The inaugural When We Were Hungry Festival has announced its cancellation, due to unforeseen circumstances. The event was originally scheduled to take place on October 20 and 21 in Las Vegas at Rockstar Bar – Concert On The Green.is set to take place in Las Vegas, NV on Thursday, October 20 and Friday, October 21 at Rockstar Bar – Concert On The Green. The festival was to feature headlining performances from Black Flag, Madball, Secondhand Serenade and Every Avenue, the 18+ festival will cater to fans of punk rock, emo, and metal with some of the scene’s most popular acts from the past immersed with new up-and-coming talent.
The inaugural When We Were Hungry Festival is set to take place in Las Vegas, NV on Thursday, October 20 and Friday, October 21 at Rockstar Bar – Concert On The Green. Featuring headlining performances from Black Flag, Madball, Secondhand Serenade and Every Avenue, the 18+ festival will cater to fans of punk rock, emo and metal with some of the scene’s most popular acts from the past immersed with new up-and-coming talent. The lineup has been finalized with the addition of Doll Skin, Marked Life and Battle of The Bands winners Forever For Now.
When We Were Hungry Festival will take place in Las Vegas, NV on Thursday, October 20 and Friday, October 21 at the 3,000-capacity venue Rockstar Bar – Concert On The Green. The festival will highlight independent-focused acts that represent a who’s-who of the past and present rock, metal, punk and emo scene. The 2022 lineup will include headlining performances from punk rock icons Black Flag, legendary NY hardcore group Madball, emo rockers Secondhand Serenade and pop punk band Every Avenue plus more than 50 bands across two outdoor stages and one indoor stage over both days.
One man acoustic act SayWeCanFly, featuring 20-year old Braden Barrie has signed with Epitaph Records. He is currently on the Vans Warped Tour playing to capacity crowds in the Full Sail Acoustic Lounge.
SayWeCanFly has self-released music since 2009 and seen social numbers climb into the millions. Barrie’s huge social media presence has created a bond withSayWeCanFly’s fans that goes beyond the music alone, creating a family-like relationship between the artist and fans. Barrie recently formed his own label in PureWolf Records.
Within the lineup of each year’s Vans Warped Tour, there is often a hidden gem amongst the crowd of names who perform amongst their multiple stages. On the Full Sail University Acoustic Basement tent each day, Canadian artist Braden Barrie’s one man act SayWeCanFly is getting heard each day in front of curious fans. He is enjoying his time playing for new fans and has had this moment as a goal of his since his teenage years.
“Literally Warped Tour’s been my dream for a long time. Since I’ve been doing this more and more, I try to think past that and set higher goals, but it’s cool that I’m finally meeting a goal I’ve had forever. I’m so excited just to be there and be in that world,” he says, thinking about the opportunity on the tour.
Much of this year has been a growing process for Barrie, as he spent time touring with Metro Station across North America, promoting his album Between The Roses, as well as reaching fans on his various social media pages through a variety of YouTube videos and fans discovering his recordings on Bandcamp. This was all done by himself and without the assistance of a record label or distribution companies.
He talked about some of his favorite artists who helped shape his sound. “My first album I ever bought was by Relient K, which is kind of a Christian band. I grew up listening to a lot of Christian music, kind of like rock stuff. I think the first album that caused me to start writing was Awake by Second Hand Serenade, which was the first acoustic artist I got into.”
“After I found him I started listening to a lot of indie acoustic artists that literally play with their acoustic and sing. So that was just seeing that other people had done it and was possible to have a good song with just your voice and a guitar.”
“For some reason acoustic guitar has been my favorite sound. I feel so free when I play it. Just seeing other people do it inspired me to start writing it and realized it was possible.”
Actually this is his second time on the Warped Tour, following his brief stint appearing on one date in Toronto, ON on a prior year. “I’ve had a small, small taste. The first year I did the Acoustic Basement Tent and the second year I did the Ernie Ball Stage, which was a little bigger. It will be cool doing the tent the whole entire summer.”
So what was it that attracted him towards doing the Warped Tour? ”It was amazing because a lot of my fans end up going. A lot of times they can’t go to my shows on school nights but I know they always go to Warped Tour. I get to meet most of them.”
“I got to see most of the excitement. When the doors open, it’s a stampede of kids. It’s crazy how much passion is in the air. It’s really, really cool.”
Unlike many of his fellow tour mates, Barrie originates from a small town in the Ontario province in Canada. He talked about where he is from and how that affected his work ethics towards getting his music heard.
“I grew up in a place called Lindsay, Ontario. I didn’t realize how out in the middle of nowhere it was until I drove there from Pennsylvania. It was a 13 hour car drive and seeing how much distance it actually takes to get there. I think there’s like 25,000 people there. It’s actually really a nice little town. They have everything that you need. It always looks really nice. At first it was really hard to think past it and realize there’s more to the world. That was what drove me. I just wanted to get out of here. Everyone around me has this small town mindset and they’re going to stay there their whole lives. That didn’t feel ok to me.”
“I’m thankful to have grown up in such a small place. Everything I’ve experienced outside of that is amazing.”
Unlike many acoustic acts that perform on the live circuit, Barrie has mostly performed solo and without a backing band. He has devised a strategy on how to craft his music without the assistance of a backing band and has won over fans on each stop of a tour.
“I’ve jammed with my friends for fun, but Saywecanfly has always been me. When I record albums, I’ll have people come in and play. I had a guy come in and play cello and electric guitars. The live shows have always been me.”
The idea of a backing band has crossed his mind at times, as this scenario has been presented before. But he has reiterated that it may be a possibility at a later time, once he feels ready to do so.
“I’ve thought about the whole band thing but I want to get as good as I can on my own before I do that and before I take that step. I have a long way to go with that still. I feel like I want to get as amazing at playing solo so I feel super comfortable. It’s a process. I used to be super shy. I had a hard time playing for ten people. Every show I learn to be a little more comfortable, so I want to get way better at that.”
While his sound leans upon the singer-songwriter side, being around the Warped Tour has attracted him to some heavier sounds as well. But finding him in the mosh pit may not happen right away. “I love hardcore music. Underoath is my favorite band. No I wasn’t scared of mosh pits. I tried it once and got injured so bad. So I always stuck to the acoustic side. “
“When I started playing guitar, I started on electric guitar and I learned a lot of blues. I was listening to Stevie Ray Vaughn, BB King and stuff like that. So that was before I started singing. So I had those roots too.”
Lastly, he shared some of the artists on the Warped Tour he is excited to see while on the tour. “Definitely Pierce The Veil. I love Pierce The Veil. I love them because they incorporate so many different instruments in their songs. Their songs are so complex. This band called This Wild Life – these two dudes who play acoustic music. I’ve been listening to them a lot lately. A band called Pvris. They just put out an album. They’re kind of like Paramore and Lights. The girl who sings for them is super talented. Never Shout Never is one of my influences way back in the day. It will be cool to hang with him too. I’m excited to hang with everyone. I don’t listen to a whole lot of music, which is weird, so I don’t know a whole lot of the bands playing. But it will be cool to discover a lot of the bands playing and make friends.”
Another year has arrived for the Vans Warped Tour full of anticipation and excitement to hit the summertime across North America. This year’s edition maintains their tradition of youth oriented angst filled music (or whatever the kids call it these days) and carving a path for the next batch of rising stars on the scene. Thanks to photographer Kevin Estrada for shooting these two dates of Warped tour for Ghost Cult!
The main stages (Shark and Unicorn) showcased the main attractions on the tour, ranging from the pop punk acts (The Wonder Years) to the screamo/emo (Pierce The Veil, Blessthefall) to the crossover half melodic and half aggro (We Came As Romans) to the harder sounding (August Burns Red) managed to keep the kids bouncing around in the crowd and rarely laying low.
Tour veterans Motion City Soundtrack made their brief California run appearance, showing the crowd how things are done on this tour. Metro Station (featuring Trace Cyrus, son of country performer Billy Ray Cyrus), melodic punk act Man Overboard, and hardcore outfit Fit For A King all set the pace for the day with their respective sounds while keeping the crowd engaged.
The main acts on these stages won over the crowd throughout the day. Memphis May Fire got the crowd into a high with their half heavy yet melodic styling that struck a nerve with them; Attila, led by their enigmatic frontman Chris “Fronz” Fronzak and his guitar crunching yet Eninem-esque “meth” suit bouncing along with the crowd; Black Veil Brides and their legions of die hard fan base singing along to every word; and Miss May I and their modern metallic sound that got the crowd worked up later on in the day.
While the main stage had their moments going on, there were a number of side stage acts making noise of their own. The Monster Stage housed their own brand of chaos throughout the day, as Senses Fail, Being As An Ocean, Beartooth, Mallory Knox and The Amity Affliction all got the pit crew throwing down alongside each band and rarely letting down. The harder driving acts such as hardcore outfit Hundredth had the pit kids going in effect, while veteran Canadian post hardcore act Silverstein had their mix of longtime fans as well as newbies who both showed their appreciation for the band. Australian metallic hardcore outfit I Killed The Prom Queen appeared to be bass player less, but that didn’t stop them from bringing out their At The Gates meets hardcore stomp to these fans. British metalcore act While She Sleeps briefly were down a singer (ie visa problems kept frontman Lawrence Taylor making a late start on the tour) but friends pitched in to lend a helping hand and fans didn’t even notice. Plus Escape The Fate closed out the evening with their eclectic brand of punk meets screamo meets modern metal that got the late comers their last bit of a sweat.
On the other stages, indie hip hop acts MC Lars gave a lesson in nerdcore with rhymes about video games and Game of Thrones (ie his latest single “Dragon Blood), while Kosha Dillz brought out his East Coast blend of Spanish, English and Hebrew rhymes; and electro-DJ-performance duo mystery men Drama Club put on an interesting performance that combined part Blue Man Group-esque percussive moments with part electronica meets EDM moments and spontaneous bursts of energy that kept the interested crowd on its feet.
The Journeys Stages found Juliette Sims and Night Riots wowing the crowd with their high energy sets, while hotly tipped electro pop outfit PVRIS became one of the much talked about acts on the tour and their set did not disappoint. Hip hop act Riff Raff put on quite the entertaining show on this stage, with his colorful summertime dress and animated raps to get the crowd bouncing along.
New York alternative rockers The Karma Killers stood out amongst the vast number of acts performing on the Ernie Ball Stage, with their fresh take on classic pop-punk, rock, and alternative rock with an energetic stage show. While they are newly signed to Island/Def Jam and new to the scene, they showed that they could one day end up on one of the larger stages in the new future.
The Acoustic Basement easily became an area largely for shade against the sun, but while most of the acts attracted stragglers throughout the day, Canadian singer-songwriter Saywecanfly and Brian Marquis were two of the acts who attracted a decent sized crowd throughout the day. Saywecanfly attracted a packed tent and entertained the audience with his emotion filled lyrics that got his largely female audience awaiting with anticipation.
Overall, this year’s edition featured a good mix of repeat acts moving up to larger stages, as well as a number of fresh faces to the scene. It is a positive sign to see new acts on the rise at a time when the music industry is struggling to attract new acts to the public. Hopefully someone is paying attention to this tour to see that there is a new generation of artists on the rise.
The Vans Warped Tour announced eight more artists at the kickoff party at Club Nokia in Los Angeles, CA this past Tuesday, April 7, 2015. The acts confirmed include:
Senses Fail Miss May I H2O (08/07-08/08) Knuckle Puck The Bunny The Bear (07/26-08/08) Kaya Stewart (07/15-08/08) TAT (06/19-07/01) Macy Kate (07/02-07/04, 07/06)
They joined previously confirmed acts:
Asking Alexandria Black Veil Brides Attila August Burns Red Memphis May Fire We Came As Romans Blessthefall Hundredth I Killed The Prom Queen ’68 Beartooth Sirens And Sailors (07/14-08/08) Slaves (07-14-08/08) The Amity Affliction Neck Deep Palisades Fit For A King Crossfaith Rotting Out Escape The Fate Being As An Ocean Silverstein Mallory Knox Drama Club False Puppet (07/23-08/08) A+ Dropouts (06/19-07/03) Man Overboard Citizen Carousel Kings (07/14-08/08) Emarosa (06/19-07/12) New Years Day Set It Off Kenneths MC Lars The Ascot Royals (07/01-07/08) Rivers Monroe (07/04-07/21) Svetlanas (07/29-08/08) The Karma Killers Mod Sun Bebe Rexha PUP (07/01-07/29) Youth In Revolt Juliet Sims Koo Koo Kanga Roo Metro Station Never Shout Never Night Argent (06/20-06/28, 08/01-08/08) Riff Raff Candy Hearts BoyMeetsWorld Ho99o9 Major League Motion City Soundtrack (06/19-06/21) While She Sleeps Hands Like Houses Le Castle Vania Have Mercy Our Last Night ChrisB PVRIS Alvarez Kings Moose Blood New Beat Fund Jule Vera Seaway This Wild Life The Dirty Nil Born Cages The Wonder Years Icon For Hire Baby Baby Matchbook Romance (06/19-07/11) The Relapse Symphony (06/19-07/12) Black Boots M4Sonic As It Is Night Riots Transit Beautiful Bodies Splitbreed Handguns Kosha Dillz Alive Like Me Family Force 5 Lee Corey Oswald Trophy Eyes
‘Acoustic Basement Stage‘: Aaron West and The Roaring Twenties American Opera Brian Marquis Buttons Grey Gordon Koji Meghann Wright Onward, etc. PVRIS (dates TBD) SayWeCanFly Speak Low If You Speak Love (07/09-07/14) Transit
‘Comedy Tent‘: Grant Cotter Beth Stelling (06/19-06/26) Chase Bernstein (06/27-07/12) Dave Ross (07/01-07/12) Eli Olsberg Eric Schwartz (07/26-08/08) Sammy Obeid (06/19-06/28) Sandy Danto (07/26-08/08)
Apr 19: Crocodile Rock – Allentown, PA
Apr 20: Water Street Music Hall – Rochester, NY
Apr 21: Penny Rd Pub – Barrington, IL
Apr 22: Wooly’s – Des Moines, IA
With Metro Station and 7 Minutes to Heaven:
Apr 26: Strummers – Fresno, CA
Apr 27: Hard Rock On The Strip – Las Vegas, NV
Apr 29: In The Venue – Salt Lake City, UT
Apr 30: The Black Sheep – Colorado Springs, CO
May 01: Aftershock – Merriam, KS
May 02: Outland Ballroom – Springfield, MO
May 03: House Café – Dekalb, IL
May 05: The Stache – Grand Rapids, MI
May 06: The Basement – Columbus, OH
May 07: Thompson House – Newport, KY
May 08: Fubar – St. Louis, MO
May 09: Juanita’s – Little Rock, AR
May 10: Red Seven – Austin, TX
May 12: The Rock – Tucson, AZ
SayWeCanFly will be launching a Spring tour with Metro Station and 7 Minutes in Heaven across the US. They are supporting their debut album Between the Roses, which is out now.
Apr 26: Strummers – Fresno, CA
Apr 27: Hard Rock On The Strip – Las Vegas, NV
Apr 29: In The Venue – Salt Lake City, UT
Apr 30: The Black Sheep – Colorado Springs, CO
May 01: Aftershock – Merriam, KS
May 02: Outland Ballroom – Springfield, MO
May 03: House Café – Dekalb, IL
May 05: The Stache – Grand Rapids, MI
May 06: The Basement – Columbus, OH
May 07: Thompson House – Newport, KY
May 08: Fubar – St. Louis, MO
May 09: Juanita’s – Little Rock, AR
May 10: Red Seven – Austin, TX
May 12: The Rock – Tucson, AZ
SayWeCanFly’s “Song of the Sparrow” video was selected from a group of five up and coming artists by viewers of MTVU’s “The Freshmen” competition voting online.
MTVU is viewed at over 802 college campuses, where it plays commons areas, dorms and libraries. MTVU also reaches 55 million homes.
“It’s amazing to see a platform like MTV still caring about up and coming artists,” SayWeCanFly’s Braden Barrie said. “It takes a lot of work to move forward in the music industry, and I can honestly say this has given me new perspective. MTV is clearly alive and well and I think really helps everyone connect and feel like family.”
Barrie, who is the artist behind the SayWeCanFly moniker, has built his career through personal connections with fans through social media and live performances. With the release of his debut full-length, Between The Roses, those dedicated fans have shown undying support while helping to spread the word about SayWeCanFly.
“It means the world to me that everyone cared so much to make this happen,” Barrie said. “It’s moments like these when I think we all feel and understand how each of us plays such an important role in helping SayWeCanFly grow, and I hope everyone knows this was our win, not mine.”
