The Sophomore Attempt

The Sophomore Attempt formed in late 2004 as an acoustic project by then-17 year-old Jeremiah Dunlap, and 16 year-old Stephen Massicotte. Initially, it was simply the two young musicians getting together and writing music, but by February 2005, Donnie Webb had joined as drummer, Logan Stennett as guitarist, and Kenneth Heise as bassist, and they began playing shows around their hometown of Jacksonville, Florida. In April 2005, hometown heroes, "The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus," took the young band under their wing, and started putting them on sold-out shows to crowds of over 500.

The Sophomore Attempt's career and fan-base began to take off at a rapid pace. In the summer of 2005 the band recorded their first EP "Embrace the Impact" (which featured guest vocals by Ronnie Winter of “The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus”). The 5-song EP was well-received by Jacksonville locals, and it helped TSA establish themselves as serious musicians despite their young age. In February of 2006, The Sophomore Attempt went back to the studio to record another EP titled "Keeping Up With the Competition," which featured the single "Between Empty Spaces." The song showcased the band’s more piano-driven rock sound and proved they were more than just a flash-in-the-pan local band.

After shooting a video for the song, American Eagle clothing line became interested in The Sophomore Attempt and featured the video on the store DVD, which was played daily in 800 stores nationally for the 2006 Christmas Season. In the summer of 2006 TSA won a spot on the Ernie Ball Battle of Bands Local Heroes stage at the Jacksonville Warped Tour.

Shortly after their show at Warped Tour, founding member Stephen Massicotte decided to take a different direction and was replaced by current guitarist Ian Petersen. In early 2007, Producer James Paul Wisner (producer for bands such as Dashboard Confessional, Underoath, and Paramore) expressed an interest in producing The Sophomore Attempt. By May 2007, TSA was in Orlando tracking their debut EP "Hallways." By mid-June they were finished recording and sent the album off to Sterling Sound in New York, to master what would be their first commercial release. On July 14th the CD-release show took place at Murray Hill Theatre in Jacksonville, Florida. The band sold over 400 copies of "Hallways," and played to a crowd of 500+ enthusiastic fans. While the future of The Sophomore Attempt is still in the works, one thing is certain—Jacksonville's best kept secret won't be a secret for long.