popwreckoning

Featuring music scene meet-ups across the country with local band showcases each night, this is a not-to-be missed tour giving fans, bands, and industry players an all-new approach to networking and community building.

Presented by Vans Warped Tour, the EIY tour will bring together bands, fans and music promoters to strengthen local scenes all across the country in this two-part event.

Sarah Saturday, founder of the EIY movement and website, will host a free, all-ages scene meet-up at each stop on the tour bringing people from all walks of the music industry together to network and hear special guests share their stories. Attendees will have the opportunity to join the Warped Tour Street Team and engage with bands and fans from their region.

Following the meet-up, the EIY Tour will host a local band showcase, consisting of standout bands nominated by each community’s other bands and fans. One band from each date will earn a spot on this year’s Vans Warped Tour, at their hometown date.

Sarah Saturday first cultivated the idea of the EIY Scene Meet-Ups during last year’s Warped Tour, building a new platform for fans, bands, promoters and other music industry personnel to come together in an exciting and unprecedented way.

For more information and dates of local area showcases, check out both www.earnityourself.com and www.warpedtour.com.

I am a HUGE Dropkick Murphys fan. It all started with when I was in the Air Force and I was in the middle of a deployment that a fellow buddy of mine played “Sing Loud, Sing Proud” in a beat-up portable CD player we had hooked up to a tape adapter in the truck we were driving around the base while having the A/C on full blast as the humid temperatures reached in the High 90’s/low 100’s. After hearing songs like “For Boston” and “Which Side Are You On?,” I became hooked.  It wasn’t until a year later that I saw them at Warped Tour in Charlotte, NC, that they became one of my favorite punk bands next to Descendants and Suicidal Tendencies.

Their last two albums, The Warriors Code and The Meanest of Times, have been nothing but stellar. Although, The Warriors Code which was awesome, could get tiresome after a few listens.  Although, after “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” was featured in the Academy Award winning film “The Departed” things took off for the band.

Four years and a lineup change later, the Murphys are back with Going Out in Style the second release on their Born and Bred Records label. It is a concept album that takes the band’s own personal experiences and family folklore and rolls them into the story of a fictional character named Cornelius Larkin.

The album starts off with “Hang ‘em High!,” the typical start off track off of any DKM album to get you pumped for the record as what Sing Loud, Sing Proud had with “For Boston” and The Warriors Code had with “Your Spirit’s Alive.” Another standout track would be none other than the title track, “Going Out in Style,” which features a couple surprise guests, such as Fat Mike from NOFX, Chris Cheney of The Living End and comedian Lenny Clark. This makes a great song to drink to, especially the near St. Patrick’s day release. On some occasions it can be on the level with “Kiss Me, I’m Shitfaced,” but much more fast paced and hardcore. Other stand out tracks include, “Peg O’ My Heart” Featuring The Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen, “Memorial Day” which has more of the Celtic sound that DKM is known to produce on top of the hardcore Irish-punk sound they are famous for. And my personal favorite, “Deeds Not Words’ which starts out with a revile of drum beats and a haunting sound of the old bagpipes that sounds like a policeman’s funeral, but then jumps into a brash hardcore punk song that gets pumped up like that of fans at a Boston Red Sox game.

Overall, this album doesn’t disappoint in any aspect. Even with a lineup change, DKM never disappoints and this album is proof of just that. The band still has the magic that makes them the fan favorites they are today. In areas where The Warriors Code may have disappointed some fans, this album makes up for it. Oh and by the way- if you haven’t seen these guys live, do me a favor; next time they are playing in town near you, GO SEE THEM!!!

Track listing:
01. Hang ‘Em High (3:59)
02. Going Out In Style (4:08)
03. The Hardest Mile (3:26)
04. Cruel (4:21)
05. Memorial Day (2:59)
06. Climbing A Chair To Bed (2:59)
07. Broken Hymns (5:03)
08. Deeds Not Words (3:41)
09. Take ‘Em down (2:11)
10. Sunday Hardcore Matinee (2:43)
11. 1953 (4:14)
12. Peg O’ My Heart (2:20)
13. The Irish Rover (3:39)

We got a chance to talk to Dan from Four Year Strong on their last day at Warped before they killed it on stage.

This is by far the strangest interview we’ve done. Listen to PodWreck talk about showers and Australia, but beware of loud noises and language during this interview with Closure in Moscow during the band’s KC Warped Tour stop.
 

The fresh out of high-school band, Disco Curtis, talks to Casey and Melissa about being on Warped for the first time.

Our entire day at Warped Tour could be summed up quite simply: tons of circle pits and really fucking HOT.

But before we move further, we would like to send our condolences to the friends and family of the 26 year old who passed away at Warped Tour that day. We are very shocked and saddened by this heartbreaking news.

We arrived at Sandstone around 11 a.m.; for the next few hours, we were spoiled with air conditioning in the press area.

We had confirmed interviews with a few bands prior to the show but ended up talking with many more, so the majority of what you’ll hear on PodWreck is us winging it – it made things interesting to say the least.

The bands we were lucky enough to talk to: Andrew W.K., Four Year Strong, Every Time I Die, the Dillinger Escape Plan, Closure in Moscow, After Midnight Project, Disco Curtis, Vanna and Of Mice and Men.

We caught some of Closure in Moscow’s performance on the Ernie Ball Stage. Chris (vocals) promised to be dressed in costume, despite the 100 degree weather – he was not lying. With black makeup covering his eyes and a metallic gold cape, he hit the high notes while dancing around stage – and the fans loved it.

But we had to make our way over to the Teggart Stage because Dillinger was also playing during that time and we’ve heard shit gets crazy.

Some people were dancing and the band was precise, but the heat seemed to be affecting most of the crowd, not just for Dillinger but for almost every performance we watched.

Andrew W.K. was up next and since we’ve never seen him before, we were pumped and ready. He brought a lot of energy and of course, the party. He announced Cherie Lily, his wife, as a new singer in his band. When Andrew was busy pounding away on the piano, she kept the party going with fist pumps and “hey’s.” The crowd loved it and pumped their fists back to the stage.

They also gave away free “merch” – the t-shirt off of Cherie’s back, the t-shirt off of Andrew’s back, and an Andrew W.K. air freshener and lighter. One person got on a friends’ shoulders and Andrew said that’s why they deserved free gifts; soon, there were people on shoulders everywhere.

It was everything a rock show should be: energetic, over the top, crowd-moving fun.

We decided to take a rest in order to keep going – did we mention it was fucking HOT?

We waited in the shade until Set Your Goals started their set at the Altec Stage. It seemed they warmed the crowd up for Four Year Strong, who played right after them.

The crowd was huge for FYS, by far the biggest we had seen that day and probably the most active. There was an abundance of crowd surfing, dancing and circle pits, and they never slowed down.

They played a mixture of songs from their first and latest record, plus a few covers (one from their second CD, Explains It All).

Since it was their last day on tour, FYS and the crowd seemed to give it all they had.

Many of the other bands also showed their love for FYS by coming on stage to help sing the chorus to “Wasting Time (Eternal Summer).”

We really wanted to stay and watch Every Time I Die but frankly, we were tired and over it.

As we walked back toward the car, past all the merch tents, the trash covering the ground and the kids packed together under what shade they could find, we couldn’t help but feel like… well, we’re too old for this.

Don’t get us wrong – Warped Tour is great and they always have bands we enjoy; plus it gives the audience the opportunity to see bands we normally wouldn’t/don’t know of prior to the show. But Kansas City Warped Tour is also always in August, the hottest month of the year, and it seems we just don’t have the excitement or tenacity we did when we were 16 to deal with the heat.

We’re sure Warped Tour will continue to be a huge, truly wonderful event that will bring kids out and expose them to great musicians. While we had fun interviewing the bands and watching some of our favorites; we may have hit our Warped Tour peak with this one.

Photos by Todd Zimmer. Writing by Melissa Cowan.

Warped Tour has confirmed that a 26-year-old fan died during yesterday’s show in Bonner Springs, Kansas.

The death is still under investigation, but heat and dehydration are rumored to be the cause. Yesterday, Kansas City temperatures rose about 100, with a severe heat advisory over 110.

Warped Tour issued this comment:

“There is no confirmation this was due to dehydration, cardiac, other substances, etc. We do provide first aid to anyone who needs it. If this was due to dehydration, the tour is not responsible for water prices and we change venue rules to allow you to bring it in with you. What’s happened today is an unforeseeable tragedy that shouldn’t have happened. We are all upset and shocked and our hearts are heavy. Please remember to be responsible when you are at an event like this. At ANY possible sign of a problem, PLEASE contact a venue member.”

Photographer Hilary J. Corts hit up the New York Warped Tour stop in Uniondale. She documented her day at the pop-punk-rock traveling festival. Check out her photos below:

All-American Rejects:

Andrew W.K.:

Breathe Electric:

Every Time I Die:

Jac Vanek & TWLOHA:

Polar Bear Club:

Sum 41:

The Bigger Lights:

The Rocket Summer:

The Summer Set:

View more of Hilary’s work at www.hilaryjcorts.com.

The Swellers

The first band for the evening came on to the stage promptly at 6:40. They are known as The Swellers, a local (Flint, Michigan) pop-punk band that shares a record label with Paramore. Sounding very melodic-punk with a punch of metal thrown in, the band played very well adding punches of their influences from chunky 90′s alt-rock with melodic choruses. Singer/Guitarist Nick Diener understood how to add some edge to the music, but I still felt that they fell just slightly short of what they could be as a whole. The songs (mostly off their newest Fueled By Ramen release) were solid, well played, and hooky but without the catch. While most of the crowd was entertained, nothing was over-the-top special. Rating: B -

The Casualties

Second up was the always furious stylings of The Casualties. The band’s political sound of anger, fury and fist-pumping speaks volumes to the masses of disenchanted teenage punks in the world and have started to become a new staple on many a 16 yr. old’s rotation list. Not being known for their songwriting, The Casualties are better suited for stories regarding their live shows rather than their records – think more along the lines of a European Football match than US rock club – full of chanting and “oohs.” Much of this Casualties show was filled with previous catalog material of blistering favorites like the work song “World Belongs To Us,” Clockwork” and an electrifying cover of The Ramones‘ “Blitzkrieg Bop.” And as the energy rose, the bodies hit hard during three ‘walls of death’ and numerous circle pits which the venue seemed not quite ready for, but tried to deal with the best they could. Overall, after playing over 40 min and a set list in the double-digits, The Casualties called it a day but not before a sing-along (“War is Bitches”) and one fan-fueled fist fight over the lead vocalist’s scarf. Great energy and solid audience participation. Rating: A

Less Than Jake

After playing a highly sought after show in Detroit the previous night, Less Than Jake took to the cold streets of Chicago to pack in a crowd at the legendary Metro only mere hours before the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. With over 15 years under their belts, the band still share the same passion and dedication to their music as they are their fan base – they are renown for giving every bit of it back ten-fold.

As stage openers go, LTJ aren’t a band to try and impress anyone unless your idea of being wowed is watching a band with such history enter amongst the theme song to ‘Night Rider,’ thus announcing that on this night Nostalgia would rule the day. However once the band take their positions, raise their instruments and blares out the first note to “Automatic” all thoughts are focused on the boys with the brass.

While blazing through the first four songs in a long list of regulars and favorites, JR Wasilewski and Buddy Schaub went the extra mile to wildly weave in and out of the their fellow bandmates to ramp up the crowd’s energy. Hand-clapping helped to syncopate the ever-driving “Does the Lion City Still Roar”, while numbers like “National Anthem” and “Suburban Myth” helped to propel the audience to rush the stage in a dancing frenzy.

When not singing, you could often catch Chris Demakes and Roger Mangenelli performing their rich audience banter with such digs on boy-band phenoms The Jonas Brothers and pretty-boy “Hometown Hero” Pete Wentz; only to remind the audience that the current show was going to be “the most honest rock show you will ever see” – one can only look at the track record of this tenured band to see that the boys in LTJ have stuck to their guns and surpassed the test of time while never having any “Greatest Hits.”

With JR’s and Buddy’s horns lighting up “Liquor Store” and breaking down the walls on “All My Best Friends Are Metalheads,” “Never Going Back to New Jersey,” on “Ask the Magic 8 Ball,” Roger took to the mic for some much-needed lowering of temperature in his band mates and after a few Chicago shout-outs to such notables as The Lawrence Arms‘ front man Neil Hennessy: a smooth rendition of “The Science of Selling Yourself Short” was quickly dispensed.

Other songs like “Conviction Notice,” “Al’s War” and “History of a Boring Town” all found the band in top form and proved that no matter their long road status, the boys in this band are showing no sign of slowing down. And to show that they still have love for the retired-filled southern city from where they hailed almost two decades ago, LTJ showed service to their fans by showing they are in fact “Gainsville Rock City.”

To round out the evening “The Ghost of Me and You,” “Nervous In the Alley” and “Look What Happened” were blasted out to leave the evening on a high note.

As shows go, this one is to be remembered. A highly-intense connection to the audience, trips down memory lane with storytelling, and one headbanging contest later, Less Than Jake threw one kick-ass party for all in attendance. The band noted that their last date to play The Metro was in 1998 and much has changed in music since, but one thing has definitely stayed the same – Less Than Jake’s commitment to their fans and music. Hopefully with a little luck the boys in this band will still be making us smile for another 15. Rating: A+

Written by Matt Miles.

As a sort of hot, sweaty camp for musicians and fans, no summer is complete without the annual Warped Tour coming to town. Photographer Scott Spychalski made it to the Kansas City stop of Warped and brings you these photos chronicling the traveling festival:

Warped Tour: website