Lit and Sponge

Formed first as band called Razzle by guitarist Jeremy Popoff, bassist Kevin Baldes, vocalist and drummer A. Jay Popoff and guitarist Sean Holland, the band played their first show at the Troubadour in Los Angeles, California in 1988. In 1989, A. Jay switched from drums to lead vocals, and the band added guitarist Jeremy Popoff and drummer Allen Shellenberger. By 1993 they had completed their demo/ EP entitled “New Vibe Revolution.” Razzle dissolved in 1993 and became Stain in 1994, which had a change in sound, but still the same members. They signed with Malicious Vinyl in 1995 and changed their name to Lit in 1996 due to band owning names already in use.

On 1 April 1997 the band released “Tripping The Light Fantastic” with Malicious Vinyl, however the label went out of business shortly after its release. During their time of being once again unsigned, the band continued to showcase and write new songs, eventually reaching a deal with RCA Records in 1998. A year after signing with RCA, Lit hit their big break with the release of their album, “A Place In The Sun,” which went on to reach platinum status. The band set out on a number of successful tours, and took part in the Vans Warped Tour and Woodstock 1999. They followed up with “Atomic” which contained another widely successful single, “Lipstick and Bruises.”

After being released from their contract with RCA Records in 2002, Lit toured on a smaller scale, and released a self-titled album on 24 June 2004. Additionally that same year, the band put out a DVD of their live performances entitled “All Access.” In 2009 Nathan Walker stepped in as drummer after the unfortunate passing of Allen Shellenberger (due to malignant glioma). Despite several announcements of a new record coming starting in 2010, it wasn’t until 2012 that Lit released “The View From The Bottom.” In 2013 the band celebrated their 15th anniversary show by performing “A Place In The Sun” in its entirety live at the House Of Blues in Anaheim, California.

The story of Sponge begins, like so many other bands, with an earlier, failed attempt at rock-stardom. Loudhouse was formed in the mid-1980's by drummer Vinnie Dombrowski along with guitarists Mike Cross and Joey Mazzola, and they would go on to become a tried and tested almost famous story. They released a debut album on Virgin in 1988 before losing their record contract and splitting at the dawn of the 1990s, but Dombrowski, Cross and Mazzola weren't done. Deciding to form their own band, Dombrowski switched from drums to lead vocals, and the trio recruited Mike's brother Tim Cross on bass along with drummer Jimmy Paluzzi, christening the new group Sponge in 1992.

Previously playing a brand of gritty hard rock that most thought had been left dormant since the mid-70's, the new band incorporated influences cribbed from the fast exploding grunge movement, and struck gold very quickly as a result. By 1994, two years after they came together, they had signed a record deal with Columbia and released “Rotting Piñata”, their debut studio album. Thanks to the radio success of its singles “Plowed” and “Molly”, the album was a sleeper hit, eventually selling over half a million copies to be certified Gold by the RIAA. While the band were never able to match that record's commercial success, they quickly settled comfortably into their role as elder statesmen of alternative rock, remaining to this day a cult act still able to tear it up live and release records that are still as vital as they were in their commercial heyday. For that, they come highly recommended.