Punchline was formed in 1997 as a three-piece band consisting of Steve Soboslai (lead vocals, guitar), Chris Fafalios (bass guitar) PJ Caruso (drums). At the time, Fafalios was a senior in high school and Caruso and Soboslai were juniors. They played local shows and recorded their first album, How to Get Kicked Out of the Mall, a blend of pop- and ska-influenced punk. In later recordings, the ska influence became less prominent.
In 1999, the band self-produced and self-released the full-length Punchline album.
After being joined by Paul Menotiades (guitar, vocals), they recorded and co-produced Major Motion Picture with Billy Rossi for an August 2001 release. The four collaborated with Rossi again in 2002 on The Rewind EP. The EP's four tracks marked a transition into what became their signature pop-punk sound.
2003–2005: gaining popularity, Fueled by Ramen
In 2003, the band signed to Fueled by Ramen Records. The Rewind EP was remixed and remastered by Shelly Yakus for its Fueled by Ramen re-release. Early pressings included The Rewind Documentary DVD, a collection of footage of the band.
In February 2004, Punchline released the album, Action, produced by Sean O'Keefe. Soboslai, Menotiades and Fafalios all sang on the disc and the first 10,000 pressings also included a DVD entitled The Action DVD.[2]
During a tour, Menotiades left the band. The remaining members enlisted Greg Wood, a long-time friend, to fill in on guitar and vocals for the remaining shows. Wood, who also performed as a solo artist and was a member of the now defunct Connecticut band West Beverly, later joined as a permanent member, and played keyboards and piano in addition to guitar on Punchline's 2006 release 37 Everywhere.
In 2005, TDR Records (formerly known as To Define Records) released an Over It/Punchline split 7-inch vinyl with two exclusive songs. The Over It side has an acoustic version of "Partner in Crime", and the Punchline side has a previously unreleased acoustic version of "Battlescars".[3]
2006: 37 Everywhere
37 Everywhere, produced by Shep Goodman and Kenny Gioia, was released by Fueled by Ramen Records on April 11, 2006. The album is dedicated to the life and times of John "Beatz" Holohan (1974–2005), the former drummer of Bayside.
The album's title refers to a theory suggesting that 37 is the most commonly seen number. The album's liner notes state: "The number 37 is everywhere. It is in your daily routine and it will surprise you. Look for it and it will look for you." Jason Sho Green, the artist/designer for the album, says the liner notes contain 37 instances of the number 37.
On August 28, 2006, the band announced the departure of Wood.[4] Wood is said to be in good standing with the band and left to pursue other interests, specifically a solo career and teaching guitar.[5]
Punchline's follow-up to 37 Everywhere was recorded in 2007 in two parts. Part 1 was recorded at Room Sound Studios in Tempe, Arizona, with the producer Jamie Woolford (formerly of The Stereo and now[when?] a member of the band Let Go). Part 2 was recorded at Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin, with Sean O'Keefe, who had produced Punchline's Action album.
On February 8, 2008, the band announced its departure from Fueled By Ramen[6] in a brief statement:
"After many years on fueled by ramen its time for us to move on, after fulfilling the obligations of our contract with FBR we decided that we wanted to look for a new home. Armed with a new record that's already recorded we are excited to move on to something new. Thanks to the people at the FBR that supported us and helped us it means alot[sic]. onedoor[sic] closes and one opens."
On July 11, 2008, Punchline created their independent label, Modern Short Stories, using the winnings ($25,000) from Heavy.com's Contraband Contest.
On "37 day" (March 7) 2008, Punchline announced in their AIM chatroom that the new album would be called Just Say Yes.[4] Preceded by "How Does This Happen?", the album was released on September 16, 2008.[7][8] A four-song bonus disc, Just Say Maybe, was included with the first 500 pre-ordered copies.
2009: more line-up changes and Night Lights
On January 27, 2009, Punchline announced the departure of its long-time drummer and original member Caruso.[9] In a blog entry posted the same day, Soboslai told readers that the split was amicable and announced a temporary stand-in for already scheduled shows. He reassured fans that they planned on making music for a long time to come, and announced plans for a spring 2009 tour and DVD release, as well as a new album.[10]
On May 3, 2009, Punchline premiered their new music video for "Ghostie"[11][12]
On August 30, 2009, Punchline offered the new song "Heart of Gold" for free download,[4] but those who paid $3 or more received 5 bonus songs, including rare Punchline tracks.[13]
On September 12, 2009, during a hometown show in Pittsburgh on the AbsolutePunk.net Next Favorite Band Tour, Punchline asked the temporary drummer Pat Dee, formerly of the band Victory Lane, to become a permanent member. Punchline announced the departure of Belan later that week. Menotiades returned to replace Belan for the fall 2009 US tour and later rejoined the band.[14]
On December 1, 2009, Punchine released a digital collection of unreleased songs called Night Lights.
2010–2011: Delightfully Pleased
Beginning in May, Punchline went to Ohio to record with Jamie Woolford at Innovation Studios. Somewhere around this time, Pat Dee was let go from the band.[15] Drummer Cory Muro, of Paul Menotiades' other band The Composure, was brought into the band as a full time member.[4]
A couple of weeks after their recording sessions were completed, Punchline released a song for fans of the television series Lost, a single rough mix track entitled "Roller Coaster Smoke". The track was released on the day of the Lost series finale.[16] The official music video was released on July 23, 2010. It was directed by the Pittsburgh filmmaker and comedian Joe DeWitt.
On June 24, Punchline revealed that the new album would be called Delightfully Pleased and it would be released on August 10, by Modern Short Stories and TDR Records. The artwork was also released and the first song, "21 Forever", was released on their newly relaunched web site, PunchKids.com, on July 18.[17] According to the band, this was their best album yet.[18]
2012–2015: So Nice to Meet You and Thrilled
On January 3, 2012, Punchline released a new EP exclusively on iTunes called So Nice To Meet You. The band had a social media push to get to No.1 on the iTunes charts. On January 4, 2012, the album peaked at No.7 on iTunes Overall charts and No.1 in the Rock category. So Nice to Meet You also reached No.4 on Billboard's Heatseekers charts, No.29 Rock Albums, No.16 Independent Albums and No.23 Alternative Albums.[19] Punchline appeared on the Fox reality television show Mobbed broadcast on April 1, 2012. Soboslai performed the Cheap Trick classic "I Want You to Want Me" with a flash mob for a long-distance friend Dana to profess his interest in a relationship.[20]
On January 19, 2015, Punchline announced their seventh full-length record titled "Thrilled" via their Facebook page with a release window of 2015.[21] On March 10, 2015, a music video for the single "Thrilled" off the upcoming album "Thrilled" was released on Chris Fafalios's (the band's bassist) YouTube channel.
In December 2015, Punchline launched two full album streams [22][4] ahead of the album release and embarked on a 5-city tour[23] in support of their newest album Thrilled, briefly joining Bayside's Holiday tour [24] for a Philadelphia date.
2017–2018: Punchline Music Special Kickstarter and LION
On April 13, 2017, the Kickstarter to create a Punchline Music Special was successfully funded.[25] On November 15, 2017, Punchline concluded filming of the live music portion of the Special in their hometown of Pittsburgh, PA.[26]
Punchline announced a new full-length record titled "Lion" the next year, shortly before releasing the album which includes previous singles "Darkest Dark" (ft Matt Thiessen) and "It's an New Year (Don't Be So Hard on Yourself)."[27] For the release, Dancing Gnome Beer created a limited edition Punchlion IPA, clocking in at 7% abv and hopped with Citra, Simcoe, Amarillo, Mosaic, Ekuanot, Columbus, and Chinook hops.[28] It was presented on tap at the 3/31 Mr. Smalls Theatre "Lion" album release show and available for purchase at the brewery.
Punchline also performed at a TEDxPittsburgh event called "Small Worlds, Big Ideas" on June 16, 2018.[29][30] The band is currently on tour with The Spill Canvas and Selfish Things to support the Spill Canvas's new EP release ("Part of the Hive" tour).[31] Punchline took time in between dates to play a show with 1990s rock heroes Gin Blossoms and Tonic in Pittsburgh.[32]
2019–21: Touring, covers, and new releases
In February 2019, Punchline continued to play with Gin Blossoms[33] to support the New Miserable Experience 25th Anniversary Tour.
In 2020, they released the "Just Stay Home" single, commemorating the COVID-19 pandemic with fan footage,[35] as well as the Punchline Music Special[36] (later available on Amazon Prime streaming). Punchline continued the release schedule with a 2021 single "Be Right There" produced by Marc McClusky, and a new holiday original song titled “I Won’t Let You Down (This Christmas)", rounding out their collection of Christmas songs.
Touring
Punchline has toured the United States extensively. In spring 2005, they embarked on their first proper headlining tour, "The Now or Never Tour". Notable acts they shared the stage with at this time include Catch 22, Allister, Spitalfield, Hidden In Plain View, The Fold, Audio Karate, Less Than Jake, Mest, Start Trouble, and MxPx.
In June 2009, Punchline co-headlined the Major/Minor Tour with Socratic.[37]
Internationally, the band has a sizable following in Japan. In summer 2004, Punchline toured Japan with then-labelmates Fall Out Boy, and, in June 2006, they headlined a Japanese tour with support from Paramore and October Fall.
Bayside is an American punk rock band from the Bayside, Queens neighborhood of New York City, formed in 2000 by lead vocalist Anthony Raneri. The group also consists of lead guitarist Jack O'Shea, bassist Nick Ghanbarian, and drummer Chris Guglielmo.
Sirens and Condolences is the debut studio album by American punk rock band Bayside.
The Academy Is... are an American rock band from Chicago, Illinois, formed in 2003. Before temporarily disbanding, they were signed by the Decaydance imprint of the Fueled by Ramen label. They were originally known as "The Academy", but added the "Is..." in 2004 to avoid legal complications with other established bands already under that name. The band has released three studio albums: Almost Here (2005), Santi (2007) and Fast Times at Barrington High (2008), along with four EPs. The band announced their disbandment on October 8, 2011. In May 2015, lead singer William Beckett announced that the band would reunite at Riot Fest 2015 in Chicago. In addition, the core members of the band, being Beckett, Mike Carden, Adam Siska, and Andy Mrotek, as well as Jamie Reed Schefman and Ian Crawford, reunited for a farewell tour that took place during December 2015. They announced that they would be reuniting again on May 11, 2022, alongside the announcement of their participation in the 2022 Riot Fest. They have since played shows opening for Fall Out Boy and in When We Were Young (festival), however have yet to announce new musical endevors.
Almost Here is the debut studio album by American rock band The Academy Is..., released on February 8, 2005 by Fueled by Ramen.
Discovering the Waterfront is the second studio-album by Canadian post-hardcore band Silverstein. The album was promoted with three music-videos for the tracks "Smile in Your Sleep", "Discovering the Waterfront", and "My Heroine".
The Swellers were an American punk band from Flint, Michigan. Their music is influenced by melodic punk rock, as well as alternative and indie rock bands, from the 1990s. They disbanded in 2015.
Cute Is What We Aim For is an American rock band from Buffalo, New York. The band formed in 2005 and has since released two albums: The Same Old Blood Rush with a New Touch (2006) and Rotation (2008). They were signed to record label Fueled by Ramen for their two releases.
37 Everywhere is the fourth studio album by Punchline. It is the group's second album for Fueled by Ramen Records. It reached a peak of #36 on the Billboard Heatseekers albums chart on April 29, 2006. It was produced by Shep Goodman and Kenny Gioia and continues to bring the brand of energetic pop punk that fans had come to expect from Punchline, yet often takes a turn towards alternative rock or unexpected styles. There is a much heavier use of falsetto on the album, by both Steve Soboslai (guitar) and Greg Wood (guitar), and somewhat less of Punchline's unconventional use of harmony, though the "way they twist their voices mid-word, and adopt a unique sound" remains at large.
The Same Old Blood Rush with a New Touch is the debut studio album by American rock band Cute Is What We Aim For. Following the band's formation in early 2005, they posted demos on Myspace and PureVolume. These demos soon garnered attention from record labels. After a period of time, the group received a call from major label Fueled by Ramen founder John Janick, who signed the band in November. In February 2006, the band began recording The Same Old Blood Rush with a New Touch with producer Matt Squire at Salad Days Studios in Beltsville, Maryland. During the album sessions, several of the demos the band had previously posted had been re-recorded. Prior to the album's release, "The Curse of Curves" was made available for streaming in March. Following the song's availability, the band went on a couple of tours in the U.S.
This Providence was a four-piece alternative rock band from Seattle, Washington, United States. The band consisted of Dan Young, David Blaise (bass), Gavin Phillips, and Andy Horst (drums).
Days Away was an American indie rock band based in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, formed in 1998.
Santi is the second studio album by American rock band The Academy Is..., released on April 2, 2007 by Fueled by Ramen, Decaydance Records and Atlantic Records. It is their first release to feature Michael Guy Chislett on lead guitar after Tom Conrad's departure from the band.
If You Speak Any Faster is the debut studio album released by American rock band June. It was released in August 2005 through Victory Records.
Fast Times at Barrington High is the third studio album by American rock band The Academy Is..., released on August 19, 2008.
Shudder is the fourth studio album by American rock band Bayside, released on September 30, 2008. Prior to its release, singer Anthony Raneri described the album as having a more alternative sound than their previous record, The Walking Wounded. The title comes from a lyric in the track "I Can’t Go On".
Modern Short Stories is a Pittsburgh-based "media label" founded by Steve Soboslai and Chris Fafalios of the Pittsburgh pop punk band Punchline and friend Amanda Yu. Its slogan is "Every song is a modern short story."
Steve Soboslai is an American singer/songwriter. He is the lead singer and guitarist of the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based pop punk band Punchline.
The Berlin Project was an American punk rock band from just outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, with influences from the punk, and ska music scenes that was active from 1995 to 2005. The band took its name from a computer program.
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The Front Bottoms are an American rock band from Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, formed in 2006. They are currently a duo consisting of lead vocalist and guitarist Brian Sella and drummer Mat Uychich. During live performances, they are currently accompanied by touring members, including guitarist and backing vocalist AJ Peacox, bassist and backing vocalist Natalie Newbold, and bassist, guitarist and backing vocalist Erik Kase Romero.
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