The Official Golden Ticket to WONKAnation

It’s a WONKA-ful Holiday!

2010-12-13T11:17:00.000-08:00

Season’s greetings, WONKAnation! ‘Tis the season of giving, and guess what?!? WONKA has the coolest chocolates for gifting this winter! Surprise your mom, dad and friends with the chocolatey-est, mouth-watering WONKA Exceptionals holiday collection.

Pick up some of these treats – including seasonal Peppermint Shortbread Chocolates – at local Target, Kroger and Kmart stores now. They make great gifts and stocking stuffers!

You can also mix things up with fruity and fantastical WONKA Exceptionals Fruit Jellies, which come in two delightful flavors for the holidays: Goji Berry and Red Apple.

The Oompa Loompas have something for every sweet tooth on your list! Don’t they all sound delicious? WONKA is excited to celebrate this winter with you, your family and friends! So go ahead and spread some WONKA cheer and give a box of superfantabulicious WONKA Exceptionals this holiday season!

World's First WONKA Candy Store Comes to NYC!

2010-10-29T12:32:00.001-07:00

Calling all candy fanatics! The first-ever WONKA candy store recently opened inside the world's largest toy store—Toys“R”Us—in New York City's Times Square!

Located on level one, the WONKA candy shop invites you to pick Pixy Stix from a 21-foot tree, pluck Laffy Taffy and Fun Dip from pretty plastic flowers and even make your own customized bags from candy mushrooms filled with WONKA's 12 classic brands, including Nerds, Spree and Everlasting Gobstoppers and the brand new WONKA Exceptionals collection. How cool and delicious does that sound?!?!

With candies dangling from the rafters and bulk-candy bins housed inside mushroom-shaped tables, the WONKA candy store is truly a piece of imagination come to life. A bonus for truly devoted WONKA fans—besides candy, of course—the new colorful candy store offers WONKA T-shirts, tasty lip-balms, and "whimsical stationary!"

So what are you waiting for? Follow your nose to the chocolate-scent-filled WONKA store on 44th and Broadway to checkout this candy paradise for yourself!

All Good Things Must Come To an End

2010-08-25T16:57:00.000-07:00

We’re all wrapped up here on Warped Tour 2010 and we wanted to thank you all for showing some love and being a part of our totally excellent, on-the-road experience! We loved meeting you all and having you be a part of our spectacular WONKAfied experience!

Stay tuned though...we're not going anywhere. We hope to see you next year!

The Best Venue Award Goes To…..

2010-08-25T16:49:00.000-07:00

Well, Warped Tour has come to an end, but I MUST tell you about one of our last stops! We arrived at The Gorge in Washington State after a pretty rough trek from Boise, Idaho. As the bus brakes grinded underneath our bunks, for what is usually still pretty quiet moments, we heard a lot of stirring around. It was definitely the first time on tour where multiple people woke up early (6 a.m., anyone?) to wander around the venue to take a heavy hit of all its beauty. And was it ever! This place was by far the most BEAUTIFUL venue I have ever been to. The Gorge stage had this majestic backdrop of mountains falling into a river. The word “wow” was on repeat at catering.

While most of the bands saved their final performances for the second day, Reverend Peyton and his Big Band decided to put on a special treat for fans and tour peeps the first day by inviting anyone that was a part of the tour to come on stage and perform with them for their last song of the set.

It was an all-star sing-a-long with Andrew W.K. and his sparkling wife, Cherie Lily, The Pretty Reckless, The Casualties, Giuseppe from Haste The Day, Face to Face, etc. It was a beautiful spectacle and the audience joined in at the top of their lungs.

We’re definitely sad that this spectacular adventure came to an end, but it’s mixed with extra joy that we got to be part of something so rad, and to have met and connected with all of these people.

Luck for me and for you, we took a few photos to capture the madness in all its glory.

WONKA-Tastic Warped Tour Fashion Statements

2010-08-16T11:16:00.000-07:00

Hey there WONKA wonderfuls!

We just spent a little time “downstairs” (what we call the bay area of the tour bus) sifting through a travel bag for a little somethin’ to make our simple black dresses and rockin’ outfits a little less simple. We have a Warped Tour BBQ tonight and we’d like to class it up.

Warped Tour is a haven for self-expression and really what better place to let it all shine then a breeding ground for young talent, art, music, fashion, discovery and imagination.

So we’ve set out to see what all of you wonderful Warped Tour and WONKA fans are reppin’ this summer. We see the stickers, the “Free Hugs” written in sharpie on your back, the vibrant splashes of paint on your faces and arms, and we see the bracelets. Male, female, band member or fan, most of you are rocking them on the left, right or both - and it looks awesome. What is the most popular of all you might wonder? Wonder no more, it is the rubber bracelet! Think “Live Strong” but morphed into hipster couture. Wrist couture, if you will. It seems like almost every band guy out here has one on (see photos below).

Splashy colors with symbols or words, these rule the tour grounds this year. It’s all about making a statement of your own, but not being flashy – even if you do rock the bling. It’s all about you, your words and spreading positive messages.

And they’re cheap! Rad and inexpensive. Can’t get much better than that….

Now Welcoming….Hot Chelle Rae!

2010-08-13T11:48:00.000-07:00

Nothing is going to stop us now! WONKAnation has been rocking out at this year’s Warped Tour all summer. We’re now welcoming Hot Chelle Rae into the tent! They’ll be signing on a slew of fabulous dates until the end of the tour! Come meet them and get some free stuff.

We’re building dreams and then living them here in the WONKA tent! You can too! Come see us across the U.S. and jam out with Kid Cedek and Warped bands, get free candy and more!

We Are Family!

2010-08-12T10:03:00.001-07:00

On Warped Tour there is a wonderful sense of family that underlies everything. These people are the people you share bed time (a.k.a. bus call) with every night and wake up with every morning. We all here on tour share meals, stages, grounds, bathrooms, and good times. We are intertwined with each other’s lives for the eight weeks we spend out here on the road. We look out for each other and it’s all pretty awesome. Outside of the bubble, I don’t spend half as much time with some of my dearest friends and family.

The added bonus to all of this summer camp and family love is having awesome bus mates who you share the closest quarters with. Our roomies are like getting extra cherries and chocolate sprinkles on your sundae. These people RULE, and it’s so sad when some of them have to leave. Recently we had to say goodbye to Nick and Justin from A Rocket to the Moon. Their acoustic Warped stint came to an end. They’re two of the raddest, sweetest and most stylish dudes that we’ve ever met. Please check out their band!. These guys deserve every bit of goodness that comes their way.

We’re all going to have to sharpen our DJ skills now on the Bus. I think we can do it. After all, Kid Cedek, our WONKA tent DJ, sleeps on here too!

See WONKA Music Factory Live!

2010-08-11T11:29:00.001-07:00

Get up, kids! Get yourself to a Warped Tour date near you and be a part of the awesomeness that is the WONKA Music Factory live this summer – before it’s too late!

Clap your hands and say YEAH! Warped Tour and WONKAnation are in full groove mode right now and YOU can be a part of the fun! Check out the Warped Tour dates and come hang out, consume candy and listen to some of today’s best music! It’s all happening now!

A rocket to Warped Tour. That’s what you need this summer! All sorts of fantastical things are happening city to city and we want you to join in. Come see us in the WONKA tent, listen to mind-blowing tunes and try some new and old WONKA favorites.

Interview with AM Taxi... So Cool!

2010-07-08T10:14:00.000-07:00

Chances Are.

It’s 123 degrees on the blacktop at Cricket Pavilion in Phoenix, AZ. Warped Tour, in all its parts, is fighting through what could be an epic meltdown but the sponsors, the bands and the kids are all still going strong and so are the Chi-town future rock/power-pop, soon-to-be heroes, AM Taxi.

This is your first Warped Tour, how has it been thus far?
AM TAXI: Hot…. but not like today. Overall it’s been fun. It’s been good. Jason: We’ve met a few bands. Everyone’s been real nice. Riverboat Gamblers are real nice guys. We did a little bowling charity thing last night.

I heard Motion City Soundtrack were the winners. Did you make it to the final round?
Jason: We made it through the first round. Not so much the second round. After a few we started to not bowl as well. Luke: I started to do the dive bowl; the upside down.

Your new album just came out, how has it been received?
Jason: Real good. We’re excited to now be on tour, sell some CDs, and have people hear us play.

How was it working with Mike McCarthy (Spoon, …Trail of Dead, Patty Griffin)?
AM Taxi: Interesting. No (laughs), it was great! He’s an amazing producer, but he is an eccentric guy. Adam: His set up in the studio, well, you can’t see him. There is a wall, then the control room. So we would play and wait and wait, and have no idea what was going on. Then you would hear the Sex Pistols and we’d put down our guitars, and you’d go in to see what was going on and he’d be dancing around the room. Then we’d all be dancing around the room. Then it was like, “Ok. Now we can get a take.”

How long were you guys there for?
AM Taxi: 8 weeks. John: It felt pretty loose. Near the end, of course, you’re like, ”Oh crap, there’s like three days.” And then you want to stay longer, and he’s saying, “You brothers. Are you sure you have to leave, man?” We’re like, “No more days! We have shows booked.”

Did you have moments were it felt like monotonous?
John: Not the way Mike recorded. He kept it exciting. Adam: Well, there was Woodpecker. That was the one song. John: Woodpecker, which is on our record, there is another version of it floating around. It’s a little slower. It is Mike’s baby. Luke: If anything got monotonous it was “computer camp.” We had computer camp all of the time while he would tune the drums, and then the other instruments.

Do you find yourselves re-working/mixing stuff up on stage?
Adam: Some of the songs are a little older to us because of touring them before, so the recording was the re-working.

For Warped Tour each band plays for 30 minutes. How do you choose which songs you are going to play?
John: We tie names to pigs and try to catch the pigs. Jason: Greased pigs! Luke: Tiny pigs! Jason: It’s really fun today because it’s so hot. John: The “Half Hour of Power” we like to call it.In a 30-minute time limit you need the set to have as much impact as possible, so it has to be more organized. You need to work the set so it keeps the crowd’s interest and know when Adam is going to talk.

Warped Tour is intense. There are a lot of bands, crew, sponsors. It’s hot and dirty. What are some of your touring necessities?
AM Taxi: Babywipes! Jason: Toothpaste.

Off the topic of music, let’s get personal. If you could have a superpower what would it be?
Chris: The ability to do laundry in my shoes. I am running out of clothes. If I could turn anything that resembles a bucket into a washing machine, I would. Adam: Turn any beverage into an alcoholic beverage. Jason: I wanna fly. I wanna go up and fly. I don’t want to be called Superman though. Chris: Like Sugar Ray? (everyone laughs) Jason: Not like Sugar Ray. Or it would be to get rid of jokes like that (laughs). John: To read and control people’s thoughts. Mind control. AM Taxi (minus John): Freak show! Luke: I’m going to go with telekinesis, or I’d like to have Prince’s singing voice. One of the girls on our bus has a pillow with Prince’s face on it. It’s awesome. Luke: I want to meet this girl.

What are some of your musical escapes? What do you listen to when you want to shut out the madness and get locked into your own world?
Luke: Kings of Convenience Adam: Otis Redding Jason: Sam Cooke, Wilco Chris: Sub.bionic John: My brother clanking stuff around. (Luke is playing with a Keep Abreast water bottle and it’s a noisy mess). No, Massive Attack or Zero 7.

Now that you’ve been away from home for a little while, what do you miss from home [Chicago] the most?
Luke: My girlfriend and my cat. Jason: My fiancée and my dogs.

Finally, what is your favorite WONKA candy?
AM Taxi: Cherry Kazoozles and Nerds Luke: Sweet Tarts, and I’m a big fan of the chocolate John: The Kazoozles or Nerds. Chris: The gummies in the orange package [Sluggles].

AM Taxi will also be doing a series of signings in the WONKA Music Factory this summer during Warped Tour. You can keep posted on these by following WONKA on Twitter: http://twitter.com/wonkanation.

Ready, Set, Go! Vans Warped Tour 2010 Officially Kicks Off!

2010-07-07T09:59:00.000-07:00

Hey WONKAnation! WONKA here, reporting from the start of the 2010 Vans Warped Tour! We’ll be living on and riding one of the valiant tour buses across the U.S. and through Canada, bringing y’all the behind-the-scenes scoop from all the cities coast-to-coast and above the border. Actually, we (the fun family that is Warped Tour) just completed day one.

Oh yes, numero uno, the sweet beginning. And it was sweet, not just because we’re partially fueled by Kazoozles and other WONKA candy goodness, but because the Carson/Los Angeles show was a totally outstanding blast off into tourspace! In the WONKA tent, we had AM Taxi signing autographs after they rocked their set with their Americana punk stylings. I had a minute to chat with Jason from AM Taxi about his need for coffee in the morning, being snowed-in in Chicago and Boston, and why Chicago needs to get their garbage situation in check.

He also informed me that WONKA Gobstoppers are Adam Krier’s favorite candy. Jason told me that he even “eats them for breakfast!” We’re stoked to be riding along this summer on Warped Tour. Many people thought that maybe Warped Tour would slow down, or maybe even halt, as it turned 15. Well, they were wrong! Watching the kids swarm the grounds, taking on the heat, it’s obviously nothing but full-speed ahead. So, keep your eyes on WONKAnation’s blog, Facebook and Twitter for all of my updates, because we’ll be coming to a city near you soon!

2010 AP Tour Blizzard

2010-04-13T09:33:00.000-07:00

My lovely WONKA enthusiasts! I couldn’t be happier to be writing you this third blog installment from the AP Tour! Why so happy you ask? Well, our caravan of three buses and two vans with trailers just finally made it through the craziest storm that I have toured through in the last decade!

We began our day in Salt Lake City just like any other day. We got our gear inside, and I checked in our 1,000-pound shipment of delicious WONKA candy, and so on and so forth. After an hour or two, I went back outside to get changed for the show and to my great surprise it was pouring rain. And I’m talking like sideways, sting your face, all over the place rain. Within another hour it was hailing the size of golf balls, which was soon replaced by snowfall.

Now let me pause for a moment and say that, since I’m from Los Angeles, snow is novel and fun for the first 15 minutes or so. We ran around, caught snowflakes on our tongues and had a snowball fight. After the initial awesomeness wore off it became quite clear that not only would we need to push everyone’s set times up to finish the show early so kids could get safely home, but that we also might not make it to the show in Denver the next day : / boo!

It was decided that the two bands with vans and trailers, The Summer Set and Every Avenue, would stay behind as the roads were much too dangerous. We put each band’s singer and one guitar player on our buses so they could play acoustic shows the next day and headed out. Our three buses crawled their way through the pass and we eventually made it to Denver the next day around 4pm… a drive that normally takes nine hours took us 17!

I’m glad to report that after 48 hours all of the tour caught up to each other and we made it safely to Des Moines, IA today! Thanks to all you guys and gals who helped us along the way, showed up early in the snow to line up and made the last few shows so much fun that we all remembered why we tour and go through storms and all other sorts of madness to make it to your city! Hugs and SweetTARTS! X0

A Day in the Life…

2010-04-02T16:57:00.000-07:00

So we are about a week and a half into the AP Tour, and I thought it’d be fun to fill you in on a little bit of the touring world that most people neeeevvver ever see… how one lives full time on a tour bus and sleeps in a bed that travels down the highway at 65 miles per hour.

A lot of people think the touring life is so very sweet, and because of WONKA, this tour just happens to be! Nope, no fancy hotel rooms for us, my home for the next two months is a standard band bus… about the same size as a Greyhound bus, but completely gutted and redesigned on the inside!

When you first walk onto the bus you see the driver’s seat and a curtain you have to pass through that leads to the front lounge, aka “Hugs&Hangs Deluxe Zone.” We’ve got two couches, a small table, kitchen sink, microwave, and one of those tiny refrigerators some of you have in your dorms at college J. After that, you hit the bunk galley, which is separated by a sliding door on either side, called the “Sleepy-Time Nation” area. Now when I say ‘bunk’ you probably think of the bunk bed you and your sibling had in elementary school… well there’s a little twist here, instead of two beds high, ours sleep three high! And let me tell you, I have a top bunk on this tour, and I feel like a professional rock climber every time I successfully make it into bed!

The last small space in the very back of the bus is, well, the back lounge. Just a small table with a bench seat and connected couch, but we’ve turned it into our mobile office. Laptops and printers all over the place with everyone working on everything from daysheets for the next show, to WONKA candy dropships, to creating/writing new songs in Logic for upcoming albums!

And yes, we work all day while our bus driver sleeps all day. At the end of the day, we climb into our bunks to fall asleep and our driver Johnny sets out on the highway to take us to our next show… possibly your city! Check out the video that I made to see for yourself. See ya soon, WONKAnation!

A.P. Tour 2010… and So It Begins!

2010-03-31T17:08:00.000-07:00

Well hello there my fantastic WONKAnation friends! We just kicked off the AP Tour with a few shows in Texas and Arizona and I can already tell this is gonna be an AWESOME two months on the road!

The first day of tour always seems to feel a little like the first day of high school… you’re nervous and excited at the same time and you don’t know quite what to expect. Well…as soon as my bus arrived to pick me up, I knew it was gonna be all good! The band that I’m living with, Hey Monday, jumped out with big smiles on their faces sayin, “You’re the WONKA candy chick?? This rules!” Let me tell y’all, we are definitely the most popular bus on tour already with all this free WONKA candy!

So here’s the deal, we are hitting 41 different cities across the U.S. on this tour so there’s pretty much no excuse for not coming to a show to get some free candy, listen to killer bands and to hang out with me at our WONKA booth. Check back here for my weekly updates and follow @WONKAnation for instantaneous awesomeness during the shows! Who knows, I might just be talking about you and your rockin’ WONKA style!

WONKA Golden Ticket Sweepstakes: Win a Free Trip Around the World!!

2010-03-04T11:16:00.000-08:00

Wow! Not only did WONKA debut a collection of premium chocolate bars, the candymaker is also offering its first buyers of the new WONKA Exceptionals chocolates a chance at a one-of-a-kind prize - a WONKA Golden Ticket!

How do you get one of these exclusive WONKA Golden Tickets, you ask? Well, here’s the deal:

Ten WONKA Golden Tickets can be found in WONKA Exceptionals chocolate tablet bars and bags of minis. Lucky Golden Ticket holders (and their loved ones) win a Grand Prize of a trip around the world! I know… awesome, right!?!?

Thousands of secondary prize Purple Tickets, including airline vouchers, Ticketmaster gift cards and movie theater gift certificates, can be found in WONKA Exceptionals chocolate tablet bars and bags of minis too. Not a bad deal, huh!!!

If you’re lucky enough to get a WONKA Golden Ticket, you’ve got yourself some bragging rights. I have just one question for y’all: If YOU got a Golden Ticket, where would you want go on this once-in-a-lifetime trip?

So hurry up and visit WONKA.com for more information about the Golden Ticket Sweepstakes and good luck!

Attention All Chocolate Lovers! Introducing WONKA Exceptionals!

2010-02-26T10:43:00.000-08:00

We at WONKA wanted to show our fans how WONKA does chocolate, and we’re sooooo excited to share some EXCEPTIONAL news!

This past week, WONKA launched its new collection of premium chocolates - WONKA Exceptionals! These chocolates - inspired by the WONKA story so many of you know and love - are unlike any others on the shelf. More than eye candy, the WONKA Exceptionals chocolate collection was created with as much attention to the taste inside as the presentation outside. WONKA is bringing a pinch of whimsy, a bucket of imagination and something a little unexpected to the all-too-stuffy premium chocolate category.

The new WONKA Exceptionals chocolate collection started appearing on store shelves last week, so keep an eye open for them in your area.

Visit WONKA.com for more information about WONKA’s decadent new chocolate collection! Chocolate coma, here we come!

Z100 Jingle Ball Gift Lounge = WIN

2009-12-17T15:34:00.003-08:00

I imagine you're all anxiously awaiting the recap from this past week's Z100 Jingle Ball Gift Lounge -- who we saw, who received a Purple Card and what's everyone's favorite candy. Fear not, we got it all...pictures, details and lots of good times.

The gift lounge kicked off on Friday with some of our American Idol Favorites. We were so excited to see them stroll through and take a couple quick pics with us! Check it out:

Allison Iraheta

Jordin Sparks

Kris Allen

After our quick chat, they all picked up a Purple Card (which will allow him a year access to WONKA's candy closet) to share with their friends and family.

We also got to meet one of the funniest guys in the business -- Judah Friedlander of 30 Rock. Never have we laughed so hard. He picked up boxes of Nerds for his co-star, Tina Fey, because he says that "nerds" are her catch phrase. LOVE it!

If you'd like to check out more pictures from the lounge which are all totally rad, please check out our Facebook!

Stay tuned for more awesomeness!

WONKA's Edible Garden...so delish!

2009-09-01T09:37:00.000-07:00

WONKA's factory has been cultivating a lot since the last time we spoke -- one of which is WONKA's newest confection.

Made with natural ingredients and 25% real fruit juice, which provides a fruitier taste that you'll find to last all the way through the chew. The new collection features two varieties -- Puckerooms, which are sour, mushroom-shaped gummy candies in full-flavored, mouth-watering Cherry, Lemon-Orange, and Grape flavors; and Sluggles, classic sweet gummy candies shaped like slugs, bugs and snails in lip-smacking Orange, Grape, Lemon, and Strawberry. w00t! So delish!

Check out the new Gummies' TV ad:

Love to hear what you think!

Going out in style...

2009-08-04T17:39:00.000-07:00

...well we're wrapping up here on Warped Tour 2009 and I have to say, we went out yesterday in style. What we didn't tell you is we've spent two weeks on tour planning a flash mob on 3OH!3 set. We pulled in 10 bands (The White Tie Affair, POS, After Midnight Project, TAT, We The Kings, All Time Low, The Devil Wears Prada, Bouncing Souls, FTSK, There For Tomorrow) to jump on stage during their last song...totally unexpected and fun.

We also looped Atticus in to donate great shirts for the band members to wear. While the flash mob was incredibly fun (and Nat really enjoyed it), Sean was singing in the crowd and missed the whole thing!

Check out the video that was put together by Warped Tour's pit reporter, Tiffany. The mob is toward the end...worth waiting for!

DAY 33- ST. LOUIS

A great way to wrap up a wonderful tour on Warped.

Warped Artists...more than just musicians

2009-08-02T17:32:00.000-07:00

When you think about a music festival, you think about only think about the musicians as the artists...but there the creative minds are endless.

Today I had the opportunity to climb onto Oliver Peck's traveling tattoo RV that follows along with Warped Tour for the full two months exhibiting his artwork all along the way. He started touring with Warped five years ago after tattooing a few musicians who loved his work. Because the size of the artwork he produces, it takes weeks to finish a lot of his work and so touring he says, "just makes sense." You climb into the RV (that doubles as a home for 5 while on tour) and you'll see stickers everywhere, books of designs, two stations, and a plethora of images to help spur the imagination.

People come to Oliver knowing his artwork (it's highly regarded not just in the road community, but in the tattoo community at large), and trust his imagination and ability to sense what people would like just by a handshake -- an exceptional artist and for us a totally unexpected gem out on Warped Tour.

Bus 17's Best Bunk Competition!

2009-07-31T07:44:00.000-07:00

WONKA has been lucky enough to be riding on the road with a group of incredible individuals who were willing to participate in the ultimate competition when you're on the road...the BEST BUNK competition.

When you're riding on a bus with 17 people, you have extremely limited space and keeping your bunk clean and trendy is a little difficult. There are a few individuals on the bus that have stepped above all the rest (in terms of decoration) to participate in best bunk and we'd love for you to judge...rules are simple: nothing can be purchased, all had to be found on the grounds of Warped. So let's bring on the contestants!

It's a little unfair for me to participate in this competition, because, well, c'mon. WONKA candy...Mercy Mercedes t-shirt and Truth t-shirt = automatic win. Right?

So here's who we're judging...contestant 1....:

This bunk comes equipped with a built in espresso maker and an "Evil Cupcake Biker Club"(which is an exclusive Warped Tour club) backpack full of goodies.

Contestant 2:

This contestant has collected a number of goodies along the way. Shells from the beach in St.Petersburg, cheese from WI, stickers from bands, batman light (from their birthday cupcakes), whoopie cushions (thanks to Truth).

Contestant 3:

This contestant claims that their bunk is the most "down home". Comfortable, cozy, relaxed. They say it's the way you'd "expect a bedroom to be."

Contestant 4:

Curtains closed...Scary Kids Scary Kids' cut outs open the scene...and behind it you find a bunk that a rockstar is sure to love. Full of candy, stickers, and cut outs. Definitely a plush pad.

Contestant 5:

This comfortable space is ready for late night drives! They've brought out all of their fav snacks to cuddle up with and get to work on their laptop.

Contestant 6:

It's hard to stay organized on the road, but at least this competitor can stay stylish. They're showcasing their golden sandals and fanny pack!

Contestant 7:

This, to me, is the perfect showcase of life on the road. It includes the essentials: good walking shoes, water bottle, great music and a half eaten dinner (if you get time to eat even that much you're lucky!).

So there they are...our competitors. Look forward to your votes. We'll announce the winner soon!

Music Saves Lives

2009-07-29T16:27:00.000-07:00

A great thing about Warped Tour is their extensive non-profit outreach done through Kevin Lyman's Unite the United which brings non-profits into the tour at no cost to share mission with the thousands of attendees each day. We've been fortunate enough to be on the same bus as one of the non-profits: Music Saves Lives.

MSL is a non-profit organization that sets up on site each day throughout the entire tour. They provide the first 150 blood donors with VIP access to the show. These lucky 150 have to donate at a Red Cross blood drive in advance of the show and then when gates open they rush to the tent with a voucher that is provided to them at the blood drive. When they show up the voucher, they get the band that allows them backstage access all day, free water all day, and they can cut lines to all of the band signings at the tent.

A small price to pay to see the show in an incredible way!

Conversations on the road...

2009-07-26T14:52:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in a previous entry, there are so many people that help pull Warped Tour together each year. Each of them bringing their unique talents together to pull off an extraordinary show every day.

When you think about a festival event, your first thought is probably the musicians. The musicians on this tour are exceptionally talented, but they wouldn't be able to bring their music to the fans if it weren't for all the other players.

Here's just a ROUGH idea of who helps pull together a two month long, daily festival tour:

Kevin Lyman - he's the creator of Warped Tour. Came up with the idea for the festival 15 years ago. The tour originated with only 13 bands....now there are over 60!

Production - Kevin's assistants and front-of-house production. There are about 10 on that side of things. They make sure bands are taken care of, that they have water, that shows are running on time with the daily schedules they create, etc. I've mentioned them before. Exceptional staff.

Sponsorships - there are two people that ensure sponsors are set up on site, happy and getting the traction they want/expect.

Security - these are COOL guys. I had the pleasure of riding around on the security cart with DJ (head of security) last night to help make sure everyone got out okay. For a guy running security, he's not what you'd expect. Easy going, calm, collected and so jovial! I guess it's because he's seen it all. But he says, "the fans are great, we try to take care of them and they take care of us." He supervises a HUGE venue provided staff each day. Trains them each morning and monitors them throughout the day.

Catering - it's true...I LOVE this staff. So cool. TWO full-time coffee folks, a head caterer, an executive chef, a vegan chef, and 12 cooks. There is also front-of-house catering (Robin) who works with 4 full-time servers to pull in volunteers (CONCERT GOERS) to help serve meals each day. In exchange for their volunteer work they get to go stand back stage at a show of their choice. They pull in about 20 for lunch and another 20 for dinner.

My absolute favorite part about the catering staff is the volunteer band that tags along the entire tour. They find a band each year to help run the band BBQ (which takes place each night after the show). The band can play during the day and sell their merch, but are not paid by Warped (meaning they travel around, pay in all weather conditions for FREE to get their music out there). They make all of their money through tips given to them from other bands/production/BBQ attendees. Really really cool. That dedication, it's so inspiring.

There are stage managers, tour managers, sound folks, merch folks, nonprofits, etc. There are more than 600 people that help build the Warped show each day (in under 3 hours) and tear it down in less than an hour and a half. It's the bands and the people behind the scenes, that make this show so great. And we're so lucky to have the fortune of spending a lot of time speaking with.

Stay tuned for some of their video interviews... :)

Giving the gift of candy...

2009-07-24T17:43:00.000-07:00

I have to admit, the best part about being on tour isn't what you'd expect. It's not hanging out with the bands (while that is exceptionally cool), or listening to the music (which again is AWESOME). For me, it's honestly all about tracking down future Gold Card holders.

It's an incredibly amazing thing to have the power to seek out people who love WONKA and that I can share my love of the brand with. People are always a little confused by the WONKA Gold Card and I think that's what's so incredible about it. Six months of WONKA candy? Just for being awesome? Yes, that's right. That, to me, is worth GOLD.

Take Ross from Chesapeake, VA. I rove the grounds of Warped Tour with a WONKA satchel and he stopped me to comment that he liked the bag. It, of course, piqued my interested and I asked him to share his favorite kinds with me. He was so excited to talk about candy! He told me about 8 WONKA candies that he loves! Like WHOA.

And that's what it's all about..being able to take front see three times a day and watch that uncertainty at first...then confusion...then shock...then acceptance and excitement. It's absolutely golden.

Behind the scenes at Warped...

2009-07-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had the pleasure of trolling around with my bus mate Steve who is in his third year of being on tour with Warped and runs a lot of their IT. He's definitely one of the folks that is good to know on the tour if you're after the inside scoop, which of course we are.

We started the tour backstage in production and he introduced me to the head tour manager (Lisa) and her support staff (Julie and Courtney). They are front of house production. They plan the daily band set times, they coordinate vendors, nonprofits and map the set ups. They are the face of Warped and being in that position requires a lot of patience, organization and creativity (w00t!). They've been doing it for awhile, so surprisingly enough they're very calm people throughout the entire day (which starts for them at 7 am and ends at 10 pm). LOVE them.

We then headed on past the Warped Press room which is where I've spent a lot of time. That's where all the bands are interviewed by local press, tour managers set up times that they're available, and they bring them in to answer questions. Bethany runs the press show and because she's been around for awhile she knows all of the bands, tour managers and publications. She's the IT (not in the information technology sense, but in the awesome sense) girl fo sho!

Backstage you'll also find an masseuse on staff (that charges $1 a minute) which I'll be heading to later, a 20 person catering staff (which include a full-time vegan chef), and sponsorship folks.

We walked the grounds (which are segmented into sections and planned) through "non-profit world" and "sponsor world." Stopped for a second to play Rockband and I got 58% on karaoke..major fail! But I successfully got an airbrush tattoo!

Then moved on to "merch world," main stage, Hurley stage, Smartpunk and Hurley.com, Kia Kevin Says, and Skull Candy stage which all have their personalities and known faces. It's a family and I've been lucky enough to be welcomed into it!

Stay tuned for more behind the scenes from the Warped family....!

Day 1 of VWT!

2009-07-21T18:45:00.000-07:00

Whoa! Total whirlwind of a day. Today kicked off our first two weeks on Warped Tour in Mansfield, MA, to a sold out show, and all I can say is...AWESOME. The day was definitely packed full with great bands, great music and amazing fans. We gave away Gold Cards to three great WONKA lovers!

Tom from Peabody LOVES Nerds!

Chelsea from Billrica, MA hung out with me on the Bamboozle Roadshow in Worcester! Great to see her again and hook her up with a Gold Card!

Ryan from Merrimack, NH and his friends were stoked to be hooked up with 6 months access to WONKA candy.

After handing out some Gold Cards I had the pleasure of hanging out in the press room with The Maine, White Tie Affair, Sessions, Ionia, InnerPartySystem, A Skylit Drive and of course Mercy Mercedes (we'll be posting some video interviews up on our facebook and MySpace pages, so be sure to check them out!)

Things I love about Warped Tour:

* Catering -- great food. A lot of the bands on tour are vegan/vegetarian (like I am) and they make lots of great stuff to satisfy all dietary needs. I had tofu lasagna and the most incredible salad! w00t! I polished off the day with Kazoozles :)

* Lots of bands! Tons of opportunities to meet great people. I will say that because there are so many, the family vibe we had on Bamboozle Roadshow might not happen right away, but I'm looking forward to getting to know the bands that you want the behind-the-scenes on(so let me know!).

* Fans so stoked about the music! Fans told me they waited ALL YEAR for VWT and so they were willing to stand in ABSOLUTE DOWNPOUR (and I mean DOWNPOUR) to listen to their fav bands.

* Production/behind-the-scenes folks -- they've been doing this tour for awhile, they know the ins and outs, the secrets, the myths, the truths, the every inner-workings. I look forward to sharing their infinite knowledge with you!

* Being on a bus! Last tour we started on a bus, then a van and some time in a car to get the FULL tour experience. But climbing into a bunk and sleeping while the driving is being done for you...that's the way to tour!

Stay tuned....long drive tonight 11 hours on the bus and then I'll wake up in Virgina Beach, VA!

On the road again!

2009-07-15T07:58:00.000-07:00

....w00t! We're heading back out on the road next week for.....are you ready? It's going to be the ultimate way to help feed the imagination...lots of music, lots of great bands, lots of cities, lots of experiences. Okay, okay. I'll get to the point. We're going out on...

VANS WARPED TOUR 2009! As Brandon Ham (or B-Real) from Mercy Mercedes OR Jonathan from FTSK might say, that's "ballllllllinnnnnnnn'!"

We'll be kickin' off the tour next Tuesday, July 21 and hanging out until August 4. Be sure to stop by and say "hey" if we're coming to your town.

It just may be your chance at an exclusive Gold Card membership! That's right, we'll be giving away 3 per stop!

7/21 -- Boston, MA -- Comcast Center
7/22 -- Virginia Beach, VA -- Verizon Wireless Amphitheatere
7/23 -- Charlotte, NC -- Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
7/25 -- West Palm Beach, FL -- Cruzan Amphitheater
7/26 -- St. Petersburg, FL -- Vinoy Park
7/28 -- Atlanta, GA -- Aaron’s Amphitheater at Lakewood
7/29 -- Cincinnati, OH -- Riverbend Music Center
7/30 -- Milwaukee, WI -- Marcus Amphitheater
7/31 -- Detroit, MI -- Comerica Park
8/1 -- Tingley Park (Chicago), IL -- First Midwest Bank Amphitheater
8/3 -- St. Louis (Maryland Heights), MO -- Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
8/4 -- Bonner Springs (Kansas City), KS -- Capitol Federal Park at Sandstone

Want questions answered from your favorite bands that will be hanging out with us on VWT? Let us know, we'll be happy to ask! Stay tuned for those updates and more...

..CAN'T WAIT!

trueAnthem contest ends..and the winner is...SHAOLIN TEMPLE OF BOOM!

2009-07-08T08:04:00.000-07:00

w00t! WONKA's Battle of the Bands hosted by trueAnthem just wrapped up it's two month run! It's been an incredible competition full of great music and great bands....but only one can be named #1 and that's thanks to you!

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for...the legend...the winner of $15,000 and a lot more fans (introduced by the competition's music sharing nature, of course)....congratulations...to......

...SHAOLIN TEMPLE OF BOOM!

Not long ago we had the opportunity to speak with David from SToB, and we're happy to say that we had the chance to speak with him after his win.

Over the two month contest what do you think helped give you that edge above the rest? We know you have a great street team did they do it all?
First and foremost I would like to thank trueAnthem and WONKA for this opportunity. Also I’d like to congratulate all the bands involved in WONKA’s Battle of the Bands - being picked to participate was a win in itself.

I don't think anything in particular gave me an “edge”. In fact, SToB does not currently have management or a label to help spread music like some of the other battling bands.

SToB didn't have a particular advantage other than having the best fans in the world. That’s what makes the difference. They really believe in me and this music and are willing to go the extra mile to help promote it. It wasn't just the street team, regular fans sent and spread SToB in their school and workplace. Also, fans helped share a lot of the music by sharing the player through MySpace bulletins or their personal pages – “Shaolin Temple of BooM's FREE MUSIC through trueAnthem/WONKA.”

Have you ever competed in a competition like this before (specifically as it relates to your music)?
Nothing this scale. When I first started on MySpace in 2005, I was chosen by a panel of A&R and game developer judges for Vivendi/Universal to participate in a contest for music inclusion in the Scarface video game. I made the top 20 out of 40,000 artists/bands!

SToB also went head-to-head with EkoTren (signed by a large label at the time) for artist of the month on a music site last year. They tried for a full month to drive people to vote for them. At the time I was recording, so I couldn't get into promotions as I would've liked until the last week of the voting and we still pulled the win!

What does winning this competition mean to you and what has it done for you?
Winning this competition means a lot to me because of how hard my supporters worked to help SToB win!

I enjoyed participating with trueAnthem because I believe it is a company with vision and innovative ideas about the future of music and its distribution. The widget they created is the most powerful tool on the market right now for sponsors (like WONKA) and advertisers. I can't think of any other widget that allows for video advertisements to be placed anywhere online and be as effective as a television commercial. And using music as its engine, it’s really brilliant and certainly helped increase my fan base and brand awareness in ways not possible before.

What are you taking away from this competition that you didn't expect?
As an artist that is unsigned, I heard how P2P file sharing is actually a positive that it helps get your music out there. However, I think this idea and statement is incomplete.

There is a bond created when an artist gives his/her music directly to the fan for free that can't be created by random P2P file sharing torrents. What I have learned is that giving your music away, in the right way, can be more valuable than actually selling it.

I have also learned how strongly people feel about my music. I was really moved by how much people actually worked for FREE to support me throughout the contest. As an artist it really moved me and motivates me even more to take things to the next level.

What are next steps for you?
World domination. But first some new music, videos, artwork merch, shows and hopefully a new dog! Prefer a husky but we'll see!

Thank you, David, and thank you to all of the wonderful bands and fans that helped make the trueAnthem competition such a success!

EVERY Hour, EVERY Day Summer Sweepstakes!

2009-07-01T14:30:00.000-07:00

If you weren’t already getting jazzed about summer, wait until you hear this – WONKA wants to bring you the ULTIMATE online sweepstakes. That’s right - ULTIMATE. The Every Hour, Every Day Summer Sweepstakes!

Oh I’m so excited! Okay, okay, let me explain. WONKA is giving away prizes EVERY hour, EVERY day throughout the month of August, and I’m talking awesome prizes (plasma TVs, Xboxes, Yamaha guitars, candy, LOTS of good stuff). Here’s how you can get started right now for a chance to win amazing prizes:
Register and login to participate. You can register at www.wonka.com/winprizes

GET CODES
Now here’s the important part – getting codes. How do you do that? You look for codes inside any packages of WONKA’s single size candy.
If there isn’t a code inside (like Kazoozles packages, for example), use the UPC number on the outside of the package. See samples below.

So now that you’re snacking on your scrumptious Nerds Rope, what can you do? Start banking right away, then in August start spending codes for a chance to win those cool prizes!
Every code you collect during June, July and August can be used as an entry starting on August 1. So what does that mean? Not only do you get a chance at winning great prizes, but you get to eat candy to get there! DOUBLE w00t!

BANK CODES
The more codes you bank, the more chances you’ll have to win! The prize giveaways don’t start until August – but NOW is the time to start banking codes so you’ll have more to use in August on your favorite prizes!!

Once you’ve registered an account at www.wonka.com/winprizes, you can bank up to 10 per day and WONKA will keep track of your balance for you. Each time you login, you’ll know how many codes you have banked—which is how many entries you’ll be able to use for the prizes you want most. You can bank codes through August 31st, while the sweepstakes are going on!

SPEND CODES – starting AUGUST 1
There is a different prize every hour, every day throughout August, and each hourly prize is up for grabs during that hour only. You can spend as many codes as you have banked in your account to increase your chances of winning.

Think of it this way: The more codes you spend for that hour’s prize, the better your chances are to win!

OH MAN, I have to go tell all my friends to get some WONKA candy and start banking!!! Now you know why I’m so excited!! LOVE SUMMER!
Be sure to check back frequently for details leading up into August’s spending season!

trueAnthem's #1 (right now)

2009-06-19T16:26:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to speak with David from Shaolin Temple of BooM who is currently leading the ranks in the trueAnthem competition. The music is good, I mean, like legit good. Be sure to download it after checking out this interview.

What's going on work wise for you right now?
I am heavily involved in this contest [WONKA's trueAnthem contest] from organizing my street teams to cross promotions with FiXTstore.com who let me borrow some of their artists for two brand new remixes of my songs(which are available as a FREE Download on my trueAnthem player as well as everything under the Shaolin Temple of BooM sun).

I run my own record label which is exclusive to SToB called Cherry Atom Pie Records, but looking at possible licensing deals for my songs. I'm also working on new music that goes back to my "Inside," "Into Nothing" roots. I've done some mellow tracks recently, but now it's time to explore the darker side of things once again.

Where can fans get updates on what you're working on right now and where you're touring?
Best spot is MySpace or my Web site which is it's own community where people can make profiles and interact in forums - like a mini-MySpace.

You're leading the the trueAnthem competition right now. Are you doing something to help get your word out?
We have an INCREDIBLE street team, we could NOT do it without them. Which include Gerardo Garcia , Jin, and others. It's amazing what they do for us, they keep us going.

What's your favorite thing about being a musician?
The opportunity to create music I want to hear.

If you weren't a musician what would you be?
An artist...I am a visual artist as well and I plan to go more deeply into that later on.

What's your favorite band or who inspires your music?
I hope you don't think this pretentious, but I love Beethoven (which we also love, David!), I can listen to his music for days on end. I also like Nine Inch Nails and Thom Yorke.

How did your band get started?
A Casio keyboard and a cheap knock off of a Les Paul guitar by some unknown brand name.

Single best song lyric?
The one yet to be written.

What's your favorite WONKA candy?
I like em all, hard to choose on that one (ohhhhh, I totally understand...I'm debating between Kazoozles and SweeTarts riggghhhhhhttt now).

And, here's some just for fun!

Favorite food? Hard to choose between sushi and lasagna

Favorite cereal? Fruit Loops

Biggest irrational fear? I have an irrational fear of having a biggest
irrational fear (Me, too, David, me too).

Favorite cartoon character? Afro Samurai on Spike

Favorite TV show/movie? I don't watch TV to be honest I really have no
time I do watch movies via that invention called the DVD. Favorite movie....hmmm
can't pick just one...it's a toss up between "Cast Away", "Unforgiven" and
"Copying Beethoven".

It was wonderful speaking with David, and if you'd like to learn more about him or his band you can find them be sure to check out their MySpace.

Ryan Huston...trueAnthem's trueAwesome!

2009-06-16T16:11:00.000-07:00

The trueAnthem contest continues onward! We had a great opportunity to speak with one of the artists, Ryan Huston, who is part of the contest. Admittedly after speaking with him, I downloaded his entire album and have been listening to it on repeat since. It's REALLY good. Anyway, here's what he had to say:

What's going on career-wise for you right now?
I'm working on my third studio album, and I just finished a book. The first part of the book is based on experiences and how I got to where I am, and the second part is a how-to, “How To Become a Rockstar from Home.” It was cool to put together. You can check it out in eBook form on RyanHuston.com or on my MySpace page.

Where can fans get updates on what you're working on right now?
The easiest place for them to go is to my MySpace page. I update it all myself! You can also track me down on Facebook.

What's your favorite part about being a musician?
For me it's being able to create music and share a unique art form of expressing yourself. Every time I work on something it produces something special and unique.

If you weren't a musician what would you be?
Graphic designer. I do all the artwork and photographs for the Web pages. It's a lot of fun.

What's your favorite band or who inspires your music?
Foo Fighters, Jimmy Eat World, Coldplay, Radiohead

How did you get started with music?
When I was 12 I was walking home from school and found an old guitar that someone had left by their trash. I picked up the guitar and took it to a music shop to have it restrung. Over the next few years I taught myself how to play and write songs on that guitar. I think that's where my passion came from. That old guitar. At some point though, I decided to pursue music more seriously and enrolled in college classes like music theory, composition history, as well as piano and sight reading. The intellectual insight and knowledge of composition has helped the depth of my music, I think.

Single best song lyric?
Like I said, I love Radiohead. I really like the lyric “because we separate it ripples our reflection.” There is a whole lot of emotion that comes from a lyric like that. I connect with it a lot.

What's your favorite WONKA candy?
SweeTarts. Definitely. I love them.

What's been good about being a trueAnthem band?
I've been able to get out my music in a way that wasn't possible before. Distributing music and being able to share a part of me and have fans connect back and tell me how much they love it -- that just reinforces that I'm doing the right thing. I've been fortunate to get a lot of downloads because of WONKA and trueAnthem's support.

Okay, so Ryan, here are a few bits just for fun...:
Favorite food? Chinese food. Any and all kinds, it's just delicious.

Favorite cereal? Cookie Crisp. What better way to start your morning off than with a big bowl of cookies. And then you poor the milk right on there. That's innovation.

Favorite TV show/movie? Nitro Circus on MTV, if you haven't seen it, check it out.

Well, there you have it, all. Ryan Huston! Be sure to log into trueAnthem and vote...and download his album. It ROCKS.

Go for the Gold (Card)! Show us how you Kazoozle!

2009-06-10T16:17:00.000-07:00

WONKA’s newest candy, Kazoozles, shipped out from WONKA’s Candy Factory to retailers nationwide Monday (June 8) which is basically the greatest news ever, at least in our opinion. Now you’ll be able to get as many Kazoozles as you want! Ahh, so good! But here’s the best part: Eating Kazoozles could help you score an exclusive Gold Card membership.

“Whhhatttttt?!,” you say? It’s true. Gold could be yours. Here’s the deal:

Take photos of yourself posing, eating, creating a fine work of art (out of the chewy awesome candy of glory) or sharing Kazoozles – whatever it is you do. Use the wrapper, use the candy, and use your mad skillz. I, personally, am a fan of creating the Kazoozles bracelet. Tastes better than any candy necklace ever has and teeth marks from bites I take out of them add a sense of style, right? Right.

Anyway, so take your pictures and load them up to our Facebook fan page and/or your MySpace (and tag yourself and us), or twitpic you photo to @WONKAnation (and be sure to hashtag your pics with #Kazoozles). We’ll take twitpics and load them up to our fan page so everyone can check them out and let us know what they think.

Be creative. Do something totally WONKA. The more creative you are, the greater your chance is to score six months access to WONKA’s candy closet (via the Gold Card). Since Kazoozles are so tasty, we ask that you keep your pictures in good taste. Anything in bad taste will be pulled from our pages and you’ll be out of the running for Gold, and why would you want to risk losing something so sweet!?

We want to give everyone a chance to find Kazoozles in their local retailers, so well be giving away Gold Cards up until August 31 for the quirkiest and coolest Kazoozles pics. You’re not limited to one photograph, snap as many as you’d like (that’s giving you an entire summer full of great pictures!), check out images from other WONKA and Kazoozles lovers to get some creative inspiration. This is one giveaway you definitely don’t want to miss.

Can’t wait to see what you got. Now get out there and show us how YOU Kazoozle!

trueAnthem contest continues...Hurry Let's Go...no wait, stay, that's the name of the band

2009-06-09T14:48:00.000-07:00

Well the trueAnthem contest continues on with your chance to vote for your favorite bands, listen and download some incredible music. We were lucky enough to speak with some of the bands that are participating like Hurry Let's Go.

Today I spoke with Alan from Hurry Let’s Go, who along with band mate Robbie, is leading the competition.

*What's going on career-wise for you right now?
Currently I'm a student at Florida State University (graduating in May 2010) majoring in Marketing. I love what I'm doing with my music, but having the tools to understand the marketing side I think has been really useful throughout this contest. Both Robbie and I are working really hard to spread our music. This contest has really helped us do just that!

*What's your favorite thing about being a musician?
When I’m not having a very good day, I just sit down and make an instrumental melody on my computer and write music to it – it helps calm me down. After finishing up the songs I realized that it also makes others happy and that makes me happy, making people happy and creating music. That's what keeps me making music!

*If you weren't a musician what would you be?
I'd be doing something in marketing, well after I get my degree! But dream wise? Swimming has always been a passion though. I used to be really hardcore and got carried away with the band. But how cool would it be to be in the Olympics and swim with the big dogs like Michael Phelps.

*What's your favorite band or who inspires your music?
Linkin Park, Blink 182 and Underoath I've been into for a long time. PlayRadioPlay is a more recent inspiration of what we're doing now.

How did your band get started?
Summer of 2006 right before I started college. I was hanging out with friend Robbie, and we both are military brats and entertained ourselves for a long time by creating hip hop songs and R & B. We then started getting more into rock music because we wanted to do something that didn’t involve instruments – something more computer based (like PlayRadioPlay or the Postal Service). So we created our first song “Happily Ever After” (which will have a new version on their upcoming album) and haven't looked back since!

Single best song lyric? “Madi don’t leave” by PlayRadioPlay - the lyrics are incredible. It doesn’t sound like it make a great song, but you put the emotion behind it and its really incredible.

Where can fans get updates on what you're working on right now?

Well I can tell you, we're working on our third album right now and MySpace.com/HurryLetsGo (10 or 11 track album should be released this fall. We will have our new songs and migh have limited time offer free music downloads. But, right now we have 18 songs available for download through trueAnthem, some are exclusive to trueAntehm, like our instrumental sets which you can't find on iTunes. So go download them now!

What's your favorite WONKA candy?
Nerds – Strawberry/Grape flavored. I remember being 7 and getting the small boxes for Halloween and I’d devour them before anything else.

And just for fun:
•Favorite food?
Spanish tortilla (his mom is from Spain) – it’s a pie with potato, eggs and onion
Favorite cereal?
Frosted Flakes
Biggest irrational fear?
Losing a tooth – I have always loved my smile and I’d rather not get any of them mixing. Also I walk barefoot a lot so I’m always afraid of stepping on glass.
Favorite cartoon character?
Homer Simpson
Favorite TV show/Movie?
That 70s Show. Yes I know it's old, but I still watch it all the time, and my favorite movie? I'm torn between Borat and Transformers. Both are great.

Final thoughts?
Robbie went to NJ for awhile to try something new, and he wasn’t in it when the trueAnthem contest started which I was nervous about. But now he’s back and helping with the promotion and the music. It’s great to have, he really is a major part of the music and the band and I’m so grateful to work with him.

Also, I want to thank trueAnthem and WONKA for getting this going and great job to all the other bands that are in the contest. I’ve been able to meet a lot of great bands through the contest and I’ve been able to get a lot of free music through the contest and listening to bands I never have before like Breathe Carolina, Teen Hearts and Cary Judd.

Stay tuned in for tomorrow's band interview...we're talking with the competition...Shaolin Temple of BooM!

MTV Movie Awards Gift Lounge = AWESOME

2009-06-03T09:19:00.000-07:00

I imagine you're all anxiously awaiting the recap from the MTV Movie Awards -- who we saw, who received a Gold/Purple Card and what's everyone's favorite candy. Fear not, we got it all...pictures, video, and lots of good times.

The gift lounge kicked off on Thursday with the Twilight cast. We were so excited to see Peter (Dr. Carlisle Cullen) and he was happy to stop by for a quick video to his fans. Check it out:

Co-star Billy Burke (Charlie Swan) also sent out a message to fans from the gift lounge:

After our quick chat, Billy picked up a Purple Card (which will allow him a year access to WONKA's candy closet) to share with his wife.

Woot!

We were also excited to see Chet Cannon from Real World Brooklyn stop by. Never have we laughed so hard! Check this video out:

What was really cool about Chet is we know a lot of the same people! He tours with bands as well, so he's friends with FTSK, Hey Monday, We The Kings, The CAB -- he knows them all! Hopefully we'll be seeing him again along the way!

If you'd like to check out more pictures/video from the lounge (which, be warned, there are lots of awesomeness to be viewed) please stop by Whrrl or Facebook or our MySpace.

Stay tuned for more awesomeness -- we're giving away 7 Gold Cards on Twitter and we'll be telling you all about it!

Livin' L.A. Vida Loca....

2009-05-28T07:22:00.000-07:00

That subject line admittedly took me a few minutes to come up with, I was trying to be clever since I'm in Los Angeles and all..hah. Moving on..

In Los Angeles for the MTV Movie Awards Gift Lounge which will be held at a BEAUTIFUL home in West Hollywood today and tomorrow. Celebs that will be strolling through all day will be using WONKAvision (which you had a chance to play with if you went to Bamboozle) and eat awesome amounts of candy (Chewy SweeTarts, MYSTERY Laffy Taffy-- which I LOVE, Fun Dip, Chewy Nerds, Sour Nerds, Nerd Rope, Bottlecaps, KAZOOZLES LOTS AND LOTS OF KAZOOZLES, and all kinds of delicious). Oh man. I. AM. SO. EXCITED.

Stay tuned for updates, interviews, random facts and lots of fun! Cannot wait to tell you how it goes!

Vote for your fav bands!

2009-05-18T22:20:00.000-07:00

As we mentioned before, the trueAnthem 's WONKA Battle of the Bands contest kicked off a few weeks ago and since has helped spread some great music throughout the WONKAnation. There are 42 great bands, all with music you can listen to, download or upload their widget to your favorite sites. Bands are judged based on downloads and listens....but here's the really sweet part. What you could help them win.

The contest ends on July 1st, 2009 at 12:00 AM PDT, so you still have plenty of time to help them win.....:

Grand Prize: $15,000

2nd Prize: MacBook

3rd Prize: iPod Touch, and Skullcandy headphones

4th Prize... 1 year supply of WONKA candy - WOOT! A year of Kazoozles would be super glorious.

So far here's how the competition is shakin' out:

Leaderboard
Position Artist Name
Widget
Installs Downloads Listens Bonus
1 Shaolin Temple of BooM
2 Hurry! Lets Go
3 Metal Sanaz
4 Lelia Broussard
5 Teen Hearts
6 Brokencyde
7 Katius
8 Cary Judd
9 One Less Reason
10 Breathe Carolina
11 Schuyler Fisk
12 Laura Black
13 Closure in Moscow
14 Elyse and the Aftermath
15 A Skylit Drive
16 Melissa Rapp
17 Swimming with Dolphins
18 In Fear and Faith
19 A Static Lullaby
20 Mayda
21 The Smyrk
22 Watchout! There's Ghosts
23 Brian Chartrand
24 Matt Shwachman
25 Amber Ojeda
26 Kill Paradise
27 Outlett
28 Making April
29 Ace Enders
30 DJ Heavygrinder
31 Ryan Huston
32 Lucid Fly
33 Thee Armada
34 Can You Keep A Secret
35 Mike Falzone
36 The Go-Sheilas
37 The Artery Foundation
38 Grove Hill
39 Forgive Durden
40 Just Surrender
41 TV/TV
42 Jared J-Dub Jackson

Whoa, that's a lot of great music. Be sure to vote for your fav bands and listen to some awesome tunes. We're interested to hear what you like!

The Sixth Bamboozle Roadshow Band?

2009-05-14T14:57:00.000-07:00

I asked the guys on the road if they could add a sixth band to the Bamboozle Roadshow, who would they want to join them? I told them it could be ANYONE, so I got a huge mix of responses. Here’s who they picked:

We The Kings: They said Cartel or Mayday Parade would be really cool. They're already friends with them, and think it would be cool to hang out throughout the tour.

Forever the Sickest Kids: Kyle from FTSK said that he'd love it if Justin Timberlake could come kick it throughout the Roadshow.

The Cab: Drummer Alex Johnson said he'd love it if A Rocket to the Moon could join. Marshall said it would be cool if they could tour again with Sing it Loud.

Mercy Mercedes: The Mercy Mercedes guys all agreed that their "boys" Friday Night Boys should definitely be along for the ride.

NeverShoutNever: No real surprise here -- they'd love it if The Beatles could come hang out. That would be super cool. Dustin, the keyboardist, also said he'd love it Dashboard Confessional could come along (he's cousin's with DC's bassist, Scott).

Hmmm…I wonder if any of them would be interested in Bamboozle 2010?

Music Monday Favs!

2009-05-11T22:47:00.000-07:00

One of my most fav things about Mondays is the excuse to ask tweeple of the Twitterverse about their music tastes. Every Monday #musicmonday hits high in the trends and it's an excuse for me to score some awesome suggestions for what to listen to throughout the week...here's some of what I heard today (I've listen to a couple all REALLY good):

michaelajayne: @WONKAnation my favorite highway :-) #musicmonday

haleighfaceee: @WONKAnation #musicmonday sparks the rescue!

karijones: @WONKAnation my name up in lights- The Secret Handshake, and Raised By Wolves Ep - voxtrot #musicmonday

KO713: @WONKAnation #Mercy Mercedes for sureeee this week. I love those guys!

thabrinablaithe: @WONKAnation #mercymercedes obviously. but thats not just this week haha

MSxBEMBUA: @WONKAnation #musicmonday! ... since friday night at Croc Rock i'm into #MercyMercedes #FTSK #TheFridayNightBoys #TheWhiteTieAffair

lewizzz: @WONKAnation Of Mice & Men #musicmonday :)

hilljae: @WONKAnation currently listening to a "love in this club" cover by jamie's elsewhere...it's glorious! #musicmonday

lithquitaIcon_lock@WONKAnation #mercymercedes but then again they always are. i've also been feeling #therocketsummer lately. i miss them both.

Whoa, you see all that Mercy Mercedes in there? Hah! I love them too, but I'm pretty sure you already knew that! And here is MY music suggestion for the week that I just HAVE to throw in:

Landon Pigg

Or maybe some Sondre Lerche!

And after touring Rockin' Rodeo with them, I can't help but have this song by Cash Cash stuck in my head!

Rockin' Rodeo/Bamboozle Roadshow comes to a close..

2009-05-09T22:44:00.000-07:00

...tonight was the last night of the Rockin' Rodeo tour for me, and it was a quick five days. I met so many great new bands like Kelsey and the Chaos, Cash Cash, Tina Parol, Friday Night Boys, White Tie Affair (I'm texting lead singer Chris as we speak -- such a cool guy!), all of which were awesome. They're going to have a killer rest of tour with Cobra Starship and All Time Low hanging out for the next few shows!

But, let's get real. Let's get emo. Talk about how I'm feeling as things are wrapping up *for now*. Here, I'll make a list. They're easier to read and everyone likes lists!

1. I've made 50+ awesome new friends that I can call on anytime or vice versa.
2. I've learned that sleep is often deemed an inappropriate use of time (you should be listening to tunes or practicing, etc) when you're on tour ESPECIALLY if you're van touring.
3. I've fallen in love with music, the industry and fans. All so awesome.
4. Eating fruits and vegetables? Why would you need to do that?

Four simple things all incredibly true. I want to say thank you all that made this past 6 weeks possible, been an amazing life changing experience!

Stay tuned though...we're not going anywhere.

What I've eaten on the road....

2009-05-07T19:16:00.000-07:00

...So a lot of folks have asked about what's hard on the road, and for me it hasn't been the long drives or the late nights...it's been the change in eating habits.

Typically at home I eat pretty healthy with some WONKA splashed in of course (I have to have my Kazoozles for sure), but it's been pretty intense what we get in catering. Here's what I eat in a typical day (or every other day or so...I eat these things a lot while on the road) -- don't judge. :)

* Coffee at least 3 cups, no lie
* 2 sugar free Red Bulls
* A couple Diet Mnt Dews
* 3 Kazoozles and a few Banana Laffy Taffy
* Granola bar, generally peanut butter persuasion
* Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
* Dunkin' Donuts egg white and veggie sandwich
* Pizza without cheese, so basically just crust with sauce
* Whatever random catering...which is usually pasta and lots of awesomeness
* Chips and salsa, generally I just eat the salsa with a spoon which is typical to what I do back home. I'm a salsa fiend.

Literally had ONE homecooked meal in over a month! Woot!

Hahah, oh man. That's intense and of course, awesome!

Rock this way!...with Matt Love it's all love.

2009-05-06T14:49:00.000-07:00

...So I think I've been through it all (okay maybe not ALL of it, but a lot)...been through many sides of living life on the road. I've lived on a bus, I've toured in a van, and now I'm takin' it to a sweet rental car to the first 5 stops of the Rockin' Rodeo tour. It's been an amazing trip, a great experience, something that I'll look back on for the rest of my life.

But now what you've wanted, an interview with Matt from Mercy Mercedes that I had last night while we were sitting in the hospital waiting room (he had a stomach ulcer, poor guy! he's doing okay right now..).

Me: What's been the best part about touring for you?
Matt: By far the fans. If it wasn't for their encouragement we wouldn't be able to do what we're doing.

Me: What about Bamboozle? That was a big tour for you guys, right?
Matt: Yes, it was a huge national tour for us and it was great to play with such great guys. Met so many people, learned so much. I can't even explain how great that tour was, we had so much fun!

Me: What's the hardest thing about being on the road?
Matt: Missing my dogs(he has two really cute dogs)! I miss them soo much! And of course my girlfriend. She's taking care of the dogs though.

Me: What's next for you guys?
Matt: We're touring with FTSK right now on Rockin' Rodeo, you know that Jess, you're on the tour too (haha, yes I am). We're hanging out for the first five shows and then we're heading home for a bit. A lot is coming up though, we're working on our full length record and then Warped Tour this summer (they have 15 dates on the East coast) and then we have a BIG tour coming up in the fall...but you'll have to check in with our MySpace page to find out about it.

Me: So...ulcer...eh?
Matt: Yeah, you drink a lot of caffeine on the road. Have to stay awake and with the long drives and late nights...it's bound to happen I guess. I'll be alright though.

Me: You guys are really welcoming to fans and stick around after shows, right?
Matt: Of course, they're the ones that got us this far! I don't think I'll ever say no to signing something for a fan. It just makes me happy!

Such a great guy. Be sure to check him out on Twitter or his MySpace. He's definitely someone you want to be friends with!

Bamboozle wrap up...and moving forward..

2009-05-04T20:51:00.000-07:00

Bamboozle was amazing. I had so much fun with so many people. When I asked on Twitter what was everyone's favorite part of Bamboozle, here's what just a few of our friends said:

risypisy78: @WONKAnation I have 2 fav moments. 1. Trace walking down the middle and being right in front of me. 2. Tbs singing single ladies :)about 3 hours ago from TwitterBerry

kinkitink69: @WONKAnation hanging out with you was even more fun..im gonna find you next tour u go on ur 1 hot chick n_n

LuisaLunatic: http://twitpic.com/4knzg - @WONKAnation it was great meeting you girl and you are super nice!!about

Kelsey Ensingershortie18gur: l@WONKAnation i was watching no doubt and gwen was making all the boys sing "i'm just a girl" it was awesome!!!!

KylakylareneeIcon_lock: @wonkanation my favorite moment was when @thetello left my car keys on top of the cooler in my car...but then left the front door unlocked.

tiny093005: @WONKAnation and I loved hanging with u and I love the fact that u got Demi's autograph for my daughter!!

tiny093005: @WONKAnation some of my favorite moments r all of FTSK sets! FOB and No Doubt!

daniELLEk514: @WONKAnation The Beatles "I Wanna Hold Your hand" ♫ http://twt.fm/93415 #musicmonday: Christofer Drew singing this!

Wow, I just can't tell you. Such an amazing experience. We're taking it from Bamboozle and heading on to the Rockin' Rodeo...it's going to be amazing.

Stay tuned for more from the road. This is going to be so awesome.

Reporting from Bamboozle 2009 in New Jersey

2009-05-02T16:55:00.000-07:00

Wrapping up the Bamboozle Roadshow at the Crazy Donkey in Farmingdale, NY was the perfect ending. We pulled pranks on each other (some of the guys put baby powder on Mercy Mercedes kit), tweeted that it was people's birthday that it wasn't, sang happy birthday on stage and all came together at the close, to celebrate the start of our great Bamboozle Roadshow family. As I've said before, guys I will be friends with forever. All so wonderful. Thank you all.

...But it doesn't end there. This weekend we're at Bamboozle in New Jersey which has been....uhhh incredible. I met FOB, already eaten soooo much candy. Having a great time. I'll post pictures later, fear not. And don't worry...the fun doesn't end here. We have a lot more in store for you....as always, stay tuned.

Never have I ever....

2009-04-29T22:29:00.000-07:00

...Never have I ever until this tour:

*Rode a scooter
*Roller skated (only ever roller blades)
*Drank a coffee, Red Bull, another coffee, a diet coke, eaten a Kazoozle and another diet coke all in the course of 4 hours before
*Played a ukulele
*Said the word "awesome" 50 times in one conversation
*Seen the movie "Top Gun"
*Worn 5 band t-shirts in 5 days
*Owned a pair of red sunglasses
*Been to the state of Missouri
*Been to Milwaukee
*Gone skateboarding in a swimming pool (that didn't have water)
*Lived through 4 days without complaining at all about not having a shower
*Not done laundry in 17 days
*Thought so many boys in one place were the sweetest/cutest thing ever!
*Made so many friends that have changed my life in such a short period of time

Gosh, what an experience. Sad, last day of tour is tomorrow.

Bamboozle Roadshow coming to a close...sharing the experience

2009-04-28T11:50:00.000-07:00

Well everyone, we're less than a week away from the close of the Bamboozle Roadshow and like I said before, I'm feeling a bit saddened. These guys have been the best you could meet. They've become my family and we all reference one another as Bamboozle brothers (even though I'm the only girl on tour, they still consider me a brother). The emotion, the connection - everyone is dreaming together, living their dreams together and having a great time making life friends while doing it. I've met friends, family, girlfriends and wives, and they've introduced me to them all as "the WONKA girl", with some side remarks like "WONKA is what made the tour" and "she's given us more candy than you can imagine."

Speaking of life friends, I had the opportunity to sit down with Tom from Mercy Mercedes. Here's the deal: NICEST guy --- EVER. Be sure to check him out on Twitter. Here's what he had to say when we sat down last night during our day off to chat:

Me: You say this has been the best tour so far for you guys, right? What's made it so good?

Tom: Well, last year we were doing our national tour and since the band was just starting up, we didn't have money for hotels and slept in Wal-Mart parking lots in our van. It's nice to know you're going to shower and that you're going to have a bed to sleep in. It's been so much easier - we're so thankful.

Me: Has there been anything hard about touring?

Tom: We tour because we love it. We love our fans, we love to play. But, I miss home and my girlfriend. Thankfully she's supportive of my dream!

Me: So you're not from North Carolina originally, right?

Tom: No, I'm from Connecticut and moved to North Carolina a couple years before our band started up (which was about two years go). But I consider myself a Southern boy like the rest of the guys.

Me: What's next for you?

Tom: We're going on tour with FTSK for a few dates, then we have Warped Tour this summer and another secret tour in the works...check out www.myspace.com/mercymercedes for details. Then we're cutting our first full length record. Very excited to get to work - we have a lot of great things coming. I hope you all enjoy them!

Me: What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you to sign?

Tom: A pair of clean underwear that they brought to the show. That was a little strange.

Me: If you weren't in a band, what would you be doing?

Tom: I'd be in college (he's only 21) going to school for I don't know what. I've never really thought about it - all I've ever wanted is to be a musician.

Well, luckily he is! And such a talented one. Thanks, Tom, for speaking with me!

Backstage (actually this was filmed on stage) with Marc

2009-04-27T00:07:00.000-07:00

...after the show in Philly, I had a chance to pull Marc from FTSK aside for a second and have a chat with him about how the tour has been. EVERY person I've had the chance to talk with has said this is their FAVORITE tour so far...and I have to say it's mine too! Okay, it's my first tour, but man has it ROCKED! Check this out...

Such a funny guy! Ahhh, see? It's these guys that have made this such an enjoyable experience.

The coolest thing ever...

2009-04-25T21:46:00.000-07:00

Hanging out with these guys has made me feel like a rock star. No joke, I feel like a big deal. I'm a girl with candy. What's more awesome than that? Okay, here are a couple things that have happened to me to make me feel, like, super rad.

There for Tomorrow showed up for the Orlando show and when we were introduced they said to me, "Oh yeah, you're the WONKA girl, right? We've heard about you." Oh man, so cool.

Hanging out with Dashboard Confessional at the Fort Lauderdale show: "A tour sponsored by WONKA? What's cooler than that!" And then hanging out with Scott (the bassist) again in Milwaukee, he introduces me to his friends as, "You want to know something cool? This is Mrs. WONKA. No, really."

Last night, I was walking through the crowd at the Cleveland House of Blues show when I got pulled aside by a fan:

Random Fan: Hey, I follow you on Twitter!
Me: That's awesome, have you tweeted me before?
RF: No, but I know everything about WONKAnation.
RF(to her friends): This is WONKA!
Friends: I thought WONKA was a guy?
RF: No, this is WONKA and she is sooooo cool.

Ahhhh, life of a rock star. No wonder these guys are addicted to life on the road!

The CAB take two!

2009-04-24T13:31:00.000-07:00

Whoa, okay, so much fun. After speaking with Johnson yesterday, Alex Marshall and I had the chance to sit down and talk about the tour. Here's what he had to say....

Thank you so much, Alex for sitting down and talking to me! You're so great!

Heart to Heart with Alex Johnson from the CAB

2009-04-23T20:13:00.000-07:00

So I had the chance to sit down and talk with Alex Johnson, drummer of The CAB, tonight and I have to say it was awesome. Here's the inside scoop you've been after:

How long have you been playing drums? 11 years (he's 20, so since he was 9!)

How did The CAB get together? They all went to high school together and were in local bands and decided to try playing together at the Rock'N Java one night. The rest is history.

How has The Bamboozle Roadshow been for you? Great because they're touring with their friends We The Kings again (this is their 5th tour together) and almost every show has been sold out!

How many national tours have you been on? They've been pretty much non-stop for the past 2 years (this is their 8th national tour!).

What's your favorite thing about touring? Just being able to hang out with the other bands and making friends with them. They learn so much about music and find inspiration from one another.

There are three Alex's in your band. How do you distinguish between one another? None of them go by Alex. There is a singer (Alex DeLeon), a Marshall (Alex Marshall) and Johnson (Alex Johnson).

What do you do when you're not touring? Play video games (Call of Duty is his favorite, and yes, he has gotten to the Zombie level) and hang out with his little sisters (he has 4!).

What do you plan on doing after The Bamboozle Roadshow? They're doing a headliner over the summer (stay tuned to www.myspace.com/thecab for the opener) and hopefully putting a new record together soon.

And just for fun.....

What do you have on your iPod? Blink 182, Sum 41, Green Day
What's your favorite color? Red
What's your favorite food? Taco Bell (he orders the Crunchwrap Supreme)
If you weren't in a band, what would you be doing? A firefighter, because his dad is one!
How can fans connect with you? Twitter coming soon...he's downloading the Twitter application to his iPhone tomorrow, so check back in for his user name!

What I've learned on the road....

2009-04-22T22:52:00.000-07:00

With only 12 days left in the tour, I have to admit. I'm bummin' a little bit. I've met such great people, such great bands, had way more fun than I ever thought was possible (even taking into consideration the constant lack of shower/clean laundry/sleep). But I've learned a lot, grown a lot, done a lot. Here's just a few things I've learned since being on tour:

If you're giving out candy, you're automatically loved by all
Sleep isn't as necessary when you're having fun
I can NOT skateboard/scooter --- both FTSK and Mercy Mercedes dedicated time to trying to help me learn, poor guys!
Flexibility is key. The schedule, the to-dos, the EVERYTHING is always changing on the road so rolling with it and accepting it is the only way to go
The best guys in the world happen to be on the Bamboozle Roadshow tour!

Whew! That's just the start. Being on the road = awesome/incredible/life changing. But here's what you've really been waiting for....a few DID YOU KNOWS:

Alex DeLeon from The CAB's favorite candy is Tinglerz
Ian from The CAB is the only non-Las Vegas resident (he lives in Seattle near me!) AND his favorite candy is strawberry Laffy Taffy
Travis from WTK is celebrating his birthday at the Cleveland show on April 24
Alex Johnson from The CAB and B-Real from Mercy Mercedes are chocolate LOVERS (they keep asking for unlimited supplies of WONKA Bars!)

Thank you, Chicago, for such an amazing night. We're heading off to Pontiac, MI RIGHT now. I hope to see you there!

Trying something new -- video blog!

2009-04-21T19:34:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the Mercy Mercedes guys, we're trying something new today! A video blog with the inside to Bamboozle....they're such fun guys!

The Milwaukee show was great, and like the guys said in the video...the venue is definitely haunted. There is an abandoned pool downstairs...so weird! I think we're going to try to scare Bradley (the Mercy Mercedes tour manager). Should be fun...we'll let you know how it goes.

Little of this, little of that

2009-04-20T19:55:00.000-07:00

Indianapolis -- what a BEAUTIFUL city. Beautiful venue and probably the best acoustic sound in a venue that we've had yet. We almost escaped it with complete success, until B-Real of Mercy Mercedes attempted a triple jump (he normally shoots for a double jump search on YouTube for a sample) some on stage and hurt himself! He's at the hospital right now and we're awaiting the verdict...we'll be sure to let you know what we find out ASAP.

Here's a few little tidbits I thought you'd find interesting:

DID YOU KNOW:

Matt and Nate from Mercy Mercedes are cousins
Kyle and Marc from FTSK are step brothers
Marc also beat Call of Duty on his day off yesterday
Tom of Mercy Mercedes is the only non-North Carolina native (he's from Connecticut)
Austin of FTSK always orders a meatball sub when he stops by Subway (we went for dinner tonight...see happy picture below)

We are FAM-IL-Y!

2009-04-18T23:11:00.000-07:00

So I reached the pinnacle of life on the road -- I became a part of the roadshow family. No one gave me an award, or made an announcement..but there was a distinct feeling in the atmosphere since Orlando...when was that...day before yesterday? Yes, Thursday, all of a sudden there it was... comfortable, expected, protected....awesome.

There is a difference, a very big difference, between being a roadie (someone who follows around here and there with the band) and being part of the "family." Sporadic folks along the tour are welcomed warmly, but when I was approached for my autograph and asked to take pictures by fans because the band guys are talking to them about me to both fans and other bands (like MetroStation and There For Tomorrow knew who I was before we met!)..it was then it hit me hard - family.

I LOVE it.

Here's what I learned about my "family":

DID YOU KNOW...Dustin from Never Shout Never is related to Dashboard Confessional (I know because I hung out with them in Ft. Lauderdale...woot!
DID YOU KNOW...All the Mercy Mercedes guys HATE raisins, but love grapes
DID YOU KNOW...FTSK has toured in Japan

Tomorrow is a day off. I think all of us are heading back to Nashville to get in some paintball before we head to Indianapolis...stay tuned.

...if you let a band guy borrow your computer....

2009-04-16T16:59:00.000-07:00

...you're going to be pranked. Yesterday in Ft. Lauderdale after an AWESOME show, Jonathan Cook from Forever The Sickest Kids borrowed my computer and decided to tweet from my Twitter account :

@iamjonathancook is such a great guy! If you have met him please tell us some cool stories

What's cool about that tweet was all the great responses I got back! Here's just some of them:

karijones@WONKAnation i trade him an FTSK She's a Lady Bracelet for his love everyone bracelet when they played a show in Ft.Worth, TX in Jan.

JackieOness@WONKAnation i met jcook in oct on the sassyback tour in LA,i got 2 hang out in the vans rv before the showhe kept callin me donna!weird lol

Am_Bizzle@WONKAnation I met Jonathan at the St.Louis show! My story is to long to type on here though :(

alltimeamy@WONKAnation last year at warped after ftsk's acoustic set n the myspace tent, jcook was sweating so i gave him a fan and he let me stand on stage with him

mallyxfacex3@WONKAnation at warped i walked up to him and gave him a t shirt and he said "oh hey, your the dr pepper girl!" (:

itsmonique@WONKAnation I'm sure you'll get tons of fun stuff. When I met him in 07, he used to be a little fashionista. Matching hat, shoes & shirt...

So cool! And as if I didn't learn, I also let @djknucklehead or Kyle from FTSK borrow my computer today and I came back to a great new background photo.

Austin, Kyle and Kevin (the production guy) from FTSK

Hah, I love it. Great guys. Off to watch the rest of the Disney World show!

Rain don't bother me..or at least not Bamboozle

2009-04-14T20:27:00.000-07:00

While I might live in the ever misty city of Seattle, rain in South East is definitely not something to mess with -- unless you're the Bamboozle Roadshow! As we peeled out of Nashville after the show on Sunday night, we made the trek across 44 and were slammed by intense winds that threw our vehicle ALL over the road. When we saw Waffle House and a hotel at an upcoming exit, we decided to pull off, chow on some waffles and camp out for the night near Chattanooga.

We got some good sleep in (the first time in I don't know....well since the start of the tour) and pulled out around 8 am for a long 10 1/2 hour drive. We hit tons of hard rain along the way...at one point we hit a puddle so big it covered up our entire windshield. SCARY, but the boys handled it like champs. We pulled into St. Petersburg at 6:30 pm on Monday night and hit up my family's washing machine and dryer...ahhh so nice to have clean clothes and shower. So fresh and so clean.

When we rocked into the venue midafternoon thinking that the rain was going to keep us from having a good show.

Jannus Landing in St. Petersburg is an outside venue, but the bands gathered together and decided a sold out show still needed to be played. They pulled together the COOLEST acoustic set. Each band gave a unique performance, they're all so exceptionally talented!

Tonight we're heading over to Hard Rock Cafe in Tampa to hang out before we head on to Ft. Lauderdale in the morning. That's going to be a rockin' good show.

For fun, here's a couple band factoids you may not have known:

DID YOU KNOW.....

..... Tommy from Mercy Mercedes AND Alex M. from CAB sleep with their eyes open!
..... Kyle from FTSK can sew!
..... Mercy Mercedes favorite snacks are hummus and pita bread.

Ah, I love being behind the scenes. So cool.

Hoppy Easter from the Music City!

2009-04-12T19:00:00.001-07:00

After an incredible show at the Pageant in St. Louis, we rocked and rolled all night and pulled into Nashville around 4:15 a.m. Quite the long night! We drove from Oklahoma earlier in the day to a show in St. Louis, and then on to Nashville all before bed! Van life is full of long days and long nights, but lots of music and fun!

We picked up a few new Gold Card members in St. Louis and Nashville tonight - check them out:
Amy of Leopold, MO tweeted up with me to score her exclusive Gold Card membership!

Megan of Shawnee, KS made the drive all the way to St. Louis to try to get in to the sold out show. She didn't make it in, but she helped pass out Kazoozles anyway. She had no idea her awesome help would reward her with a Gold Card!

BFFs Morgan and Chandler from Franklin, TN tweeted to win a HUGE WONKA package -- Gold Cards, t-shirts and the first in the venue to taste Kazoozles! Congratulations ladies!

Tomorrow we're taking the day off to make the trek down to St. Petersburg, FL, but don't worry --- we'll have lots of fun along the road to report back to you!

Everything is a-ok in Oklahoma!

2009-04-10T13:48:00.000-07:00

So life in the bus was cool, but I'm trying to experience all sides of life on the road. So I'm leaving the Never Shout Never bus gig to experience van life with Mercy Mercedes!

Last night was the first night and we kicked it out of the House of Blues in Houston and headed to IHOP for a late night bite:

B-Real and Mike hanging out

Then we climbed back in the van and listened to some tunes before hitting up a hotel an hour later at 3:30 a.m. Our call time was at 7:00 a.m. for a 7 hour drive to Tulsa, OK. Little sleep going, ladies and gentleman.

Besides the lack of sleep and showers (I am running on 3 days with no shower), I cannot explain how awesome it is to be a rockstar. One among legends....listening to the fans scream every night, chillin' backstage, passing out Kazoozles and Gold Cards...BEST EVER. Here's a few of our Gold Card Winners from the past few shows:

The lovely Brittany was presented a GOLD CARD by Kidd Kraddick at the Dallas House of Blues for her 16th birthday! She also received an extra to share with her best friend!

Mario from San Antonio won a Gold Card when FTSK tossed an autographed WONKA t-shirt into the crowd!

Robbie from San Antonio scored a Gold CARD while waiting in line outside the White Rabbit and played a WONKA trivia contest...he named the most WONKA candies.

Will and Brad, from the band Barely Blind, showed up at the Houston House of Blues show and scored a Gold Card to bring back with them to Belmont, TX.

BFFs Shazia and Casee from Katy, TX proved their love of WONKA by tweeting up to meet WONKAnation in person and scored Gold Cards.

Ohhhh cannot wait to give out GOLD CARDS in Oklahoma! Tomorrow we're kickin' off a new spin on our BLOG so stay tuned!

Left moving Right....on the Road!

2009-04-07T08:12:00.000-07:00

WOW. Bamboozle Left has almost LEFT (ha, get it) us speechless. With great bands, Kazoozles, WONKAvision, spray on tattoo artists and band appearances at the tent, the event was exciting for even the hard to impress Veruca Salts of the world. No one left without a smile on their face.

We gave away a few more exclusive membership Gold Cards to candy enthusiasts we found on site, each one proved their vast imagination and love of WONKA!

Grace won our first Gold Card by tracking us down by following our on site updates from Twitter!

Mark from Claremont, CA also followed us on Twitter leading up to the event. Our quick moves around the grounds weren't fast enough! He tracked us down within seconds of our location announcement.

Joel of Kentucky proved his love of WONKA by mastering a candy quiz! He also says his daily regiment includes several Laffy Taffy (which he also loves for their jokes)!

We'll sprinkle in a lot more from LEFT in the upcoming weeks, so stay tuned...

...but for now, ROADSHOW! That's right, we mentioned we were sending our candy fiend friend, Jess, out on the road living for 5 weeks in the Never Shout Never tour bus to hit up all of the tour stops:

4/5 - Tucson
4/7 - Dallas (which she's going to be at the House of Blues today!)
4/8 - San Antonio
4/9 - Houston
4/10 - Tulsa
4/11 - St. Louis
4/12 - Nashville
4/14 - St. Petersburg, FL
4/15 - Ft. Lauderdale
4/16 - Lake Buena Vista
4/17 - Jacksonville Beach
4/18 - Atlanta
4/20 - Indianapolis
4/21 - Milwaukee
4/22 - Chicago
4/23 - Pontiac, MI
4/24 - Cleveland
4/25 - Alfred, NY
4/26 - Philadelphia
4/28 - Towson, MD
4/29 - Worcester, MA
4/30 - Farmingdale, NY

All along the way Jess will be taking pictures, providing updates and letting you know the behind the scenes of the tour! Check out these great shots from Tucson:

Mercy Mercedes rocking out!
Caleb from Forever The Sickest Kids geared up the audience!
Our Tucson Gold Card winner won when Travis from We The Kings threw out a WONKA t-shirt (which is on her head)! So much fun!

We'll fill you in later on news from Forever The Sickest Kids hometown, Dallas, later!

This Weekend's Line UP!

2009-04-04T09:30:00.000-07:00

Look what's going on at LEFT this weekend. Be sure to stop by the WONKA tent while you're checking out the WONKA and Imagination Stages!

Saturday April 4th

WONKA STAGE
2:00 - 2:30 MERCY MERCEDES
3:00 - 3:30 FOREVER THE SICKEST KIDS
4:00 - 4:30 WE THE KINGS
5:00 - 5:30 SENSES FAIL
6:00 - 6:30 ASHER ROTH
7:00 - 7:30 ALL TIME LOW
8:00 - 8:30 METRO STATION
9:15 - 10:30 FALL OUT BOY

IMAGINATION STAGE
2:30 - 3:00 THE CAB
3:30 - 4:00 THE AQUABATS
4:30 - 5:00 SILVERSTEIN
5:30 - 6:00 BLOODHOUND GANG
6:30 - 7:00 HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD
7:30 - 8:00 COBRA STARSHIP
8:30 - 9:15 THE GET UP KIDS

SAINTS & SINNERS STAGE
2:00 - 2:25 STEREO SKYLINE
2:35 - 3:00 FIGHT FAIR
3:10 - 3:35 THE JAKES
3:45 - 4:10 THE FRIDAY NIGHT BOYS
4:25 - 4:55 SAY IT TWICE
5:10 - 5:40 RACING KITES
5:55 - 6:25 THE MORNING LIGHT
6:40 - 7:10 ALL THE DAY HOLIDAY
7:25 - 7:55 SONNY
8:10 - 8:40 BREATHE CAROLINA
8:55 - 9:25 BROKENCYDE

MLB AUTHENTIC COLLECTION STAGE
2:00 - 2:25 THE LIMOUSINES
2:50 - 3:15 BLACK STEEL ROSE
3:40 - 4:05 BREAK CONTEST WINNER
4:30 - 5:00 CARE BEARS ON FIRE
5:30 - 6:00 VALENCIA
6:30 - 7:00 MYCHILDREN MYBRIDE
7:30 - 8:00 STICK TO YOUR GUNS
8:30 - 9:00 PARKWAY DRIVE

STATE FARM STAGE
2:25 - 2:50 THE DANGEROUS SUMMER
3:15 - 3:40 SING IT LOUD
4:05 - 4:30 ARTIST VS POET
5:00 - 5:30 HEY MONDAY
6:00 - 6:30 NEVER SHOUT NEVER
7:00 - 7:30 BEFORE THEIR EYES
8:00 - 8:30 BLESS THE FALL
9:00 - 9:30 HASTE THE DAY

KAZOOZLE STAGE
2:00 - 2:25 ALEVELA
2:40 - 3:05 CAN YOU KEEP A SECRET
3:20 - 3:45 PEACHCAKE
4:00 - 4:30 TEEN HEARTS
4:45 - 5:15 ULTRAVIOLET SOUND
5:30 - 6:00 EVERY AVENUE
6:30 - 7:00 PATENT PENDING
7:20 - 7:50 ANARBOR
8:20 - 8:50 TWIN ATLANTIC

KAZOOZLE TENT
2:25 - 2:40 DJ PRIME
3:05 - 3:20 DJ PRIME
3:45 - 4:00 DJ PRIME
4:30 - 4:45 DJ PRIME
5:15 - 5:30 DJ PRIME
6:00 - 6:30 THE SCENE AESTHETIC
7:00 - 7:20 DJ PRIME
7:50 - 8:20 DJ PRIME
8:50 - 9:30 SKRILLEX
9:30 - 10:00 LAZR TAG
10:00 - ? DJ PRIME

Sunday April 5th

WONKA STAGE
2:00 - 2:25 ACIDIC
2:50 - 3:20 EYE ALASKA
3:50 - 4:20 SUICIDE SILENCE
4:50 - 5:20 THE VANDALS
5:50 - 6:30 THE USED
7:10 - 8:00 TAKING BACK SUNDAY
9:00 - 10:00 50 CENT

IMAGINATION STAGE
2:25 - 2:50 CLOSE BUT QUITE
3:20 - 3:50 THE BLED
4:20 - 4:50 SHWAYZE
5:20 - 5:50 SAOSIN
6:30 - 7:10 THRICE
8:00 - 9:00 DEFTONES

SAINTS & SINNERS STAGE
2:00 - 2:25 BLACK HOUSES
2:35 - 3:00 THE DARES
3:10 - 3:40 FIFTEEN FLEETING
3:50 - 4:20 TEN SECOND EPIC
4:30 - 5:00 DOMMIN
5:15 - 5:45 LIVING WITH LIONS
6:00 - 6:30 FUNERAL PARTY
6:45 - 7:15 BRAVE CITIZENS
7:30 - 8:00 I AM GHOST
8:20 - 9:20 RAZIA'S SHADOW AS PERFORMED BY FORGIVE DURDEN

MLB AUTHENTIC COLLECTION STAGE
2:00 - 2:25 UNDERNEATH THE GUN
2:50 - 3:15 CLOSURE IN MOSCOW
3:40 - 4:05 ATTACK ATTACK
4:30 - 5:00 LEATHERMOUTH
5:30 - 6:00 THE GHOST INSIDE
6:30 - 7:00 WINDS OF PLAGUE
7:30 - 8:00 EMMURE
8:30 - 9:00 THE ADOLESCENTS

STATE FARM STAGE
2:25 - 2:50 IN FEAR AND FAITH
3:15 - 3:40 NATIONS AFIRE
4:05 - 4:30 TRASH TALK
5:00 - 5:30 HAVE HEART
6:00 - 6:30 A SKYLIT DRIVE
7:00 - 7:30 BORN OF OSIRIS
8:00 - 8:30 IGNITE
9:00 - 9:30 THE BRONX

KAZOOZLE STAGE
2:00 - 2:30 DRIVE A
3:00 - 3:10 DJ
3:10 - 3:40 ONE BLOCK RADIUS
3:50 - 4:20 CHRONIC FUTURE
4:30 - 5:00 HYRO DA HERO
5:10 - 5:40 B.O.B.

5:50 - 6:20 LMFAO
6:30 - 7:00 MAC LETHAL
7:30 - 8:00 P.O.S.

8:30 - 9:00 TROUBLE ANDREW

KAZOOZLE TENT
2:30 - 3:00 KEVIN SECONDS
3:40 - 3:50 DJ PRIME
4:20 - 4:30 DJ PRIME
5:00 - 5:10 DJ PRIME
5:40 - 5:50 DJ PRIME
6:20 - 6:30 DJ PRIME
7:00 - 7:30 DJ SKEET SKEET
8:00 - 8:30 DJ SKEET SKEET
9:00 - 10:00 DJ SKEET SKEET

Getting Bamboozled!

2009-04-04T00:18:00.000-07:00

Whoa! Whirlwind past couple of days as we've been gearing up to kick off tomorrow's Bamboozle LEFT...and we must tell you, things are coming together and it's going to be AWESOME. Today we got to spend the day on site before the festival playing with the WONKAvision mirrors. So. Incredibly. Cool. Check this out:
Jessica, our WONKA rep who is heading out on the road got a chance to play with the design applications to explore her creativity. We'll upload her design work later....!

After hanging out on site we headed over to the House of Blues at Downtown Disney in Anaheim for the kick off to Bamboozle -- Hoodwink. Backstage with the bands we overheard one of the members talking about Kazoozles...."This is the best candy ever." Woo hoo! We like it too!

Remember that GOLD CARD we mentioned?? We got on stage with DJ Prime to giveaway our first exclusive membership. We were so thrilled when Mackenzie from Belflower, CA won.

She was so much fun (That's Rotten Cotton from Bamboozle)!

All and all a great day. CANNOT wait to tell you all about tomorrow. Hope to see you there!

One Hour Remaining on Main Stage Bamboozle Auction

2009-04-01T09:00:00.000-07:00

For the first time ever, THE BAMBOOZLE LEFT presented by WONKA will be auctioning off one of the festival’s most coveted spots: an appearance on the Main Stage. All proceeds from the auction will be donated to the One Love for Chi foundation to aid in the ongoing medical care of Deftones bass player, Chi Cheng.

The winning band will be awarded a 25 minute time slot on the Bamboozle Left Main Stage, Sunday April 5th from 2:00pm – 2:25pm at the Festival Grounds at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater. This is a tremendous opportunity to share the stage with Deftones, 50 Cent, Taking Back Sunday, Thrice, The Used, Shwayze, The Vandals, Saosin, Ignite, B.o.B., Emmure, The Bled, The Adolescents, and many, many more!The auction kicked off on Friday March 27th at 3pm PST and will end TODAY April 1st at 3pm PST.

Head over to Ebay now to bid on the auction! Time is running out, and we'd love to see you showcasing your innovative talent at Bamboozle -- because believe us, we'll be watching!

Kazoozles at Bamboozle!

2009-03-30T16:16:00.000-07:00

It's true! Our magical candy makers are unveiling a new treat sure to satisfy the pickiest candy craver. At Bamboozle we'll be bringing you KAZOOZLES -- Ohh it's so delickoricious! Check out Bamboozle band, Breathe Carolina giving it a first try.

A twist on an already good thing the KAZOOZLES combines TWO long and luscious licorice ropes with fruit-flavored candy filling. We'll be passing them these unique flavors at Bamboozle: Cherry Punch, smooth and tangy cherry ropes; and Pink Lemonade, sour lemon ropes dusted with sugar crystals.

Get ready boys and girls, this is a delectable snack sure to feed your imagination! If you can't grab a taste as Left, we'll also be handing them out along the Roadshow before they hit stores in June AND we'll be giving them away on our Facebook Fan Page and MySpace! Be sure to connect with us there, because like we said this is one incredible confection you don't want to be without.

Gold Card Glory – BETTER than a Golden Ticket

2009-03-27T09:11:00.000-07:00

We mentioned recently that we’re going to be bringing “Gold Cards” on the road with us throughout the Bamboozle Roadshow presented by WONKA, and we wanted to share with you how magical these cards really are.

For the first time EVER, we at WONKA decided to open up the doors to our mystical candy closet to our loyal friends throughout the nation. The exclusive and coveted WONKA Gold Card entitles its holder to 200 individual packages of WONKA’s marvelous candy. Once word gets out about who’s holding a WONKA Gold Card, we can’t be responsible for how popular that card holder will become.

How do you get an auspicious Gold Card, you ask? Well, here’s the deal.

You can’t apply for one. You can’t even buy one. But there is good news.

A handful of coveted WONKA Gold Cards will be awarded to lucky concert goers at Bamboozle Left, throughout the Bamboozle Roadshow and once we get to New Jersey for Bamboozle, we’ll pass out a few more there.

WONKA’s secret spotters will be on the lookout for people who embody all that is WONKA. Show your inner WONKA – you never know who might be watching. So stop by the WONKA tent in LA or NJ or try to find our WONKA spotter on the road (HINT: She just might be wearing purple)!

If you’re lucky enough to get a WONKA Gold Card, you’ve got yourself some bragging rights. Share the candy with your friends if you want…or don’t.

ROADSHOW! Yes!

2009-03-25T11:05:00.000-07:00

WHOA. 10 days away from going on tour with a band. We.are.so.excited. Trying to figure out what to take on the journey (as we’ll be living on a bus with Never Shout Never) is a bit of a challenge. Making the transition to from factory to life on the road – well, we know we’ll be bringing LOTS of our new candy *so excited to tell you about it SOON* for the bands and fans to snack on. Delickoricious. That’s all we’re saying right now.

Thoughts on what we should pack for month long journey? Here’s what we have so far:

*iPod (of course with music from the Bamboozle bands, any other music suggestions?)
*Our best pair of skinny jeans
*10 WONKA/Bamboozle glow-in-the-Dark t-shirts to wear at all the concerts (so you know who I am!)
*Funky fresh Ray-Ban shades
*A fedora hat (maybe in purple and gold)
*My iPhone! – that should have been #1
*WONKA Gold Cards (We’ll be giving away one at each of the stops. We’ll explain the Gold Card in detail later, but let us just say. ACCESS TO THE WONKA CANDY CLOSET.)

Pretty good start, we think. Oh man, this is going to be so awesome. WONKAnation, here we come!

Igniting the WONKAnation!

2009-03-24T06:03:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the wonderful world of WONKA! Here we hope to provide you with the latest information on our mystical confections (we have a lot of new things in store that we’ll be sharing with you *through giveaways* soon), as well as provide you with the inside scoop on our upcoming partnership with the Bamboozle.

We’ll be sending a WONKA rep from our factory along with the Roadshow bands: NeverShoutNever, Mercy Mercedes, TheCAB, Forever The Sickest Kids and We the Kings. We’ll let you know here when to expect LIVE video interviews with the band and we’ll post pics of our trip, as well as pics of what we’re cooking up in our factory.

We’re excited to be here and hope we’ll hear from you on what we can do to help feed your imagination.