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Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties

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Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties is the solo project of The Wonder Years frontman Dan Campbell. According to the project's Facebook page, it is defined as "a character study conducted through music", with Campbell taking on the persona of Aaron West in each song's lyrics. The project's debut album, We Don't Have Each Other, was released in July 2014; a follow-up EP Bittersweet was released on May 20, 2016. Occasional singles were released by the group in-between albums. The project released its second album, entitled Routine Maintenance, on May 10, 2019. On January 10th 2024, a third album was announced named In Lieu of Flowers, set to be released on April 12th 2024.

Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties
West performing in 2022
West performing in 2022
Background information
Also known asAaron West
OriginPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania,

Asbury Park, New Jersey

Brooklyn, New York City (fictional biography)
GenresFolk rock, indie rock
Years active2014 (2014)–present
LabelsHopeless Records
Members
Websitewww.aaronwestandtheroaringtwenties.com

History

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We Don't Have Each Other (2014–15)

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Main article: We Don't Have Each Other

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 is a concept record detailing the worst year of Aaron's life from start to finish. The album consists of 9 original songs and 1 cover song, "Going to Georgia" by The Mountain Goats. Campbell is said to have added the song to the album not because the song continued the story, but simply because he liked the song.

Bittersweet and Orchard Park (2016–18)

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Main article: Bittersweet (Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties EP)

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]

"Orchard Park" was released on October 5, 2017 as a non-album single. The song visualizes Aaron driving with his mother to spread his father's ashes at Orchard Park.

Routine Maintenance and live album (2019–20)

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Main article: Routine Maintenance (album)

The project's second LP, titled Routine Maintenance, was officially announced on March 18, 2019 and was given a projected release date of May 10.[11]

In January 2020, Campbell announced a UK tour that was scheduled to begin in May of that year.[12] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tour was rescheduled for August 2021 but later cancelled and rebooked for May 2022.[13] When the tour happened in 2022, Nick caught COVID-19 after 4 shows which resulted in the band except Dan to go home resulting in the remaining 3 shows to be solo shows.

On July 31, 2020, the project released Live From Asbury Park, created from recordings of two December 2019 live performances.[14]

In Lieu of Flowers (2024–present)

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The project's third LP, titled In Lieu of Flowers, was officially announced on the projects Facebook page on January 11th, 2024 and given a projected release date of April 12th. On January 24th the project announced a tour spanning the United States and the United Kingdom, with a record release show on April 11th in Asbury Park, NJ.[15][16]

Style and influences

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Timothy Monger of AllMusic wrote that the project "blended the passion and aggression of pop punk with more of an Americana and roots aesthetic."[17]

Campbell said in an interview with Rock Sound that he was inspired by The Mountain Goats' All Hail West Texas and The Weakerthans' Reunion Tour, and the artists' ability to create "such real, whole characters that I found myself invested in their lives and their stories."[18]

Discography

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Studio albums

List of studio albums
Title Album details Peak chart
positions
US
[19]
We Don't Have Each Other 101
Routine Maintenance
  • Released: May 10, 2019
  • Label: Hopeless
  • Format: CD, DL, LP
 —
In Lieu of Flowers
  • Released: April 12, 2024
  • Label: Hopeless
  • Format: CD, DL, LP
 TBA

Extended plays

List of extended plays
Title Album details
Bittersweet
  • Released: May 20, 2016
  • Label: Hopeless
  • Format: DL, 7" vinyl

Live albums

List of live albums
Title Album details
Live From Asbury Park
  • Released: July 31, 2020
  • Label: Hopeless
  • Format: DL, LP

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"[20] 2016 Bittersweet
"Orchard Park"[21] 2017 Non-album single
"Runnin' Toward the Light"[22] 2019 Routine Maintenance
"Just Sign the Papers"[23]
"Bury Me Anywhere Else"[24]
"In Lieu of Flowers"[25] 2024 In Lieu of Flowers

References

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  1. ^ a b c Rock Sound (May 23, 2014). "The Wonder Years' Dan Campbell Announces Side-Project". Rock Sound Magazine. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
  2. ^ Anthony, David (10 June 2014). "Aaron West And The Roaring Twenties take a southern approach to divorce in new video". A.V. Club. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  3. ^ a b "You Ain't No Saint - Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties - Release Information, Reviews and Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  4. ^ a b "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 (4 July 2014). "Aaron West And The Roaring Twenties - We Don't Have Each Other". Alternative Press. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  7. ^ Payne, Chris (19 November 2014). "Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties (Wonder Years' Dan Campbell) Premieres 'Our Apartment' Video (Exclusive)". Billboard. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  8. ^ Sharp, Tyler (5 March 2015). "Acoustic Basement performers announced for Warped Tour 2015". Alternative Press. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  9. ^ a b 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"". Internet Archive. Archived from the original on 10 October 2016. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  11. ^ "Aaron West & the Roaring Twenties announce new album & tour". BrooklynVegan. 18 March 2019. Retrieved 2019-03-18.
  12. ^ Wilson-Taylor, James (29 January 2020). "Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties have announced a UK tour". Rock Sound. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
  13. ^ Dan Campbell [@ThisIsAaronWest] (August 26, 2020). "We aren't giving up on bringing the full band AW20 experience to the UK!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  14. ^ Jay, Melannie (22 July 2020). "Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties release bonus cover of Springsteen's "Thunder Road"". The Key. WXPN. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
  15. ^ "Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2024-03-06.
  16. ^ Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties - In Lieu Of Flowers (Official Visual), 11 January 2024, retrieved 2024-03-06
  17. ^ Monger, Timothy. "Aaron West & the Roaring Twenties | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  18. ^ "The Wonder Years' Dan Campbell Announces Side-Project". Rock Sound. 23 May 2014. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  19. ^ "Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties - Chart history (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 17, 2015.
  20. ^ "'67, Cherry Red (2016) | Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties". 7digital. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  21. ^ "Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties "Orchard Park" 7" Flexi – Cold Cuts Merch". Archived from the original on 2017-10-11. Retrieved 2017-10-10.
  22. ^ "Dan Campbell on the next chapter of Aaron West and The Roaring Twenties". Radio 104.5.
  23. ^ LaPlante, Brad (17 April 2019). "Listen To A New Aaron West Song, "Just Sign The Papers"". Substream Magazine. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
  24. ^ "9 New Songs Out Today". BrooklynVegan. 6 May 2019. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
  25. ^ Carter, Emily (12 January 2024). "Aaron West And The Roaring Twenties announce new album, In Lieu Of Flowers". Kerrang!. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
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