Jimmy Eat World

Jimmy Eat World
Jimmy Eat World performing at the 9:30 Club in Washington, DC
Background information
Origin	Mesa, Arizona, United States
Genre(s)	Alternative rock, pop punk[1][2], emo[3][4][5][6]
Years active	1993 – present
Label(s)	Interscope Records DreamWorks Records Capitol Records
Website	Official website
Members
Jim Adkins Tom Linton Rick Burch Zach Lind
Former members
Mitch Porter

Jimmy Eat World is an American alternative rock band from Mesa, Arizona, formed in 1993.

History

Formation and origin of name

Jimmy Eat World was formed in Mesa, Arizona in 1993. Singer/guitarist Jim Adkins and drummer Zach Lind, who had been friends since kindergarten, joined with guitarist Tom Linton and bass player Mitch Porter to try their hand at music. In its early years, the band emulated the style of its punk-rock influences, eventually recording and releasing three singles and a full-length on local label Wooden Blue Records. The name Jimmy Eat World did not refer to lead singer Jim Adkins. Tom Linton's younger siblings, Ed and Jimmy, fought constantly when they were younger. Jimmy, who was stronger and heavier, usually won. In one instance, Ed, as revenge, drew a picture with crayons of Jimmy shoving the entire world into his gaping mouth with the caption "Jimmy eat world."^[7]

Static Prevails

Eventually, spurred by bands such as Fugazi and Sunny Day Real Estate, the band began to experiment with a sub-genre of the hardcore punk scene called "emocore". As they began writing songs and touring in the indie scene, the band was surprised to find like-minded bands such as Christie Front Drive, Sense Field, and Seven Storey Mountain working on similar sounds. Typically, similar sounds came from local scenes (such as Seattle's grunge explosion), but with emo the scene was spread throughout the country. As the band continued touring, it began to attract modest attention in the indie underground. In 1995, label president (and former Nirvana A&R) Gary Gersh signed the fledging band to Capitol Records. Around this time, bass player Mitch Porter parted ways with the band and was replaced by Linton's friend Rick Burch. After a brief scouting for producers, the band joined up with Drive Like Jehu drummer Mark Trombino to record its debut album Static Prevails. Static Prevails closely reflected what existed in the "emo" scene at the time, a balance between punk-influenced scream-alongs and quiet, introspective moments. Rather than push the band through the major-label promotion machine, Gersh opted for a more subtle approach, allowing the band to develop within the indie underground. In the ensuing years, the band was allowed to release singles on independent labels, including split 7-inch's with Christie Front Drive, Jejune, Sense Field, and Mineral. Where most major-label bands were ostracized from the underground as "sell-outs," Jimmy Eat World found itself in a unique position where it had support from a major label while being embraced by the indie community.

Clarity

The band in an early promotional shot for Clarity

In 1998, the band entered the studio (again with Mark Trombino) to record its follow-up, titled Clarity. Around the same time, however, Gersh was forced out of Capitol. The band delivered the completed album to the label mid-way through the year, but found itself out of favor with the new label heads, who shelved the album to focus on more popular acts. As a way to help promote what had been recorded, the band negotiated with Capitol to release a self-titled EP on indie-label Fueled by Ramen (run by labelmates Less Than Jake) containing two songs from Clarity and three b-sides. The band sent the release to several key alternative stations in the hopes that they might give the songs some airtime. To its surprise, several of the stations added lead single "Lucky Denver Mint" to regular rotation. Capitol reacted by scheduling the full album for release in February 1999. On the subsequent tour for Clarity, the band found itself playing to larger and larger venues. Where it had been playing to crowds of fifty to a hundred a few weeks earlier, the band was suddenly playing to 500- and 1000-capacity venues, including packed houses at Boston's Middle East and at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas. As a result, the band found itself receiving much more attention from its label, who released a video for "Lucky Denver Mint". The song was also featured on the soundtrack for the movie "Never Been Kissed" but in the final release of the film the demo version of the song "Seventeen" from the album Static Prevails was used instead. However, the label's enthusiasm was short-lived. Plans to release "Blister" as a single were axed, and the band found itself dropped by the label by the end of the year.

Bleed American

Bleed American original album art, before 9/11

Having been well-versed in the ways of indie bands and having wide support from the indie community, Jimmy Eat World saw getting dropped from its label as an opportunity. The band compiled most of its independently-released singles onto a single CD, titled simply Singles, which was released on indie label Big Wheel Recreation. The band's burgeoning fanbase snapped up the release, earning the band enough to fund the recording of its next album. The band then had complete freedom to make the album that it wanted without having to take input from outside influences. Working for a third time with Trombino, the band recorded the album Bleed American. Joining with Gersh's new management company, GAS Entertainment, the band scouted for a new label, eventually signing with DreamWorks. The completed album was released in July 2001 with the title track as the lead single. (Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, the band decided to re-issue the album as Jimmy Eat World out of concern that the title Bleed American might be misinterpreted.^[8]) With the release of Bleed American and the subsequent success of second single "The Middle", the band found itself at the center of newfound attention to "emo". For most of the 90s, "emo" had been an underground movement that almost completely evaded major label and mainstream control. Nearly every late-90s emo band that signed to a major label broke up before releasing an album. But where Clarity was seen as the quintessential emo album, Bleed American was a step away from that sound, standing closer to mainstream rock.

Futures

After lengthy touring in support of Bleed American, the band regrouped to work on the follow-up in early 2004. Once again, the band joined up with Trombino, but the collaboration was short-lived. The band decided to part ways with Trombino, instead bringing in producer Gil Norton, well-known for his work with the Pixies and the Foo Fighters. Futures was released in October 2004, with lead single "Pain" finding moderate success at alternative radio. (By this time, Dreamworks had been acquired by the much larger Interscope Records.) Subsequent months saw the release of "Work" and the title-track as singles. Having already toured the U.S. alone and with Taking Back Sunday, the band signed on to tour in the summer and fall of 2005 with Green Day. In September 2005, the band released the Stay on My Side Tonight EP, containing reworked versions of demos recorded with producer Mark Trombino that were not used for the album.

Chase This Light

After its tour, Jimmy Eat World headed home to Tempe and started working on material for a sixth album. This album was self-produced by the band, Chris Testa (Dixie Chicks), and executive produced by Butch Vig (Nirvana, The Smashing Pumpkins, Sonic Youth). John Fields also co-produced the record. Some of the songs on the album, titled Chase This Light, include "Carry You", "Big Casino", and the title track "Chase This Light". "Carry You" originated as a track from Jim Adkins' side project Go Big Casino. (Several Go Big Casino songs eventually appeared on Jimmy Eat World albums, including "Hear You Me", "My Sundown", "Drugs or Me" and "12.23.95".) "Chase This Light" was released in the United States on October 16, 2007, debuting at #5 on the Billboard 200.

Discography

Main article: Jimmy Eat World discography

• 1994 - Jimmy Eat World
• 1996 - Static Prevails
• 1999 - Clarity
• 2001 - Bleed American (retitled Jimmy Eat World after the September 11, 2001 attacks)
• 2004 - Futures
• 2007 - Chase This Light

References

External links

• Official web site
• Jimmy Eat World on MySpace
• Synthesis.net interview
• Album Project review of 'Chase This Light'
• extrawack! interview with Zach Lind about recording 'Chase This Light'