The Rocket Summer
Encyclopedia
The Rocket Summer is the solo-project of Bryce Avary who is based in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas. Avary is a multi-instrumentalist
, singer-songwriter
, and producer
. He writes and produces every song on his records, and plays every instrument on them.
He has released four studio albums and several EPs
. His most recent release, Of Men and Angels
, held the #1 Top Album spot on iTunes upon its release on February 23, 2010. In April 2008, AP Magazine called him one of "100 bands you need to know."
. He first became interested in music around the age of 12 when his father bought him his first guitar which was an imitation brand from a pawn shop for 50 dollars. Avary subsequently began teaching himself other instruments including the drums and piano. He also picked up saxophone by playing one his father had had since his high school band days.
Avary joined his first band, at the age of 14. He later joined a high school "indie rock
punk
" band inspired by Pavement
, Archers of Loaf
and Weezer
, called Charlie 27. After the band broke up, Avary began performing local acoustic shows as a teenager in Dallas
, Fort Worth
and Denton
.
short story collection The Martian Chronicles
, which his friend was reading at the time. Avary described the project as initially "just a really fun experiment." After the EP's original 1000 copies sold out, it went out of print until it was later re-released as The Early Years EP
under The Militia Group
in November 2006.
His music appeared on The Adventure Club segment of the KDGE radio station, and quickly became the most requested local band on the program that year.
, in 2003. Using a $15,000 budget, the album was recorded in Kansas
on The Militia Group.
In November 2004, Avary began working on his second album, Hello, Good Friend
. The album peaked at No. 26 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart. To promote the album, The Rocket Summer toured the US and Japan. The Rocket Summer and The Militia Group subsequently partnered with the then-new new S/R/E Recordings to release the album to Christian retail outlets in July 2005. Shortly after Hello, Good Friend was released, Avary left The Militia Group for a major record label deal.
was released in July 2007; the album reached #44 on the Billboard 200
and #16 on the Billboard Top Rock Albums charts.
The album's lead single was "So Much Love
," and was warmly received by critics for its use of horn section. The Rocket Summer released the second single "Do You Feel" and its music video on September 5, 2008. The video was co-directed and funded by Bryce Avary with director Nate Weaver. The video featured stories of people with issues such as homelessness, addiction, disease and abuse. The video also featured cameos from artists Andrew McMahon
of Jack's Mannequin
, Matt Thiessen
of Relient K
, Josh Farro and Jeremy Davis of Paramore
, Mike Herrera
of MxPx
, Forrest Kline of Hellogoodbye
, Alex Gaskarth of All Time Low
and Jonathan Cook of Forever The Sickest Kids
.
. He recorded the new album at Ocean Studios in Burbank, CA, from February to April 2009. Avary finished the record in March 2009 but had to wait for behind-the-scenes industry issues to clear. While waiting, he wrote new songs and recorded them in Austin, Texas
.
Avary mixed some of the tracks with Neal Avron and produced the album with CJ Eiriksson, who also engineered the album. To keep the record "as organic as possible," Avary minimized chopping of the drums, did not use Autotune on the vocals, and included full takes on the guitar. Avary described the album as "the most substance-filled Rocket Summer album to date." Though originally expected to be released in mid-2009 by Island Def Jam, the album was pushed to a February 2010 release date.
To hold fans over, The Rocket Summer released a digital 4-track EP entitled You Gotta Believe
in October 2009. The EP featured three tracks off the LP
Of Men and Angels
and one bonus track. The EP debuted at No. 23 on the Billboard charts for Digital Albums. The Rocket Summer's "You Gotta Believe" music video premiered on AOL
in December 2009, and featured clips of fans singing, dancing, and playing along to the tune. The video was directed by award-winning director Randy Scott Slavin. Coinciding with the EP release, The Rocket Summer began a 34-city North American tour to promote the upcoming Of Men and Angels album.
On February 23, 2010, The Rocket Summer released his fourth studio album, Of Men and Angels
. The album debuted at No. 1 on iTunes, surpassing The Black Eyed Peas'
The E.N.D.
which had previously held the No. 1 spot for Top Album. The album opened to generally positive reviews, with George Heaney of AllMusic calling the record "another fine outing from the Rocket Summer." To promote the new album, Avary performed the album's lead single "Walls" on KDFW
's Good Day Dallas and KTBC
's Good Day Austin, and held a hometown album release party at the Granada Theatre in Dallas, TX, where Matt Thiessen
of Relient K
and a contest-winning unsigned band opened. Leading up to the album debut, The Rocket Summer released the entire album for preview on The Rocket Summer MySpace on February 15, 2010, just eight days prior to the in-store release.
Preceding the album's in-store release, The Rocket Summer released the album's second single, "Hills and Valleys," on February 22, 2010.
Starting March 13, 2010, The Rocket Summer commenced a two-week tour with OneRepublic
and Goo Goo Dolls
. Avary was also scheduled to play an acoustic set at the SXSW Music + Film + Interactive Conference
in Austin, TX, on March 20, 2010. He confirmed performances at the 16th annual Vans Warped Tour 2010, opening in California the last weekend of June 2010 and running through August 15, 2010.
In March 2010, TRS was named one of Shred News's "10 Artists to Watch in 2010."
Avary was recently approached by several platinum-selling artists who have asked him to write singles for their upcoming albums. Avary co-wrote the song "Stomping The Roses" for American Idol
alum, David Archuleta
. The song appears on Archuleta's second full-length album, The Other Side Of Down, which debuted worldwide on October 5, 2010.
On Oct. 19, 2010, The Rocket Summer released a five-song digital-only EP, entitled Of Men and Angels: B-Sides, containing songs that failed to make the cut for Of Men And Angels.
Avary recently announced that he is currently writing new music for yet another album.
On May 24, 2011, Avary released an acoustic live album entitled Bryce Avary, His Instruments and Your Voices. It is available for free via The Rocket Summer's website.
, The Rocket Summer's music has developed a reputation for its positively infused sentiments, optimistic lyrics and upbeat rhythms, with emphasis on Avary's distinctive, high-pitched vocals and instrumental diversity that has drawn comparisons to Ben Folds
, the Swift
, Relient K
, Justin Timberlake
and Michael Jackson
. The Dallas Observer's
Pete Freedman wrote of this constructed image: "That's the persona he's carefully crafted—a sort of happy-go-lucky caricature of a young man willing to take the dreaded sad and sappy emo tag his music's been labeled with, turn it on its head and give it a positive message." Rick Anderson of AllMusic described his music as a range of "headlong blasts of pure power pop cheer" to "sonata
form" and ballads—all of which Anderson categorized as "infectiously joyful." The Rocket Summer's music is marked by his use of guitar, piano, bass, percussion, and melodic hooks. Avary's two largest musical influences growing up were The Beatles
and Michael Jackson
.
The Rocket Summer's more recent albums—including the 2010 release Of Men and Angels
—have shown a shift in style and content from his earlier releases, with more focus on an indie rock
and alternative
sound, as well as on more mature subject material. Avary has cited these changes as "natural" products of "growth and...spiritual growth."
The Rocket Summer has toured the US, Canada, the UK, France and Japan, and has played at festivals such as Glastonbury Festival
, Summer Sonic Festival
, Austin City Limits
, SXSW
, Bamboozle
, and the 2007 and 2010 Vans Warped Tour. The Rocket Summer has been confirmed to play at the Slam Dunk Festival at Hertfordshire and Leeds University in Leeds, UK, at the end of May 2010.
In August 2010, Avary announced he would be going on a nationwide headlining tour of the US where he will be playing completely solo, telling stories, looping songs and playing acoustic versions of many songs he has written. The tour is called "The Rocket Summer: Bryce Avary, his instruments and your voices." There are talks of each night being recorded to possibly go on a future live album of the tour.
In September 2010, Avary confirmed that The Rocket Summer would be joining the annual Australian music festival Soundwave in 2011 which tours the country's capital cities. He played two sideshows with Third Eye Blind
in Sydney
and Melbourne
.
and Urban Outfitters
to create apparel for the clothing line. Call It Captivate has partnered with several credible charities, where 25% or more of each item purchased goes to a charity selected by the buyer. These charities include Blood: Water Mission, National Multiple Sclerosis Society
, Holt International Adoption, These Numbers Have Faces, The LA Dream Center, The Miracle League of El Paso, and Doctors Without Borders. The company's website also promotes each of these charities by providing their mission statements in an attempt to educate the public and spotlighting a new charity each month. CIC was featured in February 2009 in AP magazine Issue #247 and in November 2009 in AMP Magazine.
campaign in Dallas, TX, on April 25, 2009. On June 23, 2009, Avary played at the closing ceremony for the Invisible Children
rally, "How It Ends," which took place on the White House Ellipse Lawn in Washington D.C. He also played at Heavy and Light 2010, an annual acoustic show supporting To Write Love on Her Arms
.
Double Dare after he and his family successfully auditioned for the TV show while on a family vacation at Universal Studios
in Orlando, FL.
Avary attended Colleyville Middle School in Colleyville, TX, where musician and singer-songwriter Norah Jones
also attended. Also coming from his immediate hometown area in Texas are Kelly Clarkson
, Selena Gomez
, and Demi Lovato
.
Avary later attended Grapevine High School
where he formed his own dodgeball
team named The Bombardment Society, inspired by Wes Anderson's
film Rushmore
. The team became the high school's largest organization at the time of his attendance. Prior to launching his music career as The Rocket Summer, Avary worked as a Starbucks
barista
for four months—an experience that inspired him to write the song "This is Me" off of his album Calendar Days
.
Multi-instrumentalist
A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony...
, singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
, and producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
. He writes and produces every song on his records, and plays every instrument on them.
He has released four studio albums and several EPs
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
. His most recent release, Of Men and Angels
Of Men and Angels
Of Men and Angels is the fourth full-length studio album by American pop rock artist The Rocket Summer, and was released on February 23, 2010. The album debuted at No. 1 on iTunes, surpassing The Black Eyed Peas' The E.N.D. which had previously held the #1 spot for Top Album. Three songs on the...
, held the #1 Top Album spot on iTunes upon its release on February 23, 2010. In April 2008, AP Magazine called him one of "100 bands you need to know."
Early life & musical interest
Avary was born on December 31, 1982, in Fort Worth, TexasFort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
. He first became interested in music around the age of 12 when his father bought him his first guitar which was an imitation brand from a pawn shop for 50 dollars. Avary subsequently began teaching himself other instruments including the drums and piano. He also picked up saxophone by playing one his father had had since his high school band days.
Avary joined his first band, at the age of 14. He later joined a high school "indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
" band inspired by Pavement
Pavement (band)
Pavement is an American alternative rock band that formed in Stockton, California in 1989. In their career, they achieved a significant cult following, and they were called the best band of the 1990s by prominent music critics Robert Christgau and Stephen Thomas Erlewine...
, Archers of Loaf
Archers of Loaf
Archers of Loaf is an American indie-rock band originally from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, formed in 1990. The group toured extensively and released a total of four studio albums, a collection album, numerous singles and EPs, and a live album which was released after the band broke up in...
and Weezer
Weezer
Weezer is an American alternative rock band. The band currently consists of Rivers Cuomo , Patrick Wilson , Brian Bell , and Scott Shriner . The band has changed lineups three times since its formation in 1992...
, called Charlie 27. After the band broke up, Avary began performing local acoustic shows as a teenager in Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, Fort Worth
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
and Denton
Denton, Texas
The city of Denton is the county seat of Denton County, Texas in the United States. Its population was 119,454 according to the 2010 U.S. Census, making it the eleventh largest city in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex...
.
2000–2003: Self-titled EP
In 2000, Avary self-released his first EP at the age of 16. The EP included songs he had written between the ages 14 to 16. He distributed the EP under the name The Rocket Summer, at the suggestion of a friend, to local stores to be sold on consignment; the name was inspired by Ray Bradbury'sRay Bradbury
Ray Douglas Bradbury is an American fantasy, horror, science fiction, and mystery writer. Best known for his dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 and for the science fiction stories gathered together as The Martian Chronicles and The Illustrated Man , Bradbury is one of the most celebrated among 20th...
short story collection The Martian Chronicles
The Martian Chronicles
The Martian Chronicles is a 1950 science fiction short story collection by Ray Bradbury that chronicles the colonization of Mars by humans fleeing from a troubled and eventually atomically devastated Earth, and the conflict between aboriginal Martians and the new colonists...
, which his friend was reading at the time. Avary described the project as initially "just a really fun experiment." After the EP's original 1000 copies sold out, it went out of print until it was later re-released as The Early Years EP
The Early Years EP
The Early Years EP is the second EP released by The Rocket Summer. This EP is a re-release of Bryce Avary's first EP, and it includes the songs he recorded when he was 16. It was released November 14, 2006...
under The Militia Group
The Militia Group
-History:The Militia Group was founded in 1998 by Chad Pearson as a booking agency, booking for artists such as Slick Shoes, Craig's Brother, Dogwood, twothirtyeight, Acceptance, and Element 101. Rory Felton and Chad Pearson partnered in 2000 to turn the booking agency into a record company...
in November 2006.
His music appeared on The Adventure Club segment of the KDGE radio station, and quickly became the most requested local band on the program that year.
2003–2005: Calendar Days & Hello, Good Friend
Avary recorded, produced, and released his debut album, Calendar DaysCalendar Days
- Personnel :The Rocket Summer* Bryce Avary – vocals, guitar, bass, drums, piano, keyboard, productionAdditional personnel* Duane Deering – mixing* Darrell LaCour – mixing* Gavin Lurssen – mastering* Adrian Hulet – backing vocals on tracks 1 and 5...
, in 2003. Using a $15,000 budget, the album was recorded in Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
on The Militia Group.
In November 2004, Avary began working on his second album, Hello, Good Friend
Hello, Good Friend
Hello, Good Friend is The Rocket Summer's second full-length album, released in 2005. It reached #26 on the Top Heatseekers Chart. The title of the album is from the track "Never Knew".-Track listing:# Move to the Other Side of the Block...
. The album peaked at No. 26 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart. To promote the album, The Rocket Summer toured the US and Japan. The Rocket Summer and The Militia Group subsequently partnered with the then-new new S/R/E Recordings to release the album to Christian retail outlets in July 2005. Shortly after Hello, Good Friend was released, Avary left The Militia Group for a major record label deal.
2005–2007: The Early Years EP and Do You Feel
In November 2006, The Militia Group re-released The Rocket Summer's self-released 1999 EP as The Early Years EP, but Avary signed with major record label Island Def Jam Records. Do You FeelDo You Feel
Do You Feel is The Rocket Summer's third full-length album, released on July 17, 2007 through Island Records. On this album, the band uses a more diverse instrumentation, including saxophone....
was released in July 2007; the album reached #44 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
and #16 on the Billboard Top Rock Albums charts.
The album's lead single was "So Much Love
So Much Love
"So Much Love" is a song by rock artist The Rocket Summer. It was the lead single off his third studio album Do You Feel, released in 2007...
," and was warmly received by critics for its use of horn section. The Rocket Summer released the second single "Do You Feel" and its music video on September 5, 2008. The video was co-directed and funded by Bryce Avary with director Nate Weaver. The video featured stories of people with issues such as homelessness, addiction, disease and abuse. The video also featured cameos from artists Andrew McMahon
Andrew McMahon
Andrew Ross McMahon is a singer/songwriter. He is the vocalist, pianist and primary songwriter for the bands Something Corporate and Jack's Mannequin; he also performs solo.-Early life:...
of Jack's Mannequin
Jack's Mannequin
Jack's Mannequin is an American rock band formed in 2004, originally hailing from Orange County, California. The band began as a side project of Andrew McMahon, the frontman for Something Corporate, and is composed of guitarist Bobby Anderson, bassist Mikey "The Kid" Wagner, and drummer Jay...
, Matt Thiessen
Matt Thiessen
Matthew Arnold Thiessen is a Canadian-American musician, known for being co-founder, lead singer, guitarist, pianist, and primary songwriter for the Christian rock band Relient K. With Relient K, he has released six full-length albums, including three that were certified Gold, and three that...
of Relient K
Relient K
Relient K is an American rock band formed in 1998 in Canton, Ohio by Matt Thiessen, Brian Pittman, and Matt Hoopes during the band's junior year in high school and their time at Malone University...
, Josh Farro and Jeremy Davis of Paramore
Paramore
Paramore is an American rock band from Franklin, Tennessee, formed in 2004. The band consists of lead vocalist Hayley Williams, bassist Jeremy Davis, and guitarist Taylor York...
, Mike Herrera
Mike Herrera
Michael Arthur Herrera is an American musician most widely known as the vocalist and bass guitarist for the pop punk band MxPx, as well as being the front-man of his new band Tumbledown.-Early life:...
of MxPx
MxPx
MxPx is a pop punk band from Bremerton, Washington with connections to the Christian punk scene. The band has recorded eight studio albums, four EPs, four compilation albums, a live album, a VHS tape, a DVD and released 20 singles....
, Forrest Kline of Hellogoodbye
Hellogoodbye
Hellogoodbye is a power pop band that was formed in Huntington Beach, California in 2001 by singer Forrest Kline. They were signed to Drive-Thru Records and released their first full-length album Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs! in 2006, in addition to their previously released EP Hellogoodbye...
, Alex Gaskarth of All Time Low
All Time Low
All Time Low is an American pop punk band from Baltimore, Maryland, formed in 2003.The band consists of vocalist and rhythm guitarist Alexander Gaskarth, lead guitarist and backing vocalist Jack Barakat, bassist and backing vocalist Zachary Merrick, and drummer Rian Dawson...
and Jonathan Cook of Forever The Sickest Kids
Forever the Sickest Kids
Forever the Sickest Kids is an American pop punk band from Dallas, Texas, who have yet to be signed to a new label after the closure of Universal Motown Records. In issue 228 of Alternative Press, the group was named the number one underground band in the "22 Best Underground Bands". Their first...
.
2009–2011: You Gotta Believe EP and Of Men and Angels
After the conclusion of touring, Avary took some time off to write his most recent record, Of Men and AngelsOf Men and Angels
Of Men and Angels is the fourth full-length studio album by American pop rock artist The Rocket Summer, and was released on February 23, 2010. The album debuted at No. 1 on iTunes, surpassing The Black Eyed Peas' The E.N.D. which had previously held the #1 spot for Top Album. Three songs on the...
. He recorded the new album at Ocean Studios in Burbank, CA, from February to April 2009. Avary finished the record in March 2009 but had to wait for behind-the-scenes industry issues to clear. While waiting, he wrote new songs and recorded them in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
.
Avary mixed some of the tracks with Neal Avron and produced the album with CJ Eiriksson, who also engineered the album. To keep the record "as organic as possible," Avary minimized chopping of the drums, did not use Autotune on the vocals, and included full takes on the guitar. Avary described the album as "the most substance-filled Rocket Summer album to date." Though originally expected to be released in mid-2009 by Island Def Jam, the album was pushed to a February 2010 release date.
To hold fans over, The Rocket Summer released a digital 4-track EP entitled You Gotta Believe
You Gotta Believe (The Rocket Summer album)
You Gotta Believe is a four-track EP by The Rocket Summer that was announced on October 8, 2009 to be released on October 27, 2009. It was officially released on iTunes a day early on Oct. 26, 2009. The EP features three tracks off the upcoming record Of Men and Angels and one bonus track...
in October 2009. The EP featured three tracks off the LP
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
Of Men and Angels
Of Men and Angels
Of Men and Angels is the fourth full-length studio album by American pop rock artist The Rocket Summer, and was released on February 23, 2010. The album debuted at No. 1 on iTunes, surpassing The Black Eyed Peas' The E.N.D. which had previously held the #1 spot for Top Album. Three songs on the...
and one bonus track. The EP debuted at No. 23 on the Billboard charts for Digital Albums. The Rocket Summer's "You Gotta Believe" music video premiered on AOL
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
in December 2009, and featured clips of fans singing, dancing, and playing along to the tune. The video was directed by award-winning director Randy Scott Slavin. Coinciding with the EP release, The Rocket Summer began a 34-city North American tour to promote the upcoming Of Men and Angels album.
On February 23, 2010, The Rocket Summer released his fourth studio album, Of Men and Angels
Of Men and Angels
Of Men and Angels is the fourth full-length studio album by American pop rock artist The Rocket Summer, and was released on February 23, 2010. The album debuted at No. 1 on iTunes, surpassing The Black Eyed Peas' The E.N.D. which had previously held the #1 spot for Top Album. Three songs on the...
. The album debuted at No. 1 on iTunes, surpassing The Black Eyed Peas'
The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...
The E.N.D.
The E.N.D.
According to review aggregator Metacritic, The E.N.D. received an average of 60 out of 100 indicating mixed to average reviews from music critics, based on fifteen critiques, higher than their 2005 album Monkey Business but lower than their 2003 breakout Elephunk, with critics agreeing that the...
which had previously held the No. 1 spot for Top Album. The album opened to generally positive reviews, with George Heaney of AllMusic calling the record "another fine outing from the Rocket Summer." To promote the new album, Avary performed the album's lead single "Walls" on KDFW
KDFW
KDFW, virtual channel 4 , is the Fox owned-and-operated television station in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex designated market area....
's Good Day Dallas and KTBC
KTBC
KTBC, channel 7, is the Fox owned-and-operated television station in Austin, Texas. Studios are located in downtown Austin at the corner of 10th and Brazos Streets , and its transmitter is located in the city....
's Good Day Austin, and held a hometown album release party at the Granada Theatre in Dallas, TX, where Matt Thiessen
Matt Thiessen
Matthew Arnold Thiessen is a Canadian-American musician, known for being co-founder, lead singer, guitarist, pianist, and primary songwriter for the Christian rock band Relient K. With Relient K, he has released six full-length albums, including three that were certified Gold, and three that...
of Relient K
Relient K
Relient K is an American rock band formed in 1998 in Canton, Ohio by Matt Thiessen, Brian Pittman, and Matt Hoopes during the band's junior year in high school and their time at Malone University...
and a contest-winning unsigned band opened. Leading up to the album debut, The Rocket Summer released the entire album for preview on The Rocket Summer MySpace on February 15, 2010, just eight days prior to the in-store release.
Preceding the album's in-store release, The Rocket Summer released the album's second single, "Hills and Valleys," on February 22, 2010.
Starting March 13, 2010, The Rocket Summer commenced a two-week tour with OneRepublic
OneRepublic
OneRepublic is an American pop rock band from Colorado Springs, Colorado. Formed in 2002 by Ryan Tedder and Zach Filkins, the band achieved massive success on MySpace, becoming the most prominent unsigned act on the website then...
and Goo Goo Dolls
Goo Goo Dolls
The Goo Goo Dolls are a Grammy-nominated American rock band formed in 1986 in Buffalo, New York, by vocalist and guitarist John Rzeznik and vocalist and bass guitarist Robby Takac. Since the end of 1994, Mike Malinin has been the band's drummer, a position previously held by George Tutuska...
. Avary was also scheduled to play an acoustic set at the SXSW Music + Film + Interactive Conference
South by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
in Austin, TX, on March 20, 2010. He confirmed performances at the 16th annual Vans Warped Tour 2010, opening in California the last weekend of June 2010 and running through August 15, 2010.
In March 2010, TRS was named one of Shred News's "10 Artists to Watch in 2010."
Avary was recently approached by several platinum-selling artists who have asked him to write singles for their upcoming albums. Avary co-wrote the song "Stomping The Roses" for American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
alum, David Archuleta
David Archuleta
David Archuleta, is a former United States Air Force Airman of Okinawan stationary troops and is currently an American male kickboxer.-Biography:...
. The song appears on Archuleta's second full-length album, The Other Side Of Down, which debuted worldwide on October 5, 2010.
On Oct. 19, 2010, The Rocket Summer released a five-song digital-only EP, entitled Of Men and Angels: B-Sides, containing songs that failed to make the cut for Of Men And Angels.
Avary recently announced that he is currently writing new music for yet another album.
On May 24, 2011, Avary released an acoustic live album entitled Bryce Avary, His Instruments and Your Voices. It is available for free via The Rocket Summer's website.
Musical style & influence
Often labeled as power popPower pop
Power pop is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are...
, The Rocket Summer's music has developed a reputation for its positively infused sentiments, optimistic lyrics and upbeat rhythms, with emphasis on Avary's distinctive, high-pitched vocals and instrumental diversity that has drawn comparisons to Ben Folds
Ben Folds
Benjamin Scott "Ben" Folds is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and television personality. From 1995-2000, Folds was the frontman and pianist of the alternative rock band Ben Folds Five. Since the group disbanded, Folds has performed as a solo artist and has toured all over the world...
, the Swift
The Swift
The Swift was a contemporary Christian pop/rock band, originally formed in Rocky Mount, North Carolina in the late 1990s.- History :In the early 1990s Britt Edwards, Jason Light, Dwayne Coppedge, and West Adams were singing in the band Christ Denomination . At times the band invited such friends...
, Relient K
Relient K
Relient K is an American rock band formed in 1998 in Canton, Ohio by Matt Thiessen, Brian Pittman, and Matt Hoopes during the band's junior year in high school and their time at Malone University...
, Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
and Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
. The Dallas Observer's
Dallas Observer
The Dallas Observer is a free alternative weekly newspaper distributed around the Dallas, Texas . At its inception, it was conceived as a weekly local arts and cinema review publication, with the credo "Advocate for Excellence in the Arts" on the cover. For a time during the early years, the paper...
Pete Freedman wrote of this constructed image: "That's the persona he's carefully crafted—a sort of happy-go-lucky caricature of a young man willing to take the dreaded sad and sappy emo tag his music's been labeled with, turn it on its head and give it a positive message." Rick Anderson of AllMusic described his music as a range of "headlong blasts of pure power pop cheer" to "sonata
Sonata
Sonata , in music, literally means a piece played as opposed to a cantata , a piece sung. The term, being vague, naturally evolved through the history of music, designating a variety of forms prior to the Classical era...
form" and ballads—all of which Anderson categorized as "infectiously joyful." The Rocket Summer's music is marked by his use of guitar, piano, bass, percussion, and melodic hooks. Avary's two largest musical influences growing up were The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
and Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
.
The Rocket Summer's more recent albums—including the 2010 release Of Men and Angels
Of Men and Angels
Of Men and Angels is the fourth full-length studio album by American pop rock artist The Rocket Summer, and was released on February 23, 2010. The album debuted at No. 1 on iTunes, surpassing The Black Eyed Peas' The E.N.D. which had previously held the #1 spot for Top Album. Three songs on the...
—have shown a shift in style and content from his earlier releases, with more focus on an indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
and alternative
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
sound, as well as on more mature subject material. Avary has cited these changes as "natural" products of "growth and...spiritual growth."
Touring
During performances, The Rocket Summer consists of Bryce Avary, Seth Brewton on guitar, Nick Aranda on bass, and Steven Padin on drums.The Rocket Summer has toured the US, Canada, the UK, France and Japan, and has played at festivals such as Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
, Summer Sonic Festival
Summer Sonic Festival
The Summer Sonic Festival is an annual two or three-days rock festival held at the same time in Osaka and Chiba. The majority of the bands playing in Osaka the first day go to Chiba the following day and vice versa....
, Austin City Limits
Austin City Limits Music Festival
The Austin City Limits Music Festival is an annual three-day American music festival that takes place in Austin, Texas at the city's central public park, Zilker Park...
, SXSW
South by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
, Bamboozle
Bamboozle
Bamboozle! was a quiz game featured on Channel 4 Teletext in the United Kingdom. It was originally part of Teletext's "Fun & Games" category, though the rest of the category had been discontinued for some years before Bamboozle! ended...
, and the 2007 and 2010 Vans Warped Tour. The Rocket Summer has been confirmed to play at the Slam Dunk Festival at Hertfordshire and Leeds University in Leeds, UK, at the end of May 2010.
In August 2010, Avary announced he would be going on a nationwide headlining tour of the US where he will be playing completely solo, telling stories, looping songs and playing acoustic versions of many songs he has written. The tour is called "The Rocket Summer: Bryce Avary, his instruments and your voices." There are talks of each night being recorded to possibly go on a future live album of the tour.
In September 2010, Avary confirmed that The Rocket Summer would be joining the annual Australian music festival Soundwave in 2011 which tours the country's capital cities. He played two sideshows with Third Eye Blind
Third Eye Blind
Third Eye Blind is an American alternative rock band formed in the early 1990s in San Francisco. The songwriting duo of Kevin Cadogan and Stephan Jenkins signed the band's first major label recording contract with Elektra records in 1996 resulting in two multi platinum albums. The band's lineup...
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
and Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
.
Call It Captivate
Avary created a clothing company by the name of Call It Captivate (CIC) in October 2008. According to its mission statement, Call It Captivate aims to "express relevant art through fashion, to inspire, to educate, and most importantly, be used as an outlet to encourage people to give to those in need." Avary approves the designs for his products, and as of February 2010, has also teamed up with designers from Forever 21Forever 21
Forever 21 is an American chain of clothing retailers with branches in major cities in The United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East that offers fashion and accessories for young women and men....
and Urban Outfitters
Urban Outfitters
Urban Outfitters, Inc. is a publicly traded American company that owns and operates five retail brands: Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, Free People, Terrain, and BHLDN....
to create apparel for the clothing line. Call It Captivate has partnered with several credible charities, where 25% or more of each item purchased goes to a charity selected by the buyer. These charities include Blood: Water Mission, National Multiple Sclerosis Society
National Multiple Sclerosis Society
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, a United States-based non-profit organization, and its network of chapters nationwide promote research, educate, advocate on issues relating to multiple sclerosis, and organize a wide range of programs, including support for the newly diagnosed and those...
, Holt International Adoption, These Numbers Have Faces, The LA Dream Center, The Miracle League of El Paso, and Doctors Without Borders. The company's website also promotes each of these charities by providing their mission statements in an attempt to educate the public and spotlighting a new charity each month. CIC was featured in February 2009 in AP magazine Issue #247 and in November 2009 in AMP Magazine.
Other charities
Avary has also lent his vocals to several charity events. Avary attended and performed acoustic at the Dallas Rescue for the Invisible ChildrenInvisible Children
Invisible Children: Rough Cut is a 2003 American documentary film. Its subject is the abduction and forced enlistment of children by the sectarian Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda.-Synopsis:...
campaign in Dallas, TX, on April 25, 2009. On June 23, 2009, Avary played at the closing ceremony for the Invisible Children
Invisible Children
Invisible Children: Rough Cut is a 2003 American documentary film. Its subject is the abduction and forced enlistment of children by the sectarian Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda.-Synopsis:...
rally, "How It Ends," which took place on the White House Ellipse Lawn in Washington D.C. He also played at Heavy and Light 2010, an annual acoustic show supporting To Write Love on Her Arms
To Write Love on Her Arms
To Write Love on Her Arms is an interfaith, American non-profit organization which aims to present hope for people struggling with addiction, depression, self injury, and thoughts of suicide while also investing directly into treatment and recovery...
.
Personal life
As a kid, Avary appeared as a contestant on Nickelodeon'sNickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
Double Dare after he and his family successfully auditioned for the TV show while on a family vacation at Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
in Orlando, FL.
Avary attended Colleyville Middle School in Colleyville, TX, where musician and singer-songwriter Norah Jones
Norah Jones
Norah Jones is an American singer-songwriter and occasional actress.In 2002, she launched her solo music career with the release of the commercially successful and critically acclaimed album Come Away With Me, which was certified a diamond album in 2002, selling over 20 million copies...
also attended. Also coming from his immediate hometown area in Texas are Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Brianne Clarkson is an American pop rock singer-songwriter and actress. Clarkson came into prominence after becoming the winner of the inaugural season of the television series American Idol in 2002 and would later become the runner-up in the television special World Idol in 2003.In 2003,...
, Selena Gomez
Selena Gomez
Selena Marie Gomez is an American actress and singer best known for portraying Alex Russo in the Emmy Award-winning Disney Channel television series Wizards of Waverly Place...
, and Demi Lovato
Demi Lovato
"She’s got the range, the full emotional spectrum, incredible control… Vocally, she’s the best thing Disney’s had since Christina Aguilera."—Producer Toby Gad on Demi Lovato's vocals...
.
Avary later attended Grapevine High School
Grapevine High School
Grapevine High School is a public secondary school at 3223 Mustang Drive in Grapevine, Texas, United States. The school is a part of the Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District.GHS is located in the northeast region of Tarrant County....
where he formed his own dodgeball
Dodgeball
Dodgeball is any of a variety of games in which players try to hit other players on the opposing team with balls while avoiding being hit themselves. This article is about a well-known form of team sport with modified rules that is often played in physical education classes and has been featured...
team named The Bombardment Society, inspired by Wes Anderson's
Wes Anderson
Wesley Wales Anderson is an American film director, screenwriter, actor, and producer of features, short films and commercials....
film Rushmore
Rushmore (film)
Rushmore is a 1998 comedy-drama film directed by Wes Anderson about an eccentric teenager named Max Fischer , his friendship with rich industrialist Herman Blume , and their mutual love for elementary school teacher Rosemary Cross . The film was co-written by Anderson and Owen Wilson...
. The team became the high school's largest organization at the time of his attendance. Prior to launching his music career as The Rocket Summer, Avary worked as a Starbucks
Starbucks
Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 55 countries, including over 11,000 in the United States, over 1,000 in Canada, over 700 in the United Kingdom, and...
barista
Barista
A barista is a person, usually a coffee-house employee, who prepares and serves espresso-based coffee drinks.- Application of the title :...
for four months—an experience that inspired him to write the song "This is Me" off of his album Calendar Days
Calendar Days
- Personnel :The Rocket Summer* Bryce Avary – vocals, guitar, bass, drums, piano, keyboard, productionAdditional personnel* Duane Deering – mixing* Darrell LaCour – mixing* Gavin Lurssen – mastering* Adrian Hulet – backing vocals on tracks 1 and 5...
.
Studio albums
- Calendar DaysCalendar Days- Personnel :The Rocket Summer* Bryce Avary – vocals, guitar, bass, drums, piano, keyboard, productionAdditional personnel* Duane Deering – mixing* Darrell LaCour – mixing* Gavin Lurssen – mastering* Adrian Hulet – backing vocals on tracks 1 and 5...
(2003) - Hello, Good FriendHello, Good FriendHello, Good Friend is The Rocket Summer's second full-length album, released in 2005. It reached #26 on the Top Heatseekers Chart. The title of the album is from the track "Never Knew".-Track listing:# Move to the Other Side of the Block...
(2005) - Do You FeelDo You FeelDo You Feel is The Rocket Summer's third full-length album, released on July 17, 2007 through Island Records. On this album, the band uses a more diverse instrumentation, including saxophone....
(2007) - Of Men and AngelsOf Men and AngelsOf Men and Angels is the fourth full-length studio album by American pop rock artist The Rocket Summer, and was released on February 23, 2010. The album debuted at No. 1 on iTunes, surpassing The Black Eyed Peas' The E.N.D. which had previously held the #1 spot for Top Album. Three songs on the...
(2010)
EPs
- The Rocket Summer (EP)The Rocket Summer (EP)The Rocket Summer is the first EP produced by Bryce Avary in 2000. He was 16 when he recorded the album and it was sold on consignment at local record stores.All music, lyrics, and instruments written, arranged, and performed by Bryce Avary....
(2000) - The Early Years EPThe Early Years EPThe Early Years EP is the second EP released by The Rocket Summer. This EP is a re-release of Bryce Avary's first EP, and it includes the songs he recorded when he was 16. It was released November 14, 2006...
(2006) - iTunes EPITunes EP (The Rocket Summer album)iTunes EP is a four-track EP by The Rocket Summer whose release is exclusive to the iTunes Music Store. Three of its four tracks are from the full-length album, Do You Feel. Exclusive to this EP is a cover of Colin Hay's "I Just Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over You." The EP was announced on May 16,...
(2007) - You Gotta BelieveYou Gotta Believe (The Rocket Summer album)You Gotta Believe is a four-track EP by The Rocket Summer that was announced on October 8, 2009 to be released on October 27, 2009. It was officially released on iTunes a day early on Oct. 26, 2009. The EP features three tracks off the upcoming record Of Men and Angels and one bonus track...
(2009) - Of Men And Angels: B-SidesOf Men And Angels: B-Sides(The Rocket Summer album)Of Men And Angels: B-Sides is a 2010 EP by The Rocket Summer. It was released on October 19, 2010. It contain songs that didn't make the cut of The Rocket Summer album Of Men and Angels. -Release Date: October 19, 2010:...
(2010)
External links
- The Rocket Summer's Official Site
- Burning Stars interview with Bryce
- Interview with Christianity TodayChristianity TodayChristianity Today is an Evangelical Christian periodical based in Carol Stream, Illinois. It is the flagship publication of its parent company Christianity Today International, claiming circulation figures of 140,000 and readership of 290,000...