Bryce Avary of The Rocket Summer - more photos...
photo by jeff barringer - staff photographer |
by jeff barringer
club kingsnake staff
When I was in junior high school, sometimes called middle school here in Texas, all the 6th and 7th grade girls were into reading magazines like Tiger Beat that were loaded with stories about pre-teen heart throbs like Donnie Osmond, Shaun and David Cassidy, Rex Smith, The Bay City Rollers, and Leif Garrett -- musicians of dubious talent, more known for their "feathered" hairstyles or lack of chest hair than their depth as musical performers. They would attract huge audiences of tweenage girls to their shows, but no self respecting music critic would be caught dead at one of their sets. These manufactured pop idols were good at separating the kids from their allowances, but left little of historical significance musically.
Jumping forward to today, these manufactured musicians still exist, playing to the pre-teens in enormous numbers, and generating millions in CD and ticket sales. Even Disney has jumped into the junior popstar making business, aiming acts like Hannah Montana straight at that tweenage crowd. The heartthrobs of the 70s gave way to the boy bands of the 80s and 90s like Boys to Men, N'Sync and The Backstreet Boys, and today have been replaced for the most part by a slew of Emo-Pop and Power-Pop bands like Death Cab for Cutie and Fall Out Boy.
The Rocket Summer - Do You Feel
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It would be a mistake and a shame to lump Bryce Avary of The Rocket Summer into that morass.
Though he draws tween and teenage girls in masses that can be scary, Bryce is a far more accomplished and seasoned musician than most of his peers. Releasing his first EP himself when he was only 16, this Colleyville, Texas native is now 25 with six releases under his belt. His last release, 2007's
Do You Feel, was his debut under a major label, Island/Def Jam. On his new CD, like all his others, he plays all the instruments and does all the vocals. Guitars, drums, piano, brass, Bryce seems to have a natural affinity for music and an enjoyment that comes through in his songs. Bryce and his band The Rocket Summer have become a fixture on the festival circuit and their energetic music and uplifting lyrics have garnished a strong, if young, following.
I saw Bryce and Rocket Summer perform at ACL Fest in 2006, and even during the heat of the midday sun his set drew so many people I found it impossible to get close to the stage. Then, as now, his high spirited performance, golden locks, and boyish charm had the girls screaming like they'd just met Elvis. I was glad to get a chance to talk for a couple minutes with Bryce when he came to play at Austin's
La Zona Rosa last week, as well as to finally get a chance to get some good photos. For being the center of attention on-stage, Bryce was kind of shy during our interview but we got to talk about some of his touring experiences. He really is that nice kid next door.
