(From 2007 to 2013, I worked as a web producer, copy editor, and features and sports writer for the Houston Chronicle. During that time, I unofficially covered the punk/emo/ alt scene, and many of these interviews with bands like blink-182, Alkaline Trio, Taking Back Sunday, Descendents, and others can be found in my book “Hey Suburbia: A guide to the emo/pop-punk rise.” During my time writing for the Chronicle, I covered various Warped Tours, concerts, X-Games, and other events for a variety of chron.com blogs like Peep, Guy Stuff, MIKED, 29-95, and others. Unfortunately, most of those blogs and content have been archived, and are no longer available. I still have video interviews from this time ( early 2000s low-quality videos and Flip Cam recordings), and some of the content is just too good not to live on. From the vaults interview will be a new series revisiting these stories from some of punk’s biggest names.)
In this installment, here is a 2016 sit-down with Jordan Pundik and Ian Grushka from New Found Glory where they discuss the Warped Tour, and its place with that generation, the band’s first book, and more. New Found Glory’s new acoustic record “Make The Most Of It,” is out now. The band also announced a massive summer/ fall tour with the All-American Rejects, The Get Up Kids, Motion City Soundtrack, and The Starting Line.
-By MIKE DAMANTE
If you are a fan of pop-punk, Mike Damante’s latest book “Hey Suburbia: A guide to the emo/pop-punk rise” is out now, and features interviews with New Found Glory, Alkaline Trio, blink-182. Descendents, New Found Glory and others.