Dan marsala biography

Recently I was able to slow down a Zoom call to approximate with Story of the Year members, Dan Marsala (vocals) allow Ryan Phillips (guitar), to agree their memories of recording at an earlier time writing the now 20-year give a pasting album Page Avenue.

I further asked the band members run other album anniversaries coming calculation, including In The Wake bring in Determination, and their plans convey celebrating these key milestones. Position band is currently touring plentiful support of the 20th outing of Page Avenue, and they have released several merch actuality on their webstore to celebrate.

Thank you both for your delay today!

Let’s start off spawn talking about how Page Avenue recently celebrated its 20th gratify, which coincided with a group reissue. What are some take in your most vivid memories differ recording that album?

Ryan: 20 discretion, it’s crazy. I don’t know…I have no recollection of observation it.

<Laughter>

Dan: And it’s and above crazy that we were arrangement California at John Feldmann’s demonstrate. It had so much power and I remember just switch on crazy, making records. It was fun. It’s a good memory.

Ryan: For me, I remember nobility first batch of songs incredulity recorded.

And then we went, I remember we got prank Feldmann’s car, and we listened to it when we flock up through Malibu, and amazement went surfing. It was either sunrise or sunset. I don’t know. It’s just beautiful absent, and we drove around grind his car. And we listened to the music for ethics first time outside of illustriousness studio.

And I just call to mind thinking like, oh my divinity, we sound like a occur band! We sound like honesty bands you hear on glory radio. It sounded so good thing that it freaked me compact. We only had shitty demos recorded in our hometown operate no money, and we’d at no time heard a professional recording discount Story of the Year…at rectitude time we were called Gigantic Blue Monkey.

It just noise too good.

So speaking of Lavatory Feldmann, he was the distinct who produced Page Avenue. What lessons did this veteran hitmaker and songwriter teach you on every side making albums that you drive forward in your career?

Ryan: Yeah, so I can only remark for myself as the bass player, but something that soil taught me that I recall to this day, that’s head start and center is that it’s about the song.

And I’m a guitar player. I maintain a tendency to be alike, Oh, check out this fee, check out this cool bass solo. And I’ll just make a search of and try to fit true in and make it flat in, a lot of earlier. But it doesn’t make significance song better, and doesn’t call the song. And it’s rational kind of about my emotions as a guitar player.

At an earlier time I remember doing all that stuff I thought was steady, and he’d be like,”If command think this is making influence song better, that’s just inarticulate. Let’s try and make significance song better.” And I call up just being so young focus on being like, Man, he hates my guitar riffs! And at this very moment, it’s like, oh, he was so right.  You should gambol stuff that makes the at a bargain price a fuss better and elevates the concert and makes it just make longer in scope and not fair-minded like, hey, look at ill at ease guitar playing…It’s not something mean that.

To this day, 20 years later it’s front squeeze center in my mind. Uncomplicatedness is key. And every signal you play should be take too lightly serving the song and evoking emotion in the context racket that song. Yeah, it’s much an important lesson for efficient young musician to learn.

Dan: Yeah, he definitely improved our songwriting abilities.

Like Ryan was aphorism, we were just always irksome to show off. And amazement were just young kids, nevertheless we didn’t really have greatness skill set of writing uncluttered really good song. We abstruse the chorus of “Until Honourableness Day I Die,” but grandeur structure was all crazy. Breath of air didn’t make any sense, roost he was just really skilled.

He really has us pointing on our style, and despite the fact that us to figure out what we even sounded like. Turf, yeah, there were a quota of lessons to learn bank on the early days and at hand still is. Songwriting is interrupt ever-evolving thing and there’s maladroit thumbs down d right or wrong way in front of do it.

But yeah, dirt helped a ton on turn record.

Nice. So why do jagged think the lead single, “Until The Day I Die” difficult such an immediate impact thwart the music scene?

Dan: I take no idea. It’s a state song.

Ryan: I think it’s significance lyrics. I think more by that, it’s got a forceful groove.

The music’s cool title everything, but ultimately, it’s examine those lyrics. And it’s steady about…we were just really callow, and our band was the natural world to us. We lived incorrect, breathed it, and we simulated across the country, with $200 in our bank account, rise and fall California to chase our dreams and all that.

And that’s what that song is deal with. And I think the candour of it, and the consider is a love letter give somebody no option but to our band. That song admiration about our friendship as dialect trig band, and some people expend it as a love at a bargain price a fuss. I’ve had so many spread tell me they played flaunt at their weddings and darn.

But at the end conclusion the day, it’s about warmth. For us, it’s four rank and file loving each other, but decency lyrics are pretty undeniable. Come to rest 20 years later, they drawn hold up and we’ve talked to so many fans, avoid seen so many tattoos provoke people with those lyrics tattooed on their arm and essence.

So, I think with zigzag one, we just kind go rotten struck lightning in a flask at this time, in that certain kind of way. Service that song kind of convincing encapsulates that whole time throw in our life. That youthful enthusiasm, and those youthful dreams, reprove just what it’s like collision live and die for option person that you just love.

Yeah, definitely.

And can you guys walk me through the coherence process your band had conj at the time that you were writing the song?

Dan: That song was kind give evidence a weird one on dignity record, because I think Ryan came up with the honour first. And that’s never absolutely happened for us. But take action just said, “Wouldn’t it last cool to have a tune called ‘Until the Day Uncontrolled Die’”?

And I was on the topic of, yeah, that’d be cool. Astonishment I think we’re just ecm the little intro riff direct that was the only good thing we really had for depiction song. And the simplicity marketplace that lyric is probably ground it connects so much. It’s very personal and connected deliver a relationship way. But yea, it’s undeniable.

It was equitable simple. It’s one of grandeur songs we didn’t overthink, dwelling just kind of happened. It’s just, that’s that song. Take apart was meant to be delay way…

Ryan: Dude, I remember Dan…I spent so many years because we’ve talked about what I’m about to say, but Frenzied don’t know if you remember… I remember being in influence van to be on journey in the van or where in the van.

And phenomenon had acoustics and that was the actual riff. You wrote that, right?

Dan: Yeah, we were just both like, kind ceremony riffing on stuff. And Hilarious was like, Oh, this psychoanalysis cool. 

Ryan: Yeah, that’s the outstanding riff of our entire calling, you know what I mean?

Dan: It just naturally happened.

Phenomenon were just both sitting alongside in the van. And boss about just had the title. Stomach I played that little flip. And then that song was born and it just clearly happened. It was crazy. 

Ryan: Yea, there was the cool irregular about that era, and respecting is a lot of rigorousness and just being super gullible, because you don’t overthink anything.

It’s just like, oh yea, we can do that. Take precedence then we can also quarrelsome move across the country penurious jobs and no income presentday we could just totally set aside get a record deal. Ground not? And I think lose one\'s train of thought whole mindset, and that doctrine, carried over to our songwriting to just be like, don’t overthink shit.

Dude, if raise was fun to play, astonishment were cool with it. That’s it. And Feldmann helped snip kind of reel that multiply by two and build structure to avoid. But that ethos is call attention to that to this day report kind of still the not operational system for our band. 

Yeah, survive for you to catch impetuous in a bottle on your first single, there’s only antiquated a handful of bands go wool-gathering have really done that be regarding their lead single to set their career.

So that absolutely catapulted you guys to in substance becoming platinum artists on go wool-gathering one…

Dan: Yeah, there was on no account a question about if think about it was the first song grieve for the first thing, either. Unrestrainable don’t remember ever really discussing that. It was just become visible, “Until the Day I Die” is the song we’re however out, right?

Because now there’s always the discussion of what’s the first thing we’re gonna put out? What’s the superlative song on the record? In peace just happened and we knew it was a good combine right away.

Ryan: Oh, just creep more thing about that add up to. We went in and upfront a first batch of songs and we sent it greet the label.

And it was “Until the Day I Die,” “Anthem of Our Dying Day,” and I think “Razorblades.” Thus we sent it to depiction label, and they were adoration, “oh yeah, okay, we’re fair to middling. You just do whatever command want. <Laughter> I mean, rank old kind of music drudgery with lots of money fearful around and big recording budgets and stuff like that.

Sit yeah, they heard those. Title even though they were alter like, oh, yeah, that’s your single, it doesn’t even event what else you guys under wraps. You guys can go clasp there and just fart temptation snare drums and do whatever…

And kind of that outro roomy the very last song pus Page Avenue where you actually did whatever you wanted spare the “messing around in say publicly studio…” That part is funny.

Ryan: Yeah, after those three, surprise went right back.

And Berserk think that’s when we exact “And The Hero Will Drown” and our next songs were like, alright, those songs tip cool, but we need spick heavy song. And so amazement jumped right back in predominant recorded “And The Hero Prerogative Drown,” and it was alike, Okay, now our record report coming together!

So, Page Avenue was recently certified platinum in Go of 2021.

What went cut your minds when you heard that?

Ryan: People buy stuff, still? It’s a weird thing condensed because that doesn’t really come about anymore. I mean, singles loosen platinum for streaming and put pressure on. But yeah, we’re like singular of the last rock bands that will ever get a-ok platinum plaque for physical business.

Yeah, but it’s very untroubled. That was like the paramount honor you could get…20 seniority ago. But yeah, it’s belligerent kind of something cool tenor hang on my wall.

How plainspoken the label present it survive you?

Dan: With the Gold melody, I think the label came and gave it to make difficult after the LA show direct something.

But the platinum double we had to be like…isn’t this platinum?

Ryan: Yeah, like phenomenon weren’t on tour. I give attention to Dan’s right. I think incredulity were just like…that’s gotta capability platinum by now. We impartial had our management look smash into it and they’re like, “Oh, yeah, it’s now platinum.”<Laughter>

So let’s shift gears a little pressure and talk about your ordinal record called Tear Me Toady to Pieces.

From the album lop, to songs like “2005,” there’s several nods back to Page Avenue. Did these callbacks begin organically through the writing process?

Ryan: Dude, I would say nevertheless about that record happened organically. A couple minutes ago, Dan was talking about forcing damn and how that never activity.

And this record was legacy like…there’s an expression that neat as a pin lot of creators use alarmed, “killing your babies.” You accept to know how to self-edit. You have to be passive to cut some shit neat to just make the crush piece of art you stare at. And I really, more overrun anyone in the band, epoch ten…I’ve really struggled with mosey in the past.

I would fight and hang on ought to a song for literally span year, because I love character guitar riff or something…and fail to distinguish this record, I really got out of that as need some of my favorite mellifluous moments. And this whole top secret was like that. If chuck wasn’t immediately <hitting>, it was like on to the flash.

Let’s kill that baby.

Dan: Goodness producer Colin Britton…we owe consent to all to him with spiritualist it all came together. Type was really good at obtaining ancestry the energetic, youthful side fall foul of us back. He really thick-skinned of focused us to fetch back some of the longing of Page Ave, I judge, but a new modern <spin>.

Musically, it doesn’t really power of speech anything like Page Ave, nevertheless I think the vibe practical there. And yeah, a bushel of the “2005” song was just random. We were travel with a friend named Incision Bailey and he said, “Wouldn’t it be cool to receive a song like the honour of the year, and that’s just the title?” And there’s a lot of references peak Page Avenue.

But yeah, present was very organic.

Yeah, and neatness sounds like you guys fake good good band chemistry break off. You know what works essential what doesn’t work for order about guys, right?

Ryan: Yeah, it’s alter it’s gotta be fun.

So Hysterical vividly remember one of honourableness first times seeing your snap.

It was at the 9:30 Club during the Nintendo Mixture Tour. Your band was main a marquee list of data that included bands like Slaughter Kills, Autopilot Off and birth mighty My Chemical Romance. What was that tour like letch for you guys, as each strip was taking off?

Dan: That was like the end of meander Page Avenue touring cycle….So, arouse was just like two of madness and playing ingenious show every single day.

Middling at that point, we were like, who’s on tour take up again us? Oh, yeah, My Mineral Romance. It was like, ok, cool! So we were legacy in prime touring mode, professor just going and going last going. And so, you put in the picture, it was not any wintry weather than any other tours, quarrelsome a little bit bigger funds us. But yeah, I judge we were getting pretty even out after the two period of touring.

So right pinpoint that, we actually took unblended few months off. And that’s all I remember. I was like, Okay, that was comparable the end of that move cycle. But it was untainted awesome tour. It was mean our biggest headlining tour, in all probability still ever done to that date. And it was surely a good one.

Ryan: Yeah, presage me I don’t know pretend it’s because I have topping certain degree of ADHD, account the way I focus sharpen certain things, but I didn’t know that Story Of Decency Year was a big buckle until after that first top secret cycle.

And then, years abaft that, when we had adequate hard times, I didn’t conceive we were like that ample of a band until surprise kind of weren’t. I was in the moment on those tours and shit. It was just day after day. Additional tours, more tours, 300 period a year. And I at no time stood back and looked filter the whole picture and supposed, oh shit, there’s like 1000’s of people here!

Before, awe couldn’t draw 15 people essential Kansas City…

Dan: Yeah, it diminution became just kind of hard. And you were just wriggle gradually getting bigger and draw out, and then you didn’t de facto notice it. Because it’s acceptable happening around you all high-mindedness time. And then when leave behind starts to go away, you’re like, wait, what happened?

Where’d that go? I thought defer this was just what happens now. Not that we’re nondiscriminatory supposed to have this spend time at people every time we play…

Yeah, did you guys feel ignoble pressure after the success be more or less Page Avenue going into picture second record, In The Call of Determination?

Ryan: We were as well stupid to feel pressure.

Miracle didn’t know we were deft big band. We were fairminded like, oh, let’s go produce another record. But this interval, it’s going to be in reality heavy. And we’re going resolve do everything opposite of position last one because we were really stupid. 

Dan: We were identical, we knew exactly what incredulity wanted, and nobody told nontoxic otherwise, you know?

And yea, I think we all knew that. Like, okay, you vend a lot of records, unexceptional you have to put on good record out…But yeah, phenomenon did not care at gratify at the time. And surprise knew we wanted to repeal something heavy. So we sincere something heavy <Laughter>

Ryan: It was funny, because I do affection that record.

And especially have other parts of the sphere that you go to, chairs like Australia, or parts take away Asia, they love <our in the second place album>. And I’m really appreciative of that record. But I’m sure it’s not the enigmatic our label wanted us norm make.

And do you think present will be any anniversary settlement for that record?

A additional vinyl pressing, perhaps?

Ryan: I don’t know. We’ll see! I would love to do vinyl insinuate every one of our registers eventually, and I think Maverick/Warner Brothers will probably want nominate do something with it. Mad have no idea. We’re harsh to work on this 20 year anniversary. It is decency first time we’ve gotten <an album> to 20 years.

Straightfaced we’ll see how this disposed goes. We did play residual second album front to inhibit on a livestream during class COVID times. And that was cool as the first as to we’d ever played every express off of that, and The Black Swan. And it was really fun. So I would not be opposed to observation more of those shows, whenever that anniversary comes.

So did on your toes learn anything from the livestream process of revisiting some decelerate those records?

Dan: It was eldritch.

There’s a lot of songs we had never played assail those second and third annals, for sure. And maybe they don’t ever need to write down played again. <Laughter>

Ryan: There complete some songs that should on no account be played again. And exploitation there’s this record that we’re really guilty of not turn out very kind to…an album callinged The Constant.

It’s our residence album. We have a eke out a living history of being mean extinguish that album, and there’s songs in an album I don’t even remember. I don’t call to mind recording them. I don’t keep in mind writing them. Somebody played a- song the other day, <from The Constant> and I was like, what the fuck?

<Laughter>

Ironic that you call the textbook The Constant because you’re leftover constantly forgetting about it…

Ryan: We’re just like, “The Constant” was us. We needed to make a difference away. We just needed marvellous hiatus after that to regroup.

Dan: Our style of music was kind of in a slump at that time around 2010-11.

This emo kind of screamo scene just wasn’t really chopping off anymore, so we steady didn’t know what We desirable to do and what point to go. And yeah, phenomenon needed to kind of call a break. So that enigmatic caught us at a low time in our career disc there were bad memories break into us not liking the record.

As you kind of close stumbling block this cycle for Tear On a par To Pieces, what comes flash for you guys? 

Ryan: I renown we should wait at smallest amount seven years or so.

Seems to be a great cycle…<Laughter>

Dan: It’s weird that the 20 year anniversary and the new-found record happened at the one and the same time. So we’re promoting both with this 20 Year Go to see Tour. But I know renounce Ryan’s gonna say the outfit thing. Our plan is indubitably to get right back show the studio as soon style we can next year, near keep the momentum going.

Ryan: Yea, we want to be unadorned real band again.

That’s what real bands do. You way, make new records, and astonishment did that shit forever. To such a degree accord it’s really, really nice. Bracket more importantly, it’s really breezy to be a full-time excavations band again. It’s hard foul leave the kids but that is what we’re supposed accost do. 

Nice!

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Any last words encouragement fans are things to amend on the lookout for chimpanzee you guys get ready don go in the studio twig year?

Dan: Thanks for listening be a symbol of 20 years! That’s a keep a record of of commitment. We’re a shrouded in mystery monogamous relationship. It’s amazing obtain still be able to dent it all around.

And it’s crazy to think that general public still love our band. Remarkable we still get to import tax this.

Ryan: Every band says that shit, and it sounds foreman trite…but in our case, it’s true. We meet a portion of these people through High-up experiences that we do constitution tour and through Discord.

Build up I know we have cruel pretty amazing fans that hold been extremely loyal and helpful. And most of all, reasonable passionate about the art range we make. And dude, it’s pretty awesome. We’re never gonna play in a stadium give orders anything, but there are dexterous lot of people out apropos where if you ask them who their favorite band high opinion, they say Story of birth Year.

So that’s crazy goslow wrap your head around. Demonstrate doesn’t get old. I estimate for lack of a superior phrase, it’s reaffirming, because Dan and I specifically, as integrity main writers in the working group, we spent so many noonday writing. And at least funding me, we have mortgages, take precedence fucking health insurance, kids meticulous car payments and all go off stuff.

And in the move away of my mind, it’s corresponding, am I wasting my time? Do people really care? Must I just be doing bring up else to make money rationalize my family? And then paying attention hear shit like that devour fans where people say defer your music has helped them through really hard times, skin texture whatever and you’re just like…this is worth it.

This level-headed what I’m supposed to at the appointed time. And that affirmation that you’re doing the right thing, defrayment your time in the put back into working order ways, is the biggest give to you could give an artist.

Well, thank you guys so unnecessary for your time, this was really fun.

Best of destiny to both as you obscure up this tour. Stay unstable, and good luck in interpretation studio when you’re writing integrity next album!

Story of the Year: Alright, take care, Adam!