Punchline has toured Japan, Canada, the United Kingdom and 44 of the Lower 48 states.
The Belle Vernon-based band has been on the Warped Tour and played Fillmore West, the legendary concert venue in San Francisco.
In Pittsburgh, however, the group has a bit of an identity problem.
"It seems if you're under 25, you've at least heard of us," says bassist and singer Chris Fafalios in advance of the band's CD release show tonight at Diesel, South Side. "Maybe if you're over 25, we might be new to you."
Fafalios and his bandmates have a simple explanation for the tendency to skew to a younger demographic. Since forming 10 years ago, they've concentrated on all-ages shows. Because that almost always precludes bars, there's a wide swathe of music lovers who've never had the opportunity to see the quartet.
Which is a shame. "Just Say Yes," Punchline's new release, has a diverse, ingratiating sound ranging from "Somewhere in the Dark," featuring Jon Belan's piano and a very "Sgt. Pepper" production, to the punk-themed "Ghostie," to the title track, a tour de force of glittering musical layers and a resounding sing-a-long chorus.
With singer and guitarist Steve Soboslai and drummer P.J. Caruso rounding out the band, there's a sense Punchline is just starting to tap into its enormous potential. "Just Say Yes," Soboslai says, is the band's first release where the songs were not retrofitted into a punk milieu.
"With his album, we listened to the basic idea and thought about what would be the best way to get it out there," he says.
That mirrors the arc of Punchline's career. The band started when Caruso, Fafalios and Soboslai were students at Belle Vernon High School (Belan joined two years ago). At first, they readily admit, they were less than average musicians. But hard work, balanced with a commitment to touring (even while they attended college) has allowed them to become adept musical chameleons.
"We started out as a pop punk band and became a lot different than that," Fafalios says. "We became a rock band that could appeal to anyone, from people who like punk rock to moms and grandmas."
"We kind of fit into the scene we were shooting for," Soboslai says. "Now we're growing, and we kind of want to do our own thing."
That includes releasing "Just Say Yes" on their own label, Modern Short Stories. Recorded in Tempe, Ariz., and Madison, Wisc., it reflects the band's new-found creative freedom after putting out previous releases on the Fueled by Ramen label, notable for the bands Fall Out Boy, Gym Class Heroes and Panic at the Disco.
But Fueled by Ramen was instrumental to the band's worldwide presence. When Punchline released "Action" in 2004, the record caught on in Japan. Soon after, they were performing in Tokyo before hundreds of fans who not only knew Punchline's music, but also sang along -- in English.
"That's one of my most memorable shows," Fafalios says. "We'd never been to Japan and didn't know what to expect. And all of a sudden that many people who might not even know what we were saying were singing along."
While the adulation is nice, in Belle Vernon, the group is perceived as regular guys. Caruso says there's an awareness they are musicians, but it's nothing out of ordinary.
"They see us at Wal-Mart every day," he say.
But they are not entirely anonymous in Pittsburgh. Fafalios jokes about being gifted with free drinks whenever he visits the South Side (where Soboslai lives). It seems the band has managed to establish a rare bond with it core audience who view them as Steve or Jon or P.J. or Chris, not that guy from Punchline.
"We always tried to be a band of nice guys," Soboslai says. "And I think it's working."
"Just Say Yes," however, might be a landmark album for Punchline in another, more personal way. Finally, they seem to have won over their toughest critics.
"This if the first CD where my mom told me 'I actually like this CD, I'm not just saying it this time,' " Soboslai says.
Additional Information:Punchline CD release show
With: Derek White and the Monophonics, Your Life and Mine
When: 7 p .m. today
Admission: $14; all ages.
Where : Diesel, South Side
Details: 412-431-4800 or online .
