A freshman (US) or fresher (UK, India, Ireland) (or sometimes fish, freshie, fresher, prep; slang plural frosh, freshmeat or pichones) is a first-year student in secondary school, high school, college or university. The term first year can also be used as a noun, to describe the students themselves (e.g. They are first years).

Scotland & Ireland[link]

In Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland, the term "first year" refers to the first years of either secondary school or university. In the case of university students, the term "fresher" is also used as in the United Kingdom.

New Zealand[link]

The term first year is used within New Zealand universities, primarily to describe students in their first year of tertiary education direct from secondary school.

Portugal[link]

In the Portuguese Praxe, the whole of the student and academic traditions of Portuguese universities, a major part of it is the hazing of freshmen (in Portuguese, Caloiros). It is accompanied by a series of music festivals and partying.

There is an actual "Praxe Code" that describes the entire set of traditions, including the Freshman's rights. These include "The Freshman has NO rights" so he must obey. One of the traditions includes to force the freshman to sing university songs and paint their faces and nails with several colors and play several games. The tradition says that the haze must not involve harmful content or dangerous games. It is also tradition to host friendly dinners to the freshman so they can meet other people from their course. Usually are the third year students who guide the freshmen, and there´s a symbolic ceremony where the freshmen must choose a Godmother or Godfather from the third year to be his guidance through university years. When the ceremony takes place, the freshman no longer can be hazed unless his godparent gives permission. Most of times it is required that third year students must wear their university traditional outfit to the ceremonies with the freshmen. Usually the sophomores are not allowed to practice haze to freshmen or to join third year students and they are not allowed to wear the university traditional outfit on the first semester.

England & Wales[link]

The term first year is occasionally used in the pre-University and college English education system, and in schools it is no longer in official usage. In England and Wales a student's school career (not including pre-school nursery education) now begins with Reception, usually at the age of four, and continues up to either Year 11 or Year 13 depending on whether the student is going on to further education. However, in informal usage the term "first year" is still very common. Before the introduction of the "Year [number]" in most secondary schools in September 1990, the first year or first form almost always referred to the first year of secondary education. Years 12 and 13 are known as Sixth Form or "lower sixth" and "upper sixth" respectively.

In English universities, new students are referred to as "freshers", but not "freshmen" or "freshwomen". They are, of course, first-years, but generally only called "fresher" early in the first year. At some universities (such as Cambridge) certain students may continue to be referred to as "freshers" until they have sat their first examination.

Scotland[link]

In Scotland, the first year of compulsory education is Primary 1 (P1). The first year of secondary school is known as S1 but one can freely use first year.

At the four ancient Scottish universities the traditional name students for the four years at university Bejant/Bejantine (1st), semi (2nd), Tertian (3rd) and Magistrand (4th), though all Scottish universities will have a "freshers' week" and the term is as widely used with more traditional terms.

United States[link]

In the United States, freshman, rather than being a slang term, is officially used by most high schools and universities.

Freshman is commonly in use as an US English idiomatic term to describe a beginner or novice, someone who is naive, a first effort, instance, or a student in the first year of study (generally referring to high school or university study).^[1]

New members of Congress in their first term are referred to as freshmen senators or freshman congressman, no matter how experienced they were in previous government positions.

High School first year students are almost exclusively referred to as Freshmen, or in some cases by their grade year, 9th graders. Second year students are Sophomores, or 10th graders, then Juniors or 11th graders, and finally Seniors or 12th graders.

At College or University Freshman denotes students in their first year of study. The grade designations of high school are not used, but the terms Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors are kept at most schools. Some Women's colleges in the US do not use the term Freshman, but use the perceived gender neutral term: First Year, instead. Some liberal arts colleges do not use the terms Freshman, Sophomore, etc. at all, but rather stick to First Year, Second Year, Third Year, and Fourth Year designations.^[2] Beyond the fourth year, students are simply classified as fifth years, sixth years, etc. Some institutions use the term freshman for specific reporting purposes.^[3]

See also[link]

• Freshman fifteen
• Sophomore
• Junior (education)
• Senior (education)

References[link]

The Verve
The Verve performing at Madison Square Garden in 2008.
Background information
Origin	Wigan, Greater Manchester, England
Genres	Alternative rock, neo-psychedelia, Britpop, shoegazing, dream pop, space rock
Years active	1990–1995, 1997–1999, 2007–2009
Labels	EMI, Hut, Virgin, Parlophone, Vernon Yard
Associated acts	RPA & The United Nations of Sound, Richard Ashcroft, The Black Ships, The Shining
Website	www.theverve.co.uk
Past members
Richard Ashcroft Nick McCabe Simon Jones Peter Salisbury Simon Tong

The Verve were an English rock band formed in 1989 in Wigan by lead vocalist Richard Ashcroft, guitarist Nick McCabe, bass guitarist Simon Jones and drummer Peter Salisbury. The guitarist and keyboard player Simon Tong later became a member. Beginning with a psychedelic sound indebted to shoegazing and space rock, by the mid-1990s the band had released several EPs and three albums. It also endured name and line-up changes, breakups, health problems, drug abuse and various lawsuits. Filter referred to them as "one of the tightest knit, yet ultimately volatile bands in history".^[1] The band's commercial breakthrough was the 1997 album Urban Hymns, one of the best-selling albums in UK Chart history, and the single "Bitter Sweet Symphony", which became a worldwide hit.^[2] In 1998, the band won two Brit Awards—winning Best British Group, appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine in March, and in February 1999, "Bitter Sweet Symphony" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song.^[3][4][5]

Soon after this commercial peak, The Verve broke up in April 1999, citing internal conflicts.^[6] During an eight year split, Ashcroft dismissed talk of a reunion, saying: "You're more likely to get all four Beatles on stage."^[6] The band's original line-up reunited in June 2007, embarking on a tour later that year and releasing the album Forth in August 2008. In 2009, the band broke up for the third time.^[7]

History[link]

[edit] Formation and Verve (1989–1992)

The founding members of Verve met at Winstanley Sixth Form College, in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester. The band's first gig was at a friend's birthday party at the Honeysuckle Pub, in Wigan, on 15 August 1990.^[8] Most of the band's early material was created through extensive jam sessions.^[9] Fronted by singer Richard Ashcroft, the band caused a buzz in early 1991 for its ability to captivate audiences with its musical textures and avant-garde sensibilities.

The group were signed by Hut Records in 1991^[10] and their first studio releases in 1992, "All In The Mind", "She's a Superstar", and "Gravity Grave" (along with the December 1992 Verve) saw the band become a critical success, making an impression with freeform guitar work by McCabe and unpredictable vocals by Ashcroft. Those first 3 singles reached the first spot in the UK Indie charts, and "She's a Superstar" did enter the UK Top 75 Singles Chart. The band saw some support from these early days in the United States in some music scenes in big cities like New York connected with psychedelic spacey music.

[edit] A Storm in Heaven (1993–1994)

1993's A Storm in Heaven was the band's full-length debut, produced by esteemed record producer John Leckie (of Radiohead, The Stone Roses, XTC and The Fall fame). "Blue" was released as the lead single and again managed to enter in the UK Top 75 at #69 and reached #2 in the Indie charts. The album was a critical smash, but was only a moderate commercial success, reaching #27 in the UK album chart that summer.^[10] The second single from the album, "Slide Away", topped the UK indie rock charts. During this period the band played a number of gigs with Oasis who, at the time, were relatively unknown.^[11]

In 1994, the band released the album No Come Down, a compilation of b-sides plus a live version of "Gravity Grave" performed at Glastonbury Festival in 1993. It was the band's first release under the name The Verve, following legal difficulties with the jazz label Verve Records.^[12]

The band then played on the travelling U.S. alternative rock festival, Lollapalooza, in the summer of 1994. A new mix of "Blue" was released in the U.S. to promote the band. The tour became notorious for the events of 11 July - Ashcroft was hospitalised for dehydration after a massive session of drinking,^[13] and Salisbury was arrested for destroying a hotel room in Kansas in a drug-fuelled delirium.^[14] However, the band were performing again the very next day.^[15] Ashcroft later recalled: "At the start, it was an adventure, but America nearly killed us."^[16]

[edit] A Northern Soul and first breakup (1995–1996)

The band's physical and mental turmoil continued into the chaotic recording sessions of the band's second album, 1995's A Northern Soul, produced by Owen Morris. The band departed from the neo-psychedelic sounds of A Storm in Heaven and focused more on conventional alternative rock, with Ashcroft's vocals taking a more prominent role in the songs, although reminiscent of some of the early work. Around this period, Oasis guitarist and friend of Ashcroft, Noel Gallagher, dedicated the song "Cast No Shadow" on the album (What's the Story) Morning Glory? to Ashcroft, and Ashcroft returned the gesture by dedicating the song "A Northern Soul" to Noel.

The band released the album's first single "This Is Music" in May, and it reached #35, their first single to reach the Top 40. It was followed by "On Your Own" in June which performed even better, reaching #28. This single was particularly new for The Verve as it was a soulful ballad. The album reached the UK Top 20 upon its release in July, but Ashcroft broke up the band three months later, just before the release of the third single "History", which reached #24 in September. Ashcroft later stated: "I knew that I had to do it earlier on, but I just wouldn't face it. Once you're not happy in anything, there's no point living in it, is there? But my addiction to playing and writing and being in this band was so great that I wouldn't do anything about it. It felt awful because it could have been the greatest time of our lives, with "History" doing well, but I still think I can look myself in the mirror in 30 years time and say, 'Yeah man, you did the right thing.' The others had been through the same thing. It was a mixture of sadness and regret, and relief that we would have some time away."^[17]

Ashcroft reunited with Jones and Salisbury just a few weeks after the breakup, but McCabe did not rejoin them. The new band hired former Suede guitarist Bernard Butler, but he spent only a couple of days with the band. The band then chose Simon Tong, a school friend credited with originally teaching Ashcroft and Jones to play guitar. The band made no live appearances for all of 1996, apart from a solo performance from Ashcroft supporting Oasis in New York.^[18] The rest of the year was spent playing and recording songs for a new album.

Commercial success and second breakup (1997–1999)[link]

However, in early 1997, Ashcroft decided to ask McCabe to return, claiming "I got to the point where nothing other than The Verve would do for me".^[19] McCabe obliged and with the original lineup back together (Tong remained on guitar alongside McCabe), the group went through a "spiritual" recording process to finish their third album Urban Hymns which was completed by early summer.

	"Bitter Sweet Symphony" noicon The lead track on their album, Urban Hymns, "Bitter Sweet Symphony" is renowned for its signature swirling orchestral melody.
Problems listening to this file? See media help.

For the first time in their career, The Verve experienced widespread commercial success with their new material. The album's first single "Bitter Sweet Symphony" entered the UK charts at number 2 in June 1997, but the song's success was marred by legal problems regarding ownership of the song. Even though the group had secured permission to use a sample of 4 bars of an orchestral rendition of "The Last Time" by The Rolling Stones, it was successfully argued that the group had relied too heavily on the song's original vocal melody as well, and they were forced to surrender copyright and royalties to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.^[20][21] The music video for "Bitter Sweet Symphony", which received heavy rotation on MTV, focuses on Ashcroft lip-synching the song while walking down a busy London pavement, oblivious to what is going on around and refusing to change his stride or direction throughout.^[22][23] In August, the band began playing their first gigs in two years, beginning the Urban Hymns Tour. The next single, "The Drugs Don't Work" gave the band their first UK number 1 single in September.^[24] The album immediately reached number 1 on the charts later that month, knocking off Oasis' highly anticipated album Be Here Now in the process.^[24] The band saw an overwhelming increase in popularity overseas, and "Bitter Sweet Symphony" reached number 12 on the U.S. charts, the band's highest ever American position.^[25] The album reached the US Top 30, going platinum in the process.^[10]

Critic Mike Gee of iZINE said of this time, "The Verve, as he (Richard Ashcroft) promised, had become the greatest band in the world. ...The Verve were no longer the question mark or the cliché. They were the statement and the definition."^[26] By November the band released "Lucky Man" in the UK and reached number 7.^[24] At the 1998 Brit Awards in February, The Verve won the awards for Best British Group and Best British Album (Urban Hymns).^[27] The band's singles were given extensive airplay on US rock stations and Ashcroft, and band mates, appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine in March 1998.^[4] Then, as the band was on a successful tour to promote the album, Jones collapsed on stage. This was the first of many problems to come for the band in the next months. In 1998, McCabe, Tong, Jones and drummer Leon Parr formerly with Mr. So & So and Mosque were commissioned for a soundtrack for a Jonny Lee Miller film which was recorded in Kilburn. These never made it to the final film due to delays on their part. At the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards, "Bitter Sweet Symphony" was nominated for Video of the Year, Best Group Video, and Best Alternative Video.^[28]

On 24 May of that year, the band played a homecoming concert in front of 33,000 fans in the grounds of Haigh Hall & Country Park, Aspull, supported by Beck and John Martyn. The band then played gigs in mainland Europe. However, on 7 June a post-show bust-up at Düsseldorf-Philipshalle left McCabe with a broken hand and Ashcroft with a sore jaw. After this, McCabe decided he could not tolerate the pressures of life on the road any longer and pulled out of the tour, leaving the band's future in jeopardy, with rumours of disbandment circulating in the press.

Despite this, the band continued with established session guitarist B. J. Cole replacing McCabe. McCabe's guitar work was heavily sampled and triggered on stage. The band played another American tour, which was riddled with problems as venues were downsized^[29] and the support act Massive Attack dropped out.^[30] The band then returned to England for two headline performances at the V Festivals, which received poor reviews, with NME stating "where songs used to spiral upwards and outwards, they now simply fizzle tamely."^[31] In February 1999, "Bitter Sweet Symphony" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song.^[32] The Verve played their last gig at Slane Castle in Ireland on 29 August. A long period of inactivity followed. Finally, in April 1999, it was announced that The Verve had split up.^[33]

Post-breakup activities (2000–2006)[link]

By the time the band had split, Ashcroft had already been working on solo material accompanied by, among others, Salisbury and Cole. In 2000, he released his first solo album, Alone with Everybody, which reached number 1 in the UK album charts.^[24] Ashcroft's next album Human Conditions was released to less positive reviews and poorer sales in 2002, and Ashcroft was subsequently absent from the music business for several years. During this time Salisbury was the drummer for Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's UK tour in 2004, after their original drummer briefly left due to alcohol and drug abuse. Salisbury also owns a drum shop in Stockport. Ashcroft appeared with Coldplay at Live 8 in 2005, followed by the release of Keys to the World in 2006 and a particularly successful tour that included gigs as the support act for Coldplay's Twisted Logic Tour.

Tong and Jones formed a new group called The Shining, which initially included former Stone Roses guitarist John Squire; however Squire left the band before recording and touring had begun. The band released one album, True Skies, before disbanding in 2003. Jones went on to join the band of Irish artist Cathy Davey. Tong appeared as a live replacement for ex-guitarist Graham Coxon in Blur, and as additional guitarist for Gorillaz (both Jones and Tong played guitar for Demon Days Live). Tong is also a member of an unnamed supergroup formed by Damon Albarn of Blur which released its first album The Good, the Bad & the Queen in January 2007. McCabe worked in different projects like the London-based Neotropic project and played with some established artists, including John Martyn, Leeds-based band The Music, The Beta Band and Faultline.

The Verve's members sometimes expressed bitter sentiments about the band's later years. In his only interview after the split, McCabe said of Urban Hymns: "By the time I got my parts in there it's not really a music fan's record. It just sits nicely next to the Oasis record",^[34] though conceding, "I'm not going to say it was bad. I mean, we were good as far as pop goes".^[34] During his solo career, Ashcroft expressed regret at having asked McCabe to return for the album instead of releasing it under his own name, saying: "Imagine being the guy that's written an album on his own, bottles it near the end, feels like there's unfinished business, rings Nick McCabe up who adds some guitars, puts it out as The Verve and the same problems arise again. Imagine being that mug. I've now got to rewrite history. Everyone thinks those songs are somehow associated with another bunch of people that I'm not with now".^[35] Jones claimed that "The Verve were going off in a direction of strings and ballads, and that's not where I was coming from at all. Loud guitars is it for me",^[36] though noting that this was not why the band split up.^[37]

[edit] Reunion and Forth (2007–2008)

The Verve performing in Greenwich, London on 13 December 2007.

Ashcroft had been adamant that The Verve would not reform, once remarking: "You're more likely to get all four Beatles on stage".^[38] However, after Ashcroft learned that Salisbury was in contact with McCabe over a possible side project, Ashcroft contacted McCabe and Jones, making peace with them, and the band reformed. Tong was not asked to rejoin, so as to keep the internal issues that split the band up a decade ago to an absolute minimum. Jones explained this decision by stating: "It would have been too hard, it's hard enough for the four of us. If you bring more people to it, it's harder to communicate and communication has always been our difficulty".^[39] On 26 June 2007, the band's reunion was announced by Jo Whiley on BBC Radio 1. The band, reuniting in their original line-up, announced they would tour in November 2007, and release an album in 2008. The band stated: "We are getting back together for the joy of music",^[40] though they turned down a multi-album deal offer "because the "treadmill" of releasing albums and touring marked the beginning of the end for the band a decade ago".^[41]

Tickets for their six-gig tour in early November 2007 sold out in less than 20 minutes. The tour began in Glasgow on 2 November, and included 6 performances at the Carling Academy Glasgow, The Empress Ballroom and the London Roundhouse.^[42] Since the 6-gig tour went extremely well in sales, the band booked a second, and bigger tour for December. They played at O2 arena, the SECC in Glasgow, the Odyssey in Belfast, the Nottingham Arena and Manchester Central. Each show from the first and second part of the tour were sold out immediately. The band continued touring in 2008. They played at most of the biggest summer festivals and a few headline shows all over North America, Europe, Japan and the UK between April and August. Including shows at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, also at the Madison Square Garden Theater, and the Pinkpop festival, T in the Park, the V Festival, Oxegen Festival, Rock Werchter, Rock am Ring and Rock im Park and The Eden Project Sessions.^{[43][44][45][46][47]}

The Verve at Pinkpop, Netherlands in 2008.

The band's new single, "Love Is Noise", was premiered by Zane Lowe on BBC Radio 1 on 23 June.^[48] They performed at the coveted Sunday night slot on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury on 29 June, closing the show with the new song. The Verve released a free download of a non-album track, "Mover", on 30 June. The song had been performed by the band in 1994, but had never seen a proper recording until the reunion. The track was available for download from their official website for one week only.

The band announced the new album's title: Forth, which was released in the UK on 25 August and the following day in North America. The album reached #1 on the UK Albums Chart on 31 August. The lead single "Love Is Noise" was released in the UK on 3 August digitally and one week later (11 August) on its physical form, peaking at #4 in the UK.^[49] The song was a moderate success in Europe, charting at #16 in the European chart (with 6 weeks in the Top 20). "Rather Be", the second single from the album, was released in November 2008 but did not become as successful as "Love Is Noise" was, peaking at number 56 on the UK Singles Chart.

The Verve on holiday (2009–present)[link]

In August 2009 The Guardian speculated that The Verve have broken up for a third time,^[50] with Jones and McCabe no longer speaking to Ashcroft as they felt he was using the reunion as a vehicle to get his solo career on track.^[50] Being asked about the supposed split, Ashcroft told The Daily Telegraph, "I can confirm we did what we set out to do [...] Right now there are no plans to be doing anything in the near future."^[7]

McCabe and Jones have since started their own project, The Black Ships, along with electric violinist and arranger Davide Rossi and drummer Mig Schillace.^[50][51] Nick McCabe says "The Verve seems to be on holiday" on his MySpace page.

On July 7, 2010 Ashcroft confirmed that the band "is over for good",^[52] though some weeks later did not rule out another Verve reunion.^[53]

Band members[link]

Official members[link]

• Richard Ashcroft – lead and backing vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards, bass, percussion (1990–1995, 1996–1999, 2007–2009)
• Nick McCabe – lead guitar, piano, keyboards, accordion (1990–1995, 1997–1998, 2007–2009)
• Simon Jones – bass, keyboards, backing vocals (1990–1995, 1996–1999, 2007–2009)
• Peter Salisbury – drums, percussion (1990–1995, 1996–1999, 2007–2009)
• Simon Tong – guitar, keyboards (1996–1999)

Live or session members[link]

• Bernard Butler – lead guitar (1996) (Session member, considered for becoming a full time member before McCabe returned to the band to record Urban Hymns)
• B. J. Cole – lead guitar (1998) (Live member in the final months of 1998 after McCabe's second quit)

Discography[link]

• A Storm in Heaven (1993)
• A Northern Soul (1995)
• Urban Hymns (1997)
• Forth (2008)

Legacy[link]

After The Verve split in 1999, many of their songs have been covered or reinterpreted in recent years, such as in these examples:

• Limp Bizkit created a mashup of "Bitter Sweet Symphony" on their Greatest Hitz album.
• Singer/songwriter Ben Harper covered the song "The Drugs Don't Work" in a live show, which is found on the live album Live From Mars.
• The string section of "Bitter Sweet Symphony" has been sampled by artists such as Madonna and Kanye West in live concerts.
• Moby has created a remix of the song "Bitter Sweet Symphony".^[54]
• In the movie Cruel Intentions, "Bitter Sweet Symphony" is played at the final scene.
• The music video for "Bitter Sweet Symphony" was parodied by Fat Les for the 1998 World Cup song "Vindaloo".
• Also notably Vernon Kay is a big fan of The Verve, and conducted his last interview on T4 with Richard Ashcroft.
• Noel Gallagher of Oasis has covered "Bitter Sweet Symphony" on a few occasions, most recently on the 2006 Acoustic Stop The Clocks Tour. Also, the song "Cast No Shadow" was written as a homage to Richard Ashcroft, who in turn wrote "A Northern Soul" from the band's second album for Noel Gallagher.
• Both "Lucky Man" and "Rather Be" are featured in the film Marley & Me.
• "Lucky Man" is featured in the 2004 film The Girl Next Door.
• "Slide Away" is featured in the film The New Age, during the jacuzzi/party scene, and has also been featured in the House M.D. episode "Ugly".
• "Star Sail", the opening track of A Storm In Heaven, is featured in the 1993 film Sliver and is featured on the Virgin Records US release of the soundtrack.
• "Appalachian Springs" is featured in season 4, episode 19 of the show The Unit.
• "Lucky Man" is featured in the 6th season premiere of HBO's Entourage.
• In 2009, Bitter Sweet Symphony was voted number # 14 in Triple Js Hottest 100 of all time.^[55]
• "One Day" and "The Drugs Don't Work" are played on BBC Two comedy-drama Home Time.
• Three Days Grace's Adam Gontier did an Acoustic Cover of The Verve's "The Drugs Don't Work"

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• The Verve on Myspace
• The Verve at the Internet Movie Database

The Verve Pipe is an American rock band from East Lansing, Michigan. It was formed in 1992 by Brian and Brad Vander Ark, Brian Stout and Donny Brown.^[2]

History[link]

In November 1992, working with producer/engineer Jonathan Frazer, they released their first album, I've Suffered a Head Injury. The original 10-song version of the CD is no longer available. A 7-song version, without the original recording of "The Freshmen" was later released as an EP. The band, known for its energetic live performances, built strong followings during its early years, especially in the college towns of Kalamazoo and East Lansing.

In the fall of 1993, the band released a second album, Pop Smear again working with Frazer that helped them gain a devoted following in their native state of Michigan and their eventual signing with RCA Records in 1995. A.J. Dunning replaced Stout on guitar for the recording of Pop Smear and remained in the band for their three RCA records. This album featured the popular tracks "Spoonful of Sugar" and "Victoria".

Their first major label release was 1996's Villains, which was a minor hit and launched two respectably selling singles, first "Photograph" then the #5 Billboard Hot 100 hit "The Freshmen", which was their one and only hit. They came back with a new album, The Verve Pipe, in 1999. The album, however, failed to contain the commercial appeal of its predecessor.

The band's 2001 release Underneath, contained the song "Colorful", which was featured on the soundtrack of the film, Rock Star and "Happiness Is" featured on the soundtrack of the film "Joe Somebody".

On September 15, 2009, Brian Vander Ark announced on his website that the band will be releasing a new album called A Family Album in October, 2009. The band had been approached to contribute a song for a compilation album called Calling All Kids, which led to them creating an "entire album of family friendly songs". It was also noted in the announcement that a new album of rock material would follow the family album.^[3] Immediately after the release of the family album, the band undertook a series of small-venue performances, mostly around Michigan and the East Coast.^[4]

Timeline[link]

 id:Lead           value:green legend:Vocals,Guitar
 id:Drums          value:gray(0.4)       legend:Drums,Vocals
 id:Bass           value:blue legend:Bass
 id:Guitar         value:red legend:Guitar
 id:Keyboard       value:yellow        legend:Keyboards
 id:Harmonica      value:orange legend:Harmonica
 id:Lines          value:black     legend:Albums
 id:grid1          value:gray(0.3)
 id:Tours          value:gray(0.5)

 at:11/19/1992 color:black layer:back
 at:12/09/1993 color:black layer:back
 at:03/26/1996 color:black layer:back
 at:07/27/1999 color:black layer:back
 at:09/25/2001 color:black layer:back
 at:12/18/2007 color:black layer:back
 at:10/06/2009 color:black layer:back

 bar:BVA text:"Brian Vander Ark"
 bar:DB text:"Donny Brown"
 bar:BVA2 text:"Brad Vander Ark"
 bar:BS text:"Brian Stout"
 bar:AJD text:"AJ Dunning"
 bar:DC text:"Doug Corella"
 bar:CG text:"Craig Griffith"
 bar:JF text:"Joel Ferguson"
 bar:DM text:"Dan Matheny"
 bar:JC text:"John Connors"
 bar:LM text:"Lou Musa"
 bar:RS text:"Randy Sly"
 bar:AR text:"Andy Reed"

 width:10 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4)
 bar:BVA from:01/01/1992 till:end color:Lead
 bar:DB from:01/01/1992 till:end color:Drums
 bar:BVA2 from:01/01/1992 till:08/01/2001 color:Bass
 bar:BS from:01/01/1992 till:03/31/1993 color:Guitar
 bar:AJD from:04/01/1993 till:05/31/2002 color:Guitar
 bar:AJD from:08/01/2008 till:04/17/2009 color:Guitar
 bar:DC from:01/01/1994 till:02/01/2010 color:Keyboard
 bar:CG from:01/01/2002 till:end color:Harmonica 
 bar:JF from:01/04/2001 till:12/31/2007 color:Bass
 bar:DM from:06/01/2002 till:06/30/2008 color:Guitar
 bar:JC from:06/01/2005 till:08/26/2010 color:Bass
 bar:LM from:04/30/2009 till:end color:Guitar
 bar:RS from:02/01/2010 till:end color:Keyboard
 bar:AR from:09/01/2010 till:end color:Bass

Discography[link]

Studio albums

• Pop Smear (December 1993)
• Villains (March 1996) #24 U.S. RIAA Platinum
• The Verve Pipe (July 1999) #158 U.S.
• Underneath (September 2001)
• A Family Album (October 2009)^[2]

EPs

• I've Suffered a Head Injury (November 19, 1992)^[2]
• A Homemade Holiday (December 18, 2007)

Compilation albums

• Platinum & Gold Collection (March 2004)
• Super Hits (2007)

Singles[link]

^[2]

Compilation appearances[link]

• Yikes! Records: So This Is East Lansing Vol. 1 - "Spoonful of Sugar" (original mix) (1993)
• Aware Vol. 2 - "Spoonful of Sugar" and "What You Wanted" (1994)
• Jensen International Sampler - "Spoonful Of Sugar"
• Westwood One Entertainment Play Station Sampler (PSX)- "Drive You Mild" (remix) (1995)
• Yikes! Records Vol. 5...So This is a Compilation...Best of Michigan - "Blue Beret" (XTC) (1995)
• A Testimonial Dinner — The Songs of XTC - "Wake Up!" (XTC) (Thirsty Ear Records) (1995)
• CMJ New Music Monthly Sampler - "Photograph" (1996)
• WGRD RadioactivII - "Veneer" (live)
• EdgeFest 1996 (Dayton, Ohio) - "Photograph" (live) and "Cup Of Tea" (live)
• LAUNCH CD-ROM (vol. 8) - Interview & "Villains" (live)
• WKLQHometown Music Search III - "Villains" and "Reverend Girl" (live) (1996)
• Aris' Big Disc 3 - "Villains" and "Reverend Girl" (live) (1996)
• SuperSnax Summer '96 - "Cup Of Tea"
• SuperSnax Winter '96 - "Photograph"
• Singles Mix 1 Volume 33 - "Photograph"
• FMBQ Modern Rock Sampler 3/96 - "Photograph"
• Pulse Cuts Vol.1 - "Cup of Tea"
• Groove Wallet - "Cup of Tea"
• Album Network's Rock Tune-Up #151 1996 - "Cup Of Tea"
• Virtually Alternative 70 - "Cup Of Tea"
• Virtually Alternative - "Villains"
• 81 Disc A - "Villains"
• RCA Summer/Fall 1996 Sampler - "The Freshmen" (album version) and "Penny is Poison"
• FMBQ Vol. 25 Morning Sickness '96 - "The Freshmen" (mix 1) and "The Freshmen" (album edit)
• All-Star Cover Songs 4/28/97 - "Strawberry Fields" (live)
• Hit Zone (BMG) - "The Freshmen"
• Hits Post Modern Syndrome - "The Freshmen"
• Airwalk Sno-Core Tour '97 - "The Freshmen"
• WBCN Naked Disc - "The Freshmen" (acoustic live in studio performance) (1997)
• WGRD RadioActiv3 - "Cup of Tea" (acoustic live in studio performance) (1997)
• KNDD The End Sessions - "The Freshmen" (acoustic live in studio performance)
• Sam Goody/Musicland Class Of '97 - A Year In Review Sampler - "Photograph"
• MuchMusic Big Shiny Tunes Vol. 2 - "The Freshmen"
• Y-100FM Sonic Sessions - "The Freshmen" (live in studio performance) (1997)
• Sweet Digizine CD-ROM Vol. 1, Issue 2 (retail version)
• Great Expectations (soundtrack) - "Her Ornament" (1998)
• MTV 120 Minutes Live - "Villains" (live) (1998)
• The Avengers (soundtrack) - "Blow You Away" (1998)
• Clay Pigeons (soundtrack) - "1229 Sheffield" (1998)
• Best Of Rockline - "Drive You Mild" (live in studio performance) (1999)
• Rock Star (soundtrack) - "Colorful" (2001)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• The Verve Pipe on Myspace
• Brian Vander Ark's official website
• Brian Vander Ark on Myspace
• The Verve Pipe collection at the Internet Archive's live music archive

Jay Brannan
Brannan performs in Edinburgh, Scotland, in August 2008
Background information
Born	(1982-03-29) March 29, 1982 (age 30)[1]
Occupations	singer-songwriter
Instruments	singing, guitar
Years active	2006–present
Labels	Great Depression Records Nettwerk[2]
Website	jaybrannan.com

Jay Brannan (born March 29, 1982) is an American singer-songwriter and actor. He was born in Texas and briefly studied in Ohio, but moved to California to become an actor. Brannan appeared in the 2006 movie Shortbus, which included one of his songs in its soundtrack, and began to build a fan base by performing on YouTube. He released an EP and acted in Holding Trevor in 2007. Since then, he has toured and released two albums.

Early life and career[link]

Brannan was born 1982 in Texas in a middle-class family and grew up as the son of a petroleum engineer and a teacher.^[3][4][5] He described his family as conservative Baptists and discussed their difficulty with accepting his homosexuality.^[6][7] Brannan went to college for one semester in Cincinnati, Ohio, and went to California, first to Palm Springs and later to Los Angeles, trying to become an actor.^[3][5] In 2002, he was shown a casting notice and, after the end of a relationship, moved to New York City and submitted an audition tape.^[3]

Brannan was cast in 2003 for the movie Shortbus, which featured him in an explicit sex scene, and worked as a proofreader and in other jobs to support himself.^[8] He contributed the song "Soda Shop" to the film's soundtrack, which he stated was his "first professionally recorded track".^[8] The song was also released on Team Love Records.^[9] Brannan began to record sparse music videos for YouTube, accompanying himself on the guitar, and built an international fan base without corporate sponsorship, using MySpace and Blogspot.^[10][11] In 2007, he appeared in the movie Holding Trevor as the promiscuous best friend of the protagonist, and released a limited-edition EP with fours songs named disasterpiece or Unmastered, adding two additional songs for a 2008 re-release.^[4][12]

In July 2008, Brannan released the album Goddamned through his own label, Great Depression Records, and toured ten dates, a departure from his previous practice of short tours of about four concerts.^[10][13] The same year, Brannan left his proofreading job and sustained himself with earnings from concerts and merchandise.^[11] His second album, In Living Cover, was released in 2009 and reached number ten on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart for the week of July 25, 2009.^[14] Brannan promoted the album in an interview on ABC News's Now in July 2009.^[15]

Style[link]

Jay Brannan in Hamburg, Germany, in 2009

Brannan is a tenor.^[3] Allmusic described his style as contemporary singer-songwriter and compared him to female artists, including Ani DiFranco, Lisa Loeb, Sinéad O'Connor, and Liz Phair.^[4] Goddamned was described as lo-fi and Brannan compared his concerts to intimate performances in his home.^[11][16] He has performed with Terra Naomi and both were compared in style and described as performing indie folk.^[16] The New York Times stated in 2006 that Brannan was sometimes compared to singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright and that Brannan saw himself as echoing the angry and sad sound of female singers like Tracy Chapman and Joni Mitchell.^[3]

Discography[link]

EPs

• Unmastered (aka disasterpiece) (2007, re-released 2008 with additional tracks)

Albums

• Goddamned (2008)
• In Living Cover (2009)
• Rob Me Blind (2012)^[17]

Songs

• "Soda Shop" (track on the 2006 Shortbus soundtrack)
• "Lower My Gun" (track on the 2008 Holding Trevor soundtrack)
• "My Love, My Love" and "Takeoff" (two tracks on the 2011 Cloudburst soundtrack)^[18]

Filmography[link]

• Shortbus as Ceth (2006)
• Holding Trevor as Jake (2007)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jay Brannan

• jaybrannan.com. Official website.
• Jay Brannan's channel on YouTube
• Jay Brannan at Allmusic
• Jay Brannan at the Internet Movie Database
• Jay Brannan at AllRovi
• Works by or about Jay Brannan in libraries (WorldCat catalog)

Trent Richardson

Richardson rushing towards the end zone in the 2011 season opener vs. Kent State.
No. 33     Cleveland Browns
Running Back
Personal information
Date of birth: (1991-07-10) July 10, 1991 (age 20)
Place of birth: Pensacola, Florida
Height: 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) Weight: 228 lb (103 kg)
Career information
High school: Pensacola (FL) Escambia
College: Alabama
NFL Draft: 2012 / Round: 1 / Pick: 3
No regular season or postseason appearances
Career history
Cleveland Browns (2012–present)
Roster status: Unsigned draft pick
Career highlights and awards
BCS National Championship (2010, 2012) Unanimous All-American (2011) Doak Walker Award (2011) SEC Offensive Player of the Year (2011) First-team All-SEC (2010, 2011) SEC Championship (2009) SEC All-Freshman Team (2009)
Career NFL statistics as of 2012
Rushing Yards 0 Rushing Average 0.0 Rushing TDs 0 Stats at NFL.com

Trent Richardson (born July 10, 1991) is an American football running back for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Alabama, was recognized as an All-American, and was a member of two BCS National Championship teams. The Cleveland Browns traded up one spot to select him with the third overall pick of the 2012 NFL Draft.^[1] He has been dubbed perhaps the best running back out of the college ranks since Adrian Peterson.^[2][3]

Early years[link]

Richardson was born in Pensacola, Florida. He attended Escambia High School in Pensacola, where he finished his senior season with 2,090 yards on 228 carries scoring 25 touchdowns. In a game against Milton High School in September 2008, Richardson rushed for 419 yards on 29 carries and scored six touchdowns, a performance that earned him a selection as the first ESPN RISE National Football Player of the Week.^[4]

As a junior, Richardson also reached the 400-yard plateau, as he ran for 407 yards in his opening game against Tate High School. He finished his junior season (8 games) with 1,390 yards and 13 touchdowns, and received FSWA All-State 5A second team honors. He sat out his sophomore year due to an injury.

He made the FSWA 5A All-State First Team as a senior, and was named 5A Florida Player of the Year and a finalist for the 2008 Mr. Football. Richardson also received consensus All-American honors and was named to the Orlando Sentinel′s All Southern Team (Florida).

Richardson is frequently compared to Emmitt Smith, who also starred at Escambia (1987 graduate), but his physique and running style are more similar to Earl Campbell.^[5] Richardson also drew comparisons to Michael Turner and O.J. Simpson.^[6] Considered a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, Richardson was listed as the No. 2 running back prospect in the nation (behind only Bryce Brown).^[7] He chose Alabama over Florida, Florida State, and LSU, among others.

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	40‡	Commit date
Trent Richardson RB	Pensacola, Florida	Escambia HS	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	4.5	Jun 2, 2008
	Scout:   Rivals:   ESPN grade: 91
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 2 (RB)   Rivals: 2 (RB)  ESPN: 1 (RB)
Note: In many cases, Scout and Rivals may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, an average of the two was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Alabama Football Commitments". Rivals.com. http://rivals.yahoo.com/footballrecruiting/football/recruiting/commitments/2009/alabama-73. Retrieved 2011-12-13.  "2009 Alabama Football Commits". Scout.com. http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=14&p=9&c=8&yr=2009. Retrieved 2011-12-13.  "ESPN". ESPN.com. http://espn.go.com/college-football/recruiting/school/_/id/333/class/2009. Retrieved 2011-12-13.  "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=14&p=9&c=14&yr=2009. Retrieved 2011-12-13.  "2009 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. http://www.rivals.com/TeamRank.asp?type=0&sort=0&year=2009. Retrieved 2011-12-13.

College career[link]

2009[link]

In his first year at Alabama, Richardson stepped in quickly for the departed Glen Coffee, and shared time at the tailback position with Roy Upchurch and Mark Ingram, Jr.^[8] When recruited, Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban called Richardson, "the real key to the class," and "an outstanding player at a position that a young player can contribute next year."^[9]

Richardson was named SEC Freshman of the Week for Week 2 ^[10] and Week 4.^[11] Richardson was also named to the 2009 SEC All-Freshman team alongside Barrett Jones and Nico Johnson.^[12] He also contributed significantly in the 2010 BCS National Championship with 109 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns.^[13] For the season he had 145 carries for 751 yards rushing and 8 touchdowns.^[14] He also had 126 yards receiving on the season.^[14]

2010[link]

Richardson started the first two games of the season with Mark Ingram sitting out due to an injury. In the season opener, he had 10 carries for 66 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also had 3 receptions for 46 yards. The following week against Penn State, he ran for a career-high 144 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown. He also had 4 catches for 46 yards. Trent was named Co-SEC Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts.^[15]

For the season he had 112 carries for 700 yards rushing and 6 touchdowns and 266 yards receiving and 4 touchdowns.^[16] Richardson also has 634 kick return yards with a touchdown.^[16]

2011[link]

With the departure of Mark Ingram to the NFL, Richardson took over the starting role at running back. During the season Trent ran for over 100 yards in nine games. He tied Shaun Alexander with six consecutive 100 yard rushing games. He scored two or more touchdowns in seven games. He set a career high against Ole Miss running for 183 yards and four touchdowns. In the Iron Bowl, Trent ran for a new career high of 203 yards. He won the Doak Walker Award becoming the first player from Alabama to win.^[17] He finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting behind eventual winner Robert Griffin III and Andrew Luck.^[18] In the 2012 BCS National Championship Game, Richardson rushed for 96 yards and a touchdown to secure his second national championship with the Crimson Tide.^[19]

For the season Trent had 1,679 rushing yards, breaking Mark Ingram's record for most rushing yards in a season, and 21 touchdowns.^[20] He also had 338 receiving yards with three touchdowns.^[20] On January 12, 2012, Richardson declared for the 2012 NFL Draft, thus forgoing his final year of collegiate eligibility.^[21] At the time of his announcement, he was projected as a first round pick and the top running back prospect in the draft.^[21]

College career statistics[link]

Professional career[link]

2012 NFL Draft[link]

Entering his junior season, Richardson was consensually regarded as the best running back available in the 2012 NFL Draft, projected to go as high as the No. 4 pick.^[22][23][24] His strong performance on the field, replacing Mark Ingram, solidified his status. In October 2011, Sports Illustrated′s Tony Pauline ranked him as the No. 3 prospect on his midseason draft board, noting his "outstanding combination of quickness, power and speed."^[25] After undergoing a minor knee surgery in February 2012, Richardson did not participate in drills at the 2012 NFL Combine.^[26] He later also decided to skip workouts at the Alabama Pro Day on March 7.^[27] Richardson held his own Pro Day on March 27.^[28]

In March 2012, Richardson was widely projected to be a top-6 draft choice,^[30][31][32] with the Cleveland Browns, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and St. Louis Rams rumored to be most interested in selecting him.^[33][34] Former Colts vice chairman Bill Polian called one of the "three sure-thing players" in the 2012 draft.^[35]

Richardson was eventually selected third overall by the Cleveland Browns, after they had traded picks with the Minnesota Vikings to prevent the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from doing the same transaction. Richardson is the highest selected running back since Reggie Bush in 2006.

Personal[link]

Richardson has two daughters who are three and five years old.^[36]

On April 13, 2012, he took leukemia survivor Courtney Alvis to her senior prom at Hueytown High School.^[37]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Cleveland Browns bio
• Alabama Crimson Tide bio
• Highlights of Trent Richardson by Takkle on YouTube