“It’s going to be a celebration,” says Bryce Avary, the band's multi-instrumentalist frontman and only official member. “I think more than anything, on Friday night it’s just celebrating the community we have. And at the same time, we’ll be playing new stuff.”
The performance will be in sync with a laser light show — a first for the band. “It’s going to be a special show," Avary says. "I can feel it. There’s nothing like playing Dallas shows. We’re going to be playing a monster set.”"I made [Do You Feel] in a place where Led Zeppelin made records, and I played the same exact snare drum that was on 'Smells Like Teen Spirit.' It was really magical."
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Do You Feel is The Rocket Summer’s third studio album, and the anniversary tour works to highlight the sentiment Avary felt a decade ago.
“I think at the time I felt my spirit had a real sense of wanting a call to action," he says. "But all I knew is that I wanted to write something that made people question and [made] people go, ‘Why am I not doing something?’ You know, that can look like so many different things. But for me, it was just wanting to stand up and make a difference, essentially, as hokey as that sounds. That kind of fueled a lot of the songs on Do You Feel. It’s not entirely about that, but it was just something I could sink my teeth into the magic and what I was feeling in 2007.”
Trees is the DFW venue where Rocket Summer's musical ambition first took flight. During a show at the club, the band caught the attention of a rep for The Island Def Music Group, now known as Island Records. The label released Do You Feel and signed Avary soon after.
“Probably the best part about that was having resources to make a record in an actual studio," Avary says. "So I made the album in a place where Led Zeppelin made records, and I played the same exact snare drum that was on 'Smells Like Teen Spirit.’ It was really magical. I wasn’t growing up thinking about making a record in Hollywood, in a big studio.”
Avary has since produced three more albums with the The Rocket Summer and taken the band across the globe. This tour is a monthlong birthday party to celebrate all of these accomplishments.
"It’s pretty cool to see," Avary says. "I never thought a record could kind of go that far with the music.”
Although the show at Trees is one of many the band will play in the next month, Avary says there is always something special about performing close to home.
“This is where it all started, so there’s a lot of history. There’s also a lot of history at Trees," he says. "We’ve played a lot of shows there over the years, and even when I saw Elliot Smith there when I was 14. My friend’s mom took me because I couldn’t get in — I wasn’t 17. So every time I play there, I just feel like there is a little extra sense of gratitude.”
The Rocket Summer is working on a new record, and Billboard has released the first single, “Gone Too Long.” At Trees, you can expect to hear more new songs from the upcoming album.
“I truly feel it’s just the beginning," Avary says. "I’m going to make music my whole life, and so in the grand scheme of things, it truly is the beginning.”
The Rocket Summer, 8 p.m. Friday, July 21, Trees, 2709 Elm St., $17, treesdallas.com.
