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 for the Riverbend show on Wednesday. And don’t say we’ve never done anything for you:
• Anti-Flag: The gold standard of uncompromising political Punk.
• Big D and the Kids Table: Not getting enough Ska in your diet? The band has been faves at Warped Tours past and, well, just about every other place.
• Black Tide: 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• You Me and Everyone We Know: Imagine if Emo actually had some sense of humor and swing.
• Less Than Jake: In 1992, Less Than Jake roared out of a Gainesville, Fla., garage as a Power Pop trio but quickly evolved into an accomplished Punk/Ska band with a reputation for chaotically incendiary live shows.
Get show details and Sound Advice here.
