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Beat Union
Every Time I Die |
BY GILLAN LUDLOW
Once summer starts, the countdown is on. Teenagers of all kinds tremble with anticipation as the Vans Warped Tour draws closer.
When the Warped Tour came to Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Md., last Wednesday, fellow it! staff member Kyle Falkenstern and I were ready, press passes in hand, to get in on the action, once again.
Due to traffic, we ended up getting to the Pavilion almost an hour late. But once we got inside, it was smooth sailing. We signed up to do interviews with Mayday Parade, Forever the Sickest Kids, Jack's Mannequin and A Cursive Memory.
After receiving our interview times, we walked around and took pictures of bands that were already playing. We stumbled upon Every Time I Die. As Kyle took photos of them, I stood and, from my position on the sidelines, watched people mosh and crowd-surf.
I had never seen so many security guards in one spot. There must have been at least 15 guards, catching people who had just finished crowd-surfing.
Since I was standing right next the amps, the loud music created an instant headache for me. Every Time I Die also had one of the most intense mosh pits I have ever seen. The crowd was in a frenzy with fist-jabbing as frontman Keith Buckley screamed his heart out.
Next, we listened to Madina Lake. Although I'd never heard of them before, they seemed to be quite popular. The Chicago-based band had a soft but edgy sound.
We stayed to see Beat Union, a band from the United Kingdom. The band's lyrics and melody were upbeat and catchy--the type of music to make you dance the night away.
This year, the Warped Tour was a packed extravaganza. From scene kids to more casual fans, every inch of Merriweather was infested. Kyle and I couldn't get anywhere without being stepped on or bumping into other people.
My first interview was with Mayday Parade. I talked to guitarist Alex Garcia, who was very informative and relaxed. Garcia sent a shout-out to the "crazy" fans that followed the band from show to show.
"It takes a lot of effort, and it's crazy--not in a bad way--but it says a lot. They're dedicated fans," he said.
"It means a lot to us because they don't have to do it, but they do. And they don't even get paid to do it."
After Mayday Parade, I interviewed singer Jonathan Cook and keyboard player Kent Garrison from Forever the Sickest Kids.
The Dallas power pop band got its name from the pair's childhood experiences on a wake-boarding team, Cook said. "[Garrison's] dad owned and named the boat 'Forever the Sickest Boat,' as a joke," he said. " Our wake-boarding team was named, 'The Sickest Kids,' so we just combined the names."
Out of all the bands I interviewed, they made me smile the most. They stretched out words, got really close to the tape recorder and made corny jokes.
The two differed on their favorite band to tour with--but Cook emphatically spoke of one artist the band had set its sights on working with.
"Hannah Montana," he said. "We haven't toured with her yet, but we'd like too."
At the end of the interview, they kissed me on the cheeks at the same time and then left.
Andrew McMahon, lead singer and songwriter of Jack's Mannequin was up next. McMahon was probably the most laid-back person I've ever met, and he was quite personal. As soon as we sat down, he was asking questions about me and talked about how most of his band members were from Richmond.
McMahon also spoke of the influence that Tom Petty's frequent backing band had on his latest Jack's Mannequin album, "The Glass Passenger," set for release later this month.
"For me, a lot of inspiration was taken from a band called 'The Heartbreakers," he said. "I paid a lot of attention to them while making this new album."
At the end of the interview, he wished me good luck on my career and told me I was on the right path.
So far, I had conducted three successful interviews and was feeling great. Kyle and I walked around some more, finally settling on watching a band called 3OH!3. Their rap/electronic mix definitely didn't fit in with the rest of the bands at Warped Tour--but they grew on me, and, soon, I was nodding my head along with everyone else as the band members jumped into the crowd and climbed on the speakers.
My final--and most successful--interview was with Colin Baylen from A Cursive Memory [see opposite page]. Baylen is one of two guitarists for the California-based band. Everyone in the group has just recently finished high school. They were offered a deal from Vagrant Records--before they even graduated.
As I waited for my interviewee, I kept my eye on a guy standing near the press check-in table. Ten minutes later, I realized he was the person I was waiting for all along. I was slightly embarrassed, but Baylen was sweet, patient and ready to answer any question I threw at him.
The 19-year-old Baylen and his bandmates have become quite popular recently. I had listened to and reviewed their CD a couple weeks ago. I told Baylen that Kyle and I would be staying for their set. He seemed quite excited and rushed off to go join his other band members.
We arrived almost 45 minutes early to ensure a good spot in front of the smaller stage where the band would be playing, back from the main stages.
Baylen and fellow vocalist and guitarist Shaun Profeta kept the young crowd rallied and pumped, while Mark Borst-Smith bounced between the bass and keyboards. The band's performance kept a smile on my face--I can't wait to see what A Cursive Memory becomes in the next few years.
At the end of the day, Kyle and I had to battle our way through a crazy mosh pit, where a man crowd surfing in a Speedo almost landed on Kyle.
The air was full of electricity, and the crowds were hyped for whatever band was playing next. We had a hard time pushing our way through, and I felt like I couldn't even breathe. It was packed, hot, and some people were sweating like crazy.
Once we finally made it out safely, it was on to the car. The day in itself was amazing with four successful interviews, and I met some really great people.
Gillan Ludlow is a rising freshman
