All photos by Luis Velez
As pointed out in different pieces over the past few weeks, the Vans Warped Tour is a pretty grueling adventure for both up-and-coming and well-established artists. Battling the everyday challenges of being out on the road and maximizing it 110% with the hellish 100-plus degree heat, Warped Tour tends to blur into less of a punk rock summer camp running on scene comradery and more of a survival of the fittest competition.
For Florida natives Wage War however, the sunny season has been a celebration for the most part as they’ve fully embraced their time out on the Kevin Lyman-built festival. Ripping into their ruthless repertoire of pit-friendly tracks – mostly from their debut album Blueprints – the young Fearless Records act is certainly making the most of their opportunity. And for that reason, we decided to get some insight on exactly how well things have been going for the up-start metalcore outfit.
After reading what bassist Chris Gaylord has to say about he and his band’s journey out Warped Tour thus far, make sure to not only grab tickets to see Wage War on tour but also a copy of the new LP here.
Warped has been a tour that we have all attended for the past 10 years and have always strived to play at some point, even if it would just be for a day at our local date. It has been an absolute pleasure to be out on the road for the entirety of this year’s tour.
The people that we’ve met at our signings, merch tent, or just passing by have been the highlight of our experience. To meet people, just like us, who have a passion for music, other bands on the tour, is extremely motivational. You realize that it’s a type of therapy for a lot of fans out here. These people have changed our perspective on what it means to be in a band and the change you can have in the lives of people around you.
We have had the pleasure of playing on this year’s Monster Energy North stage alongside bands such as Motionless in White, The Word Alive, Whitechapel, Ice Nine Kills and Every Time I Die. The crowd response has been overwhelming to say the least. We toured with Every Time I Die in the fall and continue to learn a lot about being on road and what it takes to be in a band from bands like them and others who have done this tour before.
As far as our day to day life, there is one word that stands at the forefront - HOT. Sunscreen and water are our best friends out here. Each state has something unique to offer regarding its landscape, but the heat remains a constant. DRINK WATER, TONS OF THE STUFF.
Up until this point, close to 5 weeks in, we’ve really put our heads down and made the most of our time out here. We are grateful for Kevin Lyman and the awesome team of people working with him to make this possible for the past 22 years. We’re looking forward to what the west coast has to offer (you never seem to disappoint!). If you see us at a show, don’t be afraid to come and say hi!
