The Wonder Years (band)

The Wonder Years

The Wonder Years performing at Vans Warped Tour 2013 in Mesa, Arizona
Background information
Origin Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Genres Pop punk
Years active 2005-present
Labels Hopeless, No Sleep
Associated acts Aaron West and The Roaring Twenties, The Premier
Website thewonderyearsband.com
Members Nick Steinborn
Dan Campbell
Josh Martin
Matt Brasch
Casey Cavaliere
Mike Kennedy
Past members Mikey Kelly

The Wonder Years is an American pop punk band from Lansdale, Pennsylvania that formed in June 2005. Since their conception, they have released four full-length albums, two EPs, and several splits/compilations. The group is currently signed to Hopeless Records.[1] Their name originates from a paper that lead vocalist, Dan 'Soupy' Campbell, read written by his after-school education teacher titled "The Wonder Years".[2]

History

Formation, the early years (2005–2006)

The Wonder Years formed in 2005 out of the remnants of The Premier, a band from Lansdale, PA. From The Premier, Dan " Chicken Noodle Soupy" Campbell, Matt Brasch and Nick Steinborn stayed, while Matt Hittinger and CJ Morgan left. The remaining members started to perform as The Wonder Years.

In their first two years, two relatively unknown split EPs with other local bands were released. Their first (with Emergency and I) was released in 2005, featuring three songs. Two of those were later re-recorded on their first full-length album Get Stoked on It!. ("I Fell in Love with a Ninja Master" and "Buzz Aldrin: The Poster Boy for Second Place"). The other song on the split was "Cowboy Killers".

The Wonder Years quickly followed their first split EP with another, this time with the band Bangarang!. This second release also featured two songs that would be re-recorded for Get Stoked on It!. ("My Geraldine Lies Over the Delaware" and "Let's Moshercise!"). The other two songs were "I Ain't Sayin' He a Golddigga (Sike!)" and "Through Two Hearts".

Get Stoked on It! and Won't Be Pathetic Forever EP (2007–2009)

The Wonder Years Performing live in 2009

The Wonder Years signed to No Sleep Records in 2007. After completing their first tour of the United Kingdom with Never So True, The Wonder Years recorded their first full-length studio album, Get Stoked on It!. Get Stoked on It! was released on October 30, 2007 and caused the band's then-small fan base to grow significantly. In the spring of 2008, The Wonder Years released an EP titled, Won't Be Pathetic Forever. In 2009, The Wonder Years' released a split EP titled Distances with UK pop punk band All or Nothing. The split consisted of only two songs by The Wonder Years, and it was after this release that keyboardist/vocalist Mikey Kelly left the band to pursue other goals.

The Upsides (2010–2011)

The Wonder Years' second full-length album, The Upsides was released on January 26, 2010. The Upsides sold 1852 units in its first week, landing it on multiple Billboard charts: No. 5 on Alternative Artist, No. 9 on Top New Artist, No. 26 on Top Internet Album, and No. 43 on Indie Label Album.[3]

Also with the release of The Upsides was a 7" limited to only 500 copies and available with pre-order of The Upsides CD. This vinyl features a non-album song entitled "Leavenhouse. 11:30.", which is about the early years of music for The Wonder Years and their local scene in Lansdale, PA. The title "Leavenhouse" refers to a house in which members of the Lansdale band Leavenworth lived and hung out at day or night.

A few months after the release of The Upsides, on May 27, The Wonder Years announced that they had signed to Hopeless Records. Their first release after their signing was a split 7" with Fallen from the Sky, on which they covered "Zip Lock" by Lit.

The Wonder Years released a deluxe edition of The Upsides on September 21, 2010. It included 4 new songs titled, "I Was Scared and I'm Sorry", "We Won't Bury You", "Dynamite Shovel (Campfire Version)", and "Logan Circle: A New Hope". "We Won't Bury You" was written about best friend Mike Pelone who was also in the band Emergency and I. Mike Pelone died in August 2010.

In October 2010, The Wonder Years released a music video for the song "Melrose Diner" set to the theme of BAW Wrestling and starring actor Charlie Saxton as the wrestler "Lone Wolf".[4]

Suburbia I've Given You All and Now I'm Nothing (2011–2013)

In the fall of 2010, The Wonder Years confirmed that they were writing the follow up to The Upsides. On June 14, 2011 The Wonder Years released Suburbia I've Given You All and Now I'm Nothing on Hopeless Records. "Suburbia" is inspired by the poem America by Allen Ginsberg as well as the band's life following the release of The Upsides. The first single off the album titled "Local Man Ruins Everything" was released on April 12, 2011 on iTunes. The second single, "Don't Let Me Cave In", was released on iTunes and Amazon on May 3, 2011, along with a music video. The third single, "Coffee Eyes" was made available for streaming on the Alternative Press website on June 1, 2011. The record charted at number 73 on the Billboard Top 200 the week of its release, selling 8,100 copies. On August 11, 2011 they released a music video for "Local Man Ruins Everything". The video consists of Hank the Pigeon "adventuring on his own" around Lansdale and Philadelphia.

The band released a split 6-inch with Stay Ahead of the Weather entitled Punk Is Dead. Get a Job. on April 17, 2012 and re-released their debut full-length, Get Stoked on It!, on May 15, 2012. The album will only be available digitally through the record label's website. Campbell, who has been outspoken about his disappointment in the band's first album, said, "In our opinion, this record is a trainwreck. Chris paid to get it remastered forever ago and we kept trying to put off its inevitable re-release. He and I agreed that since it's already available digitally, that no real harm can come of swapping out the old mixes with the better sounding ones as long as it never gets pressed in a physical form again. That's the long and short of it. If you like the record, enjoy the new mixes. If you hate the record, I'm on your side. We won't be playing any of these songs live in support of this. We don't even consider it a re-release. Just a swap out for a better mix."[5]

On December 3, the band announced on their official Twitter and website that they will be releasing a compilation of all of their former EPs and splits titled "Sleeping on Trash", which was released on February 12. They also announced that they were done writing their new album and would be entering the studio in January.

The Greatest Generation (2013–present)

Prior to the release of The Greatest Generation the band played 4 shows in the span of 24 hours to promote the album. The Wonder Years released their fourth LP, The Greatest Generation, on May 14, via Hopeless Records. In May 2013, The Wonder Years played all 6 dates of Slam Dunk festival in the UK and Ireland. Before embarking on the Vans Warped Tour 2013, the band played some shows with Silverstein in Canada.

First week sales of The Greatest Generation more than doubled the sales of Suburbia I've Given You All and Now I'm Nothing, with a total of 19,673 copies sold. These sales placed the album at #20 on Billboard's Top 200 chart.

On April 20, 2015 the band announced they were finished recording their fifth studio album.

Tours

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

Members

Current members
Former members

Discography

Studio albums
Compilations

EPs
  • 2005: Split with Emergency and I
  • 2006: Split with Bangarang!
  • 2007: Tour EP
  • 2008: Won't Be Pathetic Forever
  • 2009: Distances (split with All or Nothing)
  • 2010: Under the Influence, Vol. 13 (split with Fallen from the Sky)
  • 2010: The Wonder Years vs. Heroes for Hire (Australian release only)
  • 2012: Punk Is Dead. Get a Job. (split with Stay Ahead of the Weather)
  • 2013: Manton Street
Appearances on compilations

Music videos

References

  1. ↑ "Artists - The Wonder Years". Hopeless Records. Retrieved 2011-05-04.
  2. ↑ "The Wonder Years Explain "Generational" New Album Meaning". Fuse. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  3. ↑ "Congrats on Outselling Heidi Montag". AbsolutePunk. Retrieved 2010-02-04.
  4. ↑ The Wonder Years - Melrose Diner (Official Music Video). YouTube. 11 October 2010. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  5. ↑ Campbell, Dan. "The Wonder Years' Get Stoked On It To See Digital-Only Reissue via No Sleep Records". absolutepunk.net. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
  6. ↑ "Who you gonna call? The Ghostbustour!". AbsolutePunk.net. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  7. ↑ "Kimbo Wants A Pepsi Tour". AbsolutePunk.net. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  8. ↑ "Four Year Strong and Friends in Europe". AbsolutePunk.net. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  9. ↑ "Ship of Manifesto". AbsolutePunk.net. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  10. ↑ http://www.kerrang.com/blog/2010/09/the_kerrang_relentless_energy_2.html
  11. ↑ "Now This Is A Tour". AbsolutePunk.net. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  12. ↑ "The Wonder Years present: A Whole Year In Airports with Special Guests". Hellhound Music. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  13. ↑ "The Worst Kept Seceret Finally Revealed". AbsolutePunk.net. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  14. ↑ "The Wonder Years To Open Saves The Day / Yellowcard Tour". Rock Sound Magazine. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  15. ↑ "Glamour Kills Tickets Go On Sale At 3 p.m.". AbsolutePunk.net. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  16. ↑ "Tours: The Early November / The Wonder Years / The Swellers / Young Statues". Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  17. ↑ "Yellowcard's Fall Tour Dates Go On Pre-sale". AbsolutePunk.net. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  18. ↑ "The Wonder Years Announce Spring Headliner with Fireworks, Hostage Calm, Misser". AbsolutePunk.net. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  19. ↑ "The Wonder Years Will Be Playing Warped Tour's Main Stage". AbsolutePunk.net. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  20. ↑ "A Tribute To Alkaline Trio". Pacific Ridge Records. Retrieved 2011-11-09.

External links