Awake At Last talk Warped Tour, touring and new future releases

We last talked to Awake At Last’s lead vocalist, Vince Torres back in August, since then the band has been extremely successful, we got the chance to catch up with Torres to talk about being apart of the final Warped Tour and new future releases.

When we met, you were a band with a backpack walking the lines of Vans Warped Tour getting people to listen to your music while also getting to play the main stage once. Now you’re going to be playing four dates of the final run of that tour. How does it feel that your hard work has been recognized to a great extent? 

It’s an absolute dream come true and honor to be able to be a part of the Final Warped Tour ever.  It’s always been a staple in our lives as we grew up listening to a lot of the bands on there as well. And the fact that we get to be a part of it as it says it’s final goodbye is amazing.

With this being the last Warped Tour the turn out should be quite large. With you being named “One Of The Twelve Bands You Need To Know” by Alternative Press, attendees will most likely recall your name from that list and want to see you play. Does that put more pressure on your nerves for your sets, or just add more hype to the experience?

I think we always feel a bit nervous before any show.  You always have to take the time to figure out the crowd, and shake off the anxiety.  However once we kick into that first song and we get that out of the way everything seems to fall into place.  I’m actually excited to be able to display our music to the Warped Tour Scene and let them know that music that is featured on festivals like warped tour, won’t die because we’ll continue to carry the torch.

As you’re still unsigned, how did the recruitment process for Warped Tour work out for you?

We got picked for the Columbia Date last year, and we followed the tour and caught the attention of some of the people there.  So I think when our name came up and they were going through the process they saw all the hard work we have been putting in and decided to give us a chance.  The band had been working really hard and seeing our streams going up and our fan base grow i think we earned their respect. 

Your fan base has gained great momentum over the last year and into the New Year with breaking 1 million streams on Spotify. How has this affected turn outs at your shows?

Actually it’s been amazing!  We’ve been touring pretty much nonstop for about three and a half years and we always had some ups and downs on the road, but lately we’ve been overwhelmed with how many people have been coming out to see us.  It’s truly humbling and exciting to know that there are so many amazing people who find strength in our words, and our music.  The shows keep getting better and I hope it continues accordingly!

You refer to your family of fans as “The Awakened” how did this come about?

Awake At Last as a band name represents the spiritual awakening we all experienced when we realized music could be both a catharsis, and a way to make a living.  The concept of “Waking up” circles around to our fan family opening their mind to the things that they really want to do, and hopefully elevating and inspiring them to make moves to do so.  I feel like with the increase in technology nothing has become impossible, but the dark side to that is I believe people are less in touch with the deeper spiritual aspect of humanity.  So “The Awakened” acts as a rallying call to those who choose to feel things on a deeper level, and chase what fulfills them.  

With all these new milestones being reached, what are the chances of hearing new music from you in the near future?

Very high, we’ve been going through a long writing process and we are hoping to have new music out to everyone soon.  We’ve thought long and hard about the message we want to put out for this next chapter and I can’t wait to share it with the world.  

As you’re getting more recognition while continuing as a start-up, DIY band, do you have any desire to pursue a major record label?

At this point we aren’t opposed to it.  I think that having a solid label and team behind you can greatly increase your productivity as a band, and if we found the right fit so that we could together with a label to put out the best album possible, it’s worth it for the fans.  However we are also totally okay to keep trucking along the way we have, and we will not stop.  

You can check out Awake At Last’s current tour dates now, and check them out on select Warped Tour dates this summer!

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