SONG PREMIERE: Wilkes-Barre pop punk band Stay Loud shouts ‘FCK YRSLF’ before last Warped Tour
With the Vans Warped Tour rolling into Pennsylvania for the final time this month, Wilkes-Barre pop punk/alternative rock band Stay Loud is appropriately releasing a very punk rock song called “FCK YRSLF” as they prepare to play Warped for the first and, unfortunately, last time as tour ends its 24-year run.
Premiering exclusively on NEPA Scene, the second single from their upcoming debut full-length album is as straightforward as its title.
“The song is about my ex-girlfriend and all the bad that happened,” vocalist/guitarist Chris Cashmere told NEPA Scene.
“I felt that it was important to have a song like that. Everyone can relate to it, and it’s good to break some boundaries. Also, as a punk rock band, we felt it would fit and grab people’s attention.”
They’re also hoping to attract eyes and ears on the Full Sail Stage as young music fans attend the last Warped Tour at the KeyBank Pavilion (665 Pennsylvania 18, Burgettstown) near Pittsburgh on Monday, July 16, a little over a week before the Scranton stop on Thursday, July 26. The tour is ending due to “an evolving summer festival industry, a shrinking pool of bands, and declining ticket sales amongst its teenage demographic,” according to founder Kevin Lyman, so Stay Loud is making their longtime dreams come true right under the wire, looking up to groups like Scranton’s own Motionless In White, who worked their way up to national headliners through years of exposure on the tour.
When Cashmere and guitarist Gerry Tulao appeared on the NEPA Scene Podcast on Wednesday, they talked about the joyous feeling that overwhelmed them when they received the e-mail inviting them to perform.
“I work at First National Bank in Scranton. I also work at Burger King in Pittston there. I remember I got the notification and I read, ‘On behalf of [Warped Tour], we welcome…’ I threw my phone and I ran around the Burger King five times,” Cashmere recalled.
“They’re like, ‘What the fuck’s going on?’ I’m like, ‘Dreams coming true, that’s what’s going on.'”
Warped organizers were obviously impressed with what they heard on “The Basement” EP, recorded at Side B Studios in Wapwallopen during a heavy storm last year. Their latest singles, “Overboard” and now “FCK YRSLF,” were also recorded there, and they’re currently putting the finishing touches on the rest of the album. These songs can be streamed or downloaded now on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, YouTube, and all other major platforms.
See an exclusive acoustic performance by Stay Loud and learn more about the band, how they got on Warped and their favorite memories from the tour, the recording on their music, what to expect from the new album, all-ages shows in Scranton, punk rock, and more in Episode 66 of the NEPA Scene Podcast:
