More importantly, Erik informed me how his unique Texas-based pop-punk band has gotten used to being the rookies of one of the summer's largest tours and how they've dealt with with the grueling climate. He also talked about the band's upcoming album, DVD and fall tour with Never Heard of It. Want to know a little more about Bowling for Soup? Please, keep reading.

Popular Underground Magazine: Where did the name of the band come from? How did that originate?
Erik: It came from a 1978 Steve Martin album called Wild and Crazy Guys. We actually used to be called Bowling For Shit. That's the actual joke and that doesn't work very well so it's kind of just a play on words.

What is the goal or goals of the band? What are you trying to do?
Erik:Just play music and have a good time. Have fun with your friends as much as you can and ride the rides while we're here. See wherever it goes. If it goes nowhere it goes nowhere, but we're still having a great time doing it.

What do you think you'd be doing if you weren't in a band?
Erik:I dunno, I'd probably be shinning shoes down in the subway or something. (He thinks for a moment). I'd probably still be waiting tables or tending bar. That's what I did right before [being in the band]. Well, that was my last job.

So how has Warped Tour treated you so far?
Erik:Very, very good. The crowds have been excellent. Not more importantly, but more surprisingly the respect and the love from other bands we've got. You know, you come out and it's your first time out, you have no idea what to expect, you don't know if everybody's going to have [an] attitude and we're the new guys and are we going to have to work hard to get into the "club." And it hasn't been that way. Everybody's been very accepting and really cool.

What are some of the bands that you've looked up to or have taken you under its wing and helped you get around?
Erik:I don't know if there's any being taken under the wing... Within the first day it's pretty much - you got everything figured out - because it's the exact same everyday. Traveling, production; it's the same people you're dealing with everyday. The first time you do everything, it's exactly the same the next day. People that we looked up to and respected and wanted to meet turned out to be really cool guys. We met the Less Than Jake guys before we ever actually got to hang out with them and they were really cool folks. The Ataris, The Used [are] really cool guys. There's a band called Maxeen that was on the first part of the tour from California, they were really really great guys, we had a good time hanging out with them. Spend a lot of time with the folks from the Yoo-hoo bus. They're probably [our] number one party friends every night.

What are some of the valuable lessons you've learned while being on the Vans Warped Tour?
Erik:Showering is not that important. Once you hit day two, day three, four and five aren't so bad.

Is it a bit overwhelming at first?
Erik:Yeah. You're gonna be gone for a little over two months and it's like, "Man that's a big hill to climb." All of a sudden the first week's gone (makes a dumbfounded expression) it's like, "Where'd that go?" Then the second week's gone. Now we're beginning our eighth week, it's just like "Where did it all go?" We only got six shows left after today. So it just goes by so fast. It hasn't been too much of a mind-fuck to get everything in order. You get a daily routine going and that's what you do everyday?

What's the wildest thing you've seen on tour this summer?
Erik:The wildest thing I've seen on tour this summer was probably our crowd in Boston. Having no idea what to expect, barely been to the town before and all of a sudden there's six thousand kids crammed in front of our little bitty teeny tiny stage - watching that was very very cool. It's probably not the "wild" thing you were looking for. There hasn't been a whole lot of stupid craziness going on. Everybody's just drinking and hanging out, kinda low key. There have been a few nights when it's been fairly rambunctious.

What's the worst thing you've been a part of? Has there been anything that was bad or didn't go as you expected?
Erik:Yeah, I hit the border of heat exhaustion in Kansas City. It was a really, really hot, muggy day. We played, I got off the stage, I threw up, went back to the merch booth to sign autographs and [I] was like "Is it bad when you start getting chills when you're this hot?" And everybody's pushing me down in a chair, dunkin' T-shirts into the cooler and covering me with ice water. I got sent back to the bus to sit in the A/C for a while that day.

How hard is it to play these shows, day in and day out, in this hot weather?
Erik:Lots of water. The catering that they provide you here: They really give you excellent, well-balanced meals. I think through nine years of experience they know if they can keep their bands healthy then the bands are going to stay healthy. If they feed them good food, you're a lot less likely to fall over. You know, lots of water. After the first four of five days of being out in the heat you really get acclimated to it. It'd be bad, but you'd be like "Oh, it's not as bad as this day." It may be 10 degrees hotter, but you're accustomed to it.

In your opinion what city has had the hottest girls so far?
Erik:Dallas, Texas. By all means. Not withstanding that being the place that we're from, but you just can't beat Texas girls, man. Ventura, [California]. That was really good.

What's been your favorite city to play? Other than Dallas.
Erik:I gotta say Boston man. Just the crowd and the kids. The insanity during the show. Yesterday in Pontiac, [Michigan], I guess that's the Detroit show, was a close second. We had lots of good merch and had a four hour line at the booth after we finished playing. Just kids wanting to come up and say hello and that's always fun. Lots of people say it gets tiring and you only do it for an hour to an hour and a half, but shit, if there's somebody in line that wants to just say hi to you, you've got the time. We've always been really really fan friendly.

Did you guys get to party with Mest at all?
Erik:Yeah.

Are they as crazy as everyone says they are?
Erik:Yes. They are man. In fact [within] the last week, we've gotten to know those guys really well. One night Tony and Nick [of Mest] rode on our bus - we have our tattoo artist out - Nick wanted a Jackass tattoo and wanted to get the tattoo while the bus was moving and our artist was like "I won't do it." Jaret [singer for Bowling For Soup] and Tony are like "I will." We'll do it." So two guys that have never touched a gun in their entire lives, neither of them can draw or anything, gave Nick a tattoo that says "Good Lookin.'" And it's horrible. That one's going on the DVD for sure.

Where do you guys think you'll be a year from now?
Erik:A year from now, I hope to God I'm on the fucking Warped Tour doing this again. Hopefully, a year from now the new album will be out, we'll have a new single, videos kickin' and we'll be back on the Warped Tour next year. I think things have gone well enough this year that we'll possibly be invited back next year.

Bowling For Soup is on tour this fall with Lucky Boy's Confusion and Never Heard of It. If you want to have your socks rocked off then go check these guys out when they swing by your town.

By: Adam K. Zakroczymski III - Senior Editor / Founder