Lucinda Albers
Most local bands have a shelf life shorter than a loaf of bread. Those that actually do survive usually take years to establish a steady line-up and local exposure.
Avery, a pop-punk band that hails from the Sioux Falls/Brookings area, has taken that stereotype and smashed it.
In less than a year, Avery has landed a record deal, opened for local giants The Spill Canvas as well as national acts like Bowling For Soup, recorded a CD and created a buzz throughout the area.
Jon Wallner (vocals), Brent Plooster (guitar), Chad Konrad (guitar), Noah Yeager (bass), Tim Berg (drums) and Justin Moege (keys) have only been a band since about December of 2006, though the idea was thrown around for several months before. Before they knew it, they were scheduled to open for The Spill Canvas in Sioux Falls, automatically marking their presence in the local music scene.
“We often get a lot of praise, but we try not to let it go to our heads,” said Yeager, emphasizing that for right now, the band is more focused on making music than becoming famous.
“We’re growing and proving ourselves as musicians,” said Yeager. “We have dreams of making it big, but it’s not necessarily a goal right now.”
The boys hope that their first CD, “Reaching For The Fall” (released on Green Sheep Records), will put a different spin on today’s local music.
“The local scene now is a lot of screamo,” said Moege. “And we’re not like that at all.”
Stirring up the scene isn’t the only difference these guys have: they also take a bit of a different approach to their live shows.
“At a lot of shows, people just tend to stand there with their arms crossed,” said Konrad. “Our ultimate goal is to make them dance.”
And they do just that. Their live performances are energetic and just plain fun. You can check them out at www.myspace.com/averysd.
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