Growing up, I always had mixed feelings when a band got signed to a big label. I'm sure it's out of pure selfishness of wanting them to stay obscure... as well as the fear of the band no longer upholding the DIY aspect of punk and indie rock. But I'm beginning to grow out of that mind set. Any band that works hard and tours as much as TWY deserves to be signed to a reputable label. Fortunately for them, Hopeless Records signs a modest number of bands at a time. This means that the label picks the very best musicians and has plenty of time, resources, and energy to devote to their bands in order to give them the best quality of publicity and promotions--which they deserve.
The signing of TWY is not surprising since they were recently on tour in Australia. Any band who has a large fan base in other countries just blows me away. That's when you truly know you've made it big. Your paycheck or car may not show it... but once you influence people around the world... Well, that's kinda a big deal. Don'tcha think? So, congrats to The Wonder Years. Sounds like 2010 is going to be a good year for them.
