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The Junior Varsity
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HQ: Springfield, IL NOW PLAYING: Wide Eyed (VICTORY; victoryrecords.com) THE STORY SO FAR: The Junior Varsity possess a resume that would make any number of their peers green with envy: The five-piece were signed to Victory Records in 2004, recorded their debut Wide Eyed with Matt Squire (Panic! At The Disco, the Receiving End Of Sirens) just before he became the most sought after producer in the scene, and released it to critical acclaim during the summer of 2005. Nowadays, between touring with the likes of Bayside, June and Melee, the Junior Varsity live and write together in a house in what keyboardist Nick Dodson calls the "ghetto" of Springfield. "We haven't been apart for the last three years," Dodson says. "We're constantly working on the band. We're always trying to improve ourselves, whether it's musically or with any cool new idea we have." WHY YOU SHOULD KNOW 'EM: They've dealt with loss and extraordinary hardship, including the murder of guitarist Andy Wildrick's girlfriend in 2005, but the Junior Varsity are channelling their hurt into the creation of a new album that Dodson says will be levels above their last. "We want to make something that makes a difference to people," Dodson says. "We want to prove to people that we're not just another band-which we aren't by any means." -Emily Zemler YOU LIKE? YOU'LL LIKE: BAYSIDE / FURTHER SEEMS FOREVER / JIMMY EAT WORLD |
