Jump, Little Children is an American indie rock band that formed in 1991 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States. Known for its unique sound, energetic live performances, and willingness to interact with fans, the band has a devoted following and is a fixture in the

Charleston Charleston most commonly refers to: * Charleston, South Carolina * Charleston, West Virginia, the state capital * Charleston (dance) Charleston may also refer to: Places Australia * Charleston, South Australia Canada * Charleston, Newfoundlan ...

, South Carolina music scene. The name "Jump, Little Children" is taken from a song written by blues musician Leroy Dallas and covered by

Sonny Terry Saunders Terrell (October 24, 1911 – March 11, 1986), known as Sonny Terry, was an American Piedmont blues and folk musician, who was known for his energetic blues harmonica style, which frequently included vocal whoops and hollers and oc ...

and Brownie McGhee.

Members

Core Members * Evan Bivins (1993-2021):

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

* Matthew Bivins (1991-2021): vocals,

accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German ''Akkordeon'', from ''Akkord''—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a reed ...

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica inclu ...

mandolin A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of 8 ...

, melodica, and tin whistle * Jay Clifford (1991-2022): vocals and

rhythm guitar In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...

* Jonathan Gray (1994-2022): double bass * Ward Williams (1991-2022): cello and guitar Past Members * Christopher Pollen: guitar * Tim Connell: tin whistle,

, and electric bass Collaborators * Christina Cone (of

Frances Cone Frances Cone is an American indie pop band started in Brooklyn, New York and currently based in Nashville, Tennessee. History The band consists of Christina Cone and Andrew Doherty. Frances Cone is named after Christina's father and great-grandf ...

): vocals and

keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

* Josh Kaler (of Hula Hi-Fi and Slow Runner):

and pedal steel * Michael Bellar (of The As-Is Ensemble): piano * Amanda Kapousouz (of Tin Cup Prophette): violin

History

1991–1994: Formation

Jay Clifford, Matthew Bivins, Ward Williams, and Christopher Pollen met and formed Jump, Little Children at the North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, North Carolina in 1991. The band played its first show on January 1, 1992 as part of a

New Year's Day New Year's Day is a festival observed in most of the world on 1 January, the first day of the year in the modern Gregorian calendar. 1 January is also New Year's Day on the Julian calendar, but this is not the same day as the Gregorian one. Wh ...

festival in downtown Winston-Salem. The group was performing Irish music, and Clifford, Bivins, and Pollen traveled to Ireland to learn their craft firsthand during the winter of 1992. Upon their return, Evan Bivins left the School of the Arts to join the band, and the quartet decided to move to Boston, Massachusetts. As they worked to finance the move, the band spent the summer of 1993 in

, SC, where they met future member Jonathan Gray. After arriving in Boston in late 1993, Jump, Little Children recorded and released a self-titled cassette featuring original songs and traditional Irish works. Pollen then left the group to join a religious community, and Clifford and the Bivins brothers returned to Charleston in the summer of 1994.

1995–1999: ''The Licorice Tea Demos'', ''Buzz'', and ''Magazine''

Gray and Williams joined the lineup soon thereafter and the band was frequently found

busking Street performance or busking is the act of performing in public places for gratuities. In many countries, the rewards are generally in the form of money but other gratuities such as food, drink or gifts may be given. Street performance is pr ...

on the corner of Church and Market Streets in Charleston. Their Irish influences began to blend with an alternative rock sound, and the public took notice. Jump, Little Children recorded and released ''The Licorice Tea Demos'' in early 1995 and toured the Southeast with vigor. They continued to gain local notoriety and received regional radio airplay for the song "Quiet." Regular touring continued throughout 1996 and 1997, including the first of what would become a yearly tradition: New Year's shows at the Dock Street Theatre in Charleston. ''Buzz'', a live EP, was released in early 1997, and the band was courted by various record labels. The group eventually chose Breaking Records (a subsidiary of

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

started by

Hootie and the Blowfish Hootie & the Blowfish are an American soft rock band that were formed in Columbia, South Carolina, in 1986. The band's lineup for most of its existence has been the quartet of Darius Rucker, Mark Bryan, Dean Felber, and Jim Sonefeld. The band w ...

) in 1998. Jump, Little Children's only album released under Breaking Records, ''

Magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...

'', was recorded during the summer of 1998 with producer Brad Jones. ''Magazine'' was released in the fall of 1998, and the single "Cathedrals" achieved radio play nationwide over the following year.

2000–2005: ''Vertigo'' and ''Between The Dim & The Dark''

Looking to build on the success of "Cathedrals," the band reentered the studio in the fall of 2000 to record '' Vertigo''. Produced by Clifford and Brad Wood and mixed by David Leonard, the album was originally due to be released in May 2001, but was put on hold when Breaking Records was dropped from the Atlantic roster. The rights to ''Vertigo'' were given to Breaking, and after a fierce struggle, Jump, Little Children was able to release the album on their own imprint, EZ Chief Records, in September 2001. ''Vertigo'' reached No. 44 on the Billboard Top Independent Albums chart. The band regrouped over 2002 and 2003, expanding their touring to include the

Midwest The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...

and

West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...

and recording and releasing a DVD titled ''Live At The Music Farm''. They also expanded EZ Chief Records, launching a website where users could create custom CDs using tracks from independent artists. In the summer of 2003, the band took its first hiatus, but soon returned with an abbreviated name, "Jump," and plans for another album, '' Between The Dim & The Dark''. Produced by Rick Beato and released on Brash Music in April 2004, the album was well received. ''Between The Glow & The Light'', an EP of B-sides to ''Between The Dim & The Dark'', was released in April 2005. On June 16, 2005, the band announced that the tenth annual Dock Street Theatre shows at end of 2005 would mark their split. The final show was a

black tie Black tie is a semi-formal Western dress code for evening events, originating in British and American conventions for attire in the 19th century. In British English, the dress code is often referred to synecdochically by its principal element fo ...

affair in Charleston on December 30, 2005, and featured material from each of the member's future projects. The show ended with the band and audience walking from the theatre to the corner of Church and Market Streets for a busking session typical of the band's early years. "Jump, Little Children" was the last song played. During the final show, Amanda Kapousouz announced the formation of a scholarship fund at the College of Charleston in honor of the band.

2006–2015: Hiatus

''Live at the Dock Street Theatre'', a double live album, was released in 2006 and would be the band's last recording for more than ten years. Over the next decade, the bandmates spread out across the country and pursued their own artistic interests. Finally, in a May 2014 interview, Jay Clifford hinted at a reunion: "I can neither confirm, nor deny, a Jump, Little Children reunion tour in 2015."

2015–2018: Reunion

On March 13, 2015, the band's new website announced the eleventh installment of Dock Street by displaying a countdown to December 28, 2015. A full reunion tour (the "Church and Queen Tour") was announced in May 2015 and consisted of four club dates followed by two nights of Dock Street. The demand for the six shows was overwhelming, with both nights of Dock Street selling out in less than one minute, and the band responded by adding three more club dates. Bringing the "Jump" community back together was an emotional experience for both the band and its audiences. After such a successful reunion, discussion once again turned to the future. Matt Bivins wrote, "Nothing is set right now. We know that we don’t want to be in a rock band again, full-time. We want anything we work on together to be special. We don’t want to forget again why we started this band in the first place: because we were friends that loved working together, creating music together, having fun." On November 10, 2016, Jump, Little Children announced that it would participate in the High Water Festival organized by Shovels & Rope. In addition, the band announced another short Southeastern tour scheduled for April 2017.

2018–2022: ''Sparrow'' and ''Foundering''

In January 2018, the band announced they would be releasing their first full-length album in more than 13 years. The new album, titled ''Sparrow'', was released on Friday, September 14, 2018. The first single off ''Sparrow,'' "Hand on My Heartache", was released as a lyric video via the website of music magazine '' American Songwriter'' on August 16, 2018. On October 5, 2021, Matt and Evan Bivins announced that they would be leaving the band to focus on building a company together, while the remaining three members would continue to perform under the name Jump, Little Children. The band's sixth studio album, ''Foundering'', was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee in March 2022 and released on September 23, 2022. Prior to the release, the band announced that the album and accompanying tour would both be the last. A 15-date "Farewell Tour" spanned the Southeast and featured Christina Cone on vocals and keyboard and Josh Kaler on drums. The tour concluded with back-to-back shows in Charleston, SC, with the band's final show at the Charleston Music Hall on December 30, 2022.

Television and film

On May 5, 1999, the song "B-13" was featured in the '' Party of Five'' episode No. 116, "I'll Show You Mine." On May 19, 2003, the song "Cathedrals" was featured in '' Everwood'' episode No. 23, "Home." On December 6, 2007, the song "B-13" was featured during the narrative wrap of ''

Scrubs Scrub(s) may refer to: * Scrub, low shrub and grass characteristic of scrubland * Scrubs (clothing), worn by medical staff * ''Scrubs'' (TV series), an American television program * Scrubs (occupation), also called "scrub tech," "scrub nurse," o ...

'' episode No. 706, "My Number One Doctor." The song "Cathedrals" was also featured in an episode of the Netflix TV show The Society. On June 22, 2011, the song "Cathedrals" was used on '' So You Think You Can Dance'' (season 8, episode No. 7). Jazz dancer Clarice Ordaz and Broadway dancer Jess LeProtto performed a contemporary routine choreographed by Stacey Tookey. On January 18, 2014, the song "Mexico" was used in the Zach Braff film '' Wish I Was Here'' and was included in the soundtrack to the film. In addition, Jump, Little Children was one of three bands shown during ''True Music'' (

HDNet AXS TV is an American cable television channel. Majority-owned by Anthem Sports & Entertainment, it is devoted primarily to music-related programming (such as concert films, documentaries, and reality series involving musicians) and combat sport ...

) episode No. 218, "

South by Southwest South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in m ...

2004."

Discography

Studio Albums

*''The Licorice Tea Demos'' (1995) – Independent *''

'' (September 1, 1998) – Breaking Records/

*'' Vertigo'' (September 25, 2001) – EZ Chief Records *'' Between The Dim & The Dark'' (April 20, 2004) – Brash Music *''Sparrow'' (September 14, 2018) *''Foundering'' (September 23, 2022)

EPs

*''Buzz'' (January 25, 1997) – Independent *''Between The Glow & The Light'' (April 14, 2005) – EZ Chief Records

Compilation Albums

*''The Early Years, Volume 1'' (June 1, 2001) – EZ Chief Records

Live Albums

*''Live at the Dock Street Theatre'' (May 2, 2006) – EZ Chief Records

Videos

*''Live at the Music Farm'' (September 6, 2002)

References

External links

* {{Authority control Indie rock musical groups from North Carolina American street performers Musical groups from South Carolina Musical groups established in 1991 Musical groups disestablished in 2005 Atlantic Records artists 1991 establishments in North Carolina Musical groups reestablished in 2015