Tell us about your tour vehicle. Any notable breakdown stories?
My current touring vehicle is a Mercedes sprinter van with a trailer attached. I haven’t had to make any major repairs on it so far which is a blessing. All the vans that I have owned have been work horses, but I do a good job at maintaining them. The only thing that gets us in a bind is tires will blow out.
How do you eat cheaply and/or healthy while on tour?
To eat cheap and healthy on tour, we try to stock up on things like fresh fruit, granola bars, trail mix. We also look for affordable places that serve decent salads, wraps, or bowls, and there is sometimes nice catering at the venues that is also a great option.
How many strings do you break in a typical year? How much does it cost to replace them?
I would say maybe 5-6 times a year. I don’t sweat a lot on my guitars so there’s not a lot of grime that can get on the strings. Here lately we’ve been changing them out once a week. I work with Ernie Ball for my string supply.
Where do you rehearse?
My rehearsal space for the longest time was at my parents’ house growing up. Since I’ve bought my house. I’m working on building a rehearsal space there. No crazy experiences, just fun memories of making music with my band!
What was the title and a sample lyric from the first song that you wrote?
The very first song I ever wrote was called “Someday”. It’s not released. It talks about my dreams and aspirations of becoming who I am now.
Describe your first gig.
My first gig was at a small coffee shop in Henderson, TX called “Mojo’s” there was just a few people there and I was so excited to get to perform in front of people. I would play anywhere when I first started… coffee shops, grocery stores, crawfish stands, flatbed trailers, etc.
What was your last day job? What was your favorite day job?
I waitressed one day only and vowed I would never do it again. That is some hard work. I’ve only ever had music as a job!
How has your music-related income changed over the past 5-10 years? What do you expect it to look like 5-10 years from now?
I’ve very grateful that I can make a living playing music. I feel like a unicorn sometimes because of it. I was able to buy my own home & continue to live out my dreams & tour the world with my band! I just think of it this way. All the things I wished for 5-10 years ago, I have now. I just want to keep fueling the fire and continue to live my dream making music and inspiring others!
What one thing do you know now that you had wished you knew when you started your career in music?
To not take everything in the music business personally, and to not seek validation from it.