a skylit drive?

A Skylit Drive is the six member band coming from Lodi, California that has been rocking the Warped Tour since June in Pomona, California. They recently put out their second full length, 'Adelphia' and will be going on a few dates in Europe post Warped Tour while right after opening for Senses Fail in the fall around the US.

Recently, at Warped, I got the chance to talk to Nick Miller, who plays one of the two guitars in the band along with Joey Wilson. On that rainy, rainy day Nick was nice enough to do the interview where we talked about the catering (a common favorite topic on Warped!) to another dream coming true for him this fall!

Are we on?

On.

I'm Nick from A Skylit Drive.

How's Warped Tour been so far?

So good! Yeah, it's been a lot of fun. Tons of work, tons of parties.

You think you'll able to make it for the rest of the tour?

Oh hell yeah, of course. I don't know, I might not actually but I'm gonna give it my best shot.

You're gonna try? What's been your favorite memory of tour so far?

There's a couple I can't remember that were probably really awesome.

but the ones you can't remember are the best sometimes.

I mean, playing and hanging out like theres' been a couple shows that have been like the best shows of our A Skylit Drive careers but especially like hanging out. This is such a good opportunity to meet so many people that come to shows. Good times!

Is there anything you're really looking forward to on tour? like any big bands?

Well, every single day is like a dream come true to me so. I've always wanted to be on Warped Tour so I guess I look forward to every day. I can't sleep at night every night because I'm so excited for the next day.

That's awesome. Have you ever had any surprises in your set? Do you think you will in the future?

Yeah! Well like, it's so crazy because there are so many bands that I look up to, that are watching me play. They'll be standing on the side and I'll start getting so nervous I don't want to mess up, you know.

Isn't that awesome though?

Oh yeah! It's very cool!

How's the food?

Oh, so good! I think I've gained like ten pounds already. All I do is eat.

That's great! What's going on with your music right now?

Well, we just put out the new album so we're on tour a lot right now. We're going to do another tour a few weeks after Warped Tour then we're going to Europe so we'll be busy. It's always non stop for us.

Is there any place that you've always wanted to play?

Yeah, actually everywhere in Europe. It's our first time.

Awesome. Are you touring with anyone that we'd know?

I think we're going, honestly. I really never know what we're doing. I get a phone call like 'Dude, we're going on tour' 'Alright, sweet.' No, I dont really know what the deal is, I just know we're going to Europe.

big d and the kids table

As some of you amazing readers and random fly by's know, I recently got the chance to do some interviews at the largest traveling festival in North America, Vans Warped Tour. I did interviews all day ranging from ska bands to electronic pop favorites and sang a million songs by the Millionaires a million times over, got soaked in rain water with the boys of bands like The Maine and Scary Kids Scaring Kids. Overall, an amazing experience and one I will always remember!

One of the first interviews I did this long and tired day was with a band that livened up the whole rest of the day. David "Dwayne" McWane, the lead singer and melodica of Big D and the Kid Table sat down with me at the Montreal date of Warped and we discussed everything from the not so hidden messages in their album titles ranging from "Strictly Rude" released in 2007 to their latest album, dropping just this past July, "Fluent In Stroll" and their veteran experiences on Warped Tour, including playing all of the dates this year!

You guys just came out with a new album, Fluent In Stroll? How would you describe the album to someone who's never really listened to you guys before who's never had a chance?

We try to put the definitions of the record somewhere in the title. Like, 'Strictly Rude' was supposed to say to the kids that there weren't as many punk songs, you know? 'Fluent in Stroll' What's stroll? Um, we describe it as hopscotch double dutch, soul, ska reggae. It's kind of got that little two girls from Brooklyn playing jump rope attitude. You know, you think you're going to be witty and say something but they actually school you in wit. 'Get out of here, Uncle Charlie!'

I know you guys are veterans on Warped Tour-

It's so weird to hear that. I mean, I guess we are.

Do you have any advice for any new bands that are coming out on the tour. You know for someone like Lights who must look up to you-

Lights?

I'm guessing-

(laughs)

I mean your music isn't exactly the same style but kind of like it's her first full year of the Warped Tour but what kind of advice would you give to new bands who haven't played it before?

I would definetly say and this might crush a couple people but I'd just say don't do it in a van. You know, if you're gonna do it in a van, at least know that one of your members is probably gonna quit the band by the end. It's just demanding too much from you cause it's so hot. It's cool if you're in the van for a week or two but not too months so I wouldn't recommend it and the other thing is just grandma, truly grandma advice. It's no matter what, you're going to get caught up in the whole thing because it really is anarchy. Try to put sunblock on, and you have drink at least six waters every day and if you don't, you are just going to become a moany crankypuss then they'll deserve it. You want to have a good time so yeah yeah, you're gonna get as much beer as you want, don't worry, you know what I mean? Just make sure you drink water, you know what I mean because no one wants a cranky band guy.

Yeah not at all. Especially when you're on the road for a while. I mean you guys have been on it since the beginning, haven't you?

Yeah, Yeah. Isn't that crazy? First week is always party week and second week is jesus I got to slow down week.

How does it feel to, I mean you obviously have played Canada now, but how does the difference feel between playing Canada and the US scene. I know it's sometimes hard for acts to break into Canada.

Well, I mean to..describe Canada. It's so simple, some people even forget to say it and it's...Canada is to me, America without european influence and style and to me, it's America if it was perfectly right. So it's cool because Americans can still get their homebase draw but you guys just have so much more style that really is accepted in the states for some reason and you have more openness to being free enought to want to have a good time while some Americans might be introverted and "We can't have a good time yet, so we drink our drinks", you know what I mean? You guys have more natural positive attitudes.

Well I guess that's a good thing.

Yeah!

Are there any bands that you're excited to see this tour?

You know what? There was no band that was like in my playlist, you know that like, 'oh my god, i can't believe we're playing with bananas blind'. You know what I mean? But The Suicide Machines were that for me a couple years back. I was like 'Oh my god, I get to watch The Suicide Machines every day'. NOFX would be that but, except, I've just been lucky enough to see NOFX on so many different tours that you know, it's like I bet they would count but I have been, so I'm kind of just a little vagabond walking through going 'what's out here?' and I do like P.O.S. and um, I thought the Millionaires, you know them?

I saw a bit of their set this morning. Yeah they're interesting for sure.

A lot of people hating on them um but I don't know. They made me smile? So um, Andrew W.K. in the past, that was really lucky to be on that tour. Every day to watch Andrew W.K. was so cool.

Do you have any projects coming up after this tour? More tours? More Music?

Yeah, let's see. Right now, our video's being edited and it's for the song 'Fluent in Stroll'. That should be out in I think two and a half weeks. Our DVD, called 'Built up For Nothing' should be out in our fall tour in November and I have a book called 'The Gypsy Mile', but I have a new book of fourteen years of lyrics coming out in a month and then a new book of poetry coming out in November called 'The Art of Boredom'.

That's what I was actually going to ask you about because I heard that you also write poetry and stories. How do you balance it all? Does it ever come through in your lyrics?

Yeah, you know it's one of those things where I can't stop writing material because Big D had me writing lyrics so much that I got into it and then there would be things I would want to write but aren't really relevant at all for like a ska band's lyrics. You know, I could write it but then people would be like, 'Jeez Dwayne, I don't think this is really going to make it into a song' so I just kind of was writing and didn't stop and then once I stumbled apon, well I always liked John Steinbeck and different authors, just different guys, I realized that you're allowed to write. You know what I mean? It's not just for the elite, some of us are, some of us can go for it and it would be illicit readers.

My last question is I know there are a lot of ska bands on this year's tour, more then it has been in the past. Do you think ska's becoming a bigger genre and more bands are coming out or do you think it's going to stay the same?

You know, it's like everyone everyyear asks how's the ska scene? and it's like it's always the same. It's always the same. There was only one time when it got really really big in the nineties but other then that few couple years, it's just same same same same same. You know what I mean? Is it going up? Is it going down? It is what it is. You know, there is one difference that happened this year and that is the cool people, meaning people who don't listen to ska, don't mind it now. And if I want to be a dilweed about it, I'd say that everyone was hating on ska because it was the lame style of music and I think lamer styles of music have surfaced and so ska actually can now be pushed towards the light because everyone wants to hate on other stuff. It's kind of like the geek in high school, there was a new kid and now the new kid's the geek, and the old geek's okay now.

Artist of the Week: Longway

The ska movement is making a comeback on Warped Tour this year with bands like Big D and The Kids Table, Less Than Jake, Westbound Train and finally Longway among others. If you talk to the members who make up these bands though, they are just doing what the love and luckily enough ska is becoming "cool again" to the young fans that frequent Warped Tour.

Their audiences aren't hurting though, they are just getting better on this tour. Maybe it's Longway playing their ipods for the fans or their hard work as the barbecue band but really I just think it's the music. Longway is a band coming out of the Southern California music scene that we have grown to love here at Mix and Mark. Listening to the music of Longway, it just makes a girl happy and is a no fail solution to a bad day.

Luckily, I got the chance to talk to this talented band at Warped Tour despite the rain that graced that day and we talked about everything from to gaining new fans through reaching out with their music to bands that they were excited about seeing this year. You can find more of their music here on their myspace.

How is the Warped Tour going so far for you guys?

Awesome, amazing. The weather, except for the rain today, has been amazing. The beginning of the tour was a little hot for us but it's cooled off, it's been great. It's our second year back on the tour so we're stoked to be here.

Are there any bands that you're really looking forward to seeing on this tour?

I think we've lucked out on all of them because last year as far as bigger bands all we really had was The Briggs and The Bosstones, the Aggrolites but now you've got bands like Bad Religion and NOFX, all the stuff, Flogging Molly, Less Than Jake, all that stuff that's really really cool. It sucks that they put us all at the same time. Anti-Flag actually watched our show like three or four times which was really cool. There's a lot of side stage bands, Westbound Train and others that have been putting on the best shows on tour so we like watching those shows.

It must be awesome to be able to watch all these other bands while on tour while you are playing to also have them come see you. It's not like you just play your set then go back to your bus.

Well, one we don't have a bus. We're van living.

Vans are the best though.

Yeah we got a van that pulls a barbecue.

You guys have a barbecue?

We're the barbecue band. Two years in a row. We were originally asked to come out and just play this year. We did the barbecue last year, Kevin called us. We were thinking about it about two months and we thought fuck it, we did the barbecue again. We said "Yeah we'll do it!' He said, 'You know you don't have too, right?' It was rad.

It may seem like something kind of new to you guys but it seems like a pretty big part of the tour.

Well the barbecues are where everything is. It's what every band looks forward to every day. We get to hang around with all the bands, we control the bar also. We make them drunk, fed and happy!

They can't get mad at you.

No, not at all!

I know you guys are from Southern California, right?

Right.

I know your music scene is pretty present this tour, do you think it's becoming bigger or is it kind of..I don't know?

I don't think so, I think our music was big years and years ago but it's cool for us.

Being in a bit of a crowded area with all of us under one tent in the middle of thunderstorms there were plenty of distractions to all including cigarettes being accidentally put out on people and hellos and goodbyes :-) It's an older style of punk rock but it's cool because people come to Warped Tour and they think they're just going to see Bad Religion, NOFX, those bands. They'll see us and be like oh shit theres' still bands out there doing this. It's awesome, it's like Warped Tour is an amazing way for us to show there are still bands like us.

That's what I like about the Warped Tour. It's not just one type of music. It's becoming a tour where Kevin is taking all different styles. There is also a lot of ska representation this year like Big D and The Kids Table. I think it's really cool that you can see all different styles of music.

We spend all day at a merch table grabbing anyone that's wearing a Bad Religion shirt or any type of shirt that we're like, "You're gonna like our music, come over here and listen to our iPods".

You have them listen to your iPods?

Yep, we have two iPods set up and we just play them all day long, pulling people. I see a guy who I know is a punk rock fan, I just think that guy's gonna buy our cd. They go, 'This is what I love, this is what I listened to...twenty years ago, that's awesome!" You know what I mean? Other than the big bands, their not going to find it. Everybody else has got their own thing going. What's more popular with kids, what's on the radio and that sort of thing going on.

Unfortunately for us, we don't do what's on the radio, we do the what we want to play so we get to play on the small stages and not have anyone know who we are but we get to surprise a lot of people and make a lot of loyal fans because we're out doing the kind of music that we like.

It's a great way that, are you guys played the Kevin Says Kevin stage?

No, the Ernie Ball stage.

Ernie Ball Stage! I know a lot of great bands that are playing that stage like VersaEmerge and The Flatliners and a lot of Montreal bands were playing there.

The Flatliners are awesome. Yeah, we heard them from our merch booth and I was like they're good, they're really good.

You get to check out everyone's music, from your iPods, your merch booth.

It's a good time. Every year, I think we've come out here expecting. Last year, you know you see all these bands you may have never expected to like but you come out here and, they put on some of the best live shows I've seen. It's stuff like that that I would never have thought of or really seek them out. That's the cool part of, you kind of step out of what you normally when on tour, see a small scene of bands and get to step out and see a bunch of different ones.

alana grace

Though we were surrounded in a monsoon really at the Montreal date of Warped Tour, there was a positive side in it that there were a whole lot of people under a really little tent through it all. In a fortunate way, it gave this journalist a chance to meet a lot of great bands and acts that maybe I wouldn't have heard of before and luckily, that's how I met the great female contemporary singer, Alana Grace!

Hailing from Los Angeles but a transplant to the thriving music city of Nashville, TN, performing seemed to be in Alana's blood. Her most known song "Black Roses Red" was featured in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants movie and her career has kicked off after releasing her sophomore album in April this year. The young 21 year old seems to have an amazing career ahead of her and will be playing the rest of the Warped Tour where you can find her on the Kevin Says Stage!

So how's the tour been so far?

It's been really good. Actually, it's our first year on it so it's been a learning experience definitely we've had. To get people to the show, to get people to your booth afterwards like that but it's been really fun and we've had a lot of different people and gained a few new fans which is really like why we're out here.

Awesome. Do you have any like favorite memory of tour so far?

Yeah, that's tough. My favorite memory of tour so far. You know, I actually have a lot of memories from the bus. I share a bus with Madina Lake. Those guys are so hysterical, it's just like a constant laugh party.

Right after this, having Matt from Madina Lake come in behind us egging her on to talk about her supposedly amazing kickball skills.

Knowing this is your first time on Warped Tour, is there any advice you would give to bands that maybe you didn't have?

I think it's important to have an open mind because people will be there for part of your show, leave and will come back to your tent later and be like "oh my god, i loved your show". For like the first few days, when people would leave before the last song, we'd be like "No, don't leave yet" but people try to see every band that they can and because all of the bands are playing at the same time, it's like people try to catch most of your set and go to another person's. People always come back so don't be disheartened by that.

Are there any bands that you've been excited to see on this tour that maybe you were a fan of before?

Um, definitely Saosin so that I was very excited to see um and actually I've heard a lot about Lights and I finally saw her last night. I felt bad, it's so hard to get to peoples' sets some times because you're always playing at the same time. She played at a totally different time then me last night so I was like yes, awesome!

So how do you feel normally, on the Warped Tour, theres' not a lot of girls represented on the tour. I know that there's you, theres Meg and Dia, there's Lights. Do you maybe feel like you're a figure for the future tours?

You know, it's funny. They do consider it a guys' tour but every one's so welcome to girls on the tour that I kind of feel like it's cool to be a bit different (laughs) as a chick among a bunch of boys. Well, if people don't feel like hearing guys screaming anymore, they can..you know!

You can find more of Alana Grace's music here and be sure to check her out on the rest of the Warped Tour!

Sounds like: Regina Specktor, Ana Nalik, Sara Barielles.

These boys will definetly be bringing you to love and back.

A fresh new band out of the growing alternative music scene, This Century, is quickly taking over my iTunes shuffle. Just this summer, the band released their EP 'To Love and Back' which is quickly making new fans along the Warped Tour this summer and through their internet presence, are quickly becoming a fan favorite.

I got the chance to talk to three out of the four members of the band with Joel, Sean and Ryan at the Montreal Warped date luckily before the downpour!

How does it feel to be playing warped tour?

Joel: Amazing. Especially in Canada.

Sean: It's beautiful, it's like beautiful and music comes together.

Ryan: Ditto.

Why Canada? Is it more exciting?

Joel : You know what, it's a combination of just the weather.

Ryan: People are really polite.

Sean: There's something about saying please and thank you that goes a long way you know.

Joel: And it's beautiful.

Sean: We learned it was belle, beautiful in french.

Are there any bands that you're looking to forward to seeing on this tour, like historic bands like Bad Religion and NOFX?

Ryan: Oh Bad Religion is definetly awesome.

Joel: Growing up like eight years old love bad religion and then you're on warped tour and you find out that they're playing. Underoath is one of my favorite bands so it's just crazy to actually get to see them every day for free (laughs).

That's awesome. Well are you guys doing any music projects coming up after Warped Tour?

Sean: Well, right now we're kind of just promoting this new EP, "To Love And Back" as much as we possibly can getting it out there. It's pretty new, I mean it came out about a week ago but we're already writing and working on pre production for our record. Hopefully, that will be out-

Joel: Early next year, we hope-

Ryan: We'll cross our fingers-

See how it goes.

Sean: Exactly but I think right now it's just the EP that's the focus and we're writing a lot of material that we're kind of just stockpiling it up for next year.

Perfect. That's awesome. What's your favorite part of Warped so far? I mean, have you been on it for long?

Joel: Yeah we've been on it since very beginning of it in Pomona, California. Favorite thing other then seeing bands that we want to see, all the time-

Sean: Yeah (laughs)

Ryan: Probably like getting out to meet all the kids, meet the fans that we haven't got to meet yet that we've only talked to via internet.

Sean: Yeah, I think that's what's so cool about the myspace thing. It's like social network type sites that have gotten these kids together where we'll go to like Ohio or somewhere on the East coast where we've never even touched before or played before where there's just this following for our band and that just blows us away to know that many people know of our existence, I guess, even without hearing us.

But do you think the internet has helping the music business for you guys or has it hurt it? I mean personally, that's why I ask.

Ryan: For us, it has. I mean touring, concerts is so expensive. To be able to reach out to, get a lot of people through the internet.

Sean: I mean, I think that it's one of those things that get to a certain level that it can be detrimental to what you're doing because of you know the way it works.

Joel: Saturation.

Sean:Yeah, oversaturation of the music market but I think that what we're doing right now-getting the word out, having new fans. This has been extremely succesful, with the whole internet promotion side.

Have you guys attended the famous barbecues? Had the experience yet?

Sean: Yeah, I mean we've been doing the barbecues as often as we can. Sleeping is really good too (laughs).

Always a good part of tour.

Sean: They've been rad.

Joel: But the coolest thing about barbecues is that all the bands hanging out at the end of the day and everyone's just kind of bonding. You just kind of get to meet people you didn't think you were going to meet-

Sean: And the bands, I think one of the coolest things is how receptive some of the bands have been to. You know, they're all very nice to me and very pleasant and want to talk and that's really cool.

Video of the Week!

A definite guilty pleasure of mine that has been all over this blog lately just dropped their latest video for "Weightless". The band? All Time Low. One that will be filling your airwaves very soon if they haven't been already! The guys drop their new album "Nothing Personal" tomorrow and just dropped this video earlier this morning.

These guys never fail to impress me, and are in general just awesome, modest guys. I've been lucky enough to meet the drummer after a great set on the "Believers Never Die Tour (part 2)" in May in Montreal and they are gonna be huge!

It's a video like nothing I've seen before, kind of giving a comic book feel at the same time analyzing and breaking down the stereotypes of what goes on at a show or on tour life. Throwing in a few cameos of some people you will definitely recognize twittering away to each other as they do every day for those who "follow them" to each other, it all makes a great video and hopefully will lead to more by this amazing guilty pleasure that I'm just not afraid to admit!

All Time Low |MTV Music

Big D & The Kids Table

A little behind on when I said I would start but I'm starting to finalize my interview schedule and thought I would post a video from each band leading up to the date! Also, most likely putting up a new interview today, as I've been slammed lately! Happy 4th everyone! This video is for the song "My Girlfriend's on Drugs" by Big D and The Kids Table, a ska band who has been around quite a while who I luckily enough secured some face time with next weekand in Montreal! For all of you Montrealers, hope to see you some of you when I'm there, and hopefully most of all at the festival! only 40 dollars for the whole day with over sixty amazing acts including NOFX, Bad Religion and down to two of my favorite girls in the business, Meg and Dia and three that are so ridiculous that it's good ridiculous, the Millionaires!

This is one of my favorites so far! :