The Rocket Summer will be playing some UK shows in April and May. Check out the dates below by clicking “Read More.”
The Monthly Summary
Week I
Week II
Albums Out This Month
Week I
Week II
The Weekly Tour Round-Up
Winter - Spring
March Sadness
Sad 16 Announcement + Voting
March Sadness Sad 16 Matchup Analysis
Interviews
Kevin Devine + Andy Hull (Bad Books, KD, Manchester Orchestra)
Reviews
Three Man Cannon, Lee Corey Oswald - Split
The Rocket Summer - Life Will Write The Words B-Sides
This Is Hell - The Enforcer
Show Reviews
Desaparecidos - 2/27/13
The Gaslight Anthem - 03/04/13
Murder By Death - 02/28/13
Perspectives
4 Years, 500 Pages - The Story Of The Maine’s ‘Roads’
Discussions
Most Anticipated March Releases
March Sadness Sad 16 Matchup Analysis
Playlists
Wake Up And Be Awesome Tour
Team Recommendations
BandsOnBands
From Indian Lakes on Steve Miller
Contributor Blogs
The Industry With Jesse Cannon
Contests
Air Dubai [Ended on March 5th]
Hidden In Plain View - Life In Dreaming LP [Ended on March 8th]
The Weeds - Roots/Routes Cassette Player [Ends on March 13th]
Streams
Reservoir - “In Passing”
Kurt Travis - “Angband”
Podcasts
100 Words Or Less: Aaron Turner (Isis, Hydrahead Records)
Behind The Booths
Stickup Kid
Showcase
Sink Swim
Anchorlines
Gallery
New Found Glory, Man Overboard, The Menzingers
Tigers Jaw, Modern Baseball, Sons
Sponsored Tours
Prawn, Gates [03/15-03/24]
Forever Came Calling, Heart To Heart, Last Call [03/20-04/21]
BoySetsFire, No Trigger, Pentimento, Light Years, Maker [05/24-05/26]
The Rocket Summer will begin writing new music following his spring tour. Check out a message from Bryce Avary below by clicking “Read More.”
*This review was composed by Becky Kovach and edited by Erik van Rheenen
In today’s music industry, the average full-length album is anywhere from 10-12 songs. Anything beyond that is typically released as a b-side, either sold separately or as part of a deluxe album. This was the approach taken by Bryce Avery, also known as The Rocket Summer, who originally had 15 songs on his album Life Will Write The Words. To keep the album at a reasonable length, Avery whittled the original 15 down to 12, and released the remaining three as part of a B-Sides Single Series.
The three songs in the series, “Cars and Pixies (Happy New Year),” “Anna,” and “Not Right,” may have been released separately but when put together they document a journey. From start to finish, they offer advice on starting again, fighting through the hard times, and searching for help when things aren’t right.
“Cars and Pixies (Happy New Year)” is quietly hopeful, with soothing harmonies over upbeat and playful guitar chords. It’s the vocal melodies and lyrics that make this song memorable though: Avery’s delivery of lines like, “The Cars and the Pixies/and the Cure ain’t gonna fix me/So please miss, kiss me,” has a sweet, sing-song quality that give the track a subtle grace. He ends it by begging the question: “Who says it has to be the New Year to start a new year?”
“Anna,” the second track in the b-sides series, ends up the typical middle child in this group of three. The vocals often sound mumbled, making it difficult to discern the lyrics. Which is unfortunate because the message, that some of the best things can come from the worst places, is lost. And with nothing truly impressive to latch on to, the track becomes a blur of background noise.
The Rocket Summer have released a new music video for “Soldiers.” Watch it below by clicking “Read More.”
The Rocket Summer will be releasing a new music video for “Soldiers” on February 18th. Check out a teaser below by clicking “Read More.”
The Rocket Summer have put “Not Right” back on YouTube for fans to stream. Give it a spin below by clicking “Read More.”
The Rocket Summer have released a new song called “Not Right.” Stream it here and check out the band’s spring tour dates below by clicking “Read More.”
The Rocket Summer announced their spring headlining tour today. Check out their trailer video and the routing below by clicking “Read More.”
The Rocket Summer has announced a spring headlining tour with The Classic Crime, Joe Brooks, Royal Teeth, and Tidewater. Check out the dates below by clicking “Read More.”
The Rocket Summer will be releasing “Not Right” on January 29th. Check out the artwork and a message from Bryce below by clicking “Read More.”
Mondays mean BandsOnBands, and we’re excited to be posting the PropertyOfZack feature today with Joe Kirkland of Artist Vs Poet. The band just released a new LP called Keep Your Secrets, and it can be downloaded here.
In this week’s feature, Joe dives into one of his favorite bands, The Rocket Summer. Joe takes the time to write about the never-ending influence The Rocket Summer’s Calendar Days had on him and how he still thinks its influence can be heard in each of Artist’s releases. Listen to songs by The Rocket Summer here and check out what Joe had to say about one of his biggest influences below!
From Joe Kirkland of Artist Vs Poet:
One of the most influential bands in my music career would have to be The Rocket Summer. When I was 17, a friend of mine cleaned Bryce’s pool every week, and was given a copy of “Calendar Days,” and I had no idea who the band was. I just popped it in to give it a try, and I was instantly hooked. I did more research on the band, and realized it was only one person playing every instrument, and I was sold.
From that point on, my music was drastically influenced by his style, and I would play every instrument in my project at the time, The Follow Through. Catchy, upbeat songs, piano and guitar driven, and TONS of harmonies flooded my songs, because that’s what I loved, and that’s the way I wanted it. I appreciated the positive vibes the music gave me, and I was at every show in Texas. At one point, I was even considered to tour as a live musician with TRS, but things didn’t work out. It’s definitely for the best, because you wouldn’t have Artist Vs Poet today, but it would have been fun! Eventually I joined Artist Vs Poet, and we got the opportunity to tour with Bryce and his crew. I had grown out of my fanboy ways, but it was still surreal touring with my favorite band. “Do You Feel” was such a well rounded, well produced record, by far his most popular, but I still appreciated how original the first two records were.
The Rocket Summer has released a new b-side called “Anna.” Stream it here and check out the artwork below by clicking “Read More.”
Related Stories:
The Rocket Summer Announces B-Sides Series
The Rocket Summer will be releasing a new b-side called “Anna” on January 8th. Check out a message and artwork for the song below by clicking “Read More.”
