Junior Prom: A dance tale of two contrasting instrumentalists

Who needs a full band when you can create just as big of a buzz with only two members.

After already driving more than 6,000 miles cross country to support Panic! at the Disco’s “Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die! Tour,” Junior Prom is ready for anything that comes their way.

Based out of Brooklyn, N.Y. — Erik Ratensperger and Mark Solomich met four years ago and clicked right away. After spending time together playing in another band, the two rascals decided to to part ways from the project and begin working on what would become Junior Prom.

“If you’re going to spend that much time with someone: sleeping, eating and driving together, you become pretty close to someone. We’re like brothers,” said Ratensperger in a recent interview.

Junior Prom has been together for about two years. Prior to putting out music for anyone else to hear — or playing live shows — the two spent a year writing and preparing so that they could create the sound listeners know them for today.

With an EP already under their belt, the duo’s self-titled project takes indie-dance and flirts it with pop elements; original enough to create their own lane but catchy enough that it follows the format of a traditional pop song. “Everybody’s enjoying it. Their kind of getting what we want to do,” said Solomich.

Junior Prom transcends their studio records into a stage show jam-packed with dancing, sweatiness, and letting loose. The duo’s live show bring back the memory of the high school junior prom neither of the two members attended.

“At the end of the day, we just want people to have a good time and not really worry about how cool they look at the show. We just want people to come out, dance and have a good time,” said Ratensperger.

Much like any dance party, one must always be prepared for the worst. During Junior Prom’s set in Orlando, the crowd got a to see a different side of the group’s single “Sheila Put the Knife Down.” Following a malfunction with Ratensperger’s foot pedal, Solomich acted quick on his feet and decided to perform an acoustic rendition of the track — which got the “best reaction of the night.”

Cheaper travel expenses and more legroom inside the white Dodge Caravan are just a few of the things the duo are enjoying on their road trip to stardom. Thanks to Ratensperger’s guitar and Solomich’s drumset, the two garnered a deal with Elektra Records and are putting their vision to work. As they prepare to release their debut full-length album, the band stated: “we will be coming correct with the live tour more. We are trying to put on a party where everyone to enjoy themselves.”

For those interested in everything new regarding Junior Prom, Solomich states that you should keep an eye for them online as they will be putting out stuff on there. “ I think social media is the key to keeping people intuned with what’s going on with you,” he added.

— Follow Ty on Twitter @Tru2Ty.

(Taken from March 26, 2014 issue)