Warped Tour's Main Man Speaks

We usually don't talk to behind-the-scenes folks, but Kevin Lyman is the man. He's basically the dude responsible for bringing the world the Vans Warped Tour every year since 1995.

Here's what he had to say to CHARTattack:

CHARTattack: The word is you're trying to get Canadians excited for Warped Tour this year?
Kevin Lyman: We've been concentrating on the Canadian market. Up until two to three years ago, the Canadian markets were some of our strongest. But to be honest we've seen a bit of a decline lately. Maybe that's because we've been booking some of the younger bands in the U.S., maybe they haven't clicked up in Canada, but this year we have found some artists from Canada or who are relevant to Canadians.

You've also got a lot of the mid-'90s punk staples on the tour once again, which has to help.
Canadians have always been very loyal to the Epitaph/Fat [Wreck Chords] bands. Meanwhile Alexisonfire, Silverstein and LIGHTS are popular there, but bring it down here. I also met a guy named Shad in New York. I hung out and talked to him and he will be on the tour. We have a well-balanced show for the Canadian market.

In addition to the bigger names, you have a history of getting bands on the tour who are only months away from really breaking out.
That's something that's good about Warped Tour. It changes a little bit, but it's still comfortable to go to. You're going to see a lot of bands that will be big in six months on a small stage. If you're driving a long way it's a great chance to see what's going on in current music.

What are some of your more memorable moments from going through Canada with Warped Tour?
I remember the big grass fights in Montreal, some of the storms in Calgary, that it's always raining, white water rafting, house-boating on Shuswap Lake [in B.C.]. I have a lot of great friends in Canada. I think it's good. Punk's always done well up there. The fans have been loyal to bands and fans that have.

How often to bands approach you and say "Hey, being on the Warped Tour really helped us break out"?
A lot of people come out and say thanks. [Vandals bassist] Joe Escalante came on a radio show and said, "Thanks to Warped Tour we've been able to be a band this long." I don't go shopping for praise but you enjoy getting some recognition.

It seems that the Tour has gotten some flack as of late for some of the bands you've brought along, that they don't really fit into the punk mold. What are your thoughts on that?
If you go back to 1995, it was pretty broad. We had Orange 9mm, L7, Sublime. We got known as a punk tour, but we have also had Ozomatli and Black Eyed Peas.

But keep looking at the way I do it, and you'll see we are always going to pay homage to our roots, and that's why you are going to see Bad Religion and Flogging Molly and others.

It must be way easier to find undiscovered bands now than it was back in 1995.
I used to work in the clubs. I worked six nights a week and all seeing the bands play live. Today, I'm not out seeing bands. I have a family and kids, but I can listen, see what people are talking about. I'm excitded about 3OH!3, LIGHTS, Shad, Shooter Jennings, Westbound Train and others.

Does the Warped Tour plan on doing more expansion and launching new tours?
I just opened up an office in Nashville and we're doing a cool country tour. A little mix. Some of the new school mixed with traditional country.

Here are the dates for this summer's Warped Tour:

June 26 Pomona, CA @ Pomona Fairplex
June 27 San Francisco, CA @ Pier 30/32
June 28 Ventura, CA @ Seaside Park
June 30 Phoenix, AZ @ Cricket Pavilion
July 1 Las Cruces, NM @ NMSU Pan American Center
July 2 San Antonio, TX @ AT&T Center
July 3 Houston, TX @ The Showgrounds at Sam Houston Race Park
July 5 Dallas, TX @ Superpages.com Center
July 7 Indianapolis, IN @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
July 8 Pittsburgh, PA @ Post Gazette Pavilion
July 9 Cleveland, OH @ Time Warner Cable Amphitheatre
July 10 Toronto, ON @ Arrow Hall
July 11 Montreal, QC @ Parc Jean Drapeau
July 12 Hartford, CT @ New England Dodge Music Center
July 14 Washington, DC @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
July 15 Scranton, PA @ Toyota Pavilion
July 16 Buffalo, NY @ Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
July 17 Camden, NJ @ Susquehanna Bank Center
July 18 Uniondale, NY @ Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
July 19 Oceanport, NJ @ Monmouth Park Racetrack
July 21 Boston, MA @ Comcast Center
July 22 Virginia Beach, VA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
July 23 Charlotte, NC @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
July 24 Orlando, FL @ Central Florida Fairgrounds
July 25 Miami, FL @ Cruzan Amphitheatre
July 26 Tampa, FL @ Vinoy Park
July 28 Atlanta, GA @ Lakewood Amphitheatre
July 29 Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Amphitheatre
July 30 Milwaukee, WI @ Marcus Amphitheatre
July 31 Detroit, MI @ Comerica Park
Aug. 1 Chicago, IL @ First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
Aug. 2 Minneapolis, MN @ Canterbury Park
Aug. 3 St. Louis, MO @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
Aug. 4 Kansas City, MO @ Capitol Federal Park at Sandstone
Aug. 7 Boise, ID @ Idaho Center Amphitheatre
Aug. 8 Salt Lake City, UT @ Utah State Fairgrounds
Aug. 9 Denver, CO @ Invesco Field
Aug. 12 Calgary, AB @ Race City Speedway
Aug. 14 Vancouver, BC @ Thunderbird Stadium
Aug. 15 Seattle, WA @ The Gorge Amphitheatre
Aug. 16 Portland, OR @ Washington County Fairgrounds
Aug. 19 Fresno, CA @ Save Mart Center
Aug. 20 Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
Aug. 21 Sacramento, CA @ Sleep Train Amphitheatre
Aug. 22 San Diego, CA @ Cricket Amphitheatre
Aug. 23 Los Angeles, CA @ Home Depot Center