The Cab rides with Warped Tour

By JOHN BENSON

entertainment@vindy.com

Since the release of The Cab’s debut effort, “Whisper War,” in 2008, it’s been a whirlwind experience for singer Alex DeLeon. Getting a few days off at home is a rare occasion, and even when it does happen, he still has obligations.

For example, there is this quick interview to preview the band’s appearance on the Warped Tour, which rolls into our area for shows Wednesday at the First Niagara Pavilion in Pittsburgh and next Thursday at the Time Warner Cable Amphitheater at Tower City in Cleveland.

“I’m home right now in Las Vegas,” said DeLeon, calling from Sin City. “It’s very different from most people’s experiences here. There’s not many slot machines or hookers for me. Instead, it’s sleeping, going to the gym and feeling normal for a few days. But hey, no complaints, man.”

Over the past two years, The Cab has gained attention with singles “I’ll Run,” “Bounce” and “One of Those Nights,” as well as through nonstop touring with The Hush Sound, Panic! At The Disco, We The Kings and more. Though the act is positioned alongside the Warped Tour set, the truth is its sound is different with more of a Michael Jackson influence than, say, Green Day or The Clash.

Granted, pop-punk acts have ventured into dance-y aesthetics of late, but with The Cab, you sense its R&B sound is less of a trend and more of a personal taste.

In fact, DeLeon said the band’s new CD, which is due out later this summer, continues its dance-floor friendly vibe with new tracks “Temporary Bliss” and “Locked Up.”

“Some of the new album is really dance-y, and some of it is really rock,” DeLeon said. “We just wanted to make sure that every single song had its own character and personality. We don’t want to be one-dimensional. A lot of artists do that and kind of trap themselves. We have songs that sound like The Black Eyed Peas on the new album, and we have songs that sound like Maroon 5, and one that sounds like OneRepublic. So it’s kind of all over the place as far as genre goes.”

He added, “As far as the dance thing, that was really popular for a while, and I think a lot of bands forced it to stay relevant because they thought that was the golden ticket to becoming huge. ‘Oh, let’s try a poppy dance,’ even though I don’t think that’s who a lot of the bands were. I think they were just doing it to stay with the trends and be trendy. But for us, it’s like when my friends were listening to rock bands, like Nirvana and classic rock bands like that, I was listening to Stevie Wonder and Lauryn Hill and even *N Sync. That’s who we are and what we listen to, so it comes across more genuine.”

Perhaps it would be best for the singer not to publicize too loudly his love of *N Sync during The Cab’s Warped Tour debut this summer. Nevertheless, this is a special time for DeLeon.

“When I was a kid, I never missed the Warped Tour,” DeLeon said. “I saw half a dozen tours, and because we never played it, I’ve heard different things — like that it’s hell because of heat and humidity, and you don’t know if you’re going to play at noon or at 9 p.m. so you have to be up in the morning and see where the dice land. And then I’ve heard it’s like the best tour people have ever been on as far as gaining fans and exposure. It’s like a big summer camp. I’m so excited and very curious to see how it goes.”