Louder Than The Music

Stephen Bryce Avary, the man behind piano and guitar-driven rock solo-project, The Rocket Summer, is to release his second major label project release on Island Records, 'Of Men And Angels', on 23rd February. Stephen, who is based in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, is described as a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer, and single-handedly masterminds The Rocket Summer project.

Avary produced the 15 track CD with co-producer CJ Eiriksson. Speaking about the self-proclaimed "spiritually-charged" album, Avary says "I wanted to make an album of genuine and honest songs written from my heart and personal experiences that musically and lyrically would be better than anything I had done yet and above all would be an album that would hopefully, truly move and affect people. I'm grateful to be doing this and I want to do this for the right reasons."

For someone as spiritually motivated as Avary, he focuses on the struggles and victories of life's often-challenging journey in Of Men and Angels. There's the fervent post-emo power-pop punk riffs propelling 'You Gotta Believe', the autobiographical tale of romance and surviving the bad times in the hint of a hip-hop groove in 'Hills and Valleys' and the quiet-to-loud, mud-below-to-ground-above contrast of 'Light'. 'Nothing Matters' is a paean to altruism and selflessness, and 'Pull Myself Together' is about accepting grace and allowing yourself to move on while learning from your mistakes. And if his songs often tackle serious topics, Avary isn't above concocting something more tongue-in-cheek, like 'Japanese Exchange Student', which compares his social life as an up-and-coming artist to that of a student's experience in a foreign land, and 'I Need a Break (But I'd Rather Have a Breakthrough)', his own sly acknowledgment of the role of luck in pop success. 'Walls', a hymn-like ballad on battling depression, will be the first single released to CHR radio.

'Of Men and Angels' follows last October's release of the four-song 'You Gotta Believe' EP, which debuted at number 1 on iTunes alternative chart and number 5 overall. Musically, Avary is a one-man show though he tours with several longtime friends. Bryce has toured around the world, selling out venues not just in the US, but Canada, the UK and Japan, while playing such noted events as the UK's Glastonbury Festival, Scotland's T in the Park, Japan's Summer Sonic Festival, Austin City Limits, SXSW, Bamboozle, Cornerstone and the 2007 Vans Warped Tour. In addition, Avary is very involved with both the Invisible Children and his own charitable organization 'CALL IT CAPTIVATE'. In fact, he performed at the White House last summer in connection with his support of Invisible Children, an organization dedicated to rescuing children who have been kidnapped and enlisted against their will into the Ugandan army. His own organization 'CALL IT CAPTIVATE' is a clothing line that donates 25% of sales to several different charities. From disease research and poverty aid to orphanages, it is up to the buyer to decide which one to the 'CIC' Charities they would like to donate to.

'Of Men and Angels' Tracklisting:
1. Roses
2. You Gotta Believe
3. Hills and Valleys
4. I Want Something to Live For
5. Walls
6. Pull Myself Together (Don't Hate Me)
7. Of Men and Angels
8. I Need a Break... But I'd Rather Have a Breakthrough
9. Nothing Matters
10. Japanese Exchange Student
11. Tara, I'm Terrible
12. Hey!
13. Let You Go
14. This Is a Refuge
15. Light