Here’s to the hometown heroes!
This morning I got to sit down with Nick Dodson of The Junior Varsity, and the nostalgia was running high. The band broke in the midst of the My Space era in Chicago, which is the city where I was trying to do the exact same thing, but with far less success.
The Junior Varsity started in 2002, out of Jacksonville IL about a 45 minute drive from Springfield. As they started to fill up small venues in southern IL, they also began touring in Chicago. In 2004 they penned a deal with Victory Records bumping up their reach to a national level.
With the released of their album “Wide Eyed” in 2005, they began touring nationally supporting the likes of Fall Out Boy, Motion City Soundtrack, Rise Against, Good Charlotte and more.
Sitting with nick brought back a flood of memories from that time, which for me was so important. As much as we may joke about “Tom” and Myspace, it was the launching pad for so many things that artists are able to do today.
The Junior Varsity is reuniting for at least a couple of shows in the Springfield Area. July 29th at the Night Shop in Bloomington and at the Downhome Music Festival right here in Springfield, Saturday July 30th at 8:30 PM. Follow the Junior Varsity on Facebook and Instagram for news on more potential shows in the future.
Listen to interview below.
