Army of Freshmen, a pop punk and rock band from Ventura, California, was formed in 1997 by Chris Jay. The initial lineup included Owen Bucey on keyboards, Dan Clark on trombone, Aaron Goldberg on trumpet, Mike Rini on drums, and One Nielsen on bass, among others. The band's debut album, The Army of Freshmen, was released in 2001 under Blue Hand Records. At the end of 2002, Nielsen left and was replaced by Kai Dodson. Their second album, Beg, Borrow, Steal (2004), featured the single "Get Um Up", which reached top 20 on U.S. Alternative radio specialty charts. Army of Freshmen co-founded the annual Get Happy Tour with Bowling for Soup in 2006 and continued to tour extensively, including performances at major festivals like Download and Warped Tour. Their subsequent albums included Above the Atmosphere (2008) and Happy to Be Alive (2012).
