SAN FRANCISCO -- Hailing from Walnut Creek, an East Bay suburb of the San Francisco Bay Area, The Story So Far have made quite a name for themselves in the pop-punk/alternative scene since forming in 2007.
They've released five studio albums and are consistently on the road playing to sizable crowds with their brand of high-energy, hardcore-inspired alt/punk.
For many of those years, guitarist Will Levy has been a prominent member both in the studio and touring the world ... but he had an experience this week he never thought possible.
That's right -- even as Levy's in a notable band that just participated in the Vans Warped Tour revival festival in Long Beach and will also play Lollapalooza on July 31 ahead of a hometown festival spot at Outside Lands in San Francisco a week later on Aug. 7 (as well as Aftershock in Sacramento in early October), he never in his wildest dreams imagined he'd throw a pitch from the same mound as Giants legends like Tim Lincecum, Madison Bumgarner and more.
"Having my family and friends out to be a part of the Giants game, to throw the first pitch ... highlight of the year. Well, besides having my son," he told MLB.com during batting practice ahead of his big moment on Tuesday.
Accompanying Levy at the ballpark were his wife and 6-month-old son and several friends and band mates, some of whom had young children there as well. What better way to spend a few off-days between high-profile music festival appearances?
"This is definitely the highlight for us," Levy said. "We don't normally do anything outside of music-related avenues. There's been a lot of opportunities, but they never seem to resonate well with us. We've always been a very music-focused and driven group, so to get an opportunity after we grew up watching the Giants and still watch the Giants ... to do this, I can't really say no. It's just a fun opportunity."
Presumably due to the rigors of life on the road, not to mention having a small son at home, Levy said he didn't really have time to practice his first pitch before getting up on the mound, opting instead to trust his years of experience on the Little League field.
"I'm sure people who go up there and airmail it, I'm sure they tried really hard practicing," he said. "I'm not gonna 50 Cent it up there, I hope, but if I do, then man, I hope I never get invited back. But no, I haven't practiced."
Like most kids who play baseball when they're young, Levy had dreams of being a Major Leaguer ... before reality set in.
"All I wanted to do was to be a baseball player, and then I kind of hit high school, and everyone was like a foot taller than me, and everyone already seemed really good.
"And I had just met this group of friends too, which is crazy timing. We all played guitar and liked punk rock. I was like, 'Well, I'll do that, then. I'm done playing sports, and here I am.'"
Playing local festivals like Outside Lands and Aftershock are a big step up for The Story So Far, with Outside Lands one the band had been seeking to play for years.
"A little nervous about all those because they're very like ... yeah, Warped Tour, that's the world we grew up in, we can go and be very comfortable there, and we know we're gonna have a really good show.
"We're very fish-out-of-water on that [Outside Lands] lineup, which I think we always on a personal level enjoy. We're always like, 'Great, we're not gonna sound like anybody else.' We can go up there and it's kind of worry-free show in that sense."
Similar to how artists at the 2024 Innings Festival in Arizona were treated to a round of baseball-themed questions, Levy, too, fielded a query of his own.
What's your walk-up (or walk-out) song, if you played in the bigs?
"I loved playing catcher in Little League, and I always said I would do 'Goonies Never Say Die' by Set Your Goals. When I was 12 or 13 and I'd just discovered Set Your Goals, every warmup for my Little League games was blasting Set Your Goals. So I'm gonna stick with that.
Is a hot dog a sandwich?
"No, no. It's a hot dog."
What's your go-to ballpark snack?
"Coors Light and chicken tenders. Yeah, it's simple."
If someone reading this is unfamiliar with The Story So Far, where should they start?
"I would say start with 'I Want to Disappear in the USA,' the latest live record that has a good range of all of our music from early years to current, and it's the most raw form of us. It's just us live."
Any favorite players growing up?
"Jeff Kent, Barry Bonds, Robb Nenn and Rich Aurilia."
What's next for the band after these festival dates?
"We're doing a headline tour in the fall in the states with The Starting Line and a band called Ultra Q [featuring Jakob Armstrong, son of Green Day front man Billie Joe Armstrong], a little studio time here and there, and who knows what else.
Levy shared a parting thought regarding his appreciation of John Krukow and Duane Kuiper, better known to Giants fans as "Kruk & Kuip," the beloved broadcast duo that has become as much a part of the Giants as the games themselves over the years:
"They are the Lennon and McCartney of baseball, bro. And if anyone has anything else to say about it, they're wrong."