by Jason Ankeny
Modern rockers Lit formed in Orange County, CA in 1990 around frontman A. Jay Popoff, his guitarist brother Jeremy, bassist Kevin Baldes and drummer Allen Shellenberger. After years of sellout gigs at local venues like the noted Club 369 in Fullerton, in the spring of 1997 Lit issued their debut album Tripping the Light Fantastic; the record became a college radio hit and landed the group at RCA, which released A Place in the Sun two years later. The album was successful for Lit, for the mainstream caught on thanks to the catchy rock riffs of singles My Own Worst Enemy, Zip-lock and Miserable. They went on to share dates with The Offspring, No Doubt, and Garbage as well as earn a spot on the 2000 Vans Warped Tour. My Own Worst Enemy also received awards from Billboard and ASCAP, and Lit was charged. A third album, Atomic was released in fall 2001; The single Last Time Again, which was featured on the soundtrack to American Pie 2, was a moderate hit among modern rock radio stations. In 2004, Lit issued their fourth album, a self-titled effort that also marked their first release for Nitrus.