Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties

Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties

Dan Campbell as Aaron West
Background information
Also known as Aaron West
Origin Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Genres Folk rock
Years active 2014–present
Labels Hopeless
Website www.aaronwestandtheroaringtwenties.com
Members Dan "Soupy" Campbell

Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties is the solo project of The Wonder Years frontman Dan "Soupy" Campbell. According to the project's Facebook page, it is defined as "a character study conducted through music". Campbell is taking on the persona of Aaron West. An album, We Don't Have Each Other, was released in July 2014 and an EP, Bittersweet, is set to follow in May 2016.

History

We Don't Have Each Other (2014–15)

The Wonder Years frontman Dan Campbell began the project on May 22, 2014, via a video released by Hopeless Records titled "Aaron West and The Roaring Twenties - An Introduction To Aaron West".[1] With this project, Campbell pushed himself "to make a piece of fiction feel just as raw and personal as songs about my life".[1] Campbell released the projects debut song, "Divorce and the American South", via The A.V. Club.[2] "You Ain't No Saint" was released as a single on May 27.[3] "Divorce and the American South" was released as a single on June 10.[4] The project's first album, We Don't Have Each Other, was released on July 8 through Hopeless.[5] The album received primarily positive reviews, with Alternative Press giving it a rating of 4.5/5.[6] On November 19, West released a music video for the song "Our Apartment" via Billboard.[7] Campbell performed his project on five of the 2014 Vans Warped Tour dates.[1] On March 4, 2015, it was announced that Campbell would be performing his project on all of the 2015 Warped Tour dates, on the acoustic basement stage.[8]

The album plays like a book. The incredible amount of detail laid out by Campbell's voice allows the listener to become fully immersed in the story. Its story follows the worst year of Aarons life, from start to finish. The album is a correlation of 9 original songs, all playing into the story, and 1 cover song, "Going to Georgia" by The Mountain Goats. Campbell is said to have added the song on to the album not because the song continued the story, but because he liked the song.

Bittersweet (2016–present)

On March 25, 2016, it was announced that an EP, titled Bittersweet, would be released on May 20.[9] The EP's cover art and track listing was revealed, and one song on the EP, "'67, Cherry Red", was made available for streaming.[9] The release of the EP features vinyl pressings on three different colors, Green, Blue, and Red, attributing to the songs "Green Like the G Train, Green Like Sea Foam", "Goodbye, Carolina Blues", and "'67, Cherry Red" respectively.[10]

Style and influences

Timothy Monger of AllMusic wrote that the project "blended the passion and aggression of pop punk with more of an Americana and roots aesthetic."[11]

On the project's Facebook page, Campbell cites Bright Eyes, The Mountain Goats, The New Amsterdams, Lucero, The Weakerthans, and Kind of Like Spitting as influences.

Discography

Studio albums
List of studio albums
Title Album details Peak chart
positions
U.S.
[12]
We Don't Have Each Other 101
Extended plays
List of extended plays
Title Album details
Bittersweet
  • Released: May 20, 2016
  • Label: Hopeless
  • Format: DL, 7" vinyl
Singles
List of singles, showing year released and album name
Title Year Album
"You Ain't No Saint"[3] 2014 We Don't Have Each Other
"Divorce and the American South"[4]
"'67, Cherry Red"[13] 2016 Bittersweet

References

  1. 1 2 3 Rock Sound (May 23, 2014). "The Wonder Years’ Dan Campbell Announces Side-Project". Rock Sound Magazine. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
  2. ↑ Anthony, David. "Aaron West And The Roaring Twenties take a southern approach to divorce in new video". A.V. Club. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  3. 1 2 "You Ain't No Saint - Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties - Release Information, Reviews and Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  4. 1 2 "Divorce and the American South - Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties - Release Information, Reviews and Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  5. ↑ "Now Streaming: Aaron West And The Roaring Twenties - We Don’t Have Each Other". Rock Sound. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  6. ↑ Manley, Brendan. "Aaron West And The Roaring Twenties - We Don't Have Each Other". Alternative Press. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  7. ↑ Payne, Chris. "Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties (Wonder Years' Dan Campbell) Premieres 'Our Apartment' Video (Exclusive)". Billboard. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  8. ↑ Sharp, Tyler. "Acoustic Basement performers announced for Warped Tour 2015". Alternative Press. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  9. 1 2 Ralph, Caitlyn (March 25, 2016). "Aaron West And The Roaring Twenties stream new song, announce new EP". Alternative Press. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties "Bittersweet" 7"". Cold Cuts Merch. Retrieved 2016-04-20.
  11. ↑ Monger, Timothy. "Aaron West & the Roaring Twenties | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  12. ↑ "Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties - Chart history (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 17, 2015.
  13. ↑ "'67, Cherry Red (2016) | Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties". 7digital. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
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