Mystery Lineup

Skate rats' world domination: The power of the Vans Warped Tour eclipses evenLollapalooza

Black Veil Brides
Less Than Jake
Simple Plan

There was a time when we went to the annual Vans Warped Tour to find out what our favorite new, punk, thrash, skate and grind-core bands would be in the coming year (while simultaneously gawking as skateboard and motocross daredevils face planted on a half-pipe).

Since the Tour's inception in 1995, bands that have been introduced to the pierced and tattooed young adult masses at Warped include No Doubt, Weezer, The Black Eyed Peas, My Chemical Romance, blink-182 and Papa Roach.

(It's a hell of a track record. Then again, throw 100 or so bands on multiple stages for a day-long event, year after year, and a couple of them are bound to rise to the top.)

These days the script has flipped. Now, the main reason to go to the Warped Tour is to see ... the Warped Tour.

Who would've thought a bunch of skate rats and gear heads would forge the multi-million dollar industry business model for an extreme sports, multi-act concert event?

As Houston steadies for the 17th incarnation of this traveling, head-banging circus, set for Saturday at The Showgrounds at Sam Houston Race Park, it is the culture of the the actual event that is the headliner. Among traveling festival concepts that emerged in the 1990s, like Lollapalooza and Lillith Fair, the Warped Tour is by far the longest running and most successful of the bunch.

Who would've thought a bunch of skate rats and gear heads, headed by Warped creator Kevin Lyman, would forge the multi-million dollar industry business model for an extreme sports, multi-act concert event?

About now a smarty pants reader might be muttering, "This music wonk doesn't punk from polka. How can the tour be more important than the bands?"

This is how: Until the morning of the show, no one will know with certainty exactly who will be playing at the Houston Warped stop or what stage they will be on.

As of now the lineup is a bit of a mystery.

Pollstar.com offers some idea on who might join the party including headliners like (and these are merely educated guesses so don't complain to me if one is a no-show) Simple Plan, Less Than Jake, Unwritten Law, Pepper, The Devil Wears Prada and Gym Class Heroes. Other fringe delights one might expect are the Black Veil Brides (think KISS meets Cure in the 21st Century) and Reliant K.

What I can confirm is that they'll be 70-100 bands blowing the doors off the horse trailers at Sam Houston Race Park all day and night. And if you play your cards right ... you just might catch a set by the next Weezer, My Chemical Romance or Papa Roach and not even know it.

2011 Vans Warped Tour, noon till dark Saturday

at The Showgrounds at Sam Houston Race Park

Tickets: $34.05 in advance; $40 day of show

unspecified

deep in the heart

Film icon Ethan Hawke narrates documentary sequel about Texas rivers

Cropped still from Deep in the Heart 2: Texas Rivers

The Rio Grande is one of the stunning subjects of Deep in the Heart 2: Texas Rivers.

One Austin film icon passes the torch to another for a deep dive on Texas' river ecosystems in the upcoming documentary Deep in the Heart 2: Texas Rivers. Matthew McConaughey narrated the original 2022 film, Deep in the Heart: A Texas Wildlife Story. Now Ethan Hawke narrates the follow-up, which will be in theaters September 25.

Deep in the Heart 2 is directed by Ben Masters, a nature-obsessed Texan who was born and raised in Amarillo and has followed wildlife around the state and beyond. Working with his crew at Fin & Fur Films, Masters explores the Rio Grande, the Sabine River, and the Neches River, a press release says, coming across otters, turkeys, alligator snapping turtles, and more.

This underwater shot was taken in San Marcos.Still from Deep in the Heart 2: Texas Rivers

The original Deep in the Heart took a broad view of Texas — both its landscapes and their inhabitants — while the "sequel," as the release calls it, specifically highlights water. Conservation is an important angle, and viewers will get a chance to consider how they could connect with and protect the ecosystems on their screens.

"Most of my favorite memories are on Texas Rivers," said Masters in the release. "I grew up on the Canadian, fell in love on the Brazos, got married on the Guadalupe, found adventure on the Rio Grande, and am raising my kids on the Colorado."

The filmmaker says that spending three years filming his natural subjects gave him "a newfound appreciation" for rivers and how distinct they are from one another.

Amazing cinematography was a hallmark of the original film, and the sequel offers more beautiful shots.Still from Deep in the Heart 2: Texas Rivers

"We spent months filming mountain lions on the Pecos, snapping turtles on the Neches, otters on the Sabine, fatmuckets on the Llano, and whooping cranes in the Guadalupe's Estuary," Masters said. "Editing the majesty of Texas Rivers into 80 minutes was a huge challenge, and I'm just incredibly grateful to work with such a talented team of cinematographers, editors, producers, and musicians."

Hawke, born an Austinite and raised in Fort Worth, is known for acting in the Dead Poets Society, Gattaca, the Richard Linklater films Boyhood and Blue Moon, and more. He has taken up causes in environmental advocacy for years and appeared in other ecology-focused films, including the intense fictional First Reformed (2018) and a goofy anti-littering PSA with TxDOT (2023).

Some unexpected guests in the Rio Grande.Still from Deep in the Heart 2: Texas Rivers

The film was made in association with H-E-B, a regular supporter of ecological documentaries and initiatives, and conservation organization Texan by Nature. Other collaborators include producer Josh Winkler, editor Sam Klatt, assistant editor Chet Stefan, and composer Noah Sorota. The musical score is performed by Dallas Chamber Symphony.

nature ecology animals wildlife texas ethan hawke film movies documentaries