Interview: Warped Headliner August Burns Red on Their 7th Studio Album
August Burns Red is days away from releasing their seventh studio album, Found in Far Away Places. The release marks their first for new label home Fearless Records, and carries potential to top the band's highest-charting album to date: Rescue & Restore, which broke the top 10 on the Billboard 200 in 2013. It also comes an incredible 10 years after their full-length debut, 2005's Thrill Seeker.
All that excitement and nervous anticipation would rattle most to the core, but right now lead guitarist JB Brubaker isn't fazed one bit as he endures the heat and the crowds on the Vans Warped Tour alongside contemporaries like Memphis May Fire, Attila and Hundredth. JB was calm, mature, and to-the-point when he caught up with Fuse to talk about August Burns Red's fifth appearance on the tour, why Fearless won the bid for their new contract, and what themes will be explored lyrically on Found In Far Away Places.
ABR is killing the Shark Stage at Warped Tour this year alongside Motion City Soundtrack, blessthefall and the Wonder Years. This is a really eclectic list of acts for you guys to be paired with for the summer. Have fans of those acts been responding well to ABR?
That’s a good question. I can’t say for sure if fans of those acts have been watching us play or not. I can say, however, that our sets have been awesome and the crowds have been large and responding well. I can only hope there are fans of Motion City and the Wonder Years sprinkled throughout. Warped is all about a community of bands and artists of all walks of life coming together as a unified group. I think most of the people attending are down with that approach to the festival.
How does the Warped Tour experience compare to other tours you’ve finished recently
Warped Tour is its own beast. It’s not like any other tour we’ve ever done. We generally tour in the club scene with our outdoor shows being festivals sprinkled here and there throughout the year. Warped is the only entirely outdoor tour we do. It’s hot most of the time, but I can’t complain because the shows are amazing and we have a bus with delicious A.C. to retreat to when need be. It’s honestly one of my favorite tours to do. We wouldn’t do it so often if we didn’t enjoy it so much.
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