the original URL of this interview was: http://www.hatesomethingbeautiful.com/chat/viewtopic.php?t=550HATE SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL
by: Paul Tao
Hate Something Beautiful
April 24, 2005Paul: To start off, can you give an introduction?
Bryce: My name is Bryce Avery and I have a musical project called The Rocket Summer. I'm a 22-year-old white young man...I don't know [laughter].
Paul: Haha, ok, so your new album comes out May 17th. Overall question, how was the writing and recording process for it?
Bryce: It was cool! Writing was awesome. Recording was rough but oh well. I lived in Brooklyn for a couple months and recorded it. I'm not complaining though.
Paul: Wait, where are you from?
Bryce: Texas. Dallas, Fort-Worth.
Paul: Oh, ok. So how was the writing and recording any different from the first album?
Bryce: Well, it was different because for the first one, I was sort of in my room with dreams of doing it and this one, I was touring when I was doing it so, I don't know. I think it's a lot more aggressive. It's a lot more real, I think. With the lyrics. I think it's a step up. Both recordings were kind of weird. I think I'm just going to build a studio and make my own records. It's like, I pretty much do, just not record them.
Paul: About the writing for this album, were there anything that influenced you particularly more than the first time in your life?
Bryce: Oh yeah, big time. That'd be a really big answer though. Mainly just that I got more serious about spiritual stuff, like God and stuff. To make an extremely long story very short. Really short and really vague, I'm sorry.
Paul: People can interpret that how they want.
Bryce: Definitely.
Paul: Besides the writing and recording, were there any other large differences you feel there are between this album and the first? Were there any other changes? Any progressions that you felt you've changed?
Bryce: I don't know about anything particularly significant, but I kind of feel that it's musically and lyrically better. Performances are better. I just think it's a better record. I love Calendar Days with all of my heart, of course, but I just think this one is better. It's more like...big, if you know what I'm saying?
Paul: Do you have any particular hopes or expectations for this album once it's released? Bryce: Yeah, I do, but at the same time, I don't even want...I've just realized this year that I can't make plans. You can't always rely on plans. I mean, I have expectations and I wish that this makes me gigantic and I can play arenas around the world and stuff. But if I always play at places like Chain Reaction [the venue this interview takes place at], I'll be fine with that too. It's freaking great. Like a couple of weeks ago, I was playing for just a few people in Virginia, but now it's crazy over here in LA.
Paul: Your fans seem very enthusiastic.
Bryce: Yeah, they're very enthusiastic. I don't think anyone, like any other band, well, I'm not being prideful or anything right now, I'm just saying that I'm proud of embracing my fans, my friends. They're definitely cooler than any other band's fans. Take that!
Paul: What's the story behind the album art? I've heard conflicting opinions on it.
Bryce: The one with just me? I don't know, it was just like “How about you be on the cover of the record? And then they took a picture and stuff. The actual artwork itself is like all over the place. Why is it conflicting? I haven't heard that.
Paul: Haha, well, when the cover art was first released, some people felt it was sort of weird. I think it's just because it's the solo shot of you on the cover with a plain background and you just don't ever see that around. It's different.
Bryce: I have no idea, man. It's just all me on the record, I don't know how to answer this.
Paul: It's not a bad thing. At least you're not one of those bands that tries to be overly pretentious and overly artsy on their cover and album art.
Bryce: It's just like, I think the name “Hello, Good Friend” is personal and it's just me on the cover. Like, you know, “What's up?”.
Paul: So what are some pros and cons of being a one-man band?
Bryce: I don't know. The pros are awesome, the cons are just that I have to deal with every little thing. I have to deal with all the flack. It's a lot of hard work that goes extremely unnoticed. The pros would be like that I feel I have a personal connection with the fan, you know? I mean, it might become a band. We'll see, we're trying to figure that out. I'm trying to take it easy right now. People always ask if it'll become a band. I'm afraid that it might change things for the worst, but then again it could make it better. I don't know.
Paul: As a kid, did you want to do this? Play music?
Bryce: Yeah, play music.
Paul: No astronaut?
Bryce: Well, when I was really young, I was really into karate and stuff. I'm actually a black belt. But yeah, I wanted to do that and I wanted to be a pro hockey player. But, when I turned, like, 12 or 13, I wanted to play music for a living. Whether or not I make money.
Paul: When did you first start writing and recording?
Bryce: I was probably around 13. I listened to it for the first time in a while the other day, not that I think I'm cool or anything, but I was like shocked. How did I do that? I feel like I used to be...well, now I feel like I'm whatever, but I don't know. When I was younger...I better shut up, haha. When I listen to it, I feel like I'd be shocked if some 14-year old gave me a CD that...Oh wow, I'm talking so cool about myself right now. I'm just saying, when I was younger, I don't know. I had such a drive for it and I feel like I haven't moved up since then. I used to be better, that's what I'm saying [laughter].
Paul: Is this your first headlining tour?
Bryce: HA! I've never gone on a tour where I'm not the headliner.
Paul: Really?
Bryce: Yeah, it's been a curse.
Paul: Oh wow, that's impressive. How long have you been touring for?
Bryce: A couple years. This is our fifth time at Chain Reaction.
Paul: So you headlined your first tour?
Bryce: Yeah. It's cool and it's horrible. We can't get on tour with anybody. That's how, you know, bands get bigger, but we just can't do it for some reason. Well, I take that back, we've done two weeks in farm towns on the East Coast with Something Corporate which was awesome, but yeah.
Paul: Why can't you get on with other bands? They just say no?
Bryce: I don't know, man. It's just, like, I don't know. For some reason, we submit for tours and...I don't know. I really don't. I'm so happy when anyone lets us open for them, like we did for Relient K for a couple dates a while ago, but it doesn't happen often. We've taken out a lot of bands that have gotten a lot bigger than us.
Paul: Like who?
Bryce: We took out The Format. Well, actually, they haven't gotten bigger than us, but they're still great. I love all the bands we take out, and I hope that one day we can tour with them again. To clarify everything though, I don't really care about the opening tour thing because I care more about connecting with people than getting big. It's just that sometimes it'd be nice to get a tour. Just to smooth over what I said though, haha, it's all good.
Paul: What's your favorite food?
Bryce: Oh, man, Tex-Mex. Gosh, it's so good.
Paul: You like the spicy?
Bryce: Oh yeah. I'm actually getting pretty hungry right now. I had a veggie six-inch sub a few hours ago.
Paul: Coke or Pepsi?
Bryce: Hmm... probably Pepsi. I don't know. Coke with ice in it is awesome but Coke by itself is too much. Pepsi, I can have by itself. If it were with ice in it, it'd be Coke, but by itself, Pepsi.
Paul: What was your favorite TV show as a little kid?
Bryce: Probably...I don't know. Saved By The Bell!
Paul: Favorite character?
Bryce: Zack Morris. I was really into him. Well, not like that, you know. [laughter] Not like that. It's like, “Zack Morris, I'm really into him. I'm REALLY into him”. [laughter] I wanted to be like him in 5th grade though. The hair, the giant phone. Well, not really.