Aggrolites bassist Jeff Roffredo recants me with tales of tours past, present, and future.
How are you enjoying Warped Tour so far?
It’s hot, isn’t it? Most Warped Tour shows are just in parking lots… but there is a lot of camaraderie and chances to meet new people. We get to hang out and check out a lot of good music.
Primarily in California, I’m sure.
Oh, yeah!
How many Warped Tours have you been to, now?
This is my third one.
Is there a standout occurrence over those three years?
Back in ’07, a storm hit Cleveland, Ohio, that was the craziest storm I’ve ever seen in my life! It was hailing, destroying tents, lifting tents up off the ground and all of the kids just went running for cover. Kevin Lyman said it was one of the top storms Warped Tour had ever seen in it’s entire history.
Wow, what do you do in those conditions? Does rock n roll power you through?
Absolutely not.
Someone would probably get electrocuted.
I basically hid underneath one of the tents. We’re talking about one of the massive, well supported tents which was still being lifted off of the ground, lightning was striking 20 to 30 feet away.
Shit… Ohio, huh?
Crazy!
Before you start getting flashbacks, let me change gears. Are you guys coming out with a new album?
We just came out with a collection called Rugged Road. It’s a lot of instrumental tracks, but it’s a tip of the hat to all of the masters who play old school reggae.
What are your plans after Warped Tour?
We are going to be doing a tour of the US and Canada in September and October.
More touring?
Yeah. Then we hit Europe in November.
You just can’t get enough, huh?
After that, in December and January, we will return to Australia or South America.
Basically you are homeless for the rest of this year.
As usual. Our passports have a lot of stamps.
Have you seen any new artists on this year’s Warped Tour that you really enjoyed?
It’s too early in the tour to say so, but that is the most exciting thing; to catch a band you don’t know and be blown away by something fresh, something original, and something that catches your ears. We have a lot of friends on the tour this year, but we’re only a few shows into the entire tour so I haven’t had a chance to really explore the other bands.
Any collaborations coming up? Live or studio.
We’ll see. We have a live recording we want to release some time this year.
In modern music, who would you say is one of the most overrated musicians today?
To be honest, I listen to a lot of old school, vintage music. I don’t really keep up too much. I see all of the big pop stars coming through but I don’t follow it at all.
How about underrated musicians who are talented but unsigned?
The first thing that comes to mind is my friend and his band The Expanders. The play roots reggae and they just came out with an album. Check them out.
Where are they from?
Los Angeles.
The million dollar question: if you had to ride one amusement park rde over and over again, what would it be?
That’s hard to say. I am a big fan of the rollercoasters. As a kid my favorite was Colossus as Magic Mountain. While touring, we’ve been able to go to a lot of amusement parks.
Would you say Six Flags is your go to amusement park?
I guess so. They have some good ones down in Orlando, Florida.
Favorite Pauly Shore movie?
I can’t even name one.
Favorite Samuel L. Jackson movie?
Pulp Fiction.
Correct. Thank you for talking to me and good luck with the months of touring ahead of you.
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