King Elementary and The Rockwells
When: 10 p.m. Dec. 25.
Where: Martin’s, Jackson.
Cost: Call for cover.
Who are they?: Jackson band King Elementary — which is reuniting with its original lineup for the first time in four years for a Christmas Day show — accomplished much more than the average local band.
The band developed a rabid fan base, inspired a legion of teens to start their own bands, released an acclaimed debut album and signed a deal with a major label — all of this before members turned 18.
The band’s story began in 2001 when four teenagers who were students at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School — vocalist/guitarist Morgan Jones, guitarist Jeremy Upton, bassist Will Randolph and drummer Andrew Fox — decided to start a rock band.
Originally called The Symptoms, the quartet built a buzz with incendiary gigs at places like the now-defunct Musiquarium and Martin’s.
The band also issued a stellar, self-released CD called Ready to Burn that showcased a band precocious beyond its years, having honed an infectious brand of pop-inflected garage rock propelled by mature songwriting and musicianship.
Buzz led them to get a showcase gig at Los Angeles’ The Viper Room in 2003, but it was a local Jackson gig that caught the attention of producer Dennis Herring (Modest Mouse, Elvis Costello). He decided to record and release the group’s first album on his own Sweet Tea label.
Changing their name to King Elementary, members issued Kudzu in July of 2005. In the meantime, buzz had continued to build and the band inked a deal with Capitol Records in fall 2004.
Relocating to Los Angeles — after finishing high school, of course — the band worked diligently to produce a major label debut album. However, it was ultimately dropped from the label ostensibly because it had no clear “hit single” to market in this age of iTunes and MP3s.
The group soldiered on after Fox left the group, with Randolph following soon after. Jones and Upton continued with a new drummer as the short-lived King Comrade.
Jones returned home and has now joined Fox in the current Jackson band Quills.
In August, Jones, Randolph and Fox played as King Elementary at a Starkville house party, the first seeds of Friday’s reunion. They performed with two young bands — Boyscout and The Da Vincis, which features Randolph’s younger brother Payton — that were inspired to form after seeing them play.
Also performing at this week’s show — and also reuniting, no less — is Jackson power pop band The Rockwells, who shared many stages with King Elementary in the earlier part of the decade.
After issuing a self-titled EP, the band called it quits, with bassist Patrick Addison going on to join Colour Revolt, and vocalist/guitarist Dent May forming his demented, Oxford-based indie pop ensemble Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele.
On the Web: www.myspace.com/kingelementary, www.myspace.com/therockwells.
