This year's Warped lineup pretty well sticks to the core T-shirt-wearing, skateboard-carrying blend of classic, poppy, ska-spiked and/or emo-ish punk bands that have been the tour's meat and potatoes for its 16 years, including familiar names such as Sum 41, Pennywise, Dillinger Escape Plan, Every Time I Die and Reel Big Fish. But there are still some names that stand out from the crowd.
The Pretty Reckless: "Gossip Girl" viewers will recognize singer Taylor Momsen, 17, as blond troublemaker Jenny Humphrey on the hit CW series. Everyone else will recognize her as another teen star acting (and dressing) beyond her years, in this case as a Courtney Love wannabe.
Mike Posner: This Detroit synth-pop singer and Duke grad is this year's potential Katy Perry or 3OH!3 (recent Warped stars who crossed over to the pop mainstream). His single "Cooler Than Me" has cracked the top 10 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart in prep for J Records' Aug. 10 release of his debut, "31 Minutes to Takeoff." His Timberlake-meets-Passion-Pit sound sure does seem an awkward fit here, though.
Riverboat Gamblers: Not much pop crossover potential here. These rowdy, explosive Texas punks -- underground favorites for a decade now -- have a live show that could blow many of the more polished Warped acts off the stage.
Rev. Peyton's Big Damn Band: You don't see a lot of Warped acts using washboards. This hard-rocking, Indiana-bred acoustic-blues trio -- the "big" describes the members themselves, and their sound -- should prove that you can sound punk even without electric guitars.
CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER
