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This year the Vans Warped tour came steamrolling through Ventura’s Seaside Park on June 24th and proved to be a bombastic way to jump start the Vacation Season as the tour Kevin Lyman started 17 years ago has become as much a Summer time tradition as Baseball, Hot Dogs and Sun Burns. America’s premiere music and lifestyle festival of the summer--is now on the road performing to record crowds during the day  

 

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www.WarpedTour.com

All Photos: Ray Soto / Carol Zorn

Special Thanks: Libby Coffey, Bethany Watson  

 

The VANS WARPED TOUR®–well established as America’s premiere music and lifestyle festival of the summer– kicked off June 16 in Salt Lake City, UT at Utah State Fairpark and wraps up August 5 in Portland, OR at Rose Quarter Riverfront. The nationally-renowned touring festival has been breaking up-and-coming indie talent as well as both creating and showcasing major established artists since 1995.  

 

“Each year as the tour takes shape it is exciting to see it when it comes together,” VANS WARPED TOUR founder Kevin Lyman. “With many new and returning brands and sponsors onboard, we’re able to bring the best show possible and in 2012, I’m convinced we will not let the fans down.”  

 

The VANS WARPED TOUR 2012 multi-stage line-up includes Rise Against, All Time Low, Taking Back Sunday, Anti-Flag, Yellowcard, The Used, Four Year Strong, New Found Glory, Pierce The Veil, Falling In Reverse, Breathe Carolina and many more. A mix of hotly-tipped and established artists, the summer trek continues to be the most eclectic traveling festival tour on the planet featuring rock, punk, pop, hip-hop and rap, metal, indie rock, electronic, alt-country, folk-punk, dubstep, reggae and rockabilly. For the full list of confirmed acts, visit: www.vanswarpedtour.com/bands.

 

Every summer, the VANS WARPED TOUR has consistently offered a wide-range of lifestyle attractions onsite for a traditionally low ticket price.  

Warped Tour is not only a Summer time tradition that music fans of this genre expect their favorite bands to play, but a rite of passage for young musicians who have attended the tour growing up and are now living out their dreams playing the festival. “I’m really excited just because I get to meet so many people. Also too, Warped Tour is legendary. It’s a great milestone for me.” Matt Toka told us before he performed later in the day. Check out his self titled EP out now, produced by Rob Cavallo of Green Day fame. “It’s an honor. I’ve been coming to Warped Tour since I was a little kid, so it’s kind of living the dream right now for me,” Michael Orlando of Vampires Everywhere! added before his band Rocked the Monster Energy Stage.  

 

About the VANS WARPED TOUR:The VANS WARPED TOUR® is well established as America’s premiere music and lifestyle festival of the summer, breaking up-and-coming indie talent as well as both creating and showcasing major established artists since 1995. The nationally-renowned festival is the most eclectic traveling tour and features a diverse array of artists–with hotly tipped acts in every genre from punk, metal and indie to rock, hip-hop, rap, electronic, reggae and pop; as well as a variety of lifestyle attractions for its traditionally low ticket price. The tour has cemented its place in history by bringing punk rock/skate/action sports culture from the underground to the forefront of global youth culture, while at the same time helping those in need and being the first tour to consistently use groundbreaking environmental concepts every year on the road. The Warped Eco Initiatives (WEI) range from biodiesel fuel for touring trucks and buses, to environmentally friendly catering for the artists and crew courtesy of Tada! Catering. There’s even a solar-powered sound system on the Kevin Says Stage and www.vanswarpedtour.com showcases public transportation options for every tour date and carpool social media apps as well as exotic eco travel contests. For more information on the tour that Alternative Press readers voted the “Best Tour/Festival” of 2009/2010 and Rolling Stone called “America’s most successful festival” (2005) go to: www.vanswarpedtour.com.

 

Matt Toka

Punk/pop artist/upstart MATT TOKA has just released a self-titled EP through Warner Bros. Records on June 12th. The six-track EP includes the studio versions of previous YouTube-only tracks "666" and "Ode To My Family," as well as "Say10," which is currently available via all digital retailers. The EP will be released physically and digitally - the digital version includes lyric videos for two tracks, "666" and "Get Money." All tracks are produced by Rob Cavallo (Green Day, My Chemical Romance) with whom Toka has been recording his debut album, which will be released later this year.

CentralCoastRocks.com: Tell us what it means to you personally to be on Warped Tour this year  

Matt Toka: I’m really excited just because I get to meet so many people. Also too, Warped Tour is legendary. It’s a great milestone for me. Sad as well as exciting, but the thing I enjoy the most is meeting as many people as possible.

 

CentralCoastRocks.com: Was playing the tour an aspiration for you early on?  

Matt Toka: It was, ever since I was a little kid, it’s awesome  

 

CentralCoastRocks.com: If the Mayan Calendar is to be believed and the world ends this year, this will be the last Warped Tour Ever!

Matt Toka: The world is coming to an end, so I got it in. Just in time! (Laughs)

 

CentralCoastRocks.com: Tell us about your soon to be released CD “Straight To Hell,” the music seems to be somewhat autobiographical  

Matt Toka: It is. I got to work with my idol (Green day Producer) Rob Cavallo, which is a dream come true for me. Green Day’s “Dookie” is what started it all for me. I’m really proud of it. I released an EP, it’s got songs that tease the whole album. The full length is just basically about my journey through the world, struggling to find myself and what a living hell it was.

 

CentralCoastRocks.com: How did you hook up with Rob?  

Matt Toka: He heard a song I wrote called 666 and he was stoked. He wanted to meet me and I was happy with just that alone. I thought that was like the coolest thing and I was fortunate enough for him to do the whole record. It was really, really surreal. I can say honestly the first day I worked with him was like the best day of my life. It was incredible. He’s so talented. There’s nothing the guy cant do. He hops behind a drum kit, keyboard, bass. “Ode To My family,” he played that bass line, it was just one take. I can’t say enough about him or speak highly enough of him he’s an amazing human being.

 

CentralCoastRocks.com: Is “Get Money” going to be the first single off the full length?  

Matt Toka: I think so, I think it’s going to be, which we just shot a music video, not too long ago in downtown L.A. I got to meet a lot of people down on their luck and that was an incredible experience for me as well. Because I wrote that song, I was kind of having the illusion that money is going to solve all your problems. Going around L.A. and seeing how unfortunate a lot of people are out there made me realize you need to look at what you have as opposed to what you don’t have. It’s easy to get caught up in all the bullshit consumerism. I’m MTV generation so I watched all these kids on Cribs and you get this false sense of entitlement. So making that video for me was just incredible.

 

CentralCoastRocks.com: You were signed to a record contract with your previous group (Cherry Monroe), tell us about that  

Matt Toka: I was. I was really young. I burned like 6,000 CD’s, got kicked out of every mall, college, school in the Tri-State area. I would just hustle. I built a buzz on my band and we got signed to Universal Records. I think it was my second or third meeting I went streaking through the office (Laughs) and I got banned from the office, because I thought you know, Ozzy bit the head off a bat, you have to do something fucking crazy, I didn’t realize. I was just a 19 year old from Ohio. I just thought you got a record, deal people hand you bags of money. I didn’t realize there’s this thing called Corporate America, and you don’t really do those kinds of things (Laughs) We toured out of the van for like two years then got dropped by the label. I peaced out. I went to Los Angeles because I figured I’d rather be homeless out here than working 9-5 in Youngstown. My family was falling apart, it was a bad Environment and I was in a really bad spot so I decided to start fresh out here in Los Angeles.

 

CentralCoastRocks.com: Describe your live show  

Matt Toka: It has a lot of energy. I spent a lot of time putting my band together, I’m very proud of it. I love the guys I’m playing with, they’re just so tremendously talented. It’s fast, it’s just in your face. A lot of energy, a lot of angst and it’s something to get rowdy to.

 

CentralCoastRocks.com: What musicians influenced you along the way?  

Matt Toka: Green Day was one of them. “Smash,” by The Offspring was a very, very important record for me. Everclear was another one. Everclear was really important because he talked about his upbringing and I thought that was amazing because I felt like I could relate to that. That gave me hope that I could kind of overcome all this bullshit and express myself in music as well.

 

CentralCoastRocks.com: Plans for the rest of the year after Warped?  

Matt Toka: I’m not sure, I think we’re gonna try and stay out on the road hopefully and land on another tour. Finishing up the record, it should be out end of this year, early next.

 

CentralCoastRocks.com: Final words for your fans?  

Matt Toka: I’m so thankful for everyone that’s shown their support thus far. Its incredible because it keeps me doing what I love. If you want to laugh your ass off go to www.Say10.com and if you want to just talk to me Tweet at me @MattToka, look me up on Facebook, I love talking to fans as much as possible because it important to me, that’s what keeps me doing what I love.

Please Visit: www.MattToka.com        www.Say10.com

 

 

 Vampires Everywhere!

Michael Vampire (Lead Vocals)

 

Having just released their newest CD “Hellbound and Heartless,” Vampires Everywhere! are rocking the Warped Tour all Summer long !

 

CentralCoastRocks.com: Tell us what it means to you personally to be on Warped Tour  

Michael Vampire: It’s an honor. I’ve been coming to Warped Tour since I was a little kid, so it’s kind of living the dream right now for me.

 

CentralCoastRocks.com: So playing Warped was an aspiration of yours early on?  

Michael Vampire: Oh yeah, of course. I mean any kid that grew up going to Warped Tour dreams of playing it one day. I grew up watching all the punk bands, Pennywise, NOFX, stuff like that. So it’s cool to bring my own version of that here today

 

CentralCoastRocks.com: Now that you are playing the tour, is it what you expected?  

Michael Vampire: It’s exactly what I expected. To be honest with you, it’s the most grueling tour in the world, but it’s the most fun as well.

 

CentralCoastRocks.com: If the Mayan Calendar is to be believed and the world ends this year, this will be the last Warped Tour Ever!  

Michael Vampire: (Laughs) Yeah, it will be, I’m happy to be part of that then

 

CentralCoastRocks.com: Tell us about your current CD, and who influences you musically  

Michael Vampire: Our current CD is called “Hellbound and Heartless,” it’s a darker more adventurous CD than our last one. Bands like Alice Cooper, Danzig, Misfits, White Zombie, earlier (Marilyn) Manson, all that stuff kinda intertwines in the new record

 

CentralCoastRocks.com: Describe your live show and do any shows on the Warped Tour stand out for you so far?  

Michael Vampire: I would probably say Las Vegas, we got to play the main stage overlooking Mandalay Bay out to a sea of people. Our booking agent was there, our whole label was there. It was an amazing opportunity for us, so that so far sticks out in my head. We try to give an intense, consistent live show. We don’t like to change it all the time, we like to bring the same hard rocking show, and not become a cluster fuck on stage. The thing about us is that we try to go out there with raw emotion and not have something that is completely planned, but at the same time we’re very consistent on our live shows.

 

CentralCoastRocks.com: Plans for the rest of the year after Warped?  

Michael Vampire: Right now we’re releasing a video for the new single “Drug Of Choice,” and then we’ll hit the road again. I can’t tell you any of the scheduled tours, they don’t allow me to (Laughs) but we have some stuff coming up and continue touring.

 

CentralCoastRocks.com: Final words for your fans?  

Michael Vampire: Never stop believing and never change who you are.

 

Please Visit:  www.VampiresEverywhere.com  

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