There's no arguing that As I Lay Dying are brutal – in fact, they're arguably the heaviest band on the Warped Tour bill this summer. But they're also brutally honest, as Buzznet learned in a recent interview with guitarist Phil Sgrosso.




"I think Warped has a lot of awful bands playing it, but I think it only helps us look better, I guess," he frankly told us in a recent interview, adding that "A lot of our friends are playing, so I'll be watching them mostly." He also readily admitted: "I don't care too much about seeing any new bands."

As Warped geeks well know, AILD are not one of those new bands. The thrash-tastic San Diego metalheads have been around for roughly seven years now, blazing their way from a ballistic basement band to Grammy-nominated gents (their An Ocean Between Us cut "Nothing Left" got a nod for this year's awards show).

Ocean has done disgustingly well for a metal release — it debuted at #8 on the Billboard 200 when it dropped in August, and the band has cranked out three singles from it: "Nothing Left," "The Sound of Truth" and "Within Destruction."

While they've been touring tirelessly behind the release, trekking last year with All That Remains and co-headlining a stretch with Killswitch Engage earlier this year, they apparently still have some gas left in their proverbial tank. The band will be playing from Friday in Pomona, California, through July 18 in Detroit — the same agenda Maylene and the Sons of Disaster have lined up — and will be playing some off-dates as well, in Las Vegas (Monday); Omaha (June 30); New Orleans (July 7); Birmingham, Alabama (July 8); and Atlanta (July 9). They'll also be breaking away from Warped on July 5 to headline the Cornerstone Festival, a Christian music event, in Bushnell, Illinois; and after they split from Warped, they'll be coursing through Europe to play even more shows.

With all that going on, it's hard to fathom how Sgrosso found time to catch up with Buzznet — but he did. While he wasn't excited about seeing many newer bands, he did share some fond memories of Pennywise and explained why, despite the picture you see above, Warped-goers shouldn't show up in black.

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

Phil Sgrosso: I think my biggest highlight was looking over during our set and seeing Fletcher Dragge from Pennywise watching us play. I grew up listening to Pennywise, so that was pretty awesome. Our bus breaking down a million times was just as amazing too.

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

Sgrosso: I don't care too much about seeing any new bands. A lot of our friends are playing, so I'll be watching them mostly. I think August Burns Red will go over well with a lot of the Warped crowd. They're a bunch of good-looking lads.

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

Sgrosso: Playing guitar, probably.

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

Sgrosso: Don't wear jeans or black clothes, and go sleeveless and/or shirtless.

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

Sgrosso: I don't know if it has necessarily evolved "as a whole," but I do think that our band has benefitted a lot from playing it. We've been able to cross over from the Ozzfest kind of crowd into the Warped crowd. It's really cool to see younger kids getting into heavy music. I think Warped has a lot of awful bands playing it, but I think it only helps us look better, I guess.

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

Sgrosso: Well, for Warped all you get is a case of water and a case of beer. Last year was PBR, this year, who knows. We don't really get any random stuff on our usual rider, mostly just the essentials, like milk and cereal, Gatorade, stuff like that.

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

Sgrosso: We're not going to do anything unusual. Just 30 minutes of the heavy stuff.

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

Sgrosso: We'll be using the most cost-efficient form of lighting for all the Warped shows, called the sun. We'll probably have some scrims [lighting devices] as well. You're kind of limited to what you can set up on those stages.

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

Sgrosso: Hanging out in the shade or eating delicious food at catering.

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

Sgrosso: Drink lots of water and wear sunscreen. Bring some mosh while you're at it too.

Don't miss our nonstop Warped Tour 2008 coverage:

"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

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