The sun was shining, the sweat was pouring, and the bands were kicking ass. The Warped Tour 2006 at Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, N.Y., was wicked! And I can’t believe how many WWE fans I ran into there! My lil’ punks were everywhere! Check out the photos my brother (pictured to the right), my friend Brian and I collected throughout the day. They may not be professional quality, but I’m keeping it real, totally candid-style, know what I’m sayin’? ;-) We were out all day long and got filthy. My brother coined the nickname for me “Dirty Diva” a while back and today … well, it totally fit.

So, now I’ve got the dish on so many bands, and I can’t wait to share stories, pics and secrets I wasn’t supposed to tell… hehehe….

Saves the Day was amazing; they sound so good live. “Every Time I Die” was killer; my bro got in the pit for that one. And Aiden was awesome, as usual.

But one of my favorite shows of the day def. came from Silverstein! They were incredible. I know you punks that were there had to have seen them, too, and know exactly what I’m talking about. If you didn’t get to see them, and you don’t already have their album, you need to pick it up ­­– it’s called “Discovering the Waterfront.” “Smile in Your Sleep,” “Fist Wrapped in Blood” and “Already Dead” are some of my favorites – one even made its way onto a mix tape (which I have an affinity for – yes, I am a child of the ’80s) I made for Matt Hardy. Silverstein – Neil, Josh, Shane, Bill and Paul – put on a great live show. I caught up with Paul to hear his thoughts on Warped, his new clothing line and more. Here what he had to say:

ASHLEY: How was today’s show compared to the others on Warped? Is it standard every show? Does anything in your repertoire or set change in different cities? Where are you headed after this tour?

PAUL (pictured to left): New York Warped was a blast; we had one of the biggest crowds of the tour watching us. I always love playing in the city; the kids are just so much fun. Usually we get the best mosh pits from the crowd in New York.

ASHLEY: Yeah! That’s what I’m talkin’ about! Gotta love NYC. (Ash’s hometown for those who are not aware!)

PAUL: Sometimes we try and mix up our set for certain areas, especially if we’ve played the same songs before. Our live show is very important to us, and we are always giving the set a lot of thought beforehand. After this, we will be performing at Warped Tour in Canada, and then headlining Dirt Fest (Ash: Sounds fun already) in Detroit on Aug. 19. We’ll be doing a full Canadian tour with our friends, Underoath, during September. Finally, we will be headlining all over the States from October to December with Aiden, It Dies Today and He is Legend. We’ve been on tour since January, so after this, we will be taking a much-deserved break so we can begin focusing on our next album.

ASHLEY: WWE is on tour quite a bit, kickin’ it in the ring all year round, so I know the feeling. Def. takes a certain type of person to stay happy on tour, and thankfully I’m one of those people. Did you check out any of the other bands while on the Warped Tour when you weren’t performing/signing?

PAUL: I always tried to fill my day with watching a few of the other bands on the tour. This year there were a lot of our friends on the tour, like Armor For Sleep, Aiden, Underoath, etc., and it was fun watching them as much as possible. Some other great bands that I enjoyed were Every Time I Die, Paramore and All Time Low. Warped Tour is great for bringing together bands of diverse genres together under one show.

ASHLEY: Are you cool with NOFX? Although I enjoy them, they talk through much of their set, mostly about other bands on the tour. What are your thoughts?

PAUL: NOFX is one of the first punk bands that I really started listening to. “Punk in Drublic” is still one of my favorite punk albums of all time. I didn’t get a chance to meet any of them this year, but Bill and Shane from our band played poker with them a lot and got along pretty well. They do their thing and don’t compromise for anyone, so I really respect that. Punk might not be as popular as it used to be, but they are one of the great bands keeping it alive.

ASHLEY: They’ve been on the tour so long, I guess they are the veterans of the show. And I’d imagine they are as respected as… well, Undertaker around these parts. Have you ever watch wrestling or did you as a kid? Any faves?

PAUL: I used to watch when I was younger and in elementary school. I remember the video game “Royal Rumble” was one of my favorites on my Sega Genesis back in the day. One of my favorite wrestlers has to be Bret “Hit Man” Hart, a fellow Canadian. Gotta love the Sharpshooter!

ASHLEY: Awesome! You know he was just inducted into the Hall of Fame this year! This Friday you can catch a glimpse of Paul’s new clothing line, LIARS manifesto, (I totally rocked it on SmackDown). Can you tell me a lil’ bit about your company?

PAUL: The company LIARS was created by myself, and my two best friends, Danny and Kenny (both from New York). We’re all designers and are heavily involved with the music scene so we decided to focus some of our creativity on a new business venture. We’re really excited about the clothing so far and hope to really expand over the next year.

ASHLEY: Thanks so much for checking in with us Paul! See you the next time you’re in town!

So that wraps up my interview with Paul from Silverstein. I’ve got a bunch more to share with you over the weeks. Oh, while we’re on the topic of concerts – I just got word that Chris Jericho’s band, Fozzy, will be performing at an awesome festival called Delicious Rox in Sedalia, Mo., Saturday, Sept. 30, with Saliva, Drowning Pool and a bunch of other kick-ass bands! If you live in the area, you should totally go check it out. You will probably find me there. Perhaps I’ll include an interview with Chris in my next blog? Guess you’ll have to wait and see. …

OK, now this week has been a really busy one for me. On top of checking out Warped, I was also on the road and found the time to do a little snooping around, prying into the iPods of your favorite Superstars and Divas. I got the inside scoop on what they’ve been rocking out to, and every week I will give you the lowdown on their music picks.

So I figured who better to start with than this month’s FHM cover girl, Torrie Wilson. BTW, before we even start talking about music, if you guys haven’t seen the magazine yet, whoa … all I have to say is whoa!!! Torrie looks SMOKIN’ hot in those pictures! You seriously need to go get it. Now. Run. Quickly.

Here’s what Torrie had to say when I asked her about the kind of music she digs: “One of the songs I love to listen to while I work out is ‘Faster Kill Pussycat’ by Paul Oakenfold. I also always listen to ‘Where is the Love?’ by Black Eyed Peas, ‘Dirty Little Secret’ by The All-American Rejects, ‘Burning Up’ from Madonna (Ash: Any girl who grew up in the late ’80s/early ’90s has to love this song, I know I do. Old school Madonna, c’mon!!!) and ‘Mr. Brightside’ by The Killers. Oh, I almost forgot another great workout song: ‘Dirty Drums’ by High Lonesome Sound System.

“When I just want to chill, I put on ‘Vertigo’ by U2 and ‘Under Pressure,’ featuring Queen and David Bowie. Recently, my mom gave me the single ‘I Hope You Dance’ by Lee Ann Womack, and I love it. Finally, when I’m driving, I love listening to Maroon 5; it’s on constant replay on my iPod.”

Well that about wraps up this week’s Bangin’ with Ashley. Thanks for checking in. Next week you can look forward to an interview with Chris Jericho, dirt on another Superstars’ musical tastes and much, much more. Signing off, the dirtiest Diva of them all … Ashley

xoxo
Dirty Diva

A-Tunes of the Day
Volume 2

1. Kill the Music – Every Time I Die
2. Quit Your Life – MxPx
3. Beast & the Harlot – Avenged Sevenfold
4. Tear You Apart – She Wants Revenge
5. Cut Up Angels – The Used

What up, ya punks? Welcome to the first edition of Bangin’ With Ashley! If you’re anything like me, you spend a lot of time on this Web site. And it doesn’t take a genius to figure out why we’re all here…but, after meeting a bunch of you WWE fans on the road, in airports, outside the arenas and getting to know you a little, I’m starting to realize that we have something else in common, too: a passion for music!

I feel like music is a huge part of the sports-entertainment world. From the fans wearing T-shirts of their favorite bands, to the Superstars who appear in the ring with their entrance themes blasting through the speakers of the arena, music is everywhere in WWE.

For me, it’s been the center of my life. Through good times and bad times, music has always been there for me. So, I figured why not write a blog about it to let ya’ll know what’s runnin’ through the old iPod in Ashleyland.

Ok, so here’s the deal. Every week I’m going to fill you in on what I’m listening to throughout the day, on the way to the arena, at the gym and on the 250-mile drive to the next city. I’ll also give you the inside scoop on what your favorite Superstars and Divas are listening to, and what I’ve been playing for the people I ride with. I’ll give you the lowdown on cool shows I’ll be checking out and bring back interviews with bands that I love. Give ya the inside scoop…

So… first off on Ashley’s agenda is the Vans Warped Tour ’06 this Saturday at Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, N.Y.! Yeah!! Tons of awesome bands are scheduled to perform. Warped Tour goes on all Summer, and if you guys get the chance, you should totally check it out! They’ve got a great lineup this Summer. From AFI, to 30 Seconds to Mars, Aiden, Silverstein, HELMET, even Saves the Day … almost every band on the bill finds its way to the most played section of my iPod. If you’ve never been to Warped Tour, you’re totally missing out. It’s def. one of my all-time favorite shows! There’s a bunch of bands playing in different spots at the same time, you get a list when you get in and check out the ones you like the best. Sometimes it’s hard ‘cuz you’ll have to choose between two bands you like, but I love the festival atmosphere. I mentioned in WWE Magazine how I went last year at Randall’s Island, N.Y. It was dirty and dusty and friggin’ awesome. Loved it.

So Warped Tour should be amazing. Unfortunately, two of my favorite bands dropped off — From First to Last and underOATH. The singer of FFTL, Sonny Moore, had to undergo vocal surgery, and FFTL was forced to cancel the rest of their shows this Summer. In the meantime, you can check out their new record “Heroine,” it’s amazing! I love some of their older stuff — like “Emily,” “Ride the Wings of Pestilence” — but the new album, man, every single song on there is sick!! “The Latest Plague,” “Afterbirth,” “Waltz Moore” and “Shame Shame” are my favorites and are definitely worth checking out. So please do yourself a favor and get this CD. UnderOATH’s new album just came out and is called “Define the Great Line.” It’s sooo good. Yet another good way to spend your lunch money. Even though they’re no longer on the tour, you can totally pretend you’re at the show in the comforts of your own home with the new CD. Blast the music, play air guitar in the mirror … What, you don’t do that? …Well … neither do I … of course … I mean … well this is awkward … sooooo moving onward … ;o)

K, now of course I have my staples in my iPod that will always be mixed in with the new, like NIN, Rage, Slipknot, Smashing Pumpkins (p.s. met Billy Corgan at Wrestlemania 22, he was so rad; tell you about it in the next blog), The Used (my ultimate favorite band), A Perfect Circle, Johnny Cash, Morrissey, Death Cab and many more. Wouldn’t want to forget to mention them, they are the foundation of my iPod, along with many others you’ll be hearing about in the weeks to come. Lots of cool stuff to share.

On a softer note … literally, when I hit the hay at night after a long day’s travel and work, in my hotel room, I have been leaning toward Regina Spektor lately. She’s amazingly talented, lyrically, and on piano. She sounds like a more cultured or at-peace-with-her-life Fiona Apple. Don’t get me wrong, I love Fiona, but I thoroughly enjoy Regina, as well. If you’re into that sort of music, check out the songs “Us,” “Somedays” and “Ghost of Corporate Future.” She has a way of making simple, beautiful music while incorporating lyrics that make you think. She’s got a logic similar to Jack Johnson combined with a childlike innocence and I love it.

So, gotta wrap things up. Be sure to check in next week, I’ll be including excusive candid pics from Warped Tour, a one-on-one interview with an awesome band that performed there, the lowdown on the Superstars’ tastes and much, much more…

One more thing, as you can see, discovering music and checking out new bands is a hobby of mine, so if you’ve got your own band and you’d like me to give a listen, don’t be afraid to slip me a copy of your stuff when you catch me on the street. Ya never know, it could be the next big thing. ;o) On that note, I’m out.

xoxo
ash

A-Tunes of the day: Volume 1

1. Liar — Taking Back Sunday
2. Fist Wrapped in Blood — Silverstein
3. A Little’s Enough — Angels and Airwaves
4. The City is far from here — Aiden
5. Love like Winter — AFI