sailor’s talk magazine ISSUE 10 | JUNE 2016
+ EVERYTHING VANS WARPED TOUR!
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE EDITOR Yep, we fucking did it. We turned 1-year-old. We managed to get 10 issues in featuring some of our favorites and up-and-coming artists. We all did this while finishing school or working full time merely as a means to do something fun and DIY. I couldn’t be more proud of how and where Sailor’s Talk is going, nor do I even have any idea of where we are going to be in the next two months. I guess all those nights I spent almost ripping my hair out just to get a review or an issue out before a deadline made it worth it. I couldn’t be more proud of my team and how much we all have accomplished and improved as music journalists. Cheers to all. Let’s go pop some champagne.
With Love and Care, Jake Lahah
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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF // FOUNDER // PHOTOGRAPHER // ART DIRECTOR JAKE LAHAH DESIGN ASSISTANT // TIFFANY CHACON CONTRIBUTORS // ALEXA FRANKOVITCH, BROOKE LONG, CAITLYN WILLARD, JAKE LAHAH, KAMNA TALWAR, KRIS KOELEWIJN, PENELOPE MARTINEZ, RYAN STACEY, TIFFANY CHACON
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WEBSITE: sailorstalkzine.com CONTACT: jake@sailorstalkzine.com GET CONNECTED FACEBOOK: /sailorstalkzine/ TWITTER: @sailorstalkzine INSTAGRAM: @sailorstalkzine TUMBLR: sailorstalkzine.tumblr.com
SPECIAL THANKS TO: BIG PICTURE MEDIA, DAYNA GHIRALDI, REBECCA KOVATCH, EPITAPH RECORDS, MICHELE STEPHENS, CHRISTINE MORALES, JERRY GRAHAM, NATALIE BISIGNANO, EQUAL VISION RECORDS, AMY SCIARRETTO, ATOM SPLITTER PR, JESEA LEE, HIGH ROAD PUBLICITY, ALYSON STOKES, HEATHER GRIFFITH, FEARLESS RECORDS, MIKE CUBILLOS, EARSHOT MEDIA, VANS WARPED TOUR (AND AFFILIATES), BAD SEED RISING, + MOST IMPORTANTLY, YOU!
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TABLE OF CONTENTS In Hearts Wake // 6 More To Monroe // 8 Too Close To Touch // 10 Pepper // 12 Mother Feather // 14 We The Kings // 16 Avion Roe // 18 Silent Planet // 20 Hail The Sun // 22 Broadside // 24 Reel Big Fish // 26 Saywecanfly! // 28 Dash | Ten // 30 Teenage Bottlerocket // 32 Album Reviews // 34 Bad Seed Rising // 36 Gallery // 46
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Blistering sun, burnt skin, making countless trips to free refillable water station... sounds like your average day at the Vans Warped Tour. With this summer being the twentysecond installation of the punk rock summer camp, the lineup has been more diverse than ever. Reflecting on this year’s showcase, we’ve decided to feature some of the newcomers and veterans you need to see this summer.
PHOTO BY JAKE LAHAH
IN HEART
Playing 6 Monster Energy Part
Who are you and what do you play? I’m Eaven and I play guitar for a band called “In Hearts Wake”. If this is your first time playing Warped Tour, how excited or nervous are you? If not, how does it feel to be back on the festival again? This is our first time playing Warped Tour! We are all a little nervous to some degree but the excitement well outweighs it in this instance. Its a festival we have heard a lot about through friends and fellow touring bands that have been on the circuit a few times.
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They’ve given us a little heads up as to what to expect but I’m sure the summer will still be full of surprises. Describe your first Warped Tour experience. Who’d you see, and did it inspire you to be on this festival as a touring band? If so, explain. Unfortunately, by the time I was old enough, Warped Tour was no longer a thing in Australia. So my first experience of the festival was growing up watching bands like Blink 182, The Starting line, New Found Glory, Yellowcard etc. play the American tour on YouTube haha. It wasn’t until much
TS WAKE
6/24-8/13 ty Zone South Stage
later that a few of our mates’ bands started getting invited to play, that we realized the possibility we could one day be on it. What is your goal as a band on this summer’s Warped Tour? Any personal or collective goals? Personally, I’d love to not spend the entire summer sunburnt but with my unfortunate pasty complexion I think that’s going to be a hard one… I’m going be cooked… #welcometomato Collectively, we are quite an active group and will participate in any sports going.
Apparently the Parkway boys smoked everyone in Dodge ball a couple of years back so we need to carry on that Australian competitive streak! What surprises might you have in store for us this summer? Now why would I ruin that for anyone? ;) Anything else for fans? Come hang out at the Monster tent this summer YEWWWW! photo provided
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MORE TO MONROE Playing 7/28-8/13 Full Sail Stage
Who are you and what do you play? I’m Johnny and I play bass in More to Monroe If this is your first time playing Warped Tour, how excited or nervous are you? If not, how does it feel to be back on the festival again? This is our first time on Warped tour and we couldn’t be more stoked to have this opportunity to play with a bunch of awesome bands. It is definitely going to be a little intimidating to play on the same stage with so many other artists we love but it will also be a great experience to get to know the other bands and anyone that enjoys our music. Describe your first Warped Tour experience. Who’d you see, and did it inspire you to be on this festival as a touring band? If so, explain. Our first warped tour experience was in 2013. We all went as a band and got to see letlive. and we got sailor’s talk | 8
to talk to them a little bit at their merch table which was awesome. We also saw August Burns Red, The Used, and Memphis May Fire. Then we talked to this lady who was working the festival and she asked if we wanted to volunteer to help feed the artists and in exchange we would be able to see one of the bands set from backstage. Everyone was really cool and we were helping serve food and cleaned the silverware with this guy who played a bunch of Wu Tang Clan. Then we got to see Bring Me The Horizon from backstage and that was surreal especially seeing the crowd and just everyone having a good time it was unforgettable to say the least. What is your goal as a band on this summer’s Warped Tour? Any personal or collective goals? Our goal is just to reach out to as many people as possible, get our music out there for people to hear, and hopefully meet some cool people and make some memories along the way.
What surprises might you have in store for us this summer? We are definitely going to be getting a bunch of new merchandise before heading out so be sure to come by our merch table and hang out with us. We’ve also been working on some new material that we would love to share with you guys, so if we don’t get anything recorded before we head out we will definitely have some of it in our live set. Anything else for fans? We have a bunch of one-off shows in May-July leading up to our warped dates so if you are in the area come check us out! Our good friends and label mates Bad Seed Rising are playing the first 30 dates before us June 24th-July 27th. Also be sure to check out our friends Crown The Empire, Veil Of Maya, And Volumes who are playing the whole tour. photo provided
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TOO CLOSE
Playing 6 Cyclops
Who are you and what do you play? My name is Thomas Kidd, and I play guitar in Too Close to Touch. If this is your first time playing Warped Tour, how excited or nervous are you? If not, how does it feel to be back on the festival again? This is our first time with the opportunity of playing the tour; truthfully, I cannot express how excited I am. Warped tour is iconic for all of us in Too Close, and we can’t wait to tear up the stage this summer! Describe your first Warped Tour experience. Who’d you see, and did it sailor’s talk | 10
inspire you to be on this festival as a touring band? If so, explain. My first Warped experience was a few years back in Cincinnati. I remember being stoked to see Pierce the Veil and Taking Back Sunday, as well as YellowCard, all three of whom were very influential on me as a musician growing up. Warped tour was definitely an inspiration for me and really reinforced my drive to pursue music. I guess it always an inspiration from the outside looking in, but upon finally having the chance to truly experience it, there was no looking back for me.
E TO TOUCH
6/24-8/13 s Stage
What is your goal as a band on this summer’s Warped Tour? Any personal or collective goals? As a band, our goal is to share our music with as many people as possible. We’re really into making a personal connection with our listeners and we’re excited for the chance to hang all summer.
Anything else for fans? As previously mentioned, we love meeting the people who support us, so please come out to a date this summer, catch our set, and stop by the merch table and say hi! photo provided (Graham Fielder)
What surprises might you have in store for us this summer? Unfortunately, we are unable to give anything away just yet, but there are definitely some cool things in store which we are very excited about! sailor’s talk | 11
PEPPER Playing 6/24-6/29, 7/1-7/22 Journey’s Right Foot Stage
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Who are you and what do you play? Yesod Williams, Lead Drums ;) If this is your first time playing Warped Tour, how excited or nervous are you? If not, how does it feel to be back on the festival again? Absolutely frothing to be back on the tour, and even more excited cause a bunch of our friends from Warped Tour’s past are coming back this summer. We’re most def “getting the band back together”, or tour in this instance! Describe your first Warped Tour experience. Who’d you see, and did it inspire you to be on this festival as a touring band? If so, explain. I think it was in Anaheim? (1999 or 2000) We had just recently moved the band from back home in Kona town to San Diego and went that summer. We saw the Long Beach Dub All Stars, Black Eyed Peas, Blink 182 I think? And ya, us being so fresh from the tiny town in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, the energy at warped was boiling over, we felt so alive and knew it was where we needed to be! What is your goal as a band on this summer’s Warped Tour? Any personal or collective goals? Find clean porta potties, stay hydrated, help out our friends in the pit if they fall down, you know just big up the OHANA! What surprises might you have in store for us this summer? There’s a ton of tricks up our sleeves as we will have a brand new album called OHANA freshly on the streets! I can’t wait to see what they are! Hahahahahahaa! Anything else for fans? Yes, it’s Time to party!!!!! photo provided
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Who are you and what do you play? I’m Ann Courtney and my band is called Mother Feather. If this is your first time playing Warped Tour, how excited or nervous are you? If not, how does it feel to be back on the festival again?
What is your goal as a band on this summer’s Warped Tour? Any personal or collective goals? Rise to meet my Mother Feather and hopefully inspire others to do the same. What surprises might you have in store for us this summer?
I am beyond excited to be playing to Warped audiences, making new motherfeathers, and being onstage with Mother Feather almost every day for seven weeks straight!
Pretty sneaky way to get us to leak our surprises…but I’m way too smart to fall for that old trick!
Describe your first Warped Tour experience. Who’d you see, and did it inspire you to be on this festival as a touring band? If so, explain.
I really want to get know the Warped audiences and we plan to spend a lot of time meeting them. Even though onstage it might seem like I bite, I’m really nice! Come talk to me!
Lizzie (keys + vocals) and Chris (guitar) went to see Greenday on Warped Tour in 2000 and played frisbee with the Mighty Mighty Bosstones after their set, which means they have way more Warped cred than Matt (bass) and I do!
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Anything else for fans?
photo provided
MOTHER FEATHER Playing 6/24-8/13 Full Sail Stage
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WE THE
Playing 6 Journey’s Lef
Who are you and what do you play? My name is Coley O’Toole. I play guitar, keys, and sing for We The Kings. If this is your first time playing Warped Tour, how excited or nervous are you? If not, how does it feel to be back on the festival again? This is actually my fifth time playing Warped Tour -- It’s my fourth time on the main stage and I am super excited to get back out there. The shows are always jam packed with energy from the crowd so you can’t help but match that intensity.
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Describe your first Warped Tour experience. Who’d you see, and did it inspire you to be on this festival as a touring band? If so, explain. My first Warped Tour was 2008 when I played for Charlotte Sometimes. We were on the Ernie Ball Stage for the whole tour and it was my first bus tour! I remember the feeling of crawling into a bunk the first time-- I was addicted to the lifestyle. I would go see Anberlin and Jack’s Mannequin daily. Back then, I wanted to play the main stage so bad. Every day there would be a sea of people and their roar was electric! It was a great summer; one I will always remember. Never did I think I’d be doing it for a fifth time!!!
E KINGS
6/24-8/13 ft Foot Stage
What is your goal as a band on this summer’s Warped Tour? Any personal or collective goals? Our goal as a band is to get up on stage everyday and crush it for ourselves and our fans. We also hope to do more exercising than drinking, but we do like a good party. I hope to learn a few new things this tour, such as chickin pickin’. I have always been envious of guitar players who can get that sound out of a telecaster.
Anything else for fans? Just a huge thank you for all the support our fans have given us that has kept us on this wild ride. We hope to see you all at Warped Tour and look forward to meeting each and every one of you! photo provided
What surprises might you have in store for us this summer? It’s a big tour with a lot of familiar faces so there is a chance of some guest vocal appearances and complete mayhem on stage. sailor’s talk | 17
Who are you and what do you play? My name is Evan Couture and I sing in Avion Roe. If this is your first time playing Warped Tour, how excited or nervous are you? If not, how does it feel to be back on the festival again? We were on the Vans Warped Tour in 2011 and in 2012. Warped is one of the best way to make new fans and connect with friends in other bands.
What is your goal as a band on this summer’s Warped Tour? Any personal or collective goals? Our goal is to connect with our fans this summer on a deeper level. We’ve been off the radar for a couple of years recording our new album and it’s time to show everyone what we’ve been working towards. What surprises might you have in store for us this summer?
Describe your first Warped Tour experience. Who’d you see, and did it inspire you to be on this festival as a touring band? If so, explain.
Then they wouldn’t be surprises would they?
My first Warped experience was in 2007 when one of my first bands played the tour. It still amazes me how this tour and music in general unites all of us. Warped is a punk rock circus where everyone is working with the same passion.
Our new album In Separation will be available this summer at Warped and we can’t wait to meet every fan that shows up.
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Anything else for fans?
photo provided
AVION ROE Playing 6/24-7/21 Full Sail Stage
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SILENT
Playing 6 Full Sai
Who are you and what do you play? My name is Garrett Russell and I shout words in Silent Planet. If this is your first time playing Warped Tour, how excited or nervous are you? If not, how does it feel to be back on the festival again. This is our first time doing warped tour and we are super stoked. We’ve pretty much toured non-stop over the last 3 years, including a ton of house shows and small floor shows, so it’ll be rad to play a festival on this scale! Describe your first Warped Tour experience. Who’d you see, and did it inspire you to be on this festival as a touring band? If so, explain. My first Warped Tour experience actually came sailor’s talk | 20
as a bit of a surprise. After I graduated high school, my parent flew me out to Kansas City to meet some family. I was a bit bored at first, and then woke up and somehow found out that Warped Tour was actually starting in like 30 minutes. (I grew up in a pretty rural town and never thought I’d get the chance to attend a Warped date.) So, I rushed out the door like a madman and had one of the best days of my life. When I got there I quickly found out that tons of my favorite bands were playing: TWDP, ABR, Maylene, Norma Jean, As I Lay Dying. The next year I moved to LA and started Silent Planet - I think Warped Tour and Cornerstone Fest (R.I.P.) both played a huge role in inspiring this band. What is your goal as a band on this summer’s Warped Tour? Any personal or collective goals?
PLANET
6/24-7/17 il Stage
Our goal is to deliver our same level of passion and commitment to musical quality that you would experience at any club show, while simultaneously connecting with the festivalgoers in a way that is authentic and shows holistic concern for them as humans. What surprises might you have in store for us this summer? I think that the combination of our visual art with the music we play will bring a dynamic to the festival that might be a bit unique. Above all, I just want to be honest and available to talk to anyone. A lot of young folks go to Warped Tour hoping to be noticed or to have a real conversation with someone in a band or who might be a bit older than them. It breaks my heart that, in the past, there have been some abuses of this dynamic. I think it’s essential all bands, not just Silent Planet,
really consider the impact that we can have on the lives of younger people at these shows. Some kids attend this festival who are coming from a broken home situation with limited opportunities for real growth. Many young people don’t know their rights or have any clue about support resources that can help them out, and I really hope bands can partner with the vision Kevin Lyman has always had to really make a difference in some lives this summer. Anything else for fans? Lovers: We love you, let’s get wild and be consumed. photo provided
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Who are you and what do you play? Donovan Melero, Hail the Sun If this is your first time playing Warped Tour, how excited or nervous are you? If not, how does it feel to be back on the festival again? First time at Warped Tour here. Super Excited! Describe your first Warped Tour experience. Who’d you see, and did it inspire you to be on this festival as a touring band? If so, explain. 2003 I went to Warped tour to see NOFX. Loved seeing how big the crowd was, and it definitely made me want to do myself.
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What is your goal as a band on this summer’s Warped Tour? Any personal or collective goals? To meet / gain as many new friends and fans as possible. What surprises might you have in store for us this summer? If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise. Anything else for fans? WE LOVE YOU ALL AND YOUR SUPPORT. You are very enabling, in a good way. photo provided (Michael-Rex Carbonell)
HAIL THE SUN Playing 6/24-7/16 Full Sail Stage
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Who are you and what do you play? My name is Ollie and I sing in a band called Broadside If this is your first time playing Warped Tour, how excited or nervous are you? If not, how does it feel to be back on the festival again? This is my/our first time and we are incredibly excited. I am sort of nervous naturally but excited to meet tons of new people. My nervousness only comes from my desire to put on the very best show I can each day to broaden our fan base. Describe your first Warped Tour experience. Who’d you see, and did it inspire you to be on this festival as a touring band? If so, explain. sailor’s talk | 24
I remember buying the warped tour compilation CDs and studying them and learning about so many new artists! My family or myself could never afford a ticket so it is pretty incredible that we are playing this year, so many incredible bands/charities on the package. What is your goal as a band on this summer’s Warped Tour? Any personal or collective goals? Some of my personal goals include learning from my peers and guys that have been killing it for a minute now. I am a sponge for knowledge and I believe that knowledge is the most powerful thing you can acquire. I’m also really looking forward to setting a good example of how grateful you should be as a band member and not shitty to your fans. I know as a collective we are looking to
BROADSIDE Playing 6/24-8/13 Full Sail Stage
expand as a whole and really showcase the talent and passion that we have. What surprises might you have in store for us this summer? There are definitely some things in motion right now that I don’t want to share! However, you can guarantee a handshake, dap or hug for even giving a shit about us! Anything else for fans? We want to make it absolutely clear that we are not too cool to hang, make jokes, talk about food or anything! We want to meet you! photo provided
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REEL BIG FISH Playing 6/24-8/13 Journey’s Left Foot Stage
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Who are you and what do you play? Aaron Barrett, Guitar and Vocals for Reel Big Fish If this is your first time playing Warped Tour, how excited or nervous are you? If not, how does it feel to be back on the festival again? We’ve play quite a few Warped Tours since our first time in 1997 and it’s always a lot of fun. It’s not like the usual festivals we play where it’s just one day of our lives, it’s a whole traveling circus that lasts for months! It’s a little bit grueling at time dealing with the heat and the dust and dirt and stuff but after surviving a Warped Tour as a band, you really feel like you accomplished something! We’re exited for this year because lots of our old friends are going to be on the tour like Less Than Jake, New Found Glory, Sum 41, Pepper, Ballyhoo, Good Charlotte, the Interrupters and more! Describe your first Warped Tour experience. Who’d you see, and did it inspire you to be on this festival as a touring band? If so, explain. Our first time on warped was in 1997, our single “Sell Out” was starting to get some radio play and things were getting pretty exciting for us, crowds were getting bigger and bigger and more loud and rowdy every day! There were also so many of our favorite
bands on that tour, Less Than Jake, Blink 182, The Vandals, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Hepcat, Social D, and there were only about 3 or 4 stages so in those days it was almost entirely possible to see EVERY band that played! it was an awesome time! What is your goal as a band on this summer’s Warped Tour? Any personal or collective goals? I don’t think we have any specific goal we want to achieve this summer other than, we just want to play as well as we can, entertain the crowd a show them a good time and most importantly, have fun ourselves! What surprises might you have in store for us this summer? We’ve all learned how to do backflips and we’ve mastered the art of sword swallowing so we’re going to see if we can work that into our set... Anything else for fans? This summer is the 20th anniversary of our album ‘Turn the Radio Off’ so we’ll be playing lots of songs from that album! And remember, don’t ever wear flip flops in the pit kids! See ya at Warped 2016! photo provided (Jonathan Thorpe) sailor’s talk | 27
Who are you and what do you do? I’m Braden. I’m the dude from SayWeCanFly. If this is your first time playing Warped Tour, how excited or nervous are you? If not, how does it feel to be back on the festival again? This will be my second summer on Warped. I played the Toronto date twice before having a spot on the entire tour in 2015.. but it will be amazing to experience that environment again. It’s honestly one of the best ways to spend a summer, and I feel honoured to have a part in it again. Describe your first Warped Tour experience. Who’d you see, and did it inspire you to be on this festival as a touring band? If so, explain. The first time I ever went to Warped was the first time I played. I won the Ernie Ball Battle of The Bands contest and earned a slot in the Acoustic Basement tent that day. It was pretty nerve racking since I had never been before and had to lug my guitar around with me all day, along with pretending I knew what I was doing. The only bands I got to watch that day were Hawthorne Heights & NSN. What is your goal as a band on this summer’s Warped Tour? Any personal or collective goals? I’m really hoping to meet as many kids as possible. That was my goal last summer, and I’m hoping to outdo myself this time around. It’s probably the coolest part about being on the tour. Along with that, I’m planning on rocking it full band this summer instead of acoustic since I’ll be on a bigger stage. What surprises might you have in store for us this summer? I’m working on new music right now, and I’m probably going to jam a few of the new songs. I’m hoping to release the new EP in the fall so I’ll likely be doing preorders over the summer. I’ll definitely be filming at some of the dates too. Anything else for fans? You guys rule. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to play music & hangout with you. I can’t wait to see you this summer, and make sure you check the big blow up thing in the morning to find my set time hehe. photo provided sailor’s talk | 28
SAYWECANFLY Playing 7/22-8/13 Full Sail Stage
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DASH|TEN Playing 6/24-8/13 Full Sail Stage
Who are you and what do you do? My name is Corrin Campbell. I’m the lead vocalist and bass player of Dash|Ten. If this is your first time playing Warped Tour, how excited or nervous are you? If not, how does it feel to be back on the festival again? I have played Warped Tour before, as a solo artist under my own name, but this is our first time doing it as Dash|Ten. We’re so excited to head out on the road and meet people. Warped has such a cool community of bands, crew and fans; there’s really no other tour like it. It always feels like a family, and being a part of it is such an honor and privilege. Considering the band is brand new, we feel really lucky to have been invited on the 2016 tour. Describe your first Warped Tour experience. Who’d you see, and did it inspire you to be on this festival as a touring band? If so, explain. sailor’s talk | 30
The first time I ever went to Warped was 2005. I had been planning to for a while, but I was specifically motivated that year by a band called Paramore. I had met Hayley briefly at our vocal-coach-in-common’s house in maybe 2003 or 2004; I had a lesson right after hers. He told me about her voice and how great she was. So when the band came together, I followed them on MySpace and LiveJournal (that sentence sounds so dated, doesn’t it?). When they announced that they were going to be playing on the Shiragirl stage (which was a bright pink box truck stage), I was SO. THERE. They were great, and you could already feel the excitement for Paramore in those tiny audiences - at least compared to the ones they have now. I also got to check out My Chemical Romance, All-American Rejects, and MXPX (among others) at that show. It was an incredible introduction to Warped Tour, for sure! But I have to say that watching a band like Paramore grow up on Warped (because of course I saw them every year after that), was a huge inspiration when girls and women in the pop-punk and rock scene were still a bit scarce.
What is your goal as a band on this summer’s Warped Tour? Any personal or collective goals? We definitely want to go out there and have a killer set, really reward the fans who are supporting us this early on. We’ll be out there talking to people in the line before gates open, trying to meet and remember as many of our fans as possible. These are the faces of the folks we’ll see at shows for years to come, and getting to connect with them is one of our top goals for the summer. We’ll be playing on the Full Sail stage, and we’re going to bust our TAILS to make it the best show ever. What surprises might you have in store for us this summer? We MAY have a brand-new song in the set; okay, we WILL. Even though our album is just coming out (May 21), we have a luxury as an unsigned band to release music whenever we want. So, we’re excited that we’re putting out a new song in early June to add to our Warped Tour set because the long-time
supporters know our music already from live shows. This makes sure that even those who already know us will get something brandnew. Anything else for fans? We’re super stoked to be supported by the U.S. Army this summer on Warped. The Army will have a big tent onsite, and it’s going to be FILLED Dash|Ten merch that will be totally free. EVERYONE who registers for our mailing list will get a free copy of the CD and free custom Warped Tour dog tags, which is totally rad, but we’ll also have hoodies, tees, backpacks, snapbacks, and other free stuff, all thanks to the Army. It’s really cool to be supported by them because it allows us to offer fans good, quality stuff for free - they can save their money to support other bands on the tour. It really goes to that idea of community, and we’re stoked to be able to contribute to it in this way. photo provided
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TEENAGE BOTTLEROCKET Playing 6/24-8/13 Cyclops Stage
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Who are you and what do you do? My name is Miguel Chen and I play bass in Teenage Bottlerocket! If this is your first time playing Warped Tour, how excited or nervous are you? If not, how does it feel to be back on the festival again? This is our second full trip on the Vans Warped Tour! We’re super stoked to be back, and this time we have even more friends on the tour! It’s gonna be a party and a half! Describe your first Warped Tour experience. Who’d you see, and did it inspire you to be on this festival as a touring band? If so, explain. I first went to Warped Tour in 2000. I got to see so many of my favorite bands that day. I remember NOFX, Lunachicks, Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Green Day, though I’m sure there were a ton of other bands that ruled that day and I am forgetting. For a few years there Warped was an annual trip for my friends and I. Before I’d ever attended the festival I already knew I wanted to spend my life touring in a punk band, that just solidified it even more. I would daydream of what it must be like to be on such a big tour with so many awesome bands.
What is your goal as a band on this summer’s Warped Tour? Any personal or collective goals? As a band we’re going to shred through as many songs with our 30 minute set as we can every single day. We want to give the audience the most bang for their buck so we always keep it fast and play as many songs as we can. We also want to grill out and party with our friends. This will be our first tour since our drummer, best friend and brother Brandon passed away. Carrying him with us we know we need to celebrate life and have the best time possible. What surprises might you have in store for us this summer? This summer we will reveal that we are actually Masked Intruder. And we’re also Less Than Jake. And we’re also the Interrupters. Anything else for fans? Be kind to each other and enjoy your day at the Vans Warped Tour. Life is short, and precious so make sure you’re living with an open heart. photo provided sailor’s talk | 33
ALBUM R Real Friends - The Home Inside My Head Fearless Records Release: May 27th 2016 The Home Inside My Head shows a sense of maturity and coming of age for the band. Centered around the realization of some of the personal truths in life, Real Friends projects this notion through it’s lyrical content and emotion. Keeping a very similar sound to their previous records, the album is driven through their unique pop-punk style that when you hear it, you know it’s Real Friends. It still has that semi-high pitched and distressed voice Dan Lambton has and the constant drive of the slash of the cymbals that drummer Brian Blake includes. The first single of the album “Colder Quicker” talks about trying to reach a personal threshold that is seemingly impossible to reach. “Colder Quicker” is a metaphor for that constant rush of life that begins to take over and impede what we set to accomplish. Another one of the bands singles of the album “Mokena” shows the suffering of the emotion installed through the lyrics. It shows a sense of importance for emphasizing the concept with the semi-minimal instrumentals in the background and the outspoken vocals of Lambton shouting “I’m fucking up!” The album is filled with snippets of voices we hear every day. Lyrics such as “… too much time spent overthinking…” in the song “Well, I’m Sorry” along with “… I think I’m better off when I’m alone…” in the song “Keep Me Lying” are perfect exemplars of those fragmented thoughts every human experiences in life. These are articulated and isolated so well in the tracks, the listener is confronted with the ideas and are able to reflect on their own life by thinking about those ideas. “Empty Picture Frames” incorporates the title of the album into their lyrics on this one. Talking about “… the home that no one will see…,” it’s in a way ironic considering the album makes the private home of the mind and makes it public to the listener. The listener is let into the embodied perspective of the artist while simultaneously seeing their own home inside their head. The Home Inside My Head is a document of these realizations. Instead of letting the listener wallow in these ideas, it’s more of a reflection for them. The album is the experience of coming to the epiphany the concepts Real Friends employs into this record; it’s about empathizing and sympathizing both with the artist and the self. review by Jake Lahah
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REVIEWS Issues - Headspace Rise Records Release: May 20th 2016 On May 20th Issues released their second studio album Headspace, and in my semi-professional opinion, I recommend that everyone give this album a listen. To be frank, I have never been a huge fan of the band Issues; their melding of different styles of music has seemed to make them a love-or-hate type of band, but this album breaks that barrier by giving everyone a taste of a genre that they like. With hard vocals, melodic choruses, and the unexpected addition of a fiddle, this record touches on almost every genre. The album begins with the song “The Realist,” the first single released, as well as the lyrical source of the album title. It, along with “Yung & Dum” features a country influence, and rely heavily on technical guitar loops. “Blue Wall” is a heavier song with a strong political meaning, while “Flojo” and “Someone Who Does” both blend metal with R&B and “Top 40 hits” melodies. It all caps off with the emotional “Slow Me Down,” fading out beautifully to close out the record. Issues has clearly grown in their music since the release of their self-titled album. With a fantastic framing of both Tyler Carter and Michael Bohn’s voices, as well as perfectly featuring the talents of each other member of the band, Issues’ Headspace is definitely an album you will have on repeat this summer. review by Alexa Frankovitch
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With Vans Warped Tour right around the corner and tons a speculation and criticism on this year’s lineup, it has definitely made it hard for us to nail down one band you NEED to see. But since this is Sailor’s Talk Magazine’s oneyear special issue, only one band comes to mind. Having close ties to the DMV area, the band that has proven themselves relentless over and over again is our friends in Bad Seed Rising. Being one of the youngest bands on this years lineup, Bad Seed Rising might be making one of the biggest moves in their career noting them as a transitional band from the rookie phase, to the pro. But don’t be quick to judge these guys, because...
AGE IS JUST
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A NUMBER!
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“Yes, we’re all so excited!” vocalist Francheska Pastor remarks. “It’s incredibly surreal that we get to play Warped Tour. It’s something we’ve been wanting to do for a while and we know that this is an incredible opportunity for small bands to break out and have fun.” Having never played Vans Warped Tour before, Bad Seed Rising will be taking over the Full Sail Stage from the beginning of the tour until the twenty-seventh of July where their label-mates More To Monroe will be taking over. Although they won’t have the opportunity to do the full run, they have a lot to learn.
Finding this individuality is such an essential notion of being a distinguished artist. Luckily, the band doesn’t feel that the fact they or young or have a female vocalist that they are any different from other bands on this year’s bill.
“I don’t know what we’ll all learn,” she remarks knowing how chaotic Warped Tour can be. “We’ve been touring for three years now, and have learned a lot of lessons. Many of which have come from really dumb fuck ups, but we humbly accept our faults. I’m not saying we’ve learned all there is all to learn, but we have learned a lot and we’re open to learn a lot more.”
The only set back that Pastor experiences is in her inner-mind. She explains, “Sometimes I feel like we’re not taken seriously, or that no one really wants to listen to a female vocalist. But hopefully that’s all in my head and not an actual reality.”
This is the first time the band will have the opportunity to experience what Warped Tour is from the other side of things as a touring musician. Knowing how versatile Vans Warped Tour can be, this is definitely an opportunity for Bad Seed Rising to reach newer fans. “I think we’ll be learning many different lessons in other aspects of touring because there are so many different artists, and a plethora of opportunities to make connections and friends,” Pastor eagerly states. Having recently toured with some emerging artists such as Ghost Town and Dangerkids, as well as working closely with Issues on some writing, the band is advancing and learning from the best. Being surrounded by other touring musicians you get the opportunity to learn how the other guys do it. Bad Seed Rising believes that even just by watching how a band performs, you can learn a lot about how to improve your craft. “One thing that we love to do is watch other bands do their thing,” Pastor says. “We usually observe their actions and sometimes build off of what we see to make us better. Especially when a band does something that gives you that “whoa moment”. Then we think of a way to create our own type of whoa moment to move our listeners.”
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“We haven’t given it much thought. The only thing that we feel there’s a difference is that no one wants us drinking or smoking,” Pastor responds to this idea. “I don’t think we need to fight any stigmas anymore. If there are we just just don’t mind it.”
With the success of some other female fronted alternative-rock groups and pop-punk bands such as PVRIS and Tonight Alive, Bad Seed Rising definitely have the support they need to be a successful band and have already taken steps to improving who they are. They just brush the bullshit stigma off their shoulders and not let it consume their music and it’s what makes them notable. They just do what they like and take pride in it, which is all that anyone can ask for from an artist. Bad Seed Rising has used their pride as a tool for showing how genuine they are as a group. Warped Tour will be the perfect opportunity for the band to test out what they do best with that pride, which is promoting. After speaking with their touring photographer Caitlyn Willard, she says that, “The band is always promoting. Francheska is on point and is always talking to people in-between sets introducing herself and explaining what she does. She’s putting her band out there all the time.” From personally meeting THE Francheska Pastor, I was even stunned with the attitude and how fearless she was with meeting new people. Coming up to a bunch of photographers at a recent I See Stars show back in February, she just marched up and introduced herself strutting her lomography film camera that she eagerly wanted to shoot some shots of The White Noise’s set. Just saying hi and what she does and her interests in a real
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“I’m just really nervous at the ‘what if every aspect?’ I want see so many dif people, and just make a huge impress
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f I don’t get to enjoy everything in fferent bands, meet so many different sion everywhere we go.”
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genuine way, it shocked me considering someone in an emerging rock band had such a humble attitude. This persona is extremely important to their success and something they plan on continuing. “It’s extremely important. I want fans to be able to reach out to us at all times, and it’s always possible with every and any tour. Our inboxes are always open,” Pastor states. It’s this sort of connection between the band and the fans that builds a mutual relationship between music and the fan. And it can leave an impression for both listeners and industry professionals. In a way it can be it can be nerve-wrecking noting that they are about to play their biggest tour to this date of their musical career. Pastor explains the tensions of the possibilities Warped Tour has for them, specifically for how she wants to make the best impression she possibly can. “I’m just really nervous at the ‘what if I don’t get to enjoy everything in every aspect?’ I want see so many different bands, meet so many different people, and just make a huge impression everywhere we go. Luckily, we have an entire month on this joint, so I think I’ll definitely get to enjoy it all.” While Warped Tour will be their largest tour of the summer, Bad Seed Rising will also be opening up the I Prevail headlining tour in late July into August and are currently in the process of writing their first full length record. “In our full length, we’re combining many different genres and taking as many risks as possible,” Pastor remarks. “We’re just trying to do something extremely different and every song we have so far is completely different from the next. We have some spacey vibes going on with a 1975 twist, a bit of fast paced beats, and something maybe a bit like Sempiternal.” Bad Seed Rising have proven themselves unique, and we know they will make a great impression on their year’s Warped Tour. Be sure to catch them playing this summer, and you might just find yourself talking to them at some point during the day. photos by Caitlyn Willard interview and story by Jake Lahah
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GALLERY:
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THE USED PHOTO BY PENELOPE MARTINEZ sailor’s talk | 47
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THE WHITE NOISE PHOTO BY ALEXA FRANKOVITCH sailor’s talk | 49
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THE 1975 PHOTO BY MARYAM TUNIO sailor’s talk | 51
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HANDS LIKE HOUSES PHOTO BY RYAN STACEY sailor’s talk | 53
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ENTER SHIKARI PHOTO BY ALEXA FRANKOVITCH