Photo credit: Tristan Cusick
Tell us about your tour vehicle. Any notable breakdown stories?
Chevy Explorer seven-passenger van. We call her Bessie. It’s red and decked out with captain’s chairs, a TV, and more headspace. Only major repair was when we broke down on the side of the interstate in Texas and we had a flat tire we had to fix on the side of the road. Sometimes the AC goes out. Back when the world shut down, we were all the way in Portland, OR, and had to drive 38 hours across the country to Nashville.
How do you eat cheaply and/or healthy while on tour?
The two don’t necessarily go hand in hand. But we do try to prioritize eating healthy so we’ll stop at a Whole Foods for lunch instead of a Burger King. The healthy options aren’t readily available so we do the best we can!
How many strings do you break in a typical year? How much does it cost to replace them?
It’s super rare to break a banjo string, but Barton plays with heavy gauge banjo strings for that reason. William breaks a string every now and again on stage, probably one out of every 20 shows.
Where do you rehearse?
We used to rehearse down in Barton’s basement at his old house. It wasn’t a finished basement or anything but it was the only space that could fit all of us. Other than that, we rehearse in a Clair Audio warehouse before tours.
What was the title and a sample lyric from the first song that you wrote?
The first song William and I wrote together was called “Silent Symphony.” There was something about a cry from an old bloodhound, but can’t remember much else about it!
Describe your first gig.
I think the first paid gig we ever had was Barton’s neighbor’s graduation party. They had a little balcony on the second floor of their house, where we crammed in with a PA system and everyone was below us, so all the sound went straight over their heads and they had to look up at us in this loft we were in. I think we got paid like $200.
What was your last day job? What was your favorite day job?
William and Barton used to do Takl work where people would request odd jobs like helping people change lights or move furniture, just a classic side hustle. Sam is a bartender at a really nice cocktail bar in Nashville, and Willard used to do a lot of contracting work, and Ford does actuarial work on the side.
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?
It hasn’t changed all that much, but every year we’re improving and things are moving in the right direction. We all feel like it will pay off someday!
What one thing do you know now that you had wished you knew when you started your career in music?
We wish we had known just how long everything takes. Rome wasn’t built in a day and that holds true. If you want something bad enough you’ve got to work hard for it. Things aren’t given to you and things aren’t guaranteed.