..Since their formation at the North Carolina School of the Arts as "Jump, Little Children," the five members of Charleston, SC based (with newly abbreviated name) "Jump"- Jay Clifford (vocals, guitar), Ward Williams (cello), Jonathan Gray (upright bass) and brothers Matt (harmonica, accordion, mandolin) and Evan Bivins (drums) have enjoyed a fiercely loyal and ever-growing tour following.
Influenced by an Irish classmate, the band started off playing traditional Irish folk music spiked with a dose of Delta blues. The group toured Ireland before returning to the U.S. and settling in Boston. It was there that Jump began writing and performing original material influenced by the music of the Beatles, R.E.M., and Radiohead, and relocated to Charleston. The band's last two releases, Magazine and Vertigo, received critical acclaim and national radio airplay.
Currently the members of Jump are taking an indefinite hiatus from the touring life, in order to work on a long list of side projects, including the Irish punk band the Dole , a solo project from Ward Williams , the Moulin Rouge inpired experience known as Cabaret Kiki , and even the raising of a couple of beautiful children. But the band still plans to devote a large amount of their creative energy to their first love, in the form of recordings that are planned to be released this year. The first of which is Live at the Dock Street Theatre, a 2 disc set of songs recorded live at Charleston's Historic Dock Street Theatre in December of 2005. Recorded by Bruce Roberts and mixed by Jay Clifford, the collection includes songs that have never been released or recorded by the band, and features a fantastic lineup of guest musicians, including Michael Bellar , Amanda Kapousouz , Josh Kaler , and percussionist Benji Lee, currently touring with I9 . The new album is a magical "trip down memory lane" for both the band and its fans, and speaks to Jump's dedication to being one of the Southeast's best live groups of the past decade.
