Army of Freshmen

For over 6 years one band has fought against the odds and despite being practically ignored by the industry, has grown into a successful example of the D.I.Y. ethic.

Without the help of a label or agent, Army of Freshmen have played over 500 shows in 37 states and two countries, sharing the stage with bands such as Good Charlotte, AFI, The Ataris, Sum 41, Alkaline Trio and Yellowcard. It’s been a hard fought battle to get to their current point but if AOF has proved one thing it’s that all the money and connections in the world don’t make up for hard work.

Army of Freshmen started in 1998 when lead singer, Chris Jay fresh from high school graduation drove cross country from New Jersey to California by himself in hopes of starting a rock band. After writing over 500 songs, he formed Army of Freshmen after meeting the rest of the band at an open mic in Ventura, CA.

The Freshmen wasted no time and honed their original two keyboard, melodic pop meets punk by playing all over Ventura County. Before they knew it they were playing up and down the entire state and just two years after forming, AOF was off on self booked tours throughout the country in the same mini van Chris had left home in. Using an apartment shared by band members as a headquarters of sorts, the 6 piece dove head first in the industry by working day and night on any and all "band stuff".

"We’d stay up all night routing and booking tours, sending press packs out to any address we could find" remembers Jay. "All we ever seemed to get back was some nice rejection letters but we kept going and going. Our work ethic is just relentless and I think that’s because it’s all we know. We don’t know how to be lazy. Since day one it was always, no matter what, if we work harder then everybody else something has to happen."

And things did happen. After a few demos, the band caught the ear of a small local label, Blue Hand Records who agreed to put out The Freshmen’s self titled record. Released in the summer of 2001, Blue Hand almost instantly lost their distribution. With the brand new record now having no hope of getting into stores, The Freshmen took matters into their own hands and hit the road, sound scanning at every venue. 3 years later and with no distribution the band has sold and sound scanned over 10,000 copies, a virtually unheard of feet for a record with no distribution or promotional budget. It even managed to find it’s self in the hands of a few critics who gave the record a rave reviews like "excellent sunny day pop rock with some of the most cheerfully demented lyrics of the year"- Mean Street and "a mega impressive piece of pop craftsmanship"- Skratch Magazine.

Along with the sales, the band scored a reputation for a no holds barred, crowd participation heavy, energetic live show. From stage dives, to pits, to pogo sessions, to sing alongs- AOF shows are a good time. Many a band says "you need to see us live" but with the Freshmen it’s actually true. Even the most jaded scenester has admitted that AOF puts on an unrivaled live show.

As the Santa Barbara Independent put it, "Unparalleled energy. It’s like watching a hardcore band play pop songs." With the over the top live show, the band’s loyal fan base began to grow. To keep on top of things the band started a national street team that now boasts membership over 1,000 people and a mailing list of over 10,000 people. When on the road the band keeps extensive tour logs and their site has a fan of the show section not to mention the Freshmen answer every single one of their fan mails personally.

In 2003 the hard work came back in a big way when a Japanese label heard a copy of AOF’s self titled record and licensed it in that country. The record took off and the band was invited to play at Summersonic, Japan’s premiere music festival in the summer of 2004. The only unsigned artist (in the states) to play the festival, AOF appeared alongside rock royalty like Radiohead, The Strokes, The Doors, Blondie and more.

"It’s a very surreal experience to be backstage with Thom Yorke from Radiohead and have him ask what’s next for your band and you to have to tell him well you’re hoping the local car wash is hiring because rent is due. I don’t think money can buy experiences like that."

Back from the brush with stardom in Japan in the fall of 2003 and still with no label, AOF went in the studio on their own dime with producer Angus Cooke (The Ataris, Lagwagon) to record their second record, Beg, Borrow, Steal. The record was first released in Japan in April 2004 to rave reviews and sales and the band was asked back for a two week whirlwind tour of Japan in May 2004. Back in Japan the band saw their new record go top 10 in several cities and the video for "Get Um Up" was put in full rotation on all three major video networks including MTV.

The band returned from Japan with great news that 33rd Street Records (owned by Tower Records) had agreed to put out the record in the United States. Set for release on July 13, 2004, it’s just in time for the band’s stint on the entire Warped Tour this summer and their first trip to Europe this fall.

As frontman Jay sums it up, "Well after 6 years we’ve built up a huge almost underground fan base all over the country and I’m excited they’ll be able to actually find the record in stores. We’ve been around long enough to see what works and what doesn’t. Putting on a great show and becoming friends with the kids that come out- that works. Putting on a boring show, hanging out in the bus and not the merch table well not only does that not work- it sucks. We’ve been friends with a lot of bands that just blow up too quick and it changes them. We don’t ever have to worry about that. For starters there is no bus and more importantly we’ve slowly gotten bigger over a long period of time and though we may not have won the race yet- we’re still in it."

At a time in the music world when many undeserving acts get it all and appreciate none of it, it’s nice to know bands like Army of Freshmen are still out there working hard for all the right reasons.