Tell us about your tour vehicle.
The last few years have been a mix of renting vans for band runs and trekking across the country in my Honda CR-V for more stripped down opening gigs. I used to have a Nissan Rogue (the “sweet old ride” I reference in “Hotel Amarillo”) and I ran that thing into the ground. It went all over before it died. Once we managed to fit 3 girls, our bags, two guitars, upright bass, fiddle, banjo and two artists’ merch in there.
How do you eat cheaply and/or healthy while on tour?
I used to worry about being cheap and now I prioritize being healthy. Tour is unhealthy enough without foregoing vegetables so I try to treat my body nicely when I can. However, I have developed a special skill of *always* managing to get out of the Whole Foods buffet situation for less than $10. Proud of that.
How many strings do you break in a typical year? How much does it cost to replace them?
I don’t know if I’ve ever broken a string on stage. I don’t mind dead strings on some of my guitars and also find that dead strings somehow come back to life after a while so I tend to go a while between changes.
Where do you rehearse?
I don’t have a designated space for band rehearsals but I have curated a really nice writing space for myself in my house with a vintage secretary desk in a window nook with great natural light.
What was the title and a sample lyric from the first song that you wrote?
I have a whole cassette tape worth of songs I made up off the top of my head at age 6 or 7. The best one is probably “No Boys Allowed” — it’s hilarious and I am singing my little heart out. This line always make me laugh. I guess it’s the bridge? “Maybe in high school we’ll find them more interesting but I’m just a girl, I’m only young and I think boys are totally not fun.” I screamed the *not fun* line.
Describe your first gig.
When I was 15 I opened for my aunt at a venue in Charlottesville, VA called The Gravity Lounge — it is now the Southern Cafe & Music Hall. I had never played my original songs in front of anyone, not even her, but she knew I had been writing them and must have had some sort of blind faith in me. The owner of the club was there and this performance led to opening for a few national acts when they came to that venue. I remember being nervous, shaking while playing my guitar, but also I remember being surprisingly comfortable and I could tell I was reaching the audience. I was hooked after that.
What was your last day job? What was your favorite day job?
My last job was a hostess at Husk restaurant in Nashville. My last day was December 30, 2016. If you are in the Americana / Country community and received complimentary appetizers out of the blue during 2016, that was me recognizing you and marking you VIP. (Sup, Jerry Douglas) I was also a nanny for years before that and before touring started to keep me too busy. I absolutely loved being a nanny and am very thankful for the balance that brought to my life — having to be completely selfless on a daily basis while also trying to build a career that is innately more self-centered.
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’s been nearly 6 years that I have been a full-time musician. I’m incredibly proud of that. My two goals by the age of 30 were to buy a house and get a publishing deal and I did both. The pandemic has definitely shaken my sense of stability so I am not sure what the future will look like if touring ever goes away again. I hope that we continue to see some changes in how artists and writers are paid by DSPs. I also hope that artists continue to educate their fans on how this business actually works because I think the fans, not the labels, are going to be the make or break for a lot of us going forward.
What one thing do you know now that you had wished you knew when you started your career in music?
Ironically, my advice would be to not be so quick to take the advice of people on the business side of things. They will never truly get what we artists do, even if they are the most well-meaning people. I let people get in my head and I sold myself short and I am still unlearning those things years later. It’s so easy to give away your power and give others credit when you are building and take any advice to heart. It’s easy to let people tell you they know better when they have access to something you want but no one knows your art better than you and no one will ever work harder than you for your art.