I Am The Avalanche hails from Brooklyn, New York, and is a fairly young band. This is not to say, though, that its members are inexperienced; they are, in fact, veterans of the music scene. Vocalist and guitarist Vinnie Caruana used to be the vocalist in the Long Island band The Movielife, and guitarist Brandon Swanson came from Further Seems Forever. Bassist Kellen Robson used to be a member of Scraps and Heart Attacks, and drummer Brett Romnes was recruited from Reservoir. Guitarist Michael Ireland was a long time acquaintance of Caruana.

In the summer of 2005, the band released its first EP, a split with The Early November put out by Drive-Thru Records. On it were two songs: “New Disaster” and an acoustic version of “I Took A Beating.” Later that year in the fall, I Am The Avalanche released its self-titled debut album, again with Drive-Thru Records. Produced by Barrett Jones, who has worked with The Foo Fighters, Nirvana, and The Melvins, the album is infused with emotional guitars, reggae-influenced beats, and tongue-in-cheek lyrics.

Since the album’s release, the band has been touring all throughout the world with bands such as Head Automatica, Bayside, Hot Rod Circuit, Angels and Airwaves, and RX Bandits, as well as having appeared on the past two summer’s Vans Warped Tour.

While I Am The Avalanche was the only featured band, the crowd that gathered was in for a special treat. Two members of UPAC Concerts and two of their friends decided the day of the show to form an opening band for IATA. Members Matt Parker ’09 and Mike Weissman ’10, and their friends Tim George ’08 and Thomas Strandbygaard ’10 spent the hours before the show practicing and putting a few songs together. In the short set list they compiled was a cover of Fall Out Boy’s “Sugar, We’re Going Down.” Officially, the band had no name, but that doesn’t mean this occurrence was a one-night stand. The group is considering a return for the Battle of the Bands in mid-November.

I Am The Avalanche’s song lineup was ideal. Because of the interactive crowd, IATA was able to really bond with the audience members at the McNeil Room show. Admitting that it did not have a set list planned, the band took requests from the crowd, ensuring that all the favorites were played.

In addition to the songs from its album, IATA played three songs that were not on the record. Two unreleased songs by the band, “Polar Beasts” and “Mrs. Green,” were played. The band explained that “Mrs. Green” had not been performed or practiced in a few months, making this performance of it extra special. IATA also gave the crowd a chance to choose what cover song it played. Deciding between a Fugazi and a Lifetime cover, the crowd chose the Lifetime cover and IATA performed its rendition of “Turnpike Gates.”

Carrying a lot of energy the entire time, the show came to a close with the emotion ridden, “Green Eyes.” This song prompted the crowd to sing along—more so than they had the entire show.

After a powerful ending, the show IATA brought was far from being over. The band members mingled with the crowd and worked their merchandise table, giving audience members and fans a chance to talk to them.

IATA brought its best to RPI. The band members’ interaction with the crowd set a relaxed tone that told the audience that while these guys mean business and want to rock, they also want to have a good time and they want the audience to have an even better time. And in that sense, they were extremely successful.