Vigil Of War: The Vans Warped Tour and Beyond
Vigil Of War was selected to perform at the Vans Warped Tour 25th Anniversary Show at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View on July 20th. Ever since their acclaimed Bite The Bullet EP, Vigil Of War has toured all across America and in the UK as well, spreading their dynamic message of metallic punk rock empowerment. Highwire Daze recently chatted with Vigil Of War’s own Alicia Vigil at a Jack Lue photo shoot for our mini-poster to find out more about this amazing band on the rise! Read on…
What was the name of the bass you used on your photo shoot today???
Zemaitis (https://zemaitisguitarcompany.com/) It’s my endorsement. They’re a Japanese company and I love it! It’s my baby. As soon as I laid eyes on it, I was like “I gotta get one.” It’s looks awesome and plays really nice too.
How did your recent tour in the UK go and what were some of the highlights?
It was honestly – for me personally, but I think I can speak for the entire band, – our favorite shows that we have ever done. I mean, LA has a special place in our hearts – but the UK – they just appreciate rock more than most of America. They just get it. They were very welcoming and loud and they bought so much merch. They were so supportive and nice and it was refreshing to be around. I think meeting everyone after the show and then hanging out with the band bonding – that was our first official full on tour – and it was really fun.
What are you looking forward to the most about your upcoming show at the Vans Warped Tour?
Everything! It’s been my dream to play Warped Tour my entire life, so when they announced last year that it was over, I was really bummed. I was giving myself one or two more years to make it happen. It was a total surprise this year – the whole 25th Anniversary. It’s just such an honor to be a part of it. I’m just excited for the entire thing – so many good bands. And then there’s randomly us there – and it’s awesome! I’m so excited!
Overall what could one expect from a live Vigil Of War show?
A lot of energy, it’s so much fun to be with them and our natural chemistry is what you can see onstage as well as the performance of everything.
You recently released two new songs – Choke and Hurricane. Tell me about each of the songs and what inspired the lyrics for you?
Honestly lyrics are my least favorite thing to do. I like writing music and lyrics always come last for me. I always have an idea what I want to write about. Choke came after a bad breakup and it just naturally came out. It’s kind of a similar vein as Bite The Bullet – where if you get knocked over, you’re gonna get back up stronger. Karma is real – so that’s kind of what that one is about. And Hurricane is semi-about me and semi-about people I know and their relations with people. The beginning process of a new relationship – whether it be a friendship or a relationship.
How did Chris from Good Charlotte become involved with Vigil Of War?
Chris I’ve known for seven years now – just through mutual friends. We’d always be at the same gatherings, and then I would go and see him in his old band playing with Matt Toka. So he’s always been really cool and supportive. He came out to our She Demons show and he came out to one of our Vigil Of War shows about like a year and a half ago when we were playing with Diamante. He was like, “Hey, you know I would play for you? Right?” Because we were transitioning drummers. ( And I was like,) “Serious? I would have asked you for from the first moment we started the band had I known that. But I didn’t think you’d ever want to start in this newer project.” Yeah, it’s been amazing. He’s obviously incredibly talented. He’s very knowledgeable and just so much fun to be around – he’s so positive all the time and it’s been awesome!
What was it like working with Nita Strauss in the band We Start Wars and will there be any more shows?
Nita’s my home girl. She’s like my sister. It was awesome! She’s an inspiring woman in the industry and as a friend. She works her butt off, so it’s just nice to have that kind of energy around – we got a lot done in the short amount of time that people don’t even realize. Because the band was so short lived as far as publicly, but behind the scenes there was a lot going on. And who knows, maybe there will be one day, but I think she’s got so much going on right now – which I’m stoked for – I think she’s going in a great direction – so probably not anytime soon – if anytime. Hopefully one day. It would be really cool!
And you are watching her cat too now while she’s on tour?
Yup, I’m currently feeding her cat Lucy.
Tell about your previous band She Demons and The Misfits connection.
She Demons was the brain child of Jerry Only from The Misfits – and he just decided one day out of the blue that he wanted to start a girl band. So my connection came through my connection with Black Veil Brides randomly. They had kind of played a show with Jerry, and then Andy the singer from Black Veil got to talking with Jerry and said “Hey if you want to do this, I know some people.” I was recruited from Andy and then I found Kiki and I got her involved. We auditioned some people and then we found Pria, Constance and Jessica. It was awesome – some of my favorite memories in my entire life. We’re hoping to do a reunion show of She Demons one day too. Cuz now we’re all in LA, and we’re like “Yeah, we should do something at some point…”
I noticed on IMBD that you’ve acted in a few movies. Is that something you would like to continue to pursue?
No. I mean, I wanted to be an actress when I was younger – like when I was a little kid. So I started acting when I was 7, and then I did some modelling a little bit. It was fun when you were actually onset – but I just didn’t really care for people – like I didn’t really relate to actors or anything – and it really wasn’t very inspiring for me. Music made a lot more sense. It’s a lot more fun when you’re on the set, but it’s probably not something I would want to do later in life.
What’s up next for Vigil Of War?
So we are in the studio right now. We’re doing a couple more songs to be put out soon. Possibly a music video coming out soon. And we’ve got a show before Warped Tour which is going to be in LA which is a warm up – and then Warped Tour is going to be in July – and that’s going to be really exciting. Just trying to plan some more upcoming shows and putting out some more music…
(Interview by Ken Morton – Photos by Jack Lue
