Band Name: Lit
Established: In 1990 as a metal-oriented band, under the name “Razzle”,
Place: California, CA
Genre: Rock
Members name: A. Jay Popoff, his guitar-playing brother Jeremy, bassist Kevin Baldes, and drummer Allen Shellenberger..
A major player throughout the post-grunge boom of the late ’90s, Lit featured the combined talents of frontman A. Jay Popoff, his guitar-playing brother Jeremy, bassist Kevin Baldes, and drummer Allen Shellenberger. The group formed in 1990 in Orange County, CA, where it initially performed metal-influenced music under the name Razzle. After changing their name, Lit began embracing a spunky brand of punk-pop that helped attract a local following in California.
The group sold out local venues (including Club 369 in Fullerton) and issued two recordings: an EP, Five Smokin’ Tracks from Lit; and the full-length Tripping the Light Fantastic, which arrived during the spring of 1997 and became a college radio hit. Lit then landed a contract with RCA Records, which released the follow-up effort A Place in the Sun two years later.”I think the album takes you to a place you might be wary of entering, but are curious about” says Salazar. “I feel that in the attitude and in the playing. There is kind of a symbiosis going on. For example, I’m trying to make a melody that’s not going to step on the vocal, but also accentuates Kevin’s playing. We are not just biding our time on this record.” An understatement. Even though the band plays down the temptation to read any personal mythology into their song list, there are 3EB currents you can follow. “I think most of the songs are about loss,” says Jenkins. But not about having lost. It’s a defiant Jenkins who spits out the wry anti-venom on the punky anthem “Graduate.” The song is a stiff-arm to every wanna-be hipster waiting for canonization. “To the bastard talking down to me, your whipping boy calamity, Cross your fingers I’m going to knock it all down,” he sings in a chopped up drawl. This proved to be Lit’s breakthrough record, as the catchy rock riffs of “My Own Worst Enemy,” “Zip-Lock,” and “Miserable” all paved the way for platinum sales. With “My Own Worst Enemy” topping the U.S. Modern Rock Tracks chart, Lit toured the country alongside groups like the Offspring, No Doubt, and Garbage. Furthermore, they performed a set at Woodstock 1999 and earned a spot on the 2000 Vans Warped Tour. A third album, Atomic, was released in fall 2001, spawning several lukewarm singles but failing to make a significant dent in the charts. A self-titled album arrived in 2004, marking Lit’s fourth full-length effort (as well as their first release on the Nitrus label).
