Monday, June 29, 2009

Ventura Tales from Warped


Ventura's show was the best one so far. Arturo and I have almost nailed our morning set up. It was also the first day that I was able to get out into the swarm of kids and see what Warped was all about. I got a great spot in front of the main stage, but I lost my voice because I had to yell over the bands to talk to kids about our tent.

It was my first time seeing Anti Flag and I was so impressed! Their stage presence was so captivating; I couldn't take my eyes off them during their 20 minute set. They are really interactive with their fans too. At one point the bass player called out to a girl in the audience who had sang along to their entire set. She was thrilled.

Ventura is near the water, and the winds were kicking up and having their way with the tents. At one point, a gust of wind took our backdrop and a clothesline full of shirts. The poor guys next to us had a tiny tent and they were always on the verge of being blown away!

I got back to the bus around 6pm, and my bunk mates informed me that our call was 2:30 AM because Warped was hosting a movie premier. There are 3 boys from the UK on my bus that I adore. Paul, Matt and Joe own a clothing company called Baby Cakes, and we all walked to the premier together. They are so funny that they even made watching a movie called "Summer Bummer" worth the trip!

We're off today and we'll be at a resort in Arizona, so I'll be hanging by the pool!

June 27, 2009 - San Francisco, CA

I knew I was home in SF when I woke up on the bus to the sweet smell of the salty bay water. We were in a rush because the doors were opening earlier than usual, and the buses were late. Arturo used his Jedi mind tricks to persuade all the loaders that they needed to bring our 6 heavy bins to our tent. The morning was organized chaos. The first order of business was to set up the tent, then hang the flags, set up all the merch tables, and finally set up the computers and monitors for the CBGB virtual tour . We had a few hours of technical difficulties, but we got it up and running.
I think the virtual tour has been really successful and people are telling me about their history at the club. One person told me about their first date there, and some else told me that he broke his wrist there. I like hearing all these stories.

At 5:30 we tore down and packed up everything we set up this morning. We're all sun burned from the rays reflecting off the bay. It got up to 100 deg F and my SPF failed. Someone told me " The coldest winter I ever had was a summer in SF"I think they lied. Now, we're off to Ventura!

June 26, 2009 - Pomona, CA

Today was the official first day of Warped. The field was empty the night before, but by morning had transformed into a city of tents. When I got there, I didn't know where I was, but when I saw the Ramone's and CBGB's flags flying high I knew I had found my second home.

Arturo and I didn't know when doors were going to open, but then the kids started to flood the open grassy areas looking for a good spot to watch the bands from. I wasn't sure what type of person would visit our tent. I wondered if they knew the history of CBGB or if they were familiar with the Ramones? Were they just trying to be cool? As each person came up to the tent, I sensed they had respect and understanding for Ramones, CBGB, Arturo and me, and that made me feel more at ease.

My favorite part about the job is doing merch because it gives me a chance to talk and bond with fans. There weren't any bad vibes, and the fans got it. They knew the Ramones, and they
knew the club. I'm really looking forward to the next show in San Francisco, my home town!

Wednesday, June 17, 2009


Hello everyone!!!!

My name is Molly Torres and I am COMPLETELY thrilled to team up with Arturo Vega on this Summer's Vans Warped Tour!!! Together we will be representing CBGB and Ramonesworld.com. Throughout the two months on tour I will be updating this blog with pictures and crazy stories of what life is really like on tour!!! So to start off the very first blog let me start with a short background. I am 21 years old, I attend Diablo Valley Community College and San Francisco State University. At SFSU I am dabbling in the sound engineering program learning how to produce/ mix song and also live concert sound. On any given night you can probably find me catching a local show.
To give you a better idea of who I am, I asked my friends to ask me different questions and here were the top five:

1) What are the three things you will miss while on tour?
1) My moms hugs, she is the best hugger I have ever met, nothing beats a moms hug.
2) Daily Showers.
3) In-n-Out grilled cheese… yes they do more than burgers

2) If you could ask any person (dead or alive) one question what would it be?
I would as Meatloaf ‘You would do anything for love BUT what was the one thing you would not do?

3) If you were to walk into a room and have one song play as you walk in what would the song be? Barracuda by Heart

4) Five items you HAVE to have on the road with you?
1) My Nikon D-40
2) My Fluffy pillow
3) Dry Shampoo
4) Fabreeze
5) flower hair clips (when you are around that many guys, to keep it girly put a flower in your hair)

5) If you were to choose a five person dodge ball team with you who would you choose?
Micheal Cera, Oprah, Big (from rob and big) Paul Rudd, and Helena Bonham Carter.