Hometown heroes Every Avenue were one of five bands rounding out the roster for the 2010 AP tour, sponsored by Alternative Press Magazine, RockStar Energy Drink and Wonka Candy. 

Other acts on the tour were The Summer Set, The Cab, Hey Monday and headliner, NeverShoutNever. The tour made its way to a sold out show at the Crofoot Ballroom in Pontiac on May 6. In the tour’s third year, it’s gaining notoriety with each stop, and the tour’s spokespeople hope one day it will be bigger than the Van’s Warped Tour.

Hailing from the Port Huron area, these guys have made a solid name for themselves across the country in just four short years.

The band’s latest album “Picture Perfect” was released Nov. 3, 2009 on Fearless Records. 

Prior to the Pontiac show, lead vocalist David Strauchman and lead guitarist Josh Randall of Every Avenue answered a few questions for The Oakland Post.

The Oakland Post: Is this is your first time being on the roster for the AP tour?

Dave: Yeah it’s the first time being on the tour. We played the Fall Ball last time it was here in Pontiac over at Clutch Cargo’s.

The Oakland Post: How does it feel to be on this tour?

Josh: Ecstatic! Very excited, I think we all had subscriptions to AP when we were younger, so we’re pretty excited about it.

The Oakland Post: You guys are no stranger to touring life, so what’s been your favorite tour so far?

Josh: That’s hard to answer. It’s funny, like every single tour even dating back to before we were signed and booking our own tours, we have all these crazy memories. I think each tour holds a certain place, it’s weird. 

The Oakland Post: If you could pick an ultimate tour line-up, what would it be?

Together: Slipknot, BuckCherry, Guns N’ Roses, Hinder, Ace of Base, New Kids on the Block, Goo Goo Dolls and Hootie and the Blowfish.

The Oakland Post: What is essential to have on the road?

Dave: Cell phone.

Josh: Yes, cell phone and whiskey.

The Oakland Post: What’s the best part of being on the road?

Dave: Just getting to play live every night, being in a different city, seeing people all over the place, hanging out with our friends in other bands and being able to do what we want to do.

Josh: Having really random life experiences.

The Oakland Post: Favorite on the road meal, and favorite home-cooked meal?

Dave: Oh, mama’s cooking when I’m home for sure. Whatever she makes I will eat.

Josh: I love my mom’s shepherd’s pie, it’s my favorite. On the road, Chipotle.

Dave: I like it when we get a day off to stop at a restaurant.

Josh: Yeah, it’s nice when we can actually sit down and eat and drink margaritas with the boys like Sex and the City.

The Oakland Post: Do you have any shows that stand out?

Josh: There are a lot that stick out. We played the Fillmore in Detroit and that stands out. We just played Bamboozle and that was one of my favorite shows we’ve ever played.

The Oakland Post: So, bringing it back to the start, how did you guys become Every Avenue?

Dave: It started back in the day at school, just with friends playing music, and eventually our band started playing with members of other bands, and you know, a few member changes over the years, and here we are.

The Oakland Post: You guys are from a pretty rural area. How did you guys manage to get your name not only across the state, but across the country? 

Dave: Pretty much did everything we could: Internet, tried to play as many shows, tour as much as we could. Eventually we made a CD, put it up on iTunes and stuff like that. Utilize the Internet!

The Oakland Post: How do you think you’ve grown and maybe changed from “shh … just go with it” to “picture perfect?”

Dave: Like everyone says, this CD (titled “Picture Perfect”) has more layers than the last one, it’s a little more dynamic. I think we just had more time to write it. Some of the songs on the last CD were like four years old and these were all new songs that we wrote and recorded.

The Oakland Post: Have you had any crazy wild fan encounters? Do you have anyone come up to you in the grocery store or anything random?

Josh: Yeah, we’ve had people approach us before, but that’s not really the weird part. For instance, one time we had played a venue and someone took a picture the previous time of us eating pizza with a friend at a place next door, and the next time we played there they brought it and had me sign it. 

Every Avenue’s next Michigan show is July 29 at the Mixtape Cafe and Venue in Grand Rapids. Check out Every Avenue on their Web site at myspace.com/everyavenue.