New York rockers I Am the Avalanche are celebrating the release of their third album Wolverine. Vocalist Vinnie Caruana takes his time to chat to the AU about how proud they are of the new LP, the album’s production, and the band’s experience at Soundwave.
Congratulations on album number three! You kept the production internal once again for this release. What has kept that side of things within the family, so to speak?
We are big boys; we know what sound we are going for, and how to achieve it on our own. It’s a very liberating feeling, and a place we’ve worked a very long time to get to.
Tell us a little about how The Ratt works as a producer
The Ratt is usually there in the studio hours before any of the rest of us, trimming and editing and doing whatever work he can do before we disrupt him. He tracks at a very comfortable pace, not too fast, not too slow, considering all the options along the way. Tracking vocals with The Ratt is actually really fun and comfortable. By now he knows my voice, songwriting approach, and how I want to present it.
What led you to name the album “Wolverines” and how do you think it represents the album as a whole?
A wolverine is an animal that will get caught in a bear trap and chew its own leg off to escape. It’s an animal that represents perseverance and heart. In my eyes it serves as a metaphor for the band and for myself.
There are a lot of quotes around about how this is a “cohesive” record… more so than your last. How much importance did you place on this this time around and what changed in the recording and writing process that allowed this – and allowed you to do it as quickly as you did?
This was the most well thought out record. Songs weren’t written on the fly, in the back of a van or hotel rooms. For my portion of the writing, the music and the lyrics came over a pretty long period of time, where I would designate certain days of the week to write music and only that. I guess you could say it was more focused. There were also three songs that didn’t make the record but were recorded during the “Wolverines” sessions. We picked the 10 songs out of 13 that were the most cohesive and powerful.
What are you particularly proud of when it comes to the production of this record? It could be a specific song, or a way you approached the writing or something
I’m really proud of how the vocals turned out. The takes are a product of hard work, Ratt being an awesome producer, and falling in love with a new microphone that suits my voice and captures what I’m trying to get across.
Have fans heard much of this new material live? Was this an album you road tested much?
This album has not been road tested at all. A huge pet peeve of mine is people hearing new music for the first time while watching a live video on YouTube. We really wanted to present this music in its studio form first.
How have fans reacted to what they’ve heard so far?
The fans seemed to be really pleased with what we’ve done, and everyone seems to be getting behind the band even more so than before.
You’ve enjoyed being a part of the Soundwave Festival in Australia a couple of times. What were your experiences as part of that event?
Soundwave is just an awesome way to tour Australia. There are usually dozens of bands on the tour that we know personally, and dozens more that we are huge fans of. AJ always seems to extend the invitation, and we love him for that. We’d really love to come and play clubs in Australia the next time around and have that experience. After that, we hope to possibly revisit the Soundwave Festival.
Any highlights in terms of things you did/saw in Australia?
Partying hard with some of the biggest rock stars in the world is always something I can claim to have done.
When do you think we’ll get you back next?
We are shooting for sometime between June and August.
Finish this sentence. You should listen to I am the Avalanche because…
We are your new favorite band.
Wolverines will be released in Australia on Friday 21 March
