a family-friendly show. In February 2007 the Get Happy Tour came to the UK, where it was sold out before the start. Army of Freshmen's energetic live show was well received by music magazines like Kerrang . While performing in Birmingham , the organizers of the Download Festival became aware of the band and a week later Army of Freshmen was invited to the Download Festival in June 2007.
In May 2007 the band played on the Good to Go Tour with Wheatus and MC Lars in preparation for their first festival appearance in Great Britain . Army of Freshmen visited continental Europe ( Belgium , Germany and the Netherlands ) for the first time and returned to England with Reel Big Fish in June before the Download Festival.
In the second edition of the Get Happy Tour in summer 2007, Army of Freshmen also played bowling for soup, Quietdrive and Mêlée . In October the tour came to France, the Netherlands and Germany. The tour then continued in the UK, where Army of Freshmen played along with Bowling For Soup, the Bloodhound Gang and Zebrahead to some of their biggest crowds ever.
Fourth album and the most recent development
Army of Freshmen announced in April 2008 that the recordings for their fourth studio album, entitled Above the Atmosphere , were ready. The ten-track album was recorded in Los Angeles in February and March of the same year and again produced by Jay Ruston. During the recording, the band posted several photos on blogs and videos on YouTube . During this time the band also performed at the Southwest Festival in Austin (Texas) in combination with Bowling for Soup, The Presidents of the United States of America , Wheatus and Ludo . Above the Atmosphere was released by the band themselves in June. This month Army of Frehsmen toured the UK alone this time to draw the fans' attention to the new album. She also appeared again as one of the few non- metal bands at the Download Festival. The band received four Ks in Kerrang Magazine , the second highest possible rating. The band then toured the United States for three weeks, including a benefit concert at Chris' high school .
In September, the first video for the song No One's Famous from the new album appeared on YouTube .
Discography
Studio albums
- 2001: Army of Freshmen
- 2004: Beg, Borrow, Steal
- 2006: Under the Radar
- 2008: Above the Atmosphere
- 2012: Happy To Be Alive
EPs
- 2005: At the End Of the Day (released only in the UK)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Europunk.net: Interview with The Army Of Freshmen (English), accessed on September 9, 2008
- ↑ Ernie Ball: Army of freshmen # 1 on the Robo Charts after touring with Ernie Ball (English) ( Memento from December 3, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Up-load.co.uk: Army Of Freshmen ( Memento of the original from April 14, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English), accessed September 9, 2008
- ↑ AbsolutePunk.net: Interview: Army of Freshmen - March 6, 2005 (English), accessed on September 10, 2008
- ↑ YouTube.com: AOF TV! (English), accessed September 10, 2008
