The Rocket Summer

The Rocket Summer is an indie rock/power pop band from Colleyville, Texas, composed of musician Bryce Avary who plays and performs all instruments and vocals. Stylistically, The Rocket Summer is characterized by the optimistic nature of his songs.

Overview

Bryce Avary became interested with music around the age of 12, when his dad bought him his first guitar from a pawn shop. He then started playing various other instruments. Avary started performing local shows as a teenager in Dallas and Fort Worth. As Avary's local fan base grew, he released his first EP at the age of 16 in limited release during 2000. Distributing the EP himself under the name The Rocket Summer (the name inspired by Ray Bradbury's short story) to local stores to be sold on consignment, 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.

With increased interest in the music from local, national, and international magazines and the EP selling in 5 continents, in 2003 Bryce recorded and released his debut album Calendar Days. The album title comes from a line in the song "TV Family". Using a $15,000 budget, the album was recorded in Kansas on the label The Militia Group. The album was critically praised as being extremely uplifting, and included varied music (for example, a track including a 6th grade choir that his younger sister was in from Texas). The album sold well throughout the United States and Japan and went bronze in 2005.

File:Brewton.jpg

Seth Brewton on guitar

In November 2004, Bryce began working with producer Tim O'Heir in Brooklyn to record his second album Hello, Good Friend - the album title coming from the song "Never Knew". This album included more piano central songs than his previous album. The Rocket Summer has toured the US and Japan extensively and has gained a large fan base. The album was subsequently released by a Christian music label to Christian retail outlets. Although it is not immediately obvious in his lyrics, Avary is a Christian and lets his faith influence his lyrics and his music.

He signed with Island Def Jam Records for his third record, Do You Feel, which was released on July 17th, 2007. The first single from the album is So Much Love. The Rocket Summer has released the music video for So Much Love. On May 16th, the song "Break It Out", from Do You Feel was added to the TRS website and Myspace. Also, tracks such as "Do You Feel" and "So In This Hour", after being included on a CD Sampler, and "Save" have been leaked online. On July 11, the entire album was leaked online.

The Rocket Summer toured with the Vans Warped Tour in the summer of 2007 for two months. Although Bryce records all of his own instruments for his records, he tours with a band mostly made up of high school friends. His band currently consists of Seth Brewton on guitar, Matt Bergeland on bass, and Tommy Quinn on drums. His wife, Tara, tours with him as his business manager and sells merchandise at his shows.

When asked what he would do if he weren't a musician, he replied, "I'm deathly afraid of 'not' doing this because I have no idea what I would."

In September 2007, The Rocket Summer went on tour with The Academy Is..., Armor for Sleep, Sherwood and, later added, Cobra Starship on the Sleeping with Giants tour across North America.

In January 27, 2008, The Rocket Summer played a series of dates in the UK including major cities such as London, Manchester, Newcastle and Cardiff, with The Secret Handshake and Between the Trees supporting. Before The Rocket Summer's set every night, Jamie Tworkowski spoke briefly about To Write Love On Her Arms.

Beginning March 14, 2008, The Rocket Summer co-headlined the Alternative Press tour. It started in Houston, Texas and ended in May in Cleveland, Ohio. Also co-headlining was All Time Low, with The Matches, Sonny, and Forever The Sickest Kids supporting - Live Photos from AP Tour.

The Rocket Summer will be returning to the UK with a headlining show beginning on June 28, 2008 in Yeovil and ending on July 16, 2008 in Birmingham.

It has been revealed that The Rocket Summer will be returning to the United States for a headlining fall tour. According to a video blog posted by Bryce Avary on June 4, 2008, The Secret Handshake, Phantom Planet and The Morning Light will be supporting The Rocket Summer for the fall tour in the United States. Dates have yet to be announced. In the mean time between tours, Bryce Avary has stated that he will be writing and recording new songs.

Other projects

Bryce Avary has started a new project by the name of "Call It Captivate" which is sponsoring the fall Rocket Summer Headlining tour.

Discography

The Rocket Summer (EP) (2000)
Calendar Days (2003)
Hello, Good Friend (2005)#26 Top Heatseekers
The Early Years EP (2006)
iTunes EP (2007)
Do You Feel (2007)#44 US

External links