Matthew Morgis

Pop-punk is a genre that has exploded during the past 10 years. With events like Bamboozle and Warped Tour happening every year, the growth of the genre is undeniable. Starting out with popular acts like Green Day and Blink 182, today hundreds of bands hit the scene trying to become the next best thing. One band from Marysville, Mich., has become a well-known group in the scene, and on Saturday, Every Avenue will be making a stop at Eleanor Rigby’s.

The band started out in 2003, and after making a few lineup changes shortly after forming, it released two EPs independently. In 2007, the band signed on with Fearless Records, and everything started to take off from there. Every Avenue’s first full-length album “Shh, Just Go With It,” hit No. 27 on the U.S. Billboard Heatseekers chart. The third track on the album, “Where Were You,” not only received nationwide radio play but was also featured on three of MTV’s programs, as well as in the “Hi, My Name is Mark” podcast run by Mark Hoppus of Blink 182.

“We never met Mark in our entire life,” Every Avenue guitar player Jimmie Deeghan said during a recent phone interview. “But we sure are thankful he did that.”

The success of the album helped land the band a spot on Warped Tour in 2008 as well as a chance to share the stage with bands like Hit the Lights, Mayday Parade, All Time Low and Boys Like Girls. The lessons Every Avenue experienced were endless.

“The All Time Low guys took us out when we first started touring nonstop,” Deeghan said. “The thing we learned most from them was the way to treat other bands when you take them out on tour. A lot of bands with their status and playing those size venues treat their support bands like shit, but they were different. Those are things you never forget. Never Shout Never was very supportive too; one of the nicest people ever. ”

After a year of great success and a lot of touring, the band wrote a new record and released it in November of 2009. “Picture Perfect” landed at No. 136 of the Billboard 200 during its first week and hit No. 2 on the Heatseekers chart. The title track of the album was used during the 2010 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship on CBS.

“It is always a surprise when someone is going to use one of your songs,” said Deeghan. “We had no idea CBS was going to use one of our songs during the championship game. But I remember we were on tour and the power went out where we were. We went across the street to get something to eat and as we were hanging out, we started to get tons of text messages from friends and family saying that they just played our song. We were all like ‘Really? Right when the power went out?’”

Since “Picture Perfect,” one could make the argument that Every Avenue is just as a well-known a name as New Found Glory or Mayday Parade to fans of this style, headlining the same festivals and venues; New Found Glory played Eleanor Rigby’s in October of 2009, for example. Every Avenue was even featured on a compilation CD called “Punk Goes Classic Rock,” covering “Take Me Home Tonight” by Eddie Money.

“We actually got to play the Slam Dunk Festival this year with New Found Glory,” Deeghan said. “They were our idols growing up, and here we are playing with them. It is amazing and inspiring to see a band that we look up to and that has been playing for so many years be so positive and go out and just kill it on stage.”