The Vans Warped Tour rolls into Milwaukee this week for an all-day extravaganza at the Marcus Amphitheater.
For about $45, fans can hear no fewer than 65 bands. Among them, the great alt.country Lucero, the pop punk Paramore, the retro-reggae Aggrolites, rappers Big B and Yelawolf, ska punks Less Than Jake, rockers Relient K and punk rock stalwarts Unwritten Law, among many others.
You can find a complete lineup and show info at the Warped Tour website.
We talked to Mike Hranica, frontman of one of the returning bands – Dayton, Ohio, metalcore masters The Devil Wears Prada – about the Warped Tour experience and he also told us a bit about the band's upcoming record, "Dead Throne," and TDWP's experience with Brew City.
OnMilwaukee.com: You guys are Warped Tour veterans, right? What's the experience like?
Mike Hranica: Worded that way, it makes it sound glamorous, which we'll be the first to say that it isn't. We love playing Warped because we love the crowds and the shows, and that's simply the best part. It's never about partying, drama or things like that. I will say it's cool to spend lots of time with our friends' bands, though.
OMC: Do you see a lot of the other bands' sets during the tour? Any favorites?
MH: Not a lot, but a select few. Some of the guys in the band, including myself, are big Against Me! fans, so it's been cool to get to watch them – although they're off the tour for a little while right now.
OMC: Do you have any advice for Warped newcomers on how to make the most of the experience?
MH: Work hard and respectfully for attention. When it boils down to it, you're here to play songs and express what you've created. Don't get caught up in all the BS, that's what detracts. Yeah it's important to present yourself professionally and have ideas to set yourself apart from other acts, but the music is priority.
OMC: Let us in on some secrets about the new record.
MH: Yeah we announced the record title a few weeks ago: it's called "Dead Throne." I can't give away any secrets right now, but I can say that we're slowly revealing more and more – artwork and whatnot. I'd like to tell fans to keep an eye out online for more and more info revealed.
OMC: Are you playing a lot of material from the record on the Warped dates?
MH: Not just yet. Right now we've only playing "Born to Lose" from the new album. We're stoked to be playing a number of "Zombie" EP songs, though. "Dead Throne" will have plenty and plenty of songs performed in the coming future once the record is out.
OMC: How have fans been reacting so far?
MH: They've only heard "Born to Lose," but we're quite content with the reaction. There's a touch of bitter here and there, although we aren't too concerned. The record is meant to be a whole collection of songs, which is hard to express when we only have one online right now.
OMC: What do you guys think of Milwaukee? Any good memories from past visits?
MH: Milwaukee is actually one of our favorite places to play. Over 2010, we had three fantastic shows in the city: support for Killswitch, Summerfest and a headline show at the end of the year. All were really, really strong, and I can say with certainty we'll never forget Summerfest. Incredible show.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
