INTERVIEW: Bryce Vine

Multi-platinum artist, Bryce Vine, released his third studio album earlier this year LET’S DO SOMETHING STUPID! and celebrated the new tracks on the road on his headlining tour. The momentum for celebration has continued into the summer as Vine made sure to make some appearances at this year’s Vans Warped Tour. We had the chance to sit down with him at the D.C. stop to discuss his plethora of musical influences & reminiscing on past Warped memories.

How has Warped Tour  been treating you so far?

Really good. Yeah. Really good. Yeah, it feels like somehow a high school reunion, seeing all these bands that I feel like I know because I grew up listening to them and even Travie McCoy. Yeah, but the show was awesome. Always convinced people aren't coming, and then when they're there, it's pretty awesome.

You recently appeared in a Warped promo video with Tony Hawk. Can we expect to see you on the half pipe this weekend?

Oh, absolutely not. No, no. I told Tony that day, he was trying to show me how to drop into some 20 foot barrel. I'm like, bro, this was my dream when I was 13 years old. But at my age now, it's just not going to happen. Like, I'm definitely going to break something. I'm not coordinated. 

What makes a Warped crowd different from other festivals or audiences in place so far?

Well, it's a crowd that's been around for a long time, you know, and it doesn't feel so much about the social environment of showing people that you were there. The social media environment, I mean. And it feels like a real festival, like the way I remember them when I was growing up, you know, people are there, really, because they love the artists and they're getting down to sweat it out and, you know, it's great. 

Did you ever attend Warped Tour as a fan growing up?

That was the first festival I ever went to, and I went every summer with my punk band in high school. And it was the pinnacle, this was the dream in high school. And last year, when I played Long Beach for the first time, you know, we always said that if one of us got to play Warped Tour one day, they had to bring the rest of the band. So I brought them all out, my high school punk band. Yeah, it was cool. 

Your songs often blend storytelling with humor and really strong hooks. When you're writing, what usually comes first for you — the story, the melody, or a specific feeling you want to capture?

The melody comes first, yeah, and that comes with the feeling that you're trying to capture. I think more than even lyrics, you know. I've thought about that a lot over the years, but I think that something has to feel a certain way and I get a lot more feeling from melody.

So Motel California's been out for a hot minute now.

Oh, yeah, about a little over a year. Yeah.

Has any song in that project evolved for you? Or changed how you feel about it when you perform?

Yeah, my favorite song from that album is probably “brand new BROKEN HOME.” It was like my version of a folk song. Unfortunately, it still feels like it's pretty true. It's just a song that I would want to pass down to my kids and their kids, apologizing for how we left the world.

If a new listener only had time to listen to one song, which one should it be and why?

“Sour Patch Kids” really was the first song where I knew that this was who I was and people resonated with it. Because I just, I rewrote it twice, and I kept trying to be more and more honest. And at first, it was the first validation I really got to that I was like, oh, no, this is like a unique style, you know? 

If you could collaborate with any artists on this weekend's lineup, who would it be?

Gym Class Heroes and Third Eye Blind. Easy. Easy. And there's a lot that I would want to. I've already had songs with The Home Team and State Champs. I don't think they're on the lineup today, though. I've collaborated with a lot of punk artists now for that last album, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Goldfinger. I almost had a song with Daisy Grenade, love them too, they’re  great.

Anything coming up next that fans should be excited about?

Yeah, I'm working on the next album, producing it mostly myself. So it'll either suck and I go back to working with other producers or it'll be great.

Well, I mean, the new song you played today went over really well.

Yeah, that was the first one that I produced and wrote and recorded for myself, so hopefully.

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