An embarrassment of riches? Too much of a good thing? Best day ever?
However you choose to describe the Vans Warped Tour, Punk’s annual traveling bacchanal, one thing is certain: It’s nearly impossible to see everything on your inevitable “must see” agenda. For those who need help narrowing the field, we offer these humble suggestions. And don’t say we’ve never done anything for you…
• Anti-Flag: The gold standard of uncompromising political Punk. The 21-year-old band’s new album, The People or the Gun, is a scorching reminder that the only good change is sweeping change. That, and Bush sucked it.
• Big D and the Kids Table: Not getting enough Ska in your diet? Big D and the Kids Table is here to liven up your mosh pit. The band has been faves at Warped Tours past and, well, just about every other place — the group is on the road more than half of the year.
• Black Tide (pictured): How much harder would fourth grade have been if you’d been fronting a Metal band? Gabriel Garcia was nine when he started Black Tide with 14-year-old guitarist Alex Nunez in 2003. Since then, the band has recorded its debut, 2008’s Light From Above, played Ozzfest’s main stage and toured with Slipknot. And the members still aren’t old enough to legally go to the clubs that book them.
• Innerpartysystem: IPS blends Punk roots with Electronica/Pop influences like Daft Punk and the Chemical Brothers to create a sound that mixes crunchy and smooth in ways that Jif and Skippy never conceived. Initially, the band kept interviews and live gigs relatively anonymous (no quotes attributed to individual members, backlit stages obscuring their appearance). The Pennsylvania quartet’s 2008 eponymous debut yielded an Alternative Top 40 hit in “Don’t Stop” — but IPS is anonymous no more.
• Meg & Dia: When is a bug really a feature? When a virus gets your MySpace page shuttered, MySpace’s co-founder hears your music as a result and you win the site’s contest to become the Warped Tour’s official band. That’s how it happened for Salt Lake City sisters Meg & Dia, whose major label debut this year, Here, Here and Here, was a marvel of melodic Punk/Pop.
• You Me and Everyone We Know: Imagine if Emo actually had some sense of humor and swing. This relatively young band has gone through a lot of members — the name of the band could pass for its membership roll call.
• Less Than Jake: They roared out of a Gainesville, Fla., garage in 1992 as a Power Pop trio but quickly evolved into an accomplished Punk/Ska band with a reputation for chaotically incendiary live shows. LTJ has been a respected independent band and major label oddity, but the band is currently enjoying its latest role as entrepreneurs with the creation of the label Sleep It Off Records and the release of the latest LTJ album, 2008’s GNV FLA.
(Buy tickets, check out performance times and find nearby bars and restaurants here.)
This article appears in Jul 22-28, 2009.
