Lit
by Keavin Wiggins
Lit
- Atomic
Label: Dirty
Martini / RCA
Rating: 
Tracks:
Something for Someone
The Last Time Again
Addicted
Lipstick and Bruises
Everything’s Cool
Happy in the Meantime
Drop D
Sunny Weather
Next Time Around
Slip
She Comes
Live For This
Over My Head* (bonus track) |
Listen
to samples and Purchase this CD online
|
Lit will always hold a special place in
Rocknworld.com history. They were the first band we ran a special feature
on. In fact, that special feature was our very first artist of the month
special way back in August 1998.  Rocknworld.com
was just four months old at the time and a small shell of what it has become
over the past 3 ½ years. Back then it was just my buddy Brian Aguilar
and I trying to launch a website that would expose the masses to great
music. One night Brian talked me into going out to a local club (club 369)
and seeing this band called Lit. I’d seen their stickers plastered all
over cars throughout Orange County, so I knew there was a tremendous buzz
surrounding the band. That night I discovered why, they burst onto the
stage with such a ferocious energy that I, like the rest of the sold out
crowd, was blown away by their explosive high velocity hard rock. They
were simply amazing. Even back then they were showing up the rest of the
local bands, that show in particular was supposed to be a “record signing”
party for thier friends Zebrahead who just inked a deal with Columbia  Records,
but Lit stole the show. After the band left the stage, with the members
and the audience drenched in sweat, Brian and I approached their manager
and asked for a presskit. She kindly provided the full presskit and a copy
of the band’s indy debut CD “Tripping the Light Fantastic”, and the album
was no less explosive then the band’s live show. These guys seemed destined
for greatness!
A lot of things have changed since then,
for both Lit and Rocknworld.com. Shortly after that show Lit completed
work on their second album and then signed to RCA Records. That second
album, “A Place in the Sun”  became
their major label debut. While the music on “A Place in the Sun” was a
grand departure from the raw energy of “Tripping the Light Fantastic” it
showed the world a more polished modern rock band then the hard rocking
local Orange County heroes. The rest is history; “A Place in the
Sun” hit the streets and immediately became a smash-hit on the strength
of their powerful singles “My Own Worst Enemy”, “Zip-lock” and “Miserable”.
The band hit the road with other notable Orange County bands No Doubt and
The Offspring and before you knew it “A Place in the Sun” had gone platinum
and Lit was no longer a local phenomenon but international stars.
Now Lit have returned with their third
album and major label sophomore release “Atomic”. With “Atomic” Lit
completes their transition into a power-pop laden  modern
rock band. With this album we once again get a more polished and mature
Lit than we heard with “A Place in the Sun”. They have honed their songwriting
skills to razor-sharp precision. This time around they take their exquisite
harmonies to the next level as A.Jay attacks the high-energy songs with
his distinctive vocals. Jeremy Popoff’s patented guitar chops abound throughout
the album, giving us that key Lit guitar sound. What marks most of Jeremy’s
guitar lines and sets him apart from other guitarists is not only his unique
tone and phrasing but he tends to play descending scales as apposed to
the more widely used ascending scales. The world got a taste of that with
the riff in “My Own Worst Enemy”, most guitarist will start with a low
note and end on a high one, Jeremy typically will start on a high note
and end on a lower one, or start in the middle, go high and then lower.  That’s
style has given Lit their distinctive guitar sound that makes their music
so readily recognizable even before A.Jay comes in with his vocals.
You can hear it on the guitars during the chorus on the band’s current
hit single “Lipstick And Bruises”. While Lit has become what is known
as a Modern Rock band, you can still hear their metal influences especially
during Jeremy’s guitar solos. Just goes to show you that you can take the
boy out of metal but you can’t take the metal out of the boy.
Now don’t get the wrong idea, when I say
Modern Rock, I am talking about high-energy guitar rock that falls somewhere
between hard rock and power-pop not the subdued styling of say Matchbox
Twenty. Lit still packs plenty of punch with the music on this album, so
don’t worry they haven’t sold their souls for records sales and gone “pop”
like their fellow Orange County brothers Sugar Ray. Lit is still Lit, just
further down the road.
Let’s face it, the songs reflect a different
band because they are different people now. No longer are they a  local
band paying their dues playing the club circuit to build a local following
and hoping to land the record deal that would make all their dreams come
true. They’ve accomplished that dream, found international fame and recognition
but in the end they have remained Lit. That fact is evident on “Atomic”
as well as at their live shows, which are still sweat-drenched high-energy
showstoppers as I witnessed recently at a sold out show the band played
at the Roxy in Hollywood with their protégés Handsome Devil
and The Color Red. Have no doubt, Lit still knows how to bring a crowd
to their feet and deliver high-caliber rock n roll. With Atomic, the local
boys have made good once again.
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More
Live Lit Photos
Photos from Lit's show
at the Roxy- Hollywood, Ca 10-01
 
 
 
 
 
Past
Lit coverage on Rocknworld
Read
the original Artist of the Month article from August 1998
Read
the CD review for "A Place in the Sun".
Want
more?
Listen
to samples from the CD and Purchase Lit music online
Visit
the Official Website for all kinds of stuff
Keavin Wiggins is the Founder
and Managing editor of the iconoFAN Network.
Live Photos by Keavin Wiggins
- Copyright 2001 Iconoclast Entertainment Group - All Rights Reserved. |
