While they were in town last month for the Warped Tour, we sat down for a short interview with I Am the Avalanche vocalist Vinnie Caurana and drummer Brett “The Ratt” Romnes. We talked about what it’s like seeing brand new songs in terrible quality on YouTube, a new generation of kids getting into The Movielife, the possibility of Vinnie recording an acoustic EP, and more.
Emily: How did you guys come to be on this year’s Warped Tour?
Brett: We started hearing from all of our friends that they were doing Warped Tour. And we were like “Why aren’t we doing Warped Tour?”
Vinnie: We got announced kind of late in the game. We approached them and they were able to make some room for us.
Felipe: Do you enjoy playing festivals?
Vinnie: It’s cool. It’s something different. You get used to playing the same clubs. Some people on this tour also walk around and stumble upon new bands, which is cool. The highlight of it is definitely all the friends. I know a lot of people on this tour.
Felipe: Do you tend to play different songs at festivals than you do at club shows?
Vinnie: When we’re in this type of setting we tend to play the more powerful, aggressive songs. It’s a short set and we all just kind of blister through it. We can’t let people get tired of standing in the sun.
Emily: Vinnie, how do you think Warped Tour has changed since you played it in The Movielife era?
Vinnie: It’s pretty much the same, but there is a lot more variety than there used to be. There are just a lot of different types of things going on. There was a lot of melodic punk at Warped Tour in the beginning. And this one is pretty well representative of that. There are a lot of good bands that are representing that genre.
Felipe: What bands are you excited about seeing?
Vinnie: Bayside, Four Year Strong, Fireworks. There are a lot of bands that we’ve toured with over the last few years that are here. Man Overboard, A Loss For Words, there are so many friends. A lot of good bands.
Emily: Vinnie, how did your set at the Acoustic Basement tent come about?
Vinnie: Brian Marquis who runs the stage and also performs on it, reached out and asked me if I wanted to be a part of it. He told me that Anthony Raneri [Bayside] and Kris Roe [The Ataris] were doing it and I was like “yeah, let’s go!” It’s actually served as a bit of a warm-up for me. I just kind of play there and then go over to our stage and the juices are flowing.
Emily: Do you worry about the vocal strain of doing two sets a day in weather like this?
Vinnie: Yeah, being in the desert the last few days definitely makes my voice weird and dry. I’m sure all singers are saying the same thing.
Emily: What kinds of songs do you play in your acoustic performance as compared to the full I Am the Avalanche performance?
Vinnie: I play a lot of Avalanche songs that we don’t play live on Warped Tour, some of the more laid back ones. Sometimes I do cover songs. I do a solo song. I did a Movielife song the other day.
Emily: Which song?
Vinnie: “Hey.”
Emily: What have you guys been listening to on the road? Any new records you’re really liking?
Brett: I’ve been listening to the new Bouncing Souls record [Comet]. The new Hot Water Music record [Exister] is amazing. I’ve also been listening to M83 a bit.
Vinnie: I haven’t listened to many new records, but I’m going to get Make Do and Mend’s new one [Everything You Ever Loved]. They have it with them on this tour, so I’m definitely going to go get that.
Emily: Did you guys have fun at your last show in Vegas opening for Bayside and Saves the Day?
Vinnie: Yeah, I was actually really surprised. We never played Vegas too much so we were excited that some people knew the words.
Emily: Vinnie, it seems like with I Am the Avalanche coming back on the scene, a lot of younger kids are going back and listening to The Movielife. How does it feel to have groups of kids excited about that part of your life?
Vinnie: It’s the same way that I feel about Youth of Today and Chain of Strength, stuff like that. I was too young to go to shows back then and I didn’t know about hardcore. I was nine years old. I was one of those kids once. There are all kinds of bands that we never got to see. I think as punk music goes on, those old records are still going to be sold. Minor Threat and Gorilla Biscuits, Bad Brains and stuff, there are going to be 15-year-old kids getting into those bands until the end of time.
Emily: I think especially now with the internet, it’s not just kids’ older brothers telling them to listen to those bands. They have the entire internet to give them music recommendations. How do you think that impacts things?
Brett: I think it’s a positive thing. I really see it as a way to find more music to listen to.
Vinnie: For labels, it’s bad, obviously. But for us, it’s easy to get people to listen to us. As a music fan, it’s easy for me to just go on Spotify and listen to everything.
Emily: How do you guys feel after you play a show and the whole set is on YouTube, probably not in the best quality? Especially new, previously unrecorded songs?
Brett: Before our last record came out, we were trying not to play the newer songs that no one had heard yet because we didn’t want to ruin it for people. When I get a record, I want to hear it for the first time the way the band wants it presented. Not some shitty recording from a mile away.
Emily: Do you guys have anything planned for after Warped Tour? New music? Tours?
Vinnie: We’re not sure what we’re doing. I know we’re definitely going to try to write. I look at the fact that we’re not touring the whole summer as a head start.
Emily: Vinnie, would you ever release any of your acoustic stuff?
Vinnie: I would love to. I might start with something smaller like a 7-inch or an EP. But, when I write songs, most times I just bring them to the Avalanche. A lot of the songs I write are kind of old punk stuff and it translates to that. But yeah I’d love to do an acoustic 7-inch in the winter, and just do something creative.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Vinnie: We’ll be back in Las Vegas as soon as we can!
Interview Emily Matview and Felipe Garcia
Transcribed by Ashleigh Thompson
Photos of I am the Avalanche/Vinnie Caruana by Tyler Newton
Get more I am the Avalanche on their Facebook page: facebook.com/iamtheavalanche
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