This article was also published on Mad Sound.
About to return to Brazil after a ten-year hiatus, Story of the Year I Wanna Be Tour lineup , which takes place on August 30th on the synthetic turf of Allianz Parque. The tour has rekindled the flame of bands that helped build and spread the "emo" scene around the world, bringing generations together around songs that have become etched in the memory of a large portion of today's young adults.
This resurgence goes beyond nostalgia, encompassing a whole range of musical subgenres. It's a way to overcome the dispersion and lack of sensitivity in a hyper-connected era, to remember the old (new) times. This movement, however, has also attracted a new audience of listeners. Other generations find in the sound the same identification and connection that fans have carried through the decades.
It was a time when these bands emerged from small clubs, took over the radio, and gained television airplay, shaping the perspective and sensibilities of an entire generation – even though, at that time, there was a stigma and prejudice surrounding sensitivity, especially when expressed by men, for example, victims of a toxic masculinity caused by structural sexism. Showing that feeling, at a medium or high level, will never be obsolete.
The event, which brings together fans and band members who grew up together on the road, is headlined by Fall Out Boy, and also features performances by Yellowcard , the return of Good Charlotte and Fake Number , and other bands that solidified the subgenre in Brazil, such as Fresno , Forfun , and Glória .
Veterans of the scene, Story of The Year already has an extensive musical body of work, with their latest album, Tear Me To Pieces , produced by Colin Brittain , a recognized figure in pop punk who has also worked with Papa Roach and A Day To Remember.
I Wanna Be Tour lineup , the band will also take the stage at Tokio Marine Hall the day before for a more intimate show. In an interview with Wikimetal , vocalist Dan Marsala , who was wearing an Operation Ivy , spoke about his expectations for the shows in Brazil, about growing with the bands that make up the lineup, and also reminisced about and compared how the songs were written in the past and what remains the same in the present.
Wikimetal: It's been 10 years since your last visit to Brazil. What do you remember about that visit and what are your expectations for your return?
Dan Marsala: Yes, it's been quite a while… We had some great shows there and we love going to Brazil. I don't know why it took so long, we received some offers, but we couldn't close a deal. Now we're happy to be back, and I hope they'll be incredible performances. They'll be big shows, much bigger than the ones we've already done in the country, and I'm very excited!
WM: You'll also be playing side shows in São Paulo, in addition to the festival dates. Do you have a preference for festivals with large audiences, or do you prefer more intimate shows, like the side shows?
DM: Actually, I like both, for different reasons. Big festivals are a lot of fun because you play to a huge crowd, you have to control the audience in a different way, and that's very exciting. In smaller, more intimate shows, the energy tends to be more intense. Both are incredible in their own way, so I don't have a preference. Although the smaller shows are usually more fun, I love the big ones too. In the end, I'm happy to play anywhere, as long as people are engaged and singing along.
WM: The "I Wanna Be Tour" brings together many important bands for the scene. What's it like sharing the stage with all these bands? Do you have a friendly relationship with them?
DM: We grew up with most of these bands and we've been on the road for quite a while. We're good friends with Yellowcard, in fact, we've toured together in recent years. We also know the guys from Fall Out Boy; we played together on the Warped Tour in 2004 and 2005, so our history with them is long. It's like a big reunion between friends to put on a great show.
WM: How do you see the revival of the emo and pop punk scene? What do you think motivates both people returning to shows and new fans discovering the music of this generation?
DM: That's incredible. The music we helped create, the scene we're a part of, is experiencing a resurgence, and that's sensational! I don't know exactly why, but I feel like every musical genre comes and goes like waves. Sometimes it's popular, then people get tired of it, but eventually it comes back because it's the soundtrack of many people's youth. This has a special meaning for those who grew up with these songs, and it ends up inspiring a new generation of listeners. I'm very happy that this scene has continued to live on. I want to play music forever, you know? Until the day I die, literally.
WM: The band has been active since the 90s. What has changed in the songwriting and recording process from the first albums to Tear Me to Pieces ?
DM: We've been together for about 24 years. This current lineup has existed since the 2000s, but Ryan and I have been playing together since the 90s. The main difference is that when you're 19 or 20, you go into a room with your friends and jam for hours, testing ideas. Back then, the band was everything to us; we skateboarded, played music, and that was it. Today, in our 40s, we have families and other responsibilities. Our current process is more about exchanging demos, sharing ideas remotely. We don't have those endless jams anymore, but we still write the same way: if we like something, we go for it. If we don't like it, we leave it aside. It's simple. We make music for ourselves because we love it, and that has never changed. Maybe the process changes over time, but the essence remains the same.
WM: How does it feel for you to look back and see the impact of songs like “Until the Day I Die” on an entire generation?
DM: It's crazy. We feel extremely lucky and happy to see how people connected with this song. When we wrote it, we were in a van trying to compose something cool, and we thought that title was strong. It's one of the only songs where the title came before the melody. We had the phrase "Until the Day I Die" and we started playing. It was one of the easiest songs to compose and everything flowed naturally. And I've always heard that the best songs are like that, you don't overthink it, you just feel it's good. This is one of those. It's a simple song about relationships, but it generated a real connection with people.
WM: Your last album was released in 2023. Are there any plans for a new album of original songs?
DM: Yes! Actually, our new album is already recorded. We're now in the mixing, mastering, and finalization phase. We'll have new music later this year, probably not before our trip to Brazil, but a new album is coming. It was produced by the same guy from Tear Me to Pieces , who is now the drummer for Linkin Park . Kind of crazy, right? But he's back working with us and you'll hear more about it very soon.
WM: Are there any Brazilian post-hardcore, pop-punk, or even emo-core bands that you know of?
DM: I don't know much about Brazilian bands. There's a new artist called Ecca Vandal that I've been listening to a lot, and she's super badass, with a punk rock, kind of hardcore vibe. She's Australian, but she was born in South Africa. From Brazil itself, no band comes to mind at the moment, but I'd love to get to know more of the music from there.
WM: To conclude, would you like to leave a message for your Brazilian fans?
DM: We're excited to return to Brazil and play amazing shows with our friends. It's been a long time, and we apologize for that, but I'm really thrilled about this return. Thank you for continuing to listen to our music. And let's keep this going for another 20 years, shall we?
