A reflective time: Story of the Year marks 20th anniversary of 'Page Avenue,' makes stop at Sunshine Theater

After more than 20 years of touring, Dan Marsala has learned to work smarter.

The vocalist for rock band Story of the Year has learned a lot over the course of his journey in music.

“In the early days, we would play 300-plus days and that’s fine when you are 21 years old,” he says with a laugh. “Now, if we were on the road like that, we couldn’t raise our children and we’d continue to miss out on things. We’re lucky to be in the position where we can get out and dedicate part of our life to touring and then get back home and settle into our lives there.”

Story of the Year is currently on the “20 Years of Page Avenue” tour, which is making a stop at Sunshine Theater on Tuesday, Oct. 31.

The band – which also includes Ryan Phillips, Josh Wills and Adam Russell – released its sixth album “Tear Me To Pieces” on March 10. The album marked the return of new music since 2017’s “Wolves.”

Marsala doesn’t feel like 20 years have gone by since the release of the band’s debut album.

“When you’re in the mode of being a band, it does go by fast,” he says. “It’s been six or seven years since we put out ‘Wolves’ and now I can’t even comprehend 20 years. I remember being a young man writing material for ‘Page Avenue’ thinking there was no way people would listen to it. There was no forethought that people would still be listening to this album. It’s really blown our minds that it continues to be listened to by fans.”

Marsala says Story of the Year has seen many changes to the music industry over the course of the band’s journey.

“There’s a real need for music because when it connects with people, it’s good for mental health,” he says. “Our goal for every record is we wanted to capture the same feeling and energy. With the new album, we were able to capture the youthful energy that we used to have. It’s been guiding us back in the right direction. It’s our best work in a really long time.”

The writing process has evolved over time, yet the structure remains the same.

“Ryan writes the songs and he will bring like 100 to the table,” he says. “I’ll go through the demos and do a little rough vocal on the songs. When we all like it, we will move forward with the process. It’s not ideal to write that many songs. The good ones stand out.”

With six albums worth of music, Marsala admits there are challenges with creating a setlist for a tour.

A reflective time: Story of the Year marks 20th anniversary of 'Page Avenue,' makes stop at Sunshine Theater

Yet, with the anniversary celebration of “Page Avenue,” it automatically became easier.

“We’ll play the album all the way through,” he says. “We’ll also have a few from ‘Tear Me to Pieces.’ It’s great to be out on tour and focus on being a band full time again. We did the Yellowcard tour this summer and it reminded us how much we really thrive in a live setting.”

The band also notices new generations of fans showing up to the concerts.

“We see people who have grown up along with us and now they are bringing their kids,” he says. “I have two kids myself and when I see those younger kids in the audience, I’ll try to float them a set list to thank them for being the next generation supporting live music.”