Jump Little Children Says Farewell to their Fans with ‘Foundering’
By meg hale brunton
Photo Credit: Meg Hale Brunton
The first time I saw Jump Little Children (JLC) perform I was 15 years old. My mom dropped my best friend Alison and I off at Ziggy’s in Winston-Salem, and agreed to pick us up at midnight. We were enamored by the band’s mix of soulful ballads and sexy grooves, incorporating everything from the cello to the pennywhistle, and even the accordion. From then on, we caught every performance JLC did in town. In college, I traveled all over with friends, roommates, and slightly-jealous boyfriends to see their shows. My wedding dance was to the JLC song, “The Way They Dance.” I even got to jump up and down to JLC’s “Dancing Virginia,” while pregnant, with my mom shouting, “Stop! The baby will fall out!”
In anticipation of JLC’s Farewell tour, it occurred to me what a big part of my life this band has been, and how much their music and shows have meant to me. Now I had the opportunity to ask what it all meant to them. I sat down with Jay Clifford, Ward Williams, and Jonathan Gray at the Grey Eagle just hours before their final Asheville show.
The band formed in the early 90s at the North Carolina School of the Arts (now the University of North Carolina School of the Arts) in Winston-Salem. Ward Williams was studying cello, Jay Clifford studied classic guitar, Matt Bivins studied oboe and clarinet, and Evan Bivins was studying visual arts. After graduating, they moved as a group to Ireland, then Boston, before settling in Charleston, doing renovation work for Matt and Evan’s father. They would work stripping the paint off old church pews during the day, and busk on Market Street in the evenings. The band got a few regular gigs, and also met bass player Jonathan Gray, who joined up.
JLC started getting radio play when DJs and program directors, like Dave Rossi, took a liking to their music. Rossi invited them to come in and record live for 96 WAVE in Charleston. He loved their song, Quiet, and began playing it in regular rotation. Almost instantaneously, JLC started selling out The Music Farm. The same thing happened when Georgia radio DJ Chris Williams started playing their song, Easter Parade, on the college station, The Bulldog. The band got a following in Georgia and sold out their Athens shows. “It took certain unique personalities to latch on to us because we weren’t doing music for the larger audience,” explains Jay. “I think because of that, it’s garnered a healthy relationship with a very distinct, rich community of interesting people who’ve become fans and friends. We have the best audience there is in this business.”
JLC started touring the Southeast with bands like Seven Mary Three, Rusted Root and Edwin McCain. On the road, they formed lasting relationships with many of the fans they met after shows. “We have a personal history, which I think is really unique,” Jonathan says of JLC’s connection to their audience. In 1998, JLC put out their first record, Magazine. They had released The Licorice Tea Demos in 1995, but according to Jay, that doesn’t quite count as an official album because they were still very green and knew little about recording. JLC went on to release Vertigo in 2001, Between the Dim & the Dark in 2004, Sparrow in 2018, and Foundering in 2022.
During the planning stages of Foundering, Matt and Evan decided that they would not be returning to record the album, or do the tour. They had started their own web-design business, Bivins Brothers Creative, and wanted to focus on that. Ward recalls how strange it was to record without the Bivins, but felt the music was strong and knew the album would be great. “At first I was trepidatious,” Ward admits, but says the weirdness was overpowered by the fun of playing music with Jay and Jonathan again. “It’s sad and weird and different, but it’s good in its own right. It’s a really great way to say goodbye.”
The loss of the Bivinses did, however, create the opportunity for some new voices on the album, including female vocalists. Christina Cone adds her vocals to Dear Son, Ruby Amanfu sings on the song Cities of Gold, and the band’s longtime friend Cary Ann Hearst from Shovels & Rope, sings on the track, Young Again. “We have some new experiences and new sounds,” Jay says, of Foundering. “Having female vocals in the band is something I’ve always wanted.”
In the future, the band members hope to continue touring with other musical groups. Jonathan toured recently with Amanda Shires, but also works in Asheville with youth outdoor education programs Muddy Sneakers and the Green River Preserve Summer Camp. Ward is currently teaching music and freelancing in Ohio, but also played cello and guitar for the Broadway musical, Waitress.
Jay will continue his writing, either for a solo album, for his other band Rosebud, or co-writing with other musicians. “My favorite thing in the world is writing a song,” Jay says. While he enjoys pleasing the masses with his music, Jay says the deep, individual level on which JLC fans relate to his songs means the world to him. Those songs have been part of the band’s lives for 30 years, and they agree that playing them for the last time on the tour has been very emotional.
My feeling that JLC wrote the soundtrack to my life is shared by many of their fans, which one would think would lessen the experience. Instead, as I stand among other grown-up fans (now with a few more gray hairs and some with kids in tow) who all feel the same mix of nostalgia, excitement, and sadness as we wait to be entertained by JLC one last time, it somehow feels even more special.
You can find JLC and support them on Patreon where they will continue to post new, creative content: www.patreon.com/jumplittlechildren
