Now, I’m going to safely assume that all of you know what the Van’s Warped Tour is. And if you don’t, you’re either a.) an old person, b.) a middle-aged person without a teenager, or c.) deaf. But for those of you who are young, hip, non-auditory challenged individuals, you should be very excited for Warped Tour this summer.
The tour officially starts tomorrow [June 26th] and goes on until August 23rd.
What I want to do here, on this post, is detail some bands you should make sure to see while you’re at the show. [Note: All the bands do not play at every tour stop. Some drop out of the tour and some are added to it to make up for the loss, so this is a list of bands you should make sure to check out, online if n0t at the concert.]
Here goes:
Anti-flag: Anti-establishment, angry caucasian punk music. I haven’t had a chance to listen to their newest album [The People Or The Gun] but the album before that [The Bright Lights Of America] was one of my favorite albums of 2008.
Website —> Go!
Bayside: An alternative/punk band from New York. Their drummer was killed in a car accident involving the entire band back in 2005 [very sad]. I listen to their music at work a lot and I’ve grown to enjoy them, you will too.
Website —> Go!
Dance Gavin Dance: A hardcore band from California. Their newest album [Happiness] is probably the best one I’ve heard from them. Every album they release gets better in quality. [They are actually one of the only reasons I really want to go to Warped Tour since I’ve seen most of the bands before].
Website —> Go!
Escape The Fate: A post-hardcore band from Las Vegas, Nevada. Recently lost two members [guitarist Omar Espinoza due to being punched in the face by fellow band member Max Green; lead singer Ronnie Radke because he is a screw-up and couldn’t stay out of prison]. I think you’ll like them [if you’re in to hardcore music] since they aren’t mega-loud nor do they have an intense amount of silly yelling. It’s nicely done.
Website —> Go!
Flogging Molly: Irish American punk band from California. I’ve been a fan since the moment I heard Drunken Lullabies [their second album]. They’ve kept the same members for the entirety of their career and that is pretty impressive. They put on a pretty good show so you’re sure to enjoy.
Website —> Go!
Forever The Sickest Kids: A screamo/powerpop[?] band from Texas. Their debut album Underdog Alma Mater was released in 2008 and is also on my list of top albums from 2008. They have a kind of…techno-y feel to some of their songs. You’ll like them, promise.
Website —> Go!
He Is Legend: A post-hardcore/metalcore band from North Carolina. My friends and I used to drive down the road blasting He Is Legend and I would try to do the screaming parts [yeah I’m lame, whatever] and I always failed miserably. Their music is really good [they have a song about Romeo and Juliet…or maybe it’s just Juliet] but regardless, their music is good.
Website —> Go!
Madina Lake: An alternative band from Illinois. One of my favorite songs from 2007 was “House of Cards” from From Them, Through Us, to You. I think you’ll like them, so look them up.
Website —> Go!
Scary Kids Scaring Kids: A post-hardcore/indie band from Arizona. I missed the chance to pick up their recent self-titled album but instead picked up The City Sleeps In Flames [2005] and really enjoyed it. Not all of the songs on there are perfect but there are a few that are pretty exceptional. Check them out.
Website —> Go!
Senses Fail: A hardcore band from New Jersey. They have impressive guitar skills and I like the vocals they produce. They also have a song titled “Ali for Cody” off of Life Is Not A Waiting Room [and I’m just a sucker for stuff with my name on it].
Website —> Go!
Streetlight Manifesto: A ska/punk band from New Jersey. I have never been a huge fan of ska music [that many people on a stage with that many instruments seems like an orchestra rather than a band] but I’ve always kind of like Streetlight Manifesto [and their name is awesome]. I really think you’ll like them if you give them a chance.
Website —> Go!
A bit of disappointing news [to me atleast] is that Mayday Parade will not be on this year’s Warped Tour…which really sucks.
Perfect timing for this post: A Warped Tour Track Pack was released for Rock Band on Tuesday [June 23rd]. It features five songs:
1. A Day To Remember – “The Downfall of Us All”
2. Chiodos – “I Didn’t Say I Was Powerful, I Said I Was A Wizard”
3. Underoath – “Reinventing Your Exit”
4. Escape The Fate – “The Flood”
5. Bad Religion – “21st Century (Digital Boy)”
Grab that up people.
Well that should about do it for the bands I recommend. If you know of any that are going that are good that I should educate myself with, send them my way please. Thanks. For more information about the tour such as dates, other bands playing, and non-profit stuff going on —> Warped Tour!
Cody.
the indie lumberjack. 
This is really sick…glad they launched the Warped Tour series of downloadable packs with some great tunes. Bad Religion is always classic, and it’s awesome that they included “I Didn’t Say I Was Powerful, I Said I Was A Wizard” by Chiodos…really great guitar groove.
There’s a gameplay video of this track at : http://displacedbrett.wordpress.com/2009/06/25/chiodos/
I want to get it so I can play some Escape The Fate!