NYS Music 20​17

Category: Genres

  • Twiddle Brings Us All To Paradise in Boston

    Boston is an amazing city in which to spend a three-night stint of one of your favorite bands. Starting Thursday, November 9, Twiddle fans rolled into bean-town for what will go down as a legendary run at the Paradise in Boston. All three nights sold out before doors opened the first night, something Twiddle fans are starting to get used to. The entire weekend was full of very unique set lists, weaving songs together for what felt like an entire set. Broccoli Samurai, Mister F, and Annie in the Water were the openers, and each band started the nights off with a bang.

    NYSMusic was not present Thursday night but the setlist can speak for itself.

    Set One: Peas and Carrots, Syncopated Healing ext, Second Wind > Apples > BBQ > Apples > Second Wind, Subconscious Prelude > Indigo Trigger > Subconscious Prelude

    Set Two: Gatsby the Great > Purple Forest > Gatsby the Great, Ricky Snickle, The Catapillar, Jamflowman

    Encore: Eyes of the World

    Mister F began Friday night with a huge hour long set pumped full of heavy electro-funk. Their intense jams brought the crowd to life as the Paradise started to fill up. By the time they ended, the room was surging.

    Twiddle came out to a roaring crowd, starting the night off with “Blueberry Tumble.” The first set was filled with songs from their most recent album, Plump 2, ending with a beautiful “When It Rains It Pours.” After intermission, the band played a very classic set, intertwining some of the best originals, and finishing off with a very rare “Tiberius” Encore.

    Set One: Blueberry Tumble, Enter, Orlando’s > Nicodemus Portelay > Polluted Beauty > Nicodemus Portelay > Orlando’s, When It Rains It Pours

    Set Two: New Sun, Dr. Remidis Melodium, Mamunesthefawn > Save Tonight > Mamunesthefawn*, >Brick of Barley > Carter Candlestick > Franklin’s Tower > Carter Candlestick

    Encore: Tiberius (with extended jam)

    If there was one thing I would take from the weekend, it’s don’t sleep on Annie in the Water. The energy that came off that stage was going to be tough to follow. However, if there was a second thing I took away from this run, it’s that Twiddle has reached a completely new level of music interpretation and improvisation. They came out of the gate hot with a very heavy “Blunderbuss,” getting the crowd pumped immediately. The first set was very fast paced and made you never want to stop dancing.

    The second half of the night was more of a relaxed set, with a beautiful “Amydst the Myst” to start the last opener. Towards the end, a very special guest came out to play with the band. Billy Comstock of Annie in the Water was originally Twiddle’s bassist and wrote one of the group’s most memorable songs, “Latin Tang.” The current bassist bowed out for a bit so the OG quartet could rock out for an incredible Tang we won’t soon be forgetting.

    Set One: Blunderbuss, Lost in the Cold > Drifter > Dr Remidis Melodium >Lost in the Cold, Doinkinboink > Drifter

    Set Two: Amydst the Myst, Beethoven and Greene, Earth Mama, Latin Tang*, Zazu’s Flight

    Encore: Ricky Snickle

    The weekend was full of love and energy. Fans came together as a family of strangers and friends. You can see the guys in NY coming up, with a show on Long Island and two nights at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester. Remember, relax and dream and love relentlessly.

  • Interview: Kyle Waldron on Creating Barbarosa’s ‘Loud and Pretty’ Sound

    There is no greater joy in life than discovering music that resonates with the soul, sending spirits soaring into heights of ecstasy. I recently found myself captivated by a performance by Barbarosa. The self-described “loud and pretty” Rochester band combines both male and female vocals over intricately arranged instrumentation. The overall effect is like being guided through a labyrinth in the dewy haze of dawn. I met up with the band’s founder, Kyle Waldron, to discover more about the origin and evolution of this captivating band.

    Paula Cummings: What sparked your interest in music?

    Kyle Waldron: I’ve always liked music a lot. My dad was a bass player back in the 70’s. He had a lot of instruments. I learned to play bass, I learned to play guitar. I got super into it. It feels like something I was supposed to do. And I used to go to church. That’s how I learned to play in band, in the church. After a while, it was like ‘I want to start my own band.’ I started Barbarosa while I was in college. I’ve always been obsessed with it. There’s nothing in life I’ve ever felt so strongly about.

    PC: Why the name Barbarosa?

    KW: We were looking for a name for the band and my bass player in college came up with the name Barbarossa. It means red beard. I took out the extra “s” because of copyright with a band in the UK. I’m really into history – I was a history major in college. It’s got historical significance. Barbarossa was an emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and the name of the Nazi invasion in Russia in WWII. It comes back to my interests and what I look like.

    PC: So you and Hannah Gouldrick take turns on vocals on the songs?

    KW: Hannah has been helpful with writing vocals. That’s not really my strong suit. I like to come up with songs and guitar parts. Lately it’s been fun. We’ve actually started taking vocal lessons with a coach. So now I feel like “Oh, I can do this harmony.” I just couldn’t do that before. Now I like it a lot.

    PC: What is your songwriting process?

    KW: Almost always it will start with an idea I came up with on guitar and then I’ll record it. I’ll have someone make drums for the song. And then I’ll go back and flesh it out with bass and vocals. Usually vocals come last. I’ve started changing that. I realized some of the best songs have integrated vocal and instrumental parts. I used to be into post-rock instrumental. Lately I’ve been trying to write vocals, simple songs with chords and then add everything else. I’ve experimented a lot with how I write songs. I strive for not just doing things the same way.

    PC: Do you think the changes in the songwriting process have been the result of taking vocal lessons?

    KW: I feel like for a lot of musicians, you have a preconceived notion of how you think people write songs. Then you go through it and do it for a while. Then you’re like “Oh, I think there’s a bunch of ways that people do this.” It changes how you think. The more you do it, the more the process shifts. I realized that if I do the vocals first, it would make them more prominent in the song. I think that’s what most people identify with is vocals. I’ve tried hard at improving. Like I said, it was always an afterthought. It’s still a work in progress.

    PC: And it’s probably changed as the dynamics of the band has changed.

    KW: That’s another major change is getting away from guitar music and into synth – keyboards. I was really into guitar amps for a while but now with the synth… I’m really into gear, so it’s a whole new world to explore. That’s changed a lot too because my friend Nick Maynard did the first two songs on the new EP and he’s a master at that stuff. He has cool synth stuff, vintage gear, and he knows what he’s doing. That helped me out a lot. Nick’s not into doing the live stuff. He loves writing music. He was instrumental in helping me learn that stuff. My roommate also plays keys. Dave Heeks is really into that stuff. He’s going to probably end up being our keyboard player. We’ll be adding keys on more songs. It’s cool because there’s progress. I’ve had three different people work on drums. Matt Battle (of Oh Manitou) was the original drummer. He was on the first song I recorded, “Colorblind.” Then I did another song with him. Then Frank Dicesare, who’s more into hip-hop, which was kind of cool. He plays groovy, and adds stuff you wouldn’t normally hear in indie rock. And then Greg Best. He’s done all the live shows with us. He did the last two songs we put out. Greg is amazing. He went to Nazareth for performance and studied under a famous jazz drummer. He comes up with things in no time at all.

    Barbarosa at Wicked Squid Studios

    PC: I saw you last month, and you did a cover of a No Doubt song, which was different.

    KW: That was Hannah’s idea. We kind of changed it around so it sounded more like Barbarosa. It came together. That’s one of Hannah’s biggest influences in music and she was happy to be able to do that song. Now it’s in our repertoire. Now that we’ve done that, I can see where Hannah gets a lot of her melodies from.

    PC: What was the first concert you went to?

    KW: It was at Madison Square Garden. It was a Christian music festival. TobyMac and Jars of Clay. That was 5th grade. I didn’t know what was going on. It ended up being “Woah!” It was loud, and you get the adrenalin for the first time. I got into more shows in high school. I saw Balance and Composure in Philadelphia. It woke me up to crowd involvement. And punk shows where people were going nuts and piling onto each other, moshing and stuff like that. That set up my whole idea of playing music. It was a community thing. It was so cool to see so many people in one area connecting. I didn’t know that was possible at that point. That it can make them happy or make them sad. That’s when I realized I want to do this. I want to start a band.

    PC: Where do you get inspiration?

    KW: There’s a podcast called Song Exploder. They interview artists and go through their songwriting process. It changed my songwriting process. For one of the songs on the EP, I was reading. I was on a history binge. I was going through a bunch of books about the WWII era. I was reading about the Nazis and how they were on drugs. But it was legal. They had these crazy pharmacies in Germany. Nobody knew what heroin was yet. They were just like, “I take this drug and work all night.” It was basically heroin. It probably helped spur WWII. Hitler was an opiate addict, and I’m sure a lot of the terrible decisions he made had to do with that. The drug was called Pervetin. It was the miracle drug of their day. I took a bunch of quotes from that book, mixed them all up, and picked lines that sounded the best. Then we picked the melodies and crafted the song. And it sounded awesome. It was a lot of fun. I got the idea from the Rivers Cuomo episode on Song Exploder. I never would have thought to do that.

    PC: Music is meant to be fun, right?

    KW: It got me out of my rut of songwriting. I was like “I’ve got to sit down and write some lyrics.” Some of it you can’t force. When it comes to art, you have to let it burst out of you. If I’m sitting there having fun and trying new stuff, it comes out. I try to do that more often. (At the EP Release show) I’ll be playing in Brotherless, too. For Brotherless, we’re going to be covering a Nirvana song. We’re playing this song and it’s so fun. I get to slam power chords and sing harmonies. It’s so much more carefree. I’ve also been pushing a lot of my music in that direction. I’ve learned to simplify because you realize that no one is going to notice. If you can write a simple song that is entertaining that’s so much more important than being able to write a ten minute song full of guitar solos and technicality. I’ve really toned down the riffage and time signatures. I still want it to be creative, but like a mix or creative but also easy to understand and accessible. Like the first song on the EP is not in 4/4, it’s in 7/8. That’s what I want to do is find ways to impress musicians but also at the same time doing it in a way that people who don’t know these things will understand. If you reel yourself in, then you’re a little more within your capabilities, everything’s a little tighter. People underestimate how important the basics are.

    Barbarosa is available on Bandcamp. Physical copies on CD will be on sale at the EP Release Show on November 25 at The Bug Jar in Rochester and at their show on December 7 at Bushwick Party House in Brooklyn.

  • Special Message From Rob Derhak Regarding Summer Camp 2018

    Hot on the heels of moe.’s recently announced, and now sold out, shows at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester Feb. 2 and 3, moe. bassist/vocalist Rob Derhak and his son put together a video to announce the 2018 Summer Camp in Chillicothe, IL.

    Summer Camp, now in it’s 18th year, will be held Memorial Day weekend (May 25-27) at Three Sisters Park with its traditional hosts, moe. and Umphrey’s McGee, co-headlining the event. Additional acts are yet to be announced. The 2017 edition of Summer Camp featured Primus, the Trey Anastasio Band, Gov’t Mule, Run the Jewels and the Disco Biscuits.

    Three-day general admission and Thursday pre-party tickets go on sale Wednesday, Nov. 22 at 12:00 p.m. Central Time (1:00 p.m. in the east). Also available will be specially discounted Loyal Summer Camper passes. Details are available at the Summer Camp website.

    The announcement alleviated concerns that the festival may be in jeopardy due to Derhak’s cancer diagnosis in July of this year. Speaking to that, Derhak took to social media Thursday to discuss his progress. He expressed appreciation for the support given him and his family since his diagnosis of oropharyngeal cancer and throughout his subsequent treatments that put moe. on indefinite hiatus. He particularly addressed the comments from fans and well-wishers claiming he had beaten cancer or is now cancer free. In his statement, Derhak said, “I’m still in recovery, and I’m doing well, but I’m also waiting to hear from my doctors on the state of my diagnosis. I’m cleared to play our upcoming shows, and my doctors feel confident, but I️ still do not know if my cancer has been fully cured.” Read the full statement below:

    https://www.facebook.com/rderhak/posts/10156071568422216

  • Arlo Guthrie Celebrates 50th Anniversary of Carnegie Hall debut

    Arlo Guthrie celebrates the 50th anniversary of his Carnegie Hall debut with his Annual Thanksgiving Concert on Saturday, Nov. 25. Over the years, the holiday tradition has included performances with the likes of Pete Seeger and Judy Collins, and Bob Dylan. Joining him on stage this year are his children, Abe and Sarah Lee, as well as Cathy and Annie Guthrie and other members of the family, building upon the musical legacy created by Guthrie’s father, Woody Guthrie.

    Arlo Guthrie Carnegie HallCatch Guthrie and family at Carnegie Hall or other dates on their Re: Generation Tour:

    Nov. 18 – Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center – Great Barrington, MA
    Nov. 25 – Carnegie Hall – New York, NY
    Nov. 26 – Key West Theatre – Key West, FL
    Nov. 27 – Key West Theatre – Key West, FL
    March 9 – Sheldon Concert Hall – St. Louis, MO
    March 10 – The Carlsen Center – Overland Park, KS
    March 24 – Lensic Theater – Santa Fe, NM
    March 28 – The Fox Theatre – Tucson, AZ
    March 29 – Mesa Arts Center – Ikeda Theater – Mesa, AZ
    March 30 – Orpheum Theater – Flagstaff, AZ
    April 5 – Saban Theatre – Beverly Hills, CA
    May 3 – Reif Center – Grand Rapids, MN
    May 4 – Holmes Theater – Detroit Lakes, MN
    May 11 – Mayo Performing Arts Center — Morristown, NJ
    May 12 — Patchogue Theatre — Patchogue, NY
    May 18 – The Colonia Theatre — Keene, NH
    May 19 – McCarter Theatre — Princeton, NJ
    May 20 – Grand Opera House — Wilmington, DE

  • Hearing Aide: Savoy Brown ‘Witchy Feelin’

    Listening to the blues is always a roller coaster of emotions. A great blues song can let you feel the singer’s pain, or make you smile and realize how fantastic life can be. Being a 52-year-old band, Savoy Brown flaunts their experience and tugs at the heartstrings and the cheekbones with each track on their newest release, Witchy Feelin’.

    savoy brownThis album comes to us a half-century after their debut release, Shake Down. Thirty albums and countless tours later, they’ve honed their craft to show that they are one of the best blues acts around. That experience shines in the sheer grittiness of this album, which only begins to describe the feeling this band delivers from start to finish.

    The opening track asks the question “Why Did You Hoodoo Me?” and their query will rattle around in your head all week. This eerie, dirty love song washes over you with its bouncy bass, fiery guitar licks and inquisitive chorus; you’ll find yourself humming throughout the day. “Livin’ on the Bayou” slows things down with its laid back tempo and soaring guitar from Kim Simmonds. Pat DeSalvo’s bass invokes a swampy Louisiana feel underneath Kim’s licks. Things pick up again with “I Can’t Stop The Blues,” which balances the thin line between crisp and dirty. Drummer Garnet Grimm really shines in this track and fills the room with his incredible cadence.

    Things get slowed down quite a bit with the title track, “Witchy Feelin’.” The trio takes their time with this one and “Standing in a Doorway” before kicking up the pace with higher energy songs like “Guitar Slinger” and “Vintage Man.” These two quicker tracks really showcase Kim’s ability to express himself through his guitar. “Memphis Blues” is one of the catchiest songs on the album and a great boogie song that will have you nodding your head in agreement with the band.

    “Close to Midnight” is the final track on the album and a fantastic instrumental that swirls around a jazzy beat and some Clapton-esque playing from Kim. The 8-minute behemoth that is “Thunder, Lightning & Rain” is where the band really shines with a throbbing bass from DeSalvo, incredible drums from Grimm and non-stop wah-wah from Kim. This song is a masterpiece and really shows their 50 years of experience as a band.

    Kim Simmonds is no stranger to being on the road. As an original member, he was on stage with the band when they opened for Cream’s very first live show in London. Savoy Brown starts their 2017 New York State run in Rochester on November 25 and Buffalo on November 26. They make their way into Albany’s Upper Room on December 8 and also will be at Daryl’s House in Pawling, NY on December 16.

    Key Tracks:  Why Did you HooDoo Me?, I Can’t Stop The Blues, Memphis Blues, Thunder, Lightning & Rain

  • Joywave Leaves Fans Feeling More than Just Content on Day One of Tour

    Joywave answered the question off their first LP, How Do You Feel Now? with this year’s second LP, Content.  To promote the new album, they spent the summer touring with Young The Giant and Cold War Kids. Now they’re on their own headlining tour. Thanks. Thanks for Coming 2017 tour began on November 11 with a sold out show at Anthology in their hometown of Rochester.

    The frigid cold weather didn’t stop people from arriving early. An hour before the show, the line had already wrapped around the corner from Anthology in Rochester’s East End district. Once the doors opened, a smoking hot rock ‘n roll performance by The Demos helped to warm people up.

    The Demos

    All-female quartet The Aces wowed the audience with their indie pop prowess. Then KOPPS took to the stage, combining vivacious electro-pop songs with synchronized dance moves. By the time the supporting bands wrapped up, the sleek but chic industrial space had filled to capacity.

    Joywave started with the title track from their new album. In “Content” singer Daniel Armbruster plays with the homonym ‘content’ and the relationship between commercialism and satisfaction. The theme prevails in other songs from the new album, including “It’s a Trip!” and “Little Lies You’re Told.”

    Interspersed between the tracks from Content were songs from across their seven year span, including more obscure tunes like their 2011 single “Golden State” (featuring Armbruster on guitar) and the bonus track from the compilation Swish called “Life In A Bubble I Blew.” They also premiered a brand new song called “Alice.” A Joywave set wouldn’t be complete without songs from How Do You Feel Now?. The crowd went wild with “Destruction,” jumping in time to the beat and singing along, ” Oh my God, there’s nobody who can set me right. I’ve been sent to torch the palace down in broad daylight.”

    Daniel Armbruster of Joywave

    The tour is called Thanks. Thanks for Coming, so named for one of the tracks on Content. It’s also representative of their immense gratitude for everyone who has been a part of their journey. They took a break between songs to thank everyone, including the supporting bands, the venue, and the local alternative radio station.

    The last song of the set was “Going to a Place.” The room resonated with the sound of a thousand voices and a thousand pairs of hands clapping along. Keyboardist Benjamin Bailey extended the outro of the song. He continued to play long after the rest of the band left the stage, before eventually conceding to the end of the song.

    Benjamin Bailey of Joywave

    It didn’t take much to convince Joywave to come out for an encore. Armbruster picked up the guitar again, plucking along to the simple but sincere tune “Confidence.” They picked up the pace with “Nice House” and “Tongues.” The evening concluded aptly with a performance of “Thanks. Thanks For Coming.”

    Joywave is on tour through the end of the month. They will be joined by The Aces, The Demos, and Maybird on select dates. In addition, they are playing a few shows in December. The second leg of the Thanks. Thanks For Coming Tour was just announced. Tickets go on sale Friday, November 17.

    Setlist: Content, Now, It’s a Trip!, Shutdown, Life in a Bubble I Blew, Parade, Traveling at the Speed of Light, Alice, Rumors, Little Lies You’re Told, Golden State, Destruction, Doubt, Somebody New, Going to a Place. Encore: Confidence, Nice House, Tongues, Thanks. Thanks For Coming.

    [FinalTilesGallery id=’988′]

  • All Them Witches and King Buffalo Turned the Bug Jar Upside Down

    With a fully furnished retro 60’s apartment hanging from the ceiling, Rochester’s Bug Jar is the original Upside Down. There were some frighteningly stranger things going on between it’s walls on Sunday, November 12. The music put forth by Nashville’s All Them Witches and Rochester’s own King Buffalo could be described as a lot of things: rock, metal, blues, psychedelic, sludge, stoner. But perhaps one word summed it up best: BADASS. How else could one elicit the concentrated pulsating power billowing through the small rock club? What else could properly describe two different bands sporting shirtless drummers?

    This saga began with an ominous electric drone put out by King Buffalo‘s bassist Dan Reynolds. The suspense built as guitarist Sean McVay added some additional noise before drummer Scott Donaldson found his way to the kit. The set opening “Orion” continued to build steam until it exploded into a full-fledged rock out. “Can you hear me / through the smoke and the haze?” The band seems to run on the antithetical premise that the slower it gets, the harder it rocks. During “Drink from the River Rising” an unnatural pulsating from the intersection of guitar and bass had the entire space vibrating, before finally closing out with the same electronic drone that began the set.

    All Them Witches King Buffalo

    All Them Witches took the stage to deliver more of the same: Brooding, mysterious and bursting with dark energy. They may be the most un-Nashville Nashville band, though their geography shines through with some Southern-rock touches. The band, with Charles Michael Parks Jr. on bass and lead vocals, Robby Staebler on drums, Ben McLeod on guitar and Allan Van Cleave on keyboards, showed a great propensity for stretching songs out in long bouts of improvisation. It appeared early on with a massive “The Death of Coyote Woman” that opened and closed with extended blues rock jams. Staebler towered over his drums, pounding out an incredible amount of sound from a bare bones kit.

    No one’s calling them a jam band, but they could spar with the best of them. At the heart of the set laid a 30 minute segment that began with “Internet,” moved effortlessly into “Blood and Sand/Milk and Endless Waters” before finishing up back at “Internet.” Filling every gap within were flourishes of psychedelic organ and electric piano, staccato guitar freak outs, melodic slide guitar progressions, and low end drum rumbles. Behind driving bass work the pace quickened and mellowed over multiple distinct sections. In a quasi-apology, Parks announced, “That was a song about being alive, thanks for sticking it out with us.” There was no apology needed though, it was glorious.

    With the blistering rock-out “Sleeping Through the War” the set closed showcasing their dynamic variety. The crowd which had patiently meandered with them earlier in the set, took the opportunity to squeeze the last bit of energy out of the weekend and a mosh pit broke out. The show ended just before midnight, and as Sunday turned to Monday, reality set back in. Unfortunately, the right-side up beckoned.

    All Them Witches Setlist: Alabaster, When God Comes Back, The Death of Coyote Woman, 3-5-7, Elk.Blood.Heart, Internet > Blood and Sand/Milk and Endless Waters > Internet, Am I going Up?, Sleeping Through the War

  • Help those in need at Jam for Tots Shows throughout NYS this Holiday Season

    NYS Music along with Positive Mental Trip present 13 Jam for Tots shows throughout New York State (and one in Connecticut) to help those most in need this holiday season. Fans who attend any of these shows are encouraged to bring an unwrapped gift for a child age 2-12.

    help jam for totsEight bands are part of the Jam for Tots lineup this year, a charitable effort that brings live music and holiday season charity. Luke Weiler (Positive Mental Trip) has brought this series of shows to venues around Northeast, and has been expanded this year to span across New York State and includes 87/90 artists Intrepid Travelers, Cousin Earth, Formula 5, Space Carnival, Gowanus and Let’s Be Leonard, as well as Funkworthy and Chinatown Lights.

    Bring an unwrapped gift for a 2-12 year old and the gifts will be gathered by USMC representatives. Give back to those most in need this holiday season and enjoy a great show at the same time!

  • Whose Hat Is This? First Ever East Coast Tour

    Tedeschi Trucks Band side project Whose Hat Is This? is set to make its first tour down the east coast. The six night tour brings them from New York City down to the Atlanta metropolitan area.

    Whose Hat Is This? is made up of Tedeschi Trucks Band members Tim Lefebvre on bass, Kebbi Williams on saxophone and JJ Johnson and Tyler “Falcon” Greenwell on drums. Their shows combine elements of jazz, funk and electronica into completely improvised sets. Their self-titled debut album was released in April.

    The tour kicks off on Dec. 4 at New York City’s Rockwood Music Hall and continues for six consecutive nights down the coast until they close it out on Dec. 9 at Gate City Brewery in Roswell, Georgia. This tour sees the band coming off two sold out shows at New York City’s 55 Bar in October. The only other Northeast show is Dec. 5 at Johnny Brenda’s in Philadelphia.

    The tour was booked with assistance from Craft for Causes who partner the craft brewing community with live music ventures for charitable experiences.

    Whose Hat Is This? East Coast Tour Dates
    Dec. 4 – Rockwood Music Hall – New York, NY
    Dec. 5 – Johnny Brenda’s – Philadelphia, PA
    Dec. 6 – The 8×10 – Baltimore, MD
    Dec. 7 – Lincoln Theatre – Raleigh, NC
    Dec. 8 – The Pour House – Charleston, SC
    Dec. 9 – Gate City Brewery – Roswell, GA

  • Vans Warped Tour Coming to an End

    They say all good things, come to an end, and with the recent post on the Vans Warped Tour social media pages, it looks like the multi-genre tour will end and make its final cross-country run in 2018 after 23 years of touring the festival.

    The final nail in the coffin will take place in 2019, where organizers of the tour stated that the 2019, 25th Anniversary edition, will  be the end, and will be a special showcase to celebrate the tour’s storied history, not a tour.

    A picture posted on the tour’s Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages with a quote from Warped Tour creator Kevin Lyman stated, “Today, with many mixed feelings, I am here to announce that next year, will be the final, full cross-country run of the Vans Warped Tour.” Once the news posted, fans began commenting on the news with memories, speculation, wise remarks and anger, which prompted Vans to respond.

    Some fans who commented on the news, received a reply from Warped Tour. In response to one fan who said the tour will run a couple more years with limited dates, Warped Tour stated:

    The 25th anniversary small celebration in 2019 will 100% be the end – but we are working to make this year’s full tour an awesome one!

    When another concerned fan asked if the tour would in fact still run with very limited dates, Warped Tour responded:

    2018 will be the FINAL tour we are working to make sure this 2018 cross-country tour is one to remember. The 25th anniversary celebration in 2019 will NOT be a tour, but a special showcase to celebrate the tour’s storied history.

    In response to a concert-goer who said the tour ending was sad, asked why it was ending. Warped Tour replied:

    Right now, we are working to make sure this 2018 cross-country tour is one to remember. The 25th anniversary will not be a full cross-country tour, but it will be a special showcase to celebrate the tour’s storied history. We simply don’t know more details on the 25th anniversary celebration yet – our team is working hard on the 2018 tour first

    It will be sad to see this tour go because the Vans Warped tour is a special kind of tour that gives several upcoming artists a platform to get their feet wet playing live shows and touring across the country. Many of those artists have made a name for themselves in the music industry since their first appearance on the tour, with many returning to headline one of the various stages the tour offered. Some of those artists include Black Veil Brides, Asking Alexandria, Beartooth, Motionless in White and many more.

    Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman, posted an extensive response on the situation through Warped Tour’s website. He stated:

    I have been a very lucky person to have traveled across the country and sometimes around the world as one of the founders and producers of the Vans Warped Tour. Today, with many mixed feelings, I am here to announce that next year will be the final, full cross-country run of the Vans Warped Tour. I sit here reflecting on the tour’s incredible history, what the final run means for our community, and look forward to what’s to come as we commemorate the tour’s historic 25th anniversary in 2019.

    In 1995, I had already worked many years in the music business, including spending four summers on the Lollapalooza tour, and I thought, ‘for one summer I would like go out and put on my own show’ mixing music and action sports. With the support of so many people, I have now spent the last 23 summers bringing that show to a city near you. We have brought that show to over 11 million people around the world and watched that same world change while doing so.

    I have been proud to work with so many artists who have grown to be some of the largest stars in the world. Countless bands have played in hot parking lots and through summer storms for you at some point.

    Bands like Quicksand, Sublime, L7, No Use for A Name and No Doubt jumped on in the very first year.

    Touring many summers with my friends and peers like – Pennywise, Social Distortion, NOFX, Bad Religion, The Descendents, Less Than Jake, Dropkick Murphys, The Bouncing Souls, Rancid, Flogging Molly, Anti-Flag and The Offspring are just some of my fondest memories. More include, having Blink-182 travel on my bus in 1997 when the world opened up to them and made them the superstars they are today.

    The Vans Warped Tour was the platform to witness the rise of pop punk with Sum 41, Simple Plan, MXPX, New Found Glory and Good Charlotte.

    The birth of Emo – with bands like Thrice, Thursday, The Used, Taking Back Sunday, The Starting Line, Motion City Soundtrack and Jimmy Eat World.

    Fast-forward to the summer in 2005 when TRL and Warped Tour helped launch the careers of Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance and Avenged Sevenfold.

    I witnessed Warped alumni like The Black Eyed Peas, Katy Perry, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, No Doubt and even Kid Rock play the Super Bowl. I’ve even had the pleasure of seeing Green Day play the Rose Bowl.

    More recently, I’ve watched bands start out on a small stage and work their way up to the main stages by meeting as many fans as possible and continuing to hone their craft while on the tour. Bands like Paramore, A Day To Remember, Sleeping With Sirens, Pierce The Veil, Echosmith, Motionless in White, Black Veil Brides, Every Time I Die, Neck Deep, Beartooth and so many more.

    What has always made me proud was when I read that Warped was the most diverse show of the summer where you could find Eminem and Ice-T on the same stages as Sevendust, Pennywise, and 7 Seconds.

    I am so grateful to have worked with more than 1,700 bands over the last 23 summers. I wish I could thank every band that has played the tour.

    The Vans Warped Tour has become the community I had always hoped for. We have worked with over 90 non-profits each summer shining a light on new and growing groups giving our community the resources they need to connect with people who can help them, but also encourages our community to help each other. To Write Love on Her Arms, Music Saves Lives, Feed The Children Now, Keep a Breast, Hope For The Day, Canvas Foundation, Living The Dream and A Voice for the Innocent have built their organizations from the Warped Tour parking lots across the country. This even inspired me to start my own foundation Unite the United.

    The work we do each summer on “give back days” has become part of our DNA. My brain is etched with the image of the church ladies after Katrina serving beans and rice to The Casualties with their upright mohawks, finding a common ground where no one was judging anyone. Then finding out the only working business in the county seemed to be the moonshine still and the locals showing up with a crate to share with the crew later that evening.

    The long hot days that ended around a BBQ with food, drink and more music are some of the best times. Enjoying the days off, taking people jet boating, house boating, river rafting and sometimes even skydiving. I witnessed lifelong friendships being made, sparks of romance that led to ‘Warped weddings,’ and unfortunately now, more notices of passings where a proper good bye was not able to be said.

    I want to thank my supportive family who has been through the highs and lows, Darryl Eaton at CAA, Steve Van Doren and Vans, Kate, Julie, Allison and Steph. My hard ass working crew who puts that show up and down each day, the sponsors which without them this tour would not happen, the bands and their crews, the promoters who took a risk on us at the beginning and continue to be supportive.

    It will be bittersweet each morning when I see the sun rise and then watch it set knowing that this will be the last time I get to witness it from that exact spot.

    Though the tour and the world have changed since ’95, the same feeling of having the ‘best summer ever’ will live on through the bands, the production teams, and the fans that come through at every stop.

    The enduring spirit of the Vans Warped Tour remains as bright as ever, continuing to inspire creativity and ambition in new and exciting ways as we prepare for a 25th anniversary celebration in 2019.

    I truly look forward to seeing as many of you as possible during this final cross country run, and getting to thank you for your support on this wild adventure. Until then, take care and be safe.   – Kevin Lyman (Founder of the Vans Warped Tour)

    Warped will hit the road for the last time on June 21 in Pomona, CA, and end on Aug. 5 in West Palm Beach, FL. New York will see two stops on the final run.  Darien Lake will host the festival on July 25 and Wantagh’s Jones Beach Amphitheater on July 28.  Artists are still to be determined and will be announced in early 2018.

Built in Breakdance