Riding on the wave of the Screamo craze – think emo-punk with lots of crazy screaming -… Riding on the wave of the Screamo craze – think emo-punk with lots of crazy screaming – Story of the Year has risen to the Top 20 in Billboard’s Modern Rock chart with their breakout single “Until the Day I Die.” They have also had a successful run on MTV, MTV2 and Fuse. You can’t go through any alternative magazine or music Web site without seeing their faces plastered everywhere as the new “it” band.

Straight out of St. Louis, these five young, hardcore rockers – Dan Marsals on vocals, Ryan Phillips on guitar, Adam Russel on bass, Josh Will on drums and Phil Sneed on guitar – gained their own fan base with their explosive live shows and fun, heartfelt lyrics and melodies. Veterans of the Warped Tour, these guys learned how to rock from the best of the best and gained most of their newfound exposure and fan base from rocking the side stage. They have held their own against some of the best that rock and punk have to offer.

Their first full-length album – they have had four independent EPs – Page Avenue from major label Maverick Records was released on September 16 and has been blowing up onto the emo-punk scene. With its continued success, they are gaining a name for themselves in a genre that seems to be mass-producing bands left and right. What keeps them apart from all the rest is their razor sharp lyrics and stage presence that keeps their fans coming, screaming their songs right back at them.

This Thursday at Club Laga, Story of the Year will be showing off what makes them the center of attention. Opening for them is the local punk band The Space Pimps. Tickets are $10. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the show starts at 7 p.m. Call (412) 687-4636 for details.