Avion Roe

Often in life the most serendipitous moments are the most satisfying and that's certainly the case with the rise of Avion Roe. The band—vocalist Evan Couture, bassist Sean Humphrey, guitarist Jordan Modro and drummer Josh Cutlip—formed in Dallas, Texas, in 2011 and instantly gained national acclaim with their debut album The Art Of Fiction which, featured the song "Who Am I" (whose accompanying video received over one million views online) and a year later their video for "The Escape" made them the first unsigned band to ever release a 3-D video. However the band ironically experienced their breakthrough moment when they had time off the road in 2014 to begin work on their second full-length. One of the demos caught the ear of Sleeping With Sirens' frontman Kellin Quinn.

"That was a weird time for us because we love touring and after taking a year off to write we felt like we needed to do something to reconnect with our fans," Couture explains. The group planned an online concert but after facing numerous technical difficulties they decided to release the song "Jettison Tears" via Alternative Press as a thank you to their fans who had patiently been waiting for new material from the act. "Shortly afterward Kellin reached out to us and tweeted his support for the song so I messaged him and told him a little more about us," Couture continues. "Twitter turned into emails, emails turned into phone calls and the more music I showed him the more excited he got. I emailed him "Into The Rest" and asked him to sing on it and he was into it. The rest is history." Kellin brought the band over to Epitaph, where they signed in September 2015.

Couture and Modro recorded and produced the songs for In Separation themselves at their house (aside from the drums which were recorded with Geoff Rockwell in Fort Worth, Texas). They had Kris Crummett (Issues, Sleeping With Sirens) add extra production and shimmer to their creations. From the rock balladry of “Carving Flowers” to the powerful, emotional masterpiece of “This Loneliness,” mixed with screams and soft melodies, and driving, expressive anthems like "Sing Me To Sleep," In Separation showcases the various sides of Avion Roe and shows how dynamic the act have become after spending the past few years tirelessly perfecting their craft. "I always tell people we’re a rock band. We try to write versatile songs that can take listeners to a lot of different places," Couture says, something that's evident in the piano, violin and other instrumental nuances inherent in these tracks. "We’re fans of so many different types of music and I think that is prevalent in these songs. Having the doors open to tour with a wide variety of artists is exciting because that allows us to extend our reach and resonate with more people." Furthermore the group's successful stints on the Vans Warped Tour have also helped them gain fans that transcend subgenres.

"We don't think in terms of a 'scene' because for us it's about writing music that will evoke feeling in others," Couture continues. "We aim to portray emotion in every song and we want people to recognize that. We try not to put walls up around who our fans are, it makes no difference what age, race, sexual orientation, gender, or religion they are - we write songs for people who want to get lost in music." In part, the group accomplished that on these songs by expanding on the electronic elements that were present on their debut, a fact that was spearheaded by Modro. "We had experimented with electronic concepts in the past but definitely pursued that more here" Couture explains adding, "The core of our songs are still rock-oriented so that's why the electronics don't sound overwhelming."

However, at their heart Avion Roe are all about their legendary live performances. "The four of us grew up going to punk rock shows and at our roots, that's what we are," Couture explains. "Until the very last note is hit and we walk off of the stage we use our adrenaline to deliver the most passionate and energetic performances we can. We’ve climbed venue rafters, thrown microphones, jumped into drum sets, and smashed guitars but most importantly we use our time on stage to connect with fans. They are listening to us but we’re listening to them too, we try to feel what they need from us and give it to them." That symbiotic relationship lies at the core of Avion Roe's existence and there's no question that through their relationship with Epitaph Records it will be able to grow exponentially and spread the band's message of inclusion and acceptance.

"This band has been a brotherhood since day one," Couture summarizes. Now that they're finally finished in the studio, the group can't wait to get back on the road and are planning to release In Separation this June. "We plan to tour all over and perform these songs for every single person who feels a connection with them," he adds. Like all of the act's releases, the songs on In Separation were a labor of love and hopefully you'll take solace in the transformative power of the group's music as much as they do.