Heading to the Vans Warped Tour? Try to catch Coral Springs rockers A Dream of Reality, who recently scored a slot on the tour. We can't tell you what time they're performing Saturday at downtown Miami's Bicentennial Park because even the bands don't know until the morning of the show. But the group's energetic stage presence and melodic ''screamo/emo'' sound is well worth checking out (watch their videos for After Dark and Let Me Be the One on YouTube.com).

Lead singer AJ (just AJ) talked to The Miami Herald about landing the Warped gig.

How did you hook up with Warped?

``We jumped on the tour last-minute and we scored the full tour. It was originally just the Florida dates, but we talked to management and we're on through Aug. 17. We're really stoked about it -- it's one of the best things that could have happened.

'I've been going to the Warped Tour since I was a little kid, so I know the ins and outs. One of my best friends' brother is in New Found Glory, and they've told us a lot of road stories and stuff like that, and he's been talking to us lately about what to do and what not to do on the tour. It's been a big help.''

What's your musical mission?

``When you go to see a band or a show, you're trying to escape your everyday life. We want you to escape, we want you to forget your problems and we want you to have a great time and leave there with something. We came into this knowing that this band wasn't for us -- we weren't making music for us. Don't get us wrong -- we love our music. But this is for purchase, this is a product, this is for them. So we want to give them the best damn product that we can.''

Have the weeks of practice before the tour been hard to handle?

``Singing that much in the beginning was definitely taking its toll. Originally I was never really a singer -- I screamed. And I started taking voice lessons, and next thing you know the singing got easier and easier, and now it's just as strong as my scream. Now I can wake up in the morning and I don't even need to warm up.''

-- MICHAEL HAMERSLY

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