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| About
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Throughout all of The Rocket Summer records, one thing
remains constant: the vision. "Hope is a huge part
of this and I want people to feel connected to that,"
Avary says.
That attitude remains for Do You Feel, the first album
The Rocket Summer recorded for Island Records. Avary recruited
producer Jim Wirt (Incubus, Jack's Mannequin) to co-produce
the release with him. "I actually didn't know much
about him at first," Avary admits. "But then
I heard some of the records he did, and I realized how
good he was with mixing things like piano and heavy guitars.
Plus, he's so positive and gets really excited about music."
He laughs. "And he's not a jerk."
As with Avary's past work, Do You Feel is full of guitar-fueled
power pop, piano-laced ballads and big, big choruses.
The horn-driven "So Much Love," the first single,
marks a bit of a departure, and one of the rare times
Avary collaborated with other musicians. "We got
the horn section from Stevie Wonder's Songs In The Key
of Life," he says. "I love that album, so it
was an honor to work with those guys."
Although many of the songs are uplifting, Avary doesn't
shy away from controversy. On "A Song is Not a Business
Plan," Avary calls out the industry and some of his
music peers for looking at music as pure commerce. "It
is one of the few bitter songs on the record," he
admits. "I wrote it the day we had to cancel our
whole Canadian tour because my van died - it was one of
those days where I felt beat-down, working hard for what
we believed in, yet still sitting there, broke down and
smoking at the side of the highway! I got over it, but
it felt good to get it out. I think the bottom line is
to stay true, even if it means I'll stay in the van a
little longer. It'll all work out."
In addition to expressing himself with words, Avary is
committed to action. He is passionate about the charities
Invisible Children (www.invisiblechildren.com) and To
Write Love On Her Arms (www.twloha.com).
There's no denying that he's on his way to making a difference
in the music world. "I do think there's something
special about The Rocket Summer, something people can
feel connected to," he says. "I hope, if you
come see the band, that you come away from it feeling
connected and accepted in a way you haven't before..."
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| Texas
Real Estate - Allen Sirken |
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| Band
Multimedia: |
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Official
Site
MySpace
"So Much Love"
Windows
Media - High
Windows
Media - Low
Real
Media - High
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| Rocket
Summer's Debut: |
| Are you ready
for The Rocket Summer? Bryce Avary is the mastermind behind
The Rocket Summer's major label debut, Do You Feel. The album,
full of rock guitars, sunny pop, and a cavalcade of pianos,
is entirely written and performed by Avary. |
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| Frontman
Bryce Avary: |
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"There's a common theme on this record,"
says Bryce Avary, the frontman, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist
behind The Rocket Summer. "Wanting to do greater things
for the world, and not just trying to be a rock'n'roll star.
I think we all have that desire but our issues and daily
life get in the way. These songs are about trying to overcome
that."
Talk with Avary for even five minutes and you'll discover
a young man who is the complete opposite of today's rock
star. He's confident but humble. His attitude is undeniably
positive in a genre that perpetuates misery and self-loathing.
And he sees the bigger picture - who he is now, what it
took to get there and where he wants to go.
He's also freakishly talented. Do You Feel, his third full-length
record and first major label release, is similar to his
previous work in that he wrote and performed the entire
album himself . It's rock guitars, sunny pop and a cavalcade
of pianos. It is also possibly the most energetic and upbeat
album you'll hear all year.
The ambition and drive that's so apparent on the record
have always been a part of Avary's personality. The Texas
native initially fell in love with music around the age
of 12. "Originally, all I listened to was bands like
Superchunk and Built To Spill, indie rock. Over time, I
found myself just loving anything that's a well-written
song, anything that touched my soul. It could be indie,
Brit-rock, country, it didn't matter.
"Growing up, I was kind of a nerd, so I had a lot
of time on my hands," he says, laughing. "So I
got sort of obsessed with different instruments." After
performing solo at a few cafes and house parties around
Dallas/Ft. Worth, Avary decided to record his first album.
There was only one problem.
"I didn't have a band at the time," he says.
"So I recorded everything on my own, but it was really
out of necessity. Which is fine: I'm kind of a freak in
the studio. I get consumed with making music, seeing songs
from beginning to end. It's probably best that no one is
in there."
So at the tender age of 16, Avary put out a self-titled
EP as The Rocket Summer. A local Dallas indie-rock radio
show, "The Adventure Club," started playing tracks
from the record, which caught the ears of indie stalwarts
The Militia Group. Two more records, Calendar Days and Hello,
Good Friend followed, along with the fans, who sing along
to every word of every song. Soon, Avary found himself headlining
mid-size concert halls.
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