On Tuesday, the release day for The Rocket Summer's fourth full-length and second on major label Island/Def Jam, Of Men and Angels sat at No. 4 on iTunes' album download chart. Yesterday, it fared even better, rocketing (pun absolutely intended) up to No. 1. And today, it's still sitting fairly pretty, coming in at No. 3 on the site's album download charts. So, yeah, looks like the latest from Grapevine's Bryce Avary--even after over a year of waiting for it to come out--is doing pretty OK.
Which means, I think, that it's safe to safe that Avary will be in good spirits tomorrow night at the Granada Theater when he celebrates the pretty darn impressive album's release. Many thanks, then, to the folks at the Granada Theater, who've been kind enough to pass along two pairs of tickets for DC9 readers to get free entry into the show. Want 'em? Shoot me an email right now with the words "I'm a rocket man" in the subject line. First two people to do so each score a free pair of passes. Good luck! (Update: Contest is over. Congrats to our winners!)
And, after the jump, a word or two from Avary on the local mall-punk set's almost incessant claiming of his music as its influence. (Spoiler alert: He doesn't really get it.)
"It does feel like there has been a movement of some kind," he says of the suburban rocker set. "I just don't know if I would credit myself with that, especially musically. When I hear Forever the Sickest Kid's music, I don't go like, 'Yeah, that's because of me!' Maybe if I heard a band that really sounded like The Rocket Summer. But I guess I can see it a little--mostly because it's poppy, yeah, and it's catchy."
It's a scene Avary doesn't necessarily consider himself a part of, though--despite the fact that he's toured with many of its biggest names.
"We've been on tour with [Forever The Sickest Kids] twice. And, yeah, one night, [guitarist] Caleb [Turman] they kind of gushed, like 'I can't believe you're on this tour!'" Avary says with a chuckle. "They're really nice guys. I just think, when we started, back when I came on, it was like 10 years ago. And it was a much different scene. But it really delights me to hear them say that, and I think all those bands are cool."
