Vans Warped Tour 2014 - Five Bands To Watch

Five Bands To Watch at the 2014 Vans Warped Tour

Every Time I Die (photo from Warped 2012)

By Sean Claes
With the Vans Warped Tour kicking off in June, we thought it'd be the perfect time to give you our opinion of the five bands you should brave the crowds to go out and see. There are 87 bands playing the San Antonio date on June 14, 2014 at the AT&T Center. Of those, these are the 5 we're going to make sure we catch. Hope to see you crowd surfing out there.

Cute is What We Aim For

Labeled as "pop punk" this band is actually much like a lot of the other bands I have often called "Disney Punk" but in that realm, these guys do it well... better than most. I know, that doesn't sound much like a reigning endorsement... but give them a chance. This 'ol metalhead enjoyed them. Heck, INsite even had them as our cover story in 2007.

Every Time I Die

Here's a fantastic hardcore band that has a sense of humor and a swagger that has kept them at the top of my "to watch" list for over a decade. Personally, I think their 2005 Gutter Phenomenon is their best effort to date ("The New Black is an amazing song) but, who knows, they release their 7th full-length, From Parts Unknown, on July 1.  

I actually interviewed them in 2004 during their stop in San Antonio at the Ozzfest Tour.
I also shot them at Warped Tour 2012 (the image at the top of this story is lead vocalist Keith Buckley). They play a fantastic live set. 

For Today

This band is insane. They are lyrically amazing, and musically tight. Lead vocalist Mattie Montgomery commands the crowd and the legions of fans answer back with every lyric. Even the starkest non-believer will bang their heads to this Christian metalcore band. I'll bet they'd never know the difference, until Mattie does one of his signature testimonies during the set. They brought it full force in 2012 at Warped. Looking forward to a repeat performance with new songs from their 5th full-length release, 2014's Fight The Silence.

Terror

I interviewed Terror for a cover story that was featured in San Antonio's The Edge Magazine in 2004 when they'd just released the brutal One With The Underdogs. They are good recorded, but they are just golden live. Straight up California Hardcore. If you are on the fence about going to Warped Tour, these guys are worth the price of admission alone... the rest is just bonus.

They also provided me with one of my favorite concert moments. Picture: Austin, Texas. The Backroom. Mosh Pit. 30-40 people slamming into each other. One guy gets dropped (it happens) and lead vocalist Scott Vogel, seeing that the dude was getting run over, stopped the show mid-song and made the audience pick the kid up. He then launched into a fantastic speech about the brotherhood of hardcore lovers and the fact that the enemy lies outside the walls, not inside the room. Had never heard total silence at The Backroom until then... and then they didn't skip a beat and went right back into their set.

I've not seen them live for 10 years. I'm going to remedy that on June 14.

Vanna

Here's a band that Warped Tour introduced me to. I'm a sucker for well-written music with catchy lyrics and a more-than-just-scream-from-stage delivery live. Vanna is a Boston-based hardcore band that has been around for a decade and has released 5 albums. The latest, VOID, was released June 16, 2014. 

With so many bands playing Warped, I tend to jump from stage to stage taking photos and listening for new music. This was the one band in 2012 that I can still recall their set. Chances are if you catch them this year, you will too.

Heck... catch all five of these bands. You'll thank me later... if you remember.. I mean... you can just comment on this blog to thank me. 

Oh, and check back in mid-June for photos from this year's San Antonio date. And if you see the old man in the photo pit, say hello to me.

Warped 2014 Tour Schedule

June 13 - Houston, TX - Reliant Center Parking Lot
June 14 - San Antonio, TX - AT&T Center - Line-up June 15 - Dallas, TX - Gexa Energy Pavilion
June 17 - Albuquerque, NM - Isleta Amphitheater
June 18 - Mesa, AZ - Quail Run Park
June 19 - Las Vegas, NV - UNLV Intramural Fields
June 20 - Pomona, CA - Pomona Fairplex
June 21 - Mountain View, CA - Shoreline Amphitheatre
June 22 - Ventura, CA - Seaside Park
June 25 - Chula Vista, CA - Sleep Train Amphitheatre
June 26 - Wheatland, CA - Sleep Train Amphitheatre
June 28 - Southeast Auburn, WA - White River Amphitheater
June 29 - Portland, OR - Portland Expo Center Parking Lot
July 02 - Maryland Heights, MO - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
July 03 - Noblesville, IN - Klipsch Music Center
July 04 - Toronto, ON - Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
July 05 - Montreal, QC - Parterre Île Notre Dame at Parc Jean-Drapeau
July 06 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Concert Center
July 08 - Darien Center, NY - Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
July 09 - Scranton, PA - Toyota Pavilion
July 10 - Mansfield, MA - Xfinity Center (formerly Comcast Center)
July 11 - Camden, NJ - Susquehanna Bank Center
July 12 - Wantagh, NY - Nikon at Jones Beach Amphitheater -
July 13 - Hartford, CT - Xfinity Theatre (Formerly Comcast Theatre)
July 15 - Burgettstown, PA - First Niagara Pavilion
July 16 - Cincinnati, OH - Riverbend Music Center
July 17 - Cuyahoga Falls, OH - Blossom Music Center
July 18 - Auburn Hills, MI - The Palace of Auburn Hills
July 19 - Tinley Park, IL - First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
July 20 - Shakopee, MN - Canterbury Park
July 22 - Columbia, MD - Merriweather Post Pavilion
July 23 - Virginia Beach, VA - Farm Bureau Live At Virginia Beach
July 24 - Atlanta, GA - Aaron's Amphitheatre at Lakewood
July 25 - St. Petersburg, FL - Vinoy Park
July 26 - West Palm Beach, FL - Cruzan Amphitheatre
July 27 - Orlando, FL - Central Florida Fairgrounds
July 28 - Charlotte, NC - PNC Music Pavilion Charlotte
July 29 - Nashville, TN - Tennessee State Fairgrounds
July 30 - Milwaukee, WI - Marcus Amphitheatre
July 31 - Bonner Springs, KS - Cricket Wireless Amphitheater
August 02 - Salt Lake City, UT - Utah State Fairpark
August 03 - Denver, CO - Sports Authority Field at Mile High -