This year’s installment of the Vans Warped Tour is now over with, and with a good sunny and breezy day behind us, I didn’t see as many people burnt out early as I have with Warped Tours in the past. The [...]]]>

Warped Tour brought the teenage masses to Comerica this past Monday.

This year’s installment of the Vans Warped Tour is now over with, and with a good sunny and breezy day behind us, I didn’t see as many people burnt out early as I have with Warped Tours in the past. The overall crowd (always hard to estimate) looked to be about on par with last year’s crowd, but it seemed far easier to navigate through the crowds this year for some reason.

With the earlier than usual date for Warped (July 8^th versus generally sometime later in July), this year’s festival snuck up on a lot of people this year. But for those in attendance, there was plenty to talk about as always. So, instead of filling up dead space in the article with describing Warped Tour- let’s just start to give out the awards for the scenes that took place at the 2011 edition of the Warped Tour:

Scariest Moment of the Day: During the Acacia Strain’s noontime rager of a set, the pits were on fire as the band launched into what was mostly an old school set and was well on it’s way to the show of the day until some tragedy struck. Midway through the set, a fan was severely injured during the set and even as the ambulances arrived, the fan was still not moving at all. It was a scary moment that cut the band’s set short, but we’re hoping the fan ends up all right in the end.

Highest Decibel Level of Young Girls Shrieking: No question- of all the bands I saw- this award goes to the Black Veil Brides. The music, as with their AP Tour performance, is a mixture of H.I.M. and hair metal (not always a bad combo), but a lot of it was drowned out by young teenage girls screaming every time they saw some guy in kabuki makeup. In the line for the signing,-check, during the set- check, on the way home in mom’s minivan- well hopefully for the mom’s sake, not.

The “I Know We Were Here in 1997, but Maybe We’re Getting Too Old For This” Award: Even though this reviewer would probably finish a close second, the guys in Less Than Jake played to a smaller crowd later in the day, and chatted during the set as to just how out of place they seemed with the rest of the bands on the bill. If Warped ever had a senior circuit, Less Than Jake would one of the forefathers of it and that’s not mean to be insulting because I’d be right there with them.

The “I Thought They’re be More People In Your Crowd” Award: It’s a tie between Dance Gavin Dance and Winds of Plague. The combo of August Burns Red and hometowners We Came As Romans might have taken away from Jonny Craig’s band set, which was still good, but it looked a little sparse. And even though Winds of Plague tore things up during their set, it was obvious a lot of the fans wanted their Jesus Metal as The Devil Wears Prada played at the same time. It’s a shame, because most fans missed a couple pretty solid sets.

Biggest Buzz: Fans were beyond psyched to see the final band of the evening, Asking Alexandria- who most likely won the tshirt sales of the day and hype of the day. Even though this reviewer missed their set, it was sure to be one of the bangers of the day.

Largest Crowds of the Day: Take your pick between Craig Owens’ new band D.R.U.G.S. and A Day To Remember. As was expected, both bands played the Main Stage to crowds that made it almost impossible to see, unless you hopped on top of a porta-potty or a view with binoculars. But both bands brought it and did a damn fine job in their 40 minute sets.

Well, those were the highlights of this year’s Vans Warped Tour. An interview with August Burns Red fell through, but I was able to interview Matt and Nick from D.R.U.G.S.- check for that interview to be posted within the next few days. Until next Warped Tour, whether it’s the senior circuit or not, later!

With it’s 17th year of the long running punk & metal fest, the Warped Tour has become a mainstay of the summer touring circuit. Getting started back on June 24th, this year’s Warped Tour looks to [...]]]>

The pavement will be hot and everyone will be sweaty as Warped hits Comerica this Friday.

With it’s 17^th year of the long running punk & metal fest, the Warped Tour has become a mainstay of the summer touring circuit. Getting started back on June 24^th, this year’s Warped Tour looks to be a bit different and diverse than perhaps the past few years, with featuring a smattering of non-emo/teeny bopper throughout the day. Punk and metal fans will be a bit more satisfied with this year’s lineup.

As the Warped Tour heads to Comerica Park, Detroit’s Warped Tour home since 2006, this year’s lineup will take place from roughly noon to 8:30pm once again this year, and here is some of the harder and heavier groups you’re gonna see this year:

-A Day To Remember: With the band playing two sold out shows in April at the Royal Oak Theater, the Florida based band are considered the headliner this year and and the initial lineup didn’t show ADTR on the lineup, their addition was a big boost to the lineup.

-Asking Alexandria: The UK hardcore metal band made a huge Top 10 splash with their album, “Reckless & Relentless” earlier this year and seem to be on stage with Sebastian Bach every time they’re on a big stage. Anybody with a love for hair metal has a fan in me.

-Black Veil Brides: The band just celebrated a Top 15 debut with their latest album, “Set The World On Fire”, and the band has been crazy busy on tour since the AP Tour and plan to be for a while.

-Pepper: The Hawaiian reggae/punk trio is generally the antidote to the sea of faceless and safe emo bands that have dominated the lineup the past few weeks. Out in support of the “Stitches EP”, the band continues to play on their own terms.

-Winds of Plague: The Californian metalcore band is always on the road and in support of their hard hitting new album, “Against The World”. The pits on the always hot pavement of Comerica Park are sure to be ablaze for the band.

Plenty of other bands are on the lineup, with 3OH3!, The Acacia Strain and Less Than Jake just three more of the nearly 70 bands at Warped, coming July 8^th at Comerica Park. See ya there!

The Vans Warped Tour 2011 plays at Comerica Park this Friday (July 8^th). Tickets are $34 and are available at www.livenation.com. Additional tour dates and other info can be found at www.warpedtour.com.

The first album from Los Angeles based quintet Black Veil Brides, “We Stitch These Wounds” showed that along with the band’s makeup clad image, the music wasn’t all that bad either. At times, “Wounds” [...]]]>

"World" is the type of album custom built for rock radio success- let's see if they bite.

The first album from Los Angeles based quintet Black Veil Brides, “We Stitch These Wounds” showed that along with the band’s makeup clad image, the music wasn’t all that bad either. At times, “Wounds” had it’s moments, but played more to their influences with H.I.M. than the band’s other major influences, such as Motley Crue and Kiss.

Well, for the band’s second album, the production is a tad bit better and the songs tend to play more off the influences that have been discussed, versus coming off as a carbon copy of another band. When listening to “World”, you get the feeling that the polish on the band’s sound has been highly tinkering for mass rock radio airplay. Take songs like the title track, in which the fist pumping rocker is ablaze with slick solos and almost flawless precision. You can also check out the highly improved guitar work on “Die For You”. The band’s love for hair metal and all things 80’s rock can be tightly packaged into the track, “Fallen Angels”, in which the band’s sound and their look could easily be mistaken for sometime in 1986. And the album does have it’s pre-requisite ballad, “Saviour”, which just sounds custom made for ascension on the rock charts.

Black Veil Brides have stepped up their game a bit with “Set The World On Fire”, in it’s production value and overall sonic output. The band is heavy enough not to fall into the emo category, yet catchy enough not to scare them or other more mainstream rock fans off. But given all of the polish, all of the improvements, “World” is a good listen, but not a great one and just needs something to push the band to that next level.

Not too many cities could host not one, let alone two hometown bands on the band as the always popular AP Tour hit Detroit as the bands hit a sold out crowd of about 1,100 at St. Andrew’s Hall. [...]]]>

Black Veil Brides and D.R.U.G.S. rocked out a sold out St. Andrew's last week.

Not too many cities could host not one, let alone two hometown bands on the band as the always popular AP Tour hit Detroit as the bands hit a sold out crowd of about 1,100 at St. Andrew’s Hall. Providing the hometown love was the Warren based I See Stars, as well as the Craig Owens (former Chiodos) lead band D.R.U.G.S. (Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows) made sure that Detroit didn’t let the tour down.

Lead by L.A. based goth rock band Black Veil Brides, this year’s tour kept the momentum going for the alternative magazine’s sponsored annual event, and made sure that Detroit sold out the tour three years in a row. BVB’s hour long set gave the impression to fans that the band was more than makeup and attitude, as lead singer Andy Six and company pummeled out songs from their debut release, “We Stitch These Wounds”. Plenty of BVB wannabes, complete in identical face makeup to the guys in the Brides- which gives the band gave off a image vibe reminiscent of early era Motley Crue and Kiss. Oh yeah, and the music made sure it wasn’t lax, with songs like “Beautiful Remains” and “Secret Weapon” sounding crisp and fresh and make sure that even the newest listener was entertained. Even the parents of the younger fans that dominated the crowd could at least appreciate the stage presence of the Black Veil Brides and reminiscence about their days seeing the previously mentioned bands.

Ex-Chiodos lead singer Craig Owens’ new band D.R.U.G.S. played the role of co-headliner, and with rumored new girlfriend Ashlee Simpson absent, it gave Owens the chance to shine. Given the fans divided between Owens’ former band and new band, he seemed to have the crowd on his side. To say the least, Owens has had a rough few years with drug abuse, but the work he’s done with D.R.U.G.S. seems to have the former Chiodos lead singer moving in the right direction. It wasn’t surprising to see probably 20-25 percent of the crowd leave after D.R.U.G.S’ set, but they missed a solid set from Black Veil Brides.

Of the early bands, Richmond, Virginia’s Conditions seemed to be the tightest and most catchiest band in the early set. In their 25 minute set, the band avoided the screamo tendencies (which Warren’s I See Stars seemed to delve into wholeheartedly), as well as the full on emo-pop tendencies (yes, that would include the Paramore-ish sounding Versaemerge).

Most of the groups on this year’s installment of the AP Tour made the most of their time on stage, and at least for the few of the bands, made sure that people would be looking for them on tours later in the year.

Up until now, Richmond, Virginia has seen primarily metal bands hit it big on the national stage. Gwar has spent two decades delivering their brand of shlock-rock humor, while Lamb of God has conquered the current metal scene with [...]]]>

Conditions opens up the AP Tour April 9th at St. Andrew's Hall

Up until now, Richmond, Virginia has seen primarily metal bands hit it big on the national stage. Gwar has spent two decades delivering their brand of shlock-rock humor, while Lamb of God has conquered the current metal scene with their rage and fury. Even though metal out of Richmond has done well, there are ton of non-metal bands looking to make their mark on the world. The latest of these bands is Conditions, who released their first full length album, “Fluorescent Youth” last fall. “Youth” is a continuation of the catchy and hook filled hard rock that the band first debuted with their “You Are Forgotten” EP.

The guys in Conditions are in the midst of getting on bigger stages these days, and their upcoming stint on the AP Tour, with Black Veil Brides, could be their biggest yet. The band has been included on the current cover of Alternative Press as well.

On a off day prior to the AP Tour beginning, I had a chance to chat with Conditions member Alex Howard, in which we discussed how the band hooked up with current label Good Fight Entertainment and the struggles with being on the road.
Here’s my interview with Alex:

AM: The band recently was on Alternative Press, how much of a shock was that to the band?
AH: It was an absolute shock to us. Our singer Brandon is on the cover, along with all the other singers from the tour and when we saw that, we were beyond excited. From the time I was growing up, I always read Alternative Press and it’s exciting for our career to see that happen for us.

AM: What sort of musical background did you bring to the band when starting out?
AH: We all had pretty similar musical backgrounds growing up. For me, I just wanted to always be Blink 182 when I was younger (laughs). But as time went along, we started to get into heavier music, some metal stuff, some screamo stuff, things like that. But we’ve all lived in and played in Richmond and been friends for a long time.

AM: What are some of the major themes that you wanted to delve into on the album?
AH: With this album, I think a lot of it came out of the idea that we talk about the different parts of growing up and deal with the twists and turns and making mistakes. There’s a little less of the love song stuff on this album, but it still does show up from time to time. There are songs like “Better Life”, which discussed taking responsibility for your own actions and not always relying on someone else to save you. There is a lot of taking the bad with the good scenarios on the album.

AM: How did the band hook up with Good Fight Entertainment, which seems to be getting a lot of artists these days?
AH: Well, some of the guys that used to run Ferret Music broke out on their own and started Good Fight. We had known a lot of those guys before hand, because we were really close to signing with Ferret originally. The guys had always kept up with the band and stayed in touch during the process. I think we made the right decision in the end- we got right in the studio after signing and it really just has a family vibe to it.

AM: With nonstop touring, what is the biggest obstacle on the road?
AH: For us, it’s the obvious financial situation and everything going on with gas right now. When it takes almost 100 bucks to fill up a tank from show to show, it’s almost enough to make you want to cry. But when dealing with situations like that, you have to keep a level head about the business side of it and deal with those situations. The guys in the band have been some of my best friends for a long time, so it makes it easier to deal with those times when on the road.

Conditions play as part of the AP Tour, which comes to St. Andrew’s Hall on Saturday, April 9^th. Tickets are $15 and are available at www.livenation.com. Additional band info and tour dates can be found at www.myspace.com/conditionsband.

Being into bands like Kiss, the Misfits and so on generally aren’t the signs of being an outcast as much as they used to be- but there are certainly some areas of the States where it still could be. Growing up in Kentucky, [...]]]>

Black Veil Brides play this Friday at the I-Rock.

Being into bands like Kiss, the Misfits and so on generally aren’t the signs of being an outcast as much as they used to be- but there are certainly some areas of the States where it still could be. Growing up in Kentucky, lead singer of the LA based band Black Veil Brides, Andy Six, listening to those bands still faced a lot of that venom from fellow students when he was younger.

Those influences and others helped Andy head out to LA and start the Brides. After touring for a couple of years, the 19 year old Andy leads the Brides into their first major tour throughout the States in support of their upcoming release, “We Stitch Those Wounds” (due out July 20^th).

Before a show in Houston, I had a chance to talk with Andy about what to expect from the upcoming album and how he found the bands that helped shape his music interests. Here’s my interview with Andy:

AM: With the album coming out soon, what is your mood going into the release?
AS: There is a lot of excitement, but also a sense of accomplishment. Ultimately, I set out to make an record that I wanted to make and sounds like something I would listen to. I hope lyrically and musically, it makes an impression on people. I’ve been doing this since I was 14, it’s the only band I’ve been in and I want to band this band like bands I want to go see.

AM: What sort of influences go into the band’s sound?
AS: When starting out with the band, I was a bit selfish about how I wanted the band to sound (laughs). I set out to be a band like Motley Crue or Kiss, but definitely something more epic. As much as I love Kiss, I think the lyrical content maybe wasn’t the most emotional- so with my music, I set out to make the lyrics where more people would connect with it on an emotional level. Along with those bands, I was influenced by bands like Hot Water Music and Alkaline Trio as well.

AM: What was your initial exposure to a band like Kiss?
AS: My earliest memory of discovering Kiss when I was 5. My dad was a musician who was in a bunch of punk bands and was a major Kiss fan. One day, he came down with a box full of trading cards and had Kiss trading cards- it was a rite of passage in a way. I looked at these guys as superheroes, like Batman or something. The first album I got into by the band was “Revenge” and it just started from there.

AM: How did your liking for those bands affect your motivation to start a band?
AS: You have to belief in yourself. In school in Kentucky, I was a bit of a loner and didn’t have friends. Living in a place like that, when you dress up like a member of Kiss, it kinda limits the friends you’re gonna have (laughs). But it spurred me to become something big. And now, I want to help other kids through tough times and inner strife. I enjoy going to places like Texas, and see these kids that looked like me all together and getting into a show- sometimes a show like that is far more intense than something in LA or something.

AM: What can we expect from a Black Veil Brides show?
AS: There are lot of ideas. At this point, we all feed off each other’s energy in the show. What we may lack in a stage show because we’re just starting out, we definitely make up for in the energy of the show. We want there to be nothing more entertaining than a Black Veil Brides show.

Black Veil Brides play the I-Rock Nightclub on Friday, July 23^rd. Tickets are $12 and are available at www.etix.com. Additional dates and band info can be found at www.myspace.com/blackveilbrides.