Countdown To Vans Warped Tour 2018 – Part 3

Countdown To Vans Warped Tour 2018 – Part 3

Welcome to the Highwire Daze Annual Countdown To Vans Warped Tour!  Now in its 24nd year and gearing up to make its final trek across the country, the Vans Warped Tour is ready to leave a whole lot of music and memories upon this year’s attendees. Originally conceived by founder Kevin Lyman in 1995 as an eclectic alternative rock festival, with a focus on punk rock, over the years the tour has grown to include a multitude of genres, including metal, hip hop, reggae, pop and more.

This year’s edition of the Vans Warped Tour kicks off in Pomona, California on June 21st and concludes in West Palm Beach, Florida on August 5th.  Visit the Official Vans Warped Tour website for cities and tour dates HERE!

Featured in Part 2 of Countdown To Vans Warped Tour are Sleep On It, Stringer, Tatiana DeMaria, Wage War and We Are Sharks. Read on for find out more about the bands ready to make your Warped Summer of 2018 a vibrant celebration of music…

Sleep On It

Introduce yourself, what you do in the band, and where you are based out of?
My name is TJ Horansky. I play guitar/sing in Sleep On It, and we are based out of Chicago, IL.

What are you looking forward to the most about this final cross country Warped Tour?
This is our first Warped Tour, so I’m excited to simply embrace the atmosphere all summer as one of the last bands to be a part of it.

What could one expect from your live show at Warped Tour?
We like to put on a high energy show. We also try to make sure that everyone feels welcome at our shows. It will hopefully be a positive and sweaty experience for everyone.

What is the name of your latest or upcoming CD or EP and what inspired the title?
We put out a record last November called Overexposed via Equal Vision Records. The title was inspired by the hardships and sacrifices you make while chasing something you love. We all make ourselves vulnerable in the pursuit of self-fulfillment.

Select two songs you may be playing in your set and what inspired the lyrics.
Window is a song I wrote when one of my friends’ mom passed away. It’s about living with loss. Distant is another single from Overexposed. That song is about being afraid of getting too close to somebody because you don’t want to end up hurting them in any way.

How are you going to feel about playing those infamous 11:30 AM Warped Tour slots?
It will probably be tough because we’ve never played that early before, but we’ll chug some coffee and put on the best show we can!

Any strange or unusual happening in the past while out on the road?
Touring is a constant stream of strange occurrences haha. One story that sticks out for me though, I was driving the van late at night through rural Ohio and I swear I thought saw a UFO. It was hovering pretty low above the highway up ahead, and as we got closer, it flew away. I may have also just been sleep deprived and delirious.

If you could open up for any band, either now or from the past, who would it be and why?
Smashmouth, because I love them.

Do you have any messages for Warped Tour attendees this year?
Stay hydrated and show up with an open mind. Support bands you love, and tell your friends about them! Word of mouth is still the best way to promote a band you enjoy.

Sleep On It on Facebook

Stringer

Introduce yourself, what you do in the band, and where you are based out of?
Mark Fletcher; guitar & voice; New York City

What are you looking forward to the most about this final cross country Warped Tour?
It’s an honor just to be a part of it. I grew up going to Warped when it was on Randall’s Island in NYC, and never thought, but always dreamed, that I’d get a chance to play it. But if I had to pick one thing, aside from our set itself, I guess I’d say I’m really looking forward to meeting the other bands & getting to know them.

What could one expect from your live show at Warped Tour?
If Stringer is known for anything, it’s our live show. We place a lot of importance on keeping things spontaneous—never playing a song the same way twice, unplanned covers, and engaging however, and as much, as we can with the audience. Whether that means jumping into the crowd, or having random people come up & play our instruments, we try to keep things as exciting as possible, given the inherent limitations & tired tropes of a rock show—which isn’t to say that what we do hasn’t been done before, because nearly everything has, but everybody knows that already & it’s beside the point. Rock n Roll is about taking something that’s been done thousands of times over and figuring out how to make it still feel fresh & dangerous (in the romantic sense, of course. not literally) & exciting.

What is the name of your latest or upcoming CD or EP and what inspired the title?
My Bad is something that New Yorkers & other folks in the northeast say a bunch. It’s also a lyric from one of the songs, Termites. We’re sorry you had to listen to us, but not that sorry, so rather than say sorry we say my bad.

Select two songs you may be playing in your set and what inspired the lyrics.
Our recent single Ghosts pokes fun at the kinds of people who complain about gentrification & how much cooler & grittier the NYC of old was, while admitting that we’re sorry to say that we agree with them all too often.

Through the Walls is about every relationship that I can’t help but somehow screw up

How are you going to feel about playing those infamous 11:30 AM Warped Tour slots?
Stringer don’t complain. We’ll play our hearts out.

Any strange or unusual happening in the past while out on the road?
We once got pulled over by a cop in Louisiana who never got out of his car, and communicated via his loudspeaker the entire time. I believe our buddy Maverick who was driving/tour managing had to walk back to the cruiser to retrieve the speeding ticket if I’m not mistaken. Maverick Inman (real name) is a very talented photographer, who has taken about 80-90% of our pictures (and helped with a lot of album artwork) so if you see a picture of us, chances are he took it. Check him out.

If you could open up for any band, either now or from the past, who would it be and why?
The Smiths just so that I could see them play live. From the countless videos I’ve watched it seems like they were one of the tightest live bands ever—especially the 3 of them who played instruments: Johnny Marr, Andy Rourke, & Mike Joyce—Morrissey was a talented singer/lyricist but is a terrible person. It can be difficult to separate the artist as a human from their work sometimes, especially when they’re racist assholes like him.

Do you have any messages for Warped Tour attendees this year?
Please watch our first song & stay for the whole set if you like it. Also pick up a copy of our LP, My Bad, on hot pink vinyl. Shout out to Wiretap Records for releasing it (June 29th).

Stringer in Facebook

Tatiana DeMaria

Introduce yourself, what you do in the band, and where you are based out of?
Tatiana DeMaria. I play guitar and sing and am based out of London, England.

What are you looking forward to the most about this final cross country Warped Tour and is this your first time on the tour?
I’ve played it several times with my band TAT, but this is the first time I’ll be doing it as a solo artist with my new material, which I’m looking forward to. Overall this will be my 6th Warped Tour. With that said, the thing I’m looking forward to the most is having an awesome time on the road with dear friends and fans who have gotten to know me through Warped over the last few years and see this year out with a bang! I’m also excited to be putting some of the newer music out there. The Warped community is great and I’m sure you’ve seen countless bands tell you about the comraderie, which just makes for an amazing atmosphere and experience every time.

If this is not your first time on Warped Tour, what advice would you give a band about to attempt Warped for the first time?
Baby wipes. Lots of underwear. Sunscreen. It’s fucking hot. or storming. Accept that in advance and you’ll be golden. Make the most of everyday on Warped because there are not two tours like it.

What could one expect from your live show at Warped Tour?
Unicorns. Eternal life. And me rocking the fuck out singing my lungs out in blistering heat because I love my job and am stoked to see all our fans and friends again.

What is the name of your latest or upcoming CD or EP and what inspired the title?
Unable to share that with you at the moment – however, there is a track a month coming from now through summer and a lot more to follow. Feel free to peep my Spotify or socials @tatianademaria for more tunes as they come!

Select two songs you may be playing in your set and what inspired the lyrics.
What It Is About You. London Don’t Lie. Inspiration? Life and personal experience.

How are you going to feel about playing those infamous 11:30 AM Warped Tour slots?
Ha. I’m going to love every second of them.

Any strange or unusual happening in the past while out on the road?
Many. But you know, what happens on the road…

If you could open up for any band, either now or from the past, who would it be and why?
The Clash. So that I could watch them play every night.

Do you have any messages for Warped Tour attendees this year?
Excited to see you all, going to be an amazing summer and to make one for the books! Come find me out there.

Tatiana DeMaria on Facebook

Wage War

Introduce yourself, what you do in the band, and where you are based out of?
Hey, I’m Cody and I sing and play guitar in Wage War. We’re based out of Ocala, FL!

What are you looking forward to the most about this final cross country Warped Tour?
I’m excited to go out with a bang! Kevin put together a great lineup this year and I’m stoked to give the legendary festival a massive send off!

If this is not your first time on Warped Tour, what advice would you give a band about to attempt Warped for the first time?
Be prepared to sweat and grind. You get out of it what you put into it. The first year we did it, we did it in a van and drove ourselves which is relatively unheard of. But everyday, we were out walking the lines with CD’s and set time signs, signings, volunteer meetings. Warped has been the stomping grounds for so many big bands and I believe that can very much be determined by the effort put into it.

What could one expect from your live show at Warped Tour?
High energy, lots of pushing your friends around and lots of sing alongs!

What is the name of your latest or upcoming CD or EP and what inspired the title?
We put out our sophomore album, Deadweight, last August and it’s about shedding the things in your life that no longer add to your life or that detract from your happiness.

Select two songs you may be playing in your set and what inspired the lyrics.
Gravity is about reaching the end of yourself and ultimately realizing you can’t do life alone.

Stitch is about the devastation of losing someone you love.

How are you going to feel about playing those infamous 11:30 AM Warped Tour slots?
Honestly, opening can be a great thing, it just depends on how many kids they get in!

Any strange or unusual happening in the past while out on the road?
I dare say there is no “normal” but we’ve got some stories for sure. We’ve been broken into, rushed by refugees, slept on the side of the Swiss alps, just to name a few.

If you could open up for any band, either now or from the past, who would it be and why?
Probably Slipknot. I feel like that’s every heavy bands dream, but they’re just so influential and iconic. That would be so sick.

Do you have any messages for Warped Tour attendees this year?
Come watch Wage War on the Mutant Red Dawn stage! Wear sunscreen and drink a lot of water.

Wage War on Facebook

We Were Sharks

Introduce yourself, what you do in the band, and where you are based out of?
I’m Jason! I play guitar in We Were Sharks. We are based out of the lovely city of Ottawa, Ontario.

What are you looking forward to the most about this final cross country Warped Tour?
We’re looking forward to the excitement and energy. Because it’s the final one, it needs to go out with a bang. There’s kids showing up for the first time, and for a lot of us, its about celebrating the end of an era.

If this is not your first time on Warped Tour, what advice would you give a band about to attempt Warped for the first time?
STAY HYDRATED!! Also, don’t be a rockstar. Everyone needs to help each other out to make sure things run smoothly.

What could one expect from your live show at Warped Tour?
A fun, hot, steamy, sweaty mess. Unless it rains. Then it’ll be a fun, wet, muddy mess.

What is the name of your latest or upcoming CD or EP and what inspired the title?
Our new album is called Lost Touch and came out in February on Victory Records. The title refers to the fact that, over the course of time we lose touch with parts of our life. It’s up to us to evolve as a person and find new comfort in the changes that life brings.

Select two songs you may be playing in your set and what inspired the lyrics.
We’ll definitely be playing Ashley and Hotel Beds. Ashley is a pretty simple love song, talking about the memories you’ve made over the course of a relationships and what you love about that person. Hotel Beds reflects on the hardships that can happen with a relationship when you’re on the road. You don’t have the ability to see the person, you have to work thought things through a series of phone calls, texts, etc. Sometimes the problems can eat away at you, leaving you awake and finding things along the way that speak to you and remind you of that person.

How are you going to feel about playing those infamous 11:30 AM Warped Tour slots?
We’re only on one date. If that’s what we end up, that’s cool. We’re happy to be there. It’ll also give us time to check out other bands and hang with friends.

Any strange or unusual happening in the past while out on the road?
Back in February, we stopped into a Waffle House outside of Atlanta to grab some food after the show. The manager hung out with us, started playing songs of bands that sounded like us over the restaraunt’s speakers. He then wanted to show us his favorite songs. He began playing a whole bunch of 60’s Motown. Everyone, including us, as well as the manager, broke out into a huge Motown dance for what seemed like forever. It wasn’t just a Waffle House, it was a Waffle Home.

If you could open up for any band, either now or from the past, who would it be?
New Found Glory

Do you have any messages for Warped Tour attendees this year?
Hydrate, be careful, have fun, get inspired by the music you love, and come say ‘Hi!’ to us at our merch tent!

We Were Sharks on Facebook

Countdown To Vans Warped Tour 2018 – Part 1 is HERE!

Countdown To Vans Warped Tour 2018 – Part 2 is HERE!

Vans Warped Tour Official HOME PAGE