As many bands will tell you, Warped Tour comes with its challenges. From the unbearable heat to lugging loads of equipment to the inevitable van breakdowns, there can be some bumps in the road. And The Classic Crime sure know what it's like to deal with van breakdowns, as they recently told Buzznet. No strangers to Warped, the Seattle crew played the fest back in 2006, and had some choice recollections to share with Buzznet about the experience.



The last time The Classic Crime – singer Matt MacDonald, bassist Alan Clark, drummer Skip Erickson, and guitarists Justin DuQue and Robbie Negrin – played Warped, in 2006, they were supporting their debut album, Albatross, which had just dropped. And as it just so happens, the band's stretch on this year's Warped – from July 27 through August 17 – will find them drawing attention to their second release, The Silver Cord, which is due July 22 on Tooth & Nail.

"The Silver Cord is a metaphor from literary history dating back to the Torah and the Old Testament," MacDonald said in a recent post on the band's MySpace about the album. "There are also numerous stories of people who have had out-of-body experiences on hospital beds who have seen The Silver Cord. After being proclaimed dead and then coming back to life, many have made reference to a small tinsel-like silver thread which connects their mortal bodies to their immortal souls. The idea is that when the cord is severed, you pass on.

"It's impossible to think about this cord without realizing how fragile life truly is," the post continued. "Every song on this album follows that theme in some way. And while there are songs on the new record that could have easily been on Albatross, we wanted more of a contrast from song to song. This is the three-dimensional version of ourselves ... an album that you can dig into and listen to again and again."

Sounds pretty intriguing, no? If the band's album description strikes your interest, find out what they have lined up for their Warped run in this recent Buzznet chat with MacDonald.

Buzznet: Share some highlights, good or bad, of past Warped Tours you've played or attended.

Matt MacDonald: We did two weeks on Warped Tour 2006 in a van, it was one of the hardest things we've ever done. Some of the drives were six to eight hours, so we'd get done at midnight and have to drive all night to make it to load-in at 8 in the morning. On top of that, the temperature was an average 100 degrees and we didn't have legitimate AC. Our van AC blew hot air if it was idling. By the end of it, all of us were going crazy from lack of sleep and heat stroke. We all wanted to kill each other. After that, we vowed never to do Warped in a van again. This year we'll be splitting a bus with another band, and I think it will be a completely better experience.

Buzznet: Which bands are you most looking forward to seeing perform? Who do you think will blow up after Warped?

MacDonald: I'm looking forward to watching Family Force 5, I've heard they're nuts. I also like to watch Every Time I Die and Say Anything play. I think Anberlin should blow up after Warped, it's their turn.

Buzznet: What will you be doing to kill time on the tour bus?

MacDonald: Sleeping.

Buzznet: What's the best way to cure the heat while touring with Warped?

MacDonald: A/C and icy beverages.

Buzznet: How has Warped evolved over the years in your opinion?

MacDonald: When I used to go as a kid, it was primarily a punk-rock festival. Every year there seems to be more and more genres being represented. Now you can be watching a punk-rock show and walk 100 feet to a hip-hop show. I think it's cool, and more fitting of the name "Warped Tour," because it's wacky, dude.

Buzznet: List a few items on your rider that we might not expect.

MacDonald: To be honest, I haven't seen our rider in a couple years. I remember putting ridiculous specifics on it, because a band our size never gets our rider anyways, and we thought it'd be funny to see if anyone would actually get us this stuff. I think we showed up to a show last year, and the promoter had blueberry Pop-Tarts and granola bars and fruit snacks laid out for us, and we said, "WTF is all this?!" and he said, "It's on your rider," and we [were] like, "Oh ... sweet." And that's the end of that sweet story.

Buzznet: Do you have anything unusual planned for your set, whether it be cover songs, tracks you normally don't play?

MacDonald: We don't normally play new songs, but we'll be playing a few of those!

Buzznet: Are you planning any props, backdrops, screens or anything else in terms of stage setup?

MacDonald: If we were rich, we would have backdrops and pyrotechnics and lights and cool costumes and cooler music.

Buzznet: What's the best part about playing Warped?

MacDonald: It's like high school all over again. You go try to meet popular people and do what we like to call in the industry "bro down" with them. And then if they like you, maybe you'll go to the BBQ and eat a hot dog together and get to know each other, and then if things keep growing and growing between you and the popular person, maybe you go back to their bus and talk until you fall asleep in their arms. Just like high school.

Buzznet: Any tips for people going for the first time?

MacDonald: Yeah, check the set times and look for The Classic Crime! Don't be late to the show or you'll miss the pyrotechnics.

Don't miss our nonstop Warped Tour 2008 coverage:

"Relient K Guitarist Recalls Seeing Blink-182, Eminem: Warped Tour"
"Warped Tour '08: The 411 on Four Year Strong, Against Me!, Every Avenue, The A.K.A.s"
"As I Lay Dying Guitarist: Don't Wear Black Clothes - Warped Tour Warm-Up"
"Warped Tour '08: Who Are You Most Excited to See?"
"Warped Tour '08: A to Z"
"Warped Tour '08: Hip-Hop Acts Might Give You a Reason to Leave Emo Alone"
"Norma Jean Considering Nirvana Cover, Fireball Dance: Warped Tour Warm-Up"
"Fall Out Boy's Andy Hurley Unveils Clothing Line; Plans For Warped Tour Booth"
"We the Kings Singer Saved Drummer's Life at Summer Fest: Warped Tour Warm-Up"
"Warped Tour '08: The 411 on Angels & Airwaves, Bouncing Souls, 1997, Devil Wears Prada"
"Angels & Airwaves Ditching Lasers This Time Around: Warped Tour Warm-Up"
"Race Through the Aisles of Virgin Megastore Phoenix With As I Lay Dying, Protest the Hero"
"From First to Last Call Themselves 'Romantics,' 'Fatties': Warped Tour Warm-Up"
"Midnight to Twelve Want Some McLovin: Warped Tour Warm-Up"
"Motion City Soundtrack Extend Warped Stay; Fear Just on for One-Night Stand"
"Academy Is ... Bassist Prefers Leap Frog Over 'Halo': Warped Tour Warm-Up"
"All-American Rejects Drop Off Warped Tour"
"Warped Tour '07 Retrospective"
"Be Your Own Pet Talk Trash About Warped Tour: 'It's Like the New Hair Metal' "
"Every Time I Die on 'Punkguins,' GCH and Sitting in Pee: Warped Tour Warm-Up"
"Warped Tour '08: How to Meet the Bands"
"The Audition Buffing Up for This Summer: Warped Tour Warm-Up"
"Maylene and the Sons of Disaster Writing New LP on the Road: Warped Tour Warm-Up"
"Warped Tour '08: Last Chance to Be a Pit Reporter and Get the VIP Treatment"
"Pennywise Can't Get Enough of Warped Tour, Add More Dates"
"A.K.A.s to Be Joined Onstage by Gym Class Heroes? Warped Tour Warm-Up"
"Forever the Sickest Kids Want 'A Monkey at Every Show': Warped Tour Warm-Up"
"Warped Tour '08: Roll Call - and Dos and Don'ts"
"Charlotte Sometimes Wonders if She'll Blow Up This Summer: Warped Tour Warm-Up"
"Warped Tour '08: A Guide to Pit Etiquette"
"1997 Keyboardist Longs for the Slip-N-Slide: Warped Tour Warm-Up"
"Warped Tour '08: The VIP Guide"
"Protest the Hero Singer Says 'We Don't Roll Like Carrot Top': Warped Tour Warm-Up"
"Set Your Goals Are Packing Extra Boxers: Warped Tour Warm-Up"
"Warped Tour '08: Top 10 Must-Haves"
"Two More Killer Bands Added to Warped Tour Main Stage"

Also, feast your eyes on these pics of Katy Perry, Beat Union and more at the Warped Tour kickoff show on April 11 in West Hollywood, California – click on the image below.



Get psyched for summer with Buzznet's Warped Tour 2008 gallery:


[Click on picture to view the rest.]

See which females will be rocking out on Warped this summer:


[Click on picture to view the rest.]

Check out these bands that will be playing Warped for the first time:


[Click on picture to view the rest.]

Find out which Warped artists are out of their twenties:


[Click on picture to view the rest.]

Warped Tour dates:

6.20: Pomona, CA @ Pomona Fairgrounds
6.21: San Francisco, CA @ Pier 30/32
6.22: Ventura, CA @ Seaside Park
6.25: Phoenix, AZ @ Cricket Pavilion
6.26: Las Cruces, NM @ N.M.S.U. Practice Field
6.28: Salt Lake City, UT @ TBA
6.29: Denver, CO @ Invesco Field
7.1: St. Louis, MO @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
7.2: Kansas City, KS @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
7.3: Dallas, TX @ Superpages.com Center
7.5: San Antonio, TX @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
7.6: Houston, TX @ Sam Houston Race Park
7.9: Atlanta, GA @ Lakewood Amphitheater
7.10 : Orlando, FL @ Central Florida Fairgrounds
7.11: Tampa, FL @ Vinoy Park
7.12: Miami, FL @ Bicentennial Park
7.13: Jacksonville, FL @ St. Johns County Fairgrounds
7.14: Charlotte, NC @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
7.15: Virginia Beach, VA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
7.16: Washington DC @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
7.17: Cleveland, OH @ Time Warner Cable Amphitheater at Tower City
7.18: Detroit, MI @ Comerica Park
7.19: Toronto, ON @ Downsview Park Allen Road
7.20: Montreal, QC @ Parc Jean Drapeau
7.23: Boston, MA @ Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts
7.24: Buffalo, NY @ Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
7.25: Camden, NJ @ Susquehanna Bank Center
7.26: Uniondale, NY @ Nassau Coliseum
7.27: Scranton, PA @ Toyota Pavilion
7.28: Englishtown, NJ @ Raceway Park
7.29: Pittsburgh, PA @ Post Gazette Pavilion
7.30: Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center
7.31: Indianapolis, IN @ Verizon Wireless Music Center
8.1: Milwaukee, WI @ Marcus Amphitheatre
8.2: Chicago, IL @ First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
8.3: Minneapolis, MN @ Canterbury Park
8.5: Saskatoon, SK @ Credit Union Centre
8.6: Calgary, AB @ Race City Speedway
8.8: Boise, ID @ Idaho Center Amphitheatre
8.9: Seattle, WA @ George Amphitheatre
8.10: Portland, OR @ Columbia Meadows
8.13: Fresno, CA @ Save Mart Center
8.14: San Diego, CA @ Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre
8.15: San Francisco, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
8.16: Sacramento, CA @ Sleep Train Amphitheatre Lot
8.17: Los Angeles, CA @ Home Depot Center

Win Warped tix on Buzznet right here!

Get your Warped fix with our nonstop coverage right here.