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Summit group gets big ‘Break’

Awkward Silence will perform at the Vans Warped Tour on July 15 during its Montage Mountain stop.

CLARKS SUMMIT – It’s bound to be a long, exciting week for the members of Awkward Silence.

The Abington- and Scranton-based alternative rock group will release their first full-length album, “Break,” on Friday, July 10. The show at O’Neil’s Bar and Grill, 1959 Newton Ransom Blvd., Clarks Summit, runs from 7 to 10 p.m.

“The CD release is the first time we’ve done something really monumental with this band,” said singer James Sanderson. “We’re really excited to put our work out there.”

Released through Radial Noise Records, “Break” took almost two years to complete and survived a line-up change when bassist Chet Williams joined the group earlier this year.

Guitarist and strings player Steve Zampano said that the release shows the heart and dedication the group has put into their music. “Now, to realize that people are actually handing over their hard-earned money to listen to something we created is really special.”

Perhaps even more exciting than dropping 10 album tracks on Friday is the band’s gig just five days later. They’ll play on the Kevin Says stage at the Vans Warped Tour stop on Montage Mountain on Wednesday, July 15.

Zampano said the confirmation of their performance from earnityourself.com, a music oriented community site that offers show trades, networking and more, was hard to believe.

“I looked at the computer screen, I read the e-mail, I read it again, and then I read it a third time,” Zampano said of the message.

While the band will not know until Wednesday morning what time their Warped Tour set will be, they’re excited to bring the noise to the Toyota Pavilion.

“A lot of our past shows were just for our friends,” said drummer Robert Salazar. “Warped Tour will be in front of people we’ve never met before. It will be interesting to play for some fresh faces that won’t tell you that you did great just because they’re your friends.”

“It always seemed so intangible, to hit that kind of peak,” Sanderson said. “I’d probably be scared (by the gig) if I wasn’t so shocked.”

Guitarist/pianist Andrew Cutillo said whatever happens with Awkward Silence, the friendship that formed the band will win out. “We’re so tight with each other that we can fight and argue over a stupid guitar lick in a song and then go out for pizza.”

“We can’t imagine doing this any differently,” Salazar said.

Between Friday and Wednesday, the band plans to heavily promote the album with appearances at Scranton’s Embassy Vinyl on July 11 and a pair of in-store performances at local Hot Topic shops. They play the Shoppes at Montage on July 13 and the Wyoming Valley Mall on July 14.

The album is available at live performances and at the Gallery of Sound and Embassy Vinyl. An iTunes and CD Baby release is planned for the near future.