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No
label, no money, no problem
Dan
Frasier - Contributing Writer
Jump
Little Children (JLC) returns to Boone in support of their newest album,
“Vertigo.” The band has created a strong fan base throughout
the Southeast, which has been won over by the band’s rock show
performances.
Winston-Salem natives Matt Bivins (harmonica, mandolin, tin whistle,
accordion, vocals), Evan Bivins (drums), Jay Clifford (lead vocals,
rhythm guitar) and Ward Williams (cello, lead guitar) formed the band
while attending the North Carolina School of the Arts in 1994. Upright
bassist Jonathan Gray was later recruited when the band moved to Charleston,
S.C. The band self-released their debut album “The Licorice Tea
Demos” in 1995 and a live EP titled “Buzz” in the fall
of 1996.
By February of 1998, JLC was signed to Atlantic’s sub label, Breaking
Records, which was founded by fellow South Carolina band Hootie and
the Blowfish. The band explored a different sound on their major-label
debut “Magazine” in 1999. The single “Cathedrals”
was added to radio stations nationally and the band began touring heavily
while recruiting many new fans.
But 2001 would become the darkest year the band had yet to face.
Strike one occurred when Breaking Records was dropped from Atlantic
Records in February 2001. At the time, the band’s next album “Vertigo”
was already recorded in the winter of 2000-2001 with the release later
that May. Jump Little Children was label-less, but this fact didn’t
bother the band since they had done well independently before.
“It was like ‘Okay, we’re fine, and we’ll just get
our record back and still release it,’” said Matt Bivins.
When Breaking Records was dropped, the band members of Hootie and the
Blowfish primarily replaced the staff at the label.
“That is when our troubles began. We were very disappointed to
find out that Breaking Records was not willing to give us the album
back easily. They wanted all of this money that we didn’t have,”
said Bivins. “It dragged on for months and was so heartbreaking.
It was a real frustrating time. It kept us from doing anything, but
eventually we got the album back for an ungodly sum [of money].”
Jump Little Children’s business manager, Larry Cherry, decided
to take a permanent vacation to Mexico with his clients’ money
in March 2001, creating strike two.
“It’s kind of funny,” said Bivins. “We actually
owed him some money. I don’t know where he is now, but I hope he’s
well because he really is a sweet guy.”
“Angel Dust,” the first single off “Vertigo,” was
scheduled for a radio add-date on Sept. 11, 2001, resulting in strike
three for the band. Jump Little Children busked in the streets of Charleston
raising money for the Red Cross.
“Our first thoughts on Sept. 11 certainly weren’t about our
radio add-date. That day was a final straw broken in our emotional breakdown,”
said Bivins. “What it came down to [was] we didn’t care about
the add date. The tragedy of Sept. 11 was much greater than that, but
when the dust settled we realized that it awfully hurt our album, but
there will be other add dates.”
Bands have broken up for far less than what Jump Little Children endured.
“There would have been no reason to do this if it wasn’t for
the fans,” said Bivins. “The fact is that the fans would do
anything for us, and that is the reason we stayed together—and
knowing that they would support us no matter what happened. They keep
us alive, and that’s a powerful thing to know, and we wouldn’t
be here if it wasn’t for them.”
“Vertigo” was self-released on the band’s own label named
EZ Chief Records on Sept. 25, 2001. The album creates a sound drawn
from both previous albums with a darker melodic feel of their acoustic
sound. The album’s second release, “Words Of Wisdom,”
went for radio adds last Monday.
A live show at Charleston’s The Music Farm was filmed March 30
and will be released as a DVD titled “JLC Return To The Farm.”
The band will head into the studios this fall to record a new album
to be released next spring.
“2001 was the saddest year for us, and we’re really glad it’s
over,” said Bivins. “We vowed 2002 would be better, and it
immediately has been.”
Jump Little Children will perform in Boone tonight at 9 p.m. at Legends.
Patrick Davis and Danielle Howle open. Tickets are $6 in advance and
$8 at the door. For more information visit www.jumplittlechildren.com.
Nappy
Roots brings ‘dirty South’ sound to Legends
Kevin DeLury
- Entertainment Beat
Anyone who has
been paying attention to the playlist at clubs, parties or even on MTV
has undoubtedly heard the Nappy Roots single “Awnaw.” The
infectious track has spread through the South with its undeniably upbeat
rhythms and fluid rhyming tinged with a southern drawl.
The six-man troupe that makes up Nappy Roots will arrive to perform
at Legends Tuesday.
The show is the result of a massive undertaking involving A.P.P.S.
Concerts, A.P.P.S. Club Shows and the Council for Cultural Awareness
(CCA). Nappy Roots will be the first major hip-hop show since Wyclef
Jean’s appearance in Boone three years ago.
Nappy Roots hail from a style of hip-hop that is outlandish in comparison
to East and West Coast groups and still distinctly southern. With the
groundwork for the genre laid down by artists such as Outkast and Goodie
Mob, Nappy Roots carries on the tradition of instrumentation that hovers
somewhere between the otherworldly and down-home “dirty South”
on their major-label debut, “Watermelon,
Chicken and Gritz.”
Much like their name, the group’s music is untamed and breaks away
from the materialistic elements of many hip-hop acts to opt for a more
intellectual brand of music. Their songs come across wonderfully as
a sure-fire way to get any party into full swing. However, upon closer
listening to the album, Nappy Roots reveals a brilliantly crafted and
produced album that provides a sincere, insightful and at times comical
look into the lives and experiences of this group.
A major aspect of the group’s album is representing their home,
Kentucky. The group met at campus house parties at Western Kentucky
University. Soon thereafter the six members, going by the monikers Big
V, R. Prophet, Skinny DeVille, Ron Clutch, Scales and B. Stille, recorded
their first album titled “Country-Fried Cess.”
Their first album, along with their live performances, became a booming
success on college campuses. All the hype and grassroots campaigning
finally paid off when the group caught the attention of Atlantic Records
in 1998.
Even before the release of “Chicken, Watermelon, and Gritz,”
Nappy Roots was being praised by such publications as The Source, which
deemed the group “The New Artist to Watch For 2002.”
Nappy Roots has also gained phenomenal reviews in major magazines such
as Rolling Stone, Vibe, Spin and The Urban Network.
Aisha Little, president of A.P.P.S., has been involved with the organization
since her freshman year.
“We came up with the idea that we really wanted to do a hip-hop
show,” said Little. “We talked about getting Ludacris or The
Roots, and then Daryl Gardin, who is the CCA chairperson, bought the
CD and we decided on them.”
Advance tickets for Nappy Roots are available at the information desk
of Plemmons Student Union for $8. Tickets will also be sold at the door
for $10. Doors open at 9 p.m. with opening act N2Abyss.
“It’s going to be something really different that we really
haven’t had in Boone in a long time,” said Little. “I
hope everybody will come out and support it. It’s going to be something
worthwhile.”
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