On this episode of Thinkin’ & Drinkin’ Bart talks with Jeremy Popoff. Jeremy is a writer, producer and musician whose work has paid off throughout the years. He is a part of the band Lit and has recently made a record with his brother AJ. Learn more about Jeremy by tuning into today's episode! You won't be disappointed!
Meet Jeremy Popoff of Lit: & the Popoff Brothers: The Popoff Brothers are Ajay Popoff (lead vocals) and Jeremy Popoff (lead guitar), founding members of the still-active rock band Lit.
After helping define an entire generation of SoCal power punk with hard-charging hits like “My Own Worst Enemy,” “Zip-Lock,” “Over My Head” and “Miserable,” the laid-back country spirit behind Popoff Brothers might seem like a drastic left turn from their multi-platinum status as co-founders of their rock band, Lit. But to the brothers, their latest Nashville-inspired progression is just as natural as the changing of the seasons.
Ajay and Jeremy Popoff, have actually been crafting songs in the Nashville tradition their whole career – right back to their Platinum-certified 1999 breakout, A Place In the Sun. Real-life experience and skillful wordplay, authenticity and self-made sonics, hard-working independence, and unflinching loyalty to each other, all of these are bedrock country values … and bedrock Lit values. Besides, they’ve never been ones to do the expected.
“We didn’t get into a rock band to follow rules,” says Jeremy. “If we wanted to follow rules and live in a box, starting a band would not have been the chosen path. We’re making music for ourselves first and foremost.”
Indeed. Despite a rockstar history that begins in an Anaheim, California High School in 1988, the brothers’ creative core has roots all over the stylistic map – and at this point in their lives, the country influence is starting to show. Growing up, the Popoff’s father was a DJ on top 40 radio at a time when genre lines were fluid, a foreshadowing of today’s online-streaming culture. Because of his eclectic, unruly record collection, they cut their teeth on the songs of Glen Campbell and Van Halen alike.
Leaning into that anything-goes mindset, the Popoff Brothers have been frequenting and living in Nashville for nearly 15 years, soaking in a creative community and sense of camaraderie they’d never experienced before – even at the height of their chart-topping, globe-trotting popularity. “It was a rebirth of wanting to write music again,” says lead vocalist A. Jay. They penned heartfelt tracks with country artists like Jamey Johnson, Colt Ford, Parmalee, and Cole Swindell, and shared stages with hitmakers like Dustin Lynch, Chase Rice, and Randy Houser, all the while learning how much their own music impacted today’s genre-busting stars. So when it came time to record a new batch of tunes, they knew exactly where to turn.
“We didn’t set out one day to be Country artists,” Jeremy explains. “We just love writing songs and we spend a lot of time in Nashville, and the way we write today is much different than it was 20 years ago. When we sit down to write a song now, it’s usually during the day with acoustic guitars, not in a sweaty warehouse in Anaheim, plugged in at full volume and drinking beer in the middle of the night.”
“We put out a Lit album in 2017 that was very Country leaning,” explains Ajay. “I think it was maybe some of our best stuff ever, but we kind of realized that it might have been confusing to some of our hardcore fans and the industry alike. So we decided that putting out music as Popoff Brothers could give us an outlet for songs that we write that might not jive with the Lit brand.”
The first release from Popoff Brothers is “Sons And Daughters Of Summer”, a nostalgic, feel-good look back on the innocence of summer vacation and how much the world really has in common. The song was co-written by the brothers, Kenton Bryant and Jonathan Singleton (Luke Combs, Tim McGraw, Rascal Flatts). "Kenton came in with this idea and we all loved it," says Jeremy. "When Ajay and I were kids growing up in Southern California, we never went on family vacations. We just went to the beach or the river and ran around with whatever kids were there doing the same thing. It was such an innocent time and yet was probably the first time we made out with a girl, snuck a cigarette or stole a beer from our dad."
Ajay and Jeremy plan to release more Popoff Brothers songs this year and are also working on new Lit music, which A.Jay describes as “old school Lit.” He adds, “Our personal playlists don’t have only one genre of music, and I don’t think our fans listen to music that way either. Separating the music of Lit and Popoff Brothers will just give our fans more diversity all while allowing us the creative freedom to write whatever we’re feeling at the moment. We’re also excited to take the Popoff Brothers on the road. The heart of what we do and why we do it is that performing live is pretty much all we know. We create music that we want to hear and put it out there on a stage with our entire heart and soul!”
What Bart has to say: I just love Jeremy. Love his writing. He’s a super sweet, fun dude and have always enjoyed writing with him! I remember seeing Lit open for No Doubt back in the day and I knew they were going to be one of the biggest rock bands of the time. They looked serious but still like they were just having a ball.
In this episode, you’ll hear
Jeremy’s band Lit playing at Woodstock ‘99 on a side stage in front of 85k people
How a punk/alt-rock/rock/pop band ended up in the land of Country & Western music
Links to Connect:
Connect with Jeremy Popoff
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Paul Reed Smith Guitars