The Story So Far and I Am the Avalanche

California has produced some of the best punk bands of all time and The Story So Far is looking to keep that amazing reputation.

Coming out of Walnut Creek, California the band has been on a rocket ship of exposure as they began in the very sought after Warped Tour playing along with the greats such as Less Than Jake and New Found Glory. But I was able to catch them in Portland, Oregon where they brought punk to the home of grunge.

Hawthorne Theatre is not a large arena by any means but you couldn't tell that by the volume of the audience. Hundreds of fans singing along as the band pounded their way through hard-hitting songs. What amazed me is how much the band vibed with the audience. This was not a stiff show with people swaying to the songs they liked. It felt more like being at someone's house with your friends on stage, rocking out. To add to that feeling, the small stage was swarmed with audience members jumping up, running around and then diving into their fellow fans - all while front man Parker Cannon continued to spit lyrics and expertly dodge the oncoming rush of super fans.

By far one of the more intense shows I've been to and who doesn't like a guy jumping off the stage and falling right next to you?

Following lead singer Vinnie Caruana’s previous band, The Movielife, splitting, I am the Avalanche filled a massive gap in the gruff-pop-punk sort’ve genre. Since the release of latest record “Wolverines” the band are still growing at an exponential rate.
Their live show manages the raw intensity on their records. Towing a line between melodically heavy and catchy, huge singalongs are present for each track - especially those from the universally loved record “Avalanche United”. As Caruana jumps around the stage - and often, the crowd itself, the energy in the room is paramount, backed up by particularly strong guitar work. The crowd is moving and flowing, screaming their lungs out with smiles plastered on. The smiles are partly down to the funny banter provided in song breaks. Tracks like “Brooklyn Dodgers” and “Green Eyes” get gigantic reactions. Those kind of anthemic songs garner massive singalongs everywhere from basement venues to arenas supporting bands as big as Brand New. I Am the Avalanche are definitely crowd pleasers. Setlists are divided between all three of the band’s records nicely, allowing some older fan-favourites to be aired. I Am the Avalanche are a band whose performances are always heartfelt. You can tell that they love it; and so does the crowd.