All Good Things Must Come To an End

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…..

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

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!

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!

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!

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!

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.