Life, Death, and Devotion

The Killingtons played a date on this year's Warped Tour, underneath a baking sun in the Pond parking lot. To find the band, though, you had to ask around—they weren't on one of the four (better-organized) main stages, but instead on the unheralded Ernie Ball stage, part of some Battle of the Bands-type thing.

In some ways, it was like old times. Warped is basically an annual holiday for the Backward Ballcap/Wifebeater Tank Nation—not the Killingtons audience. It looks good on a résumé, though it's overload, and there's scarcely time to really explore anything new. One kid approaches the stage while the Killingtons are on, asks who they are, and, after about 10 seconds, sniffs and walks away—tough crowd.

JK, Muench, Townsend and Bravine smoke through a slew of songs off the new disc, from "Belly Dancer" to "Best I Know" to "Magnum." After a while, Muench mentions the band's CD/shirt swag, as well as the pink ribbons they sell at every show with their merch, proceeds from which go to breast cancer research.

It's an okay-sized crowd—not as huge as NOFX maybe, but respectable. A few people on their way to the main stage stop to check out the band, looking somewhat surprised to stumble upon a band that's not playing punk rock. Then a few more come by, and a few more, till the numbers are almost double what they were at the beginning of the set—ahhh, new converts! They even manage to sell some CDs, and some people stop by an autograph booth after the show to get them signed by the band.

That's how the Killingtons will make it, you figure—through handfuls at a time.