Photo credit: Ebru Yildiz
Tell us about your tour vehicle.
I have a 2013 plug-in Prius, but it only gets 10 miles to the charge, so it’s more of a symbolic plug-in. It’s not a sexy vehicle, but it’s got 145K miles on it, everything fits in it, and it never lets me down. So it’s sexy to me.
How do you eat cheaply and/or healthy while on tour?
The best trick I’ve learned is to hit a Trader Joe’s at the beginning of a tour. I get grapes, apples or clementines, red bell peppers, smoked oysters, cookies, and “healthy” chips. I was in residence for a week at a place and lived off of a bag of groceries.
I wrote a book called The Tofu Tollbooth in my early 20’s– it’s a health food store guide, and a lot of co-ops (Weaver St. Market in Carroboro, NC, Pioneer in Iowa City, Mercantile in Lawrence, KS) are still there. They are often in great neighborhoods for cafes and other stores! I definitely recommend finding coops. They can be a little more expensive, but anything is cheaper than a restaurant.
I pop popcorn at home before long road trips. I also make a habit of drinking a hotel’s lobby coffee, since it’s free and already made (in room coffee is more wasteful…). I’m always trying to see how cheap/healthy/local/organic/zero packaging I can go. Basically, I eat a lot of apples.
Also, a friend showed me how she always puts all her food in one place so it’s within reach when she’s driving, she knows her options, and she doesn’t discover a rotten banana in the backseat pocket two months later. Pro Tip!
How many strings do you break in a typical year? How much does it cost to replace them?
I change strings every three or four gigs. Still, I break about three strings a year and have to go on an apologetic charm offensive while someone digs a new set out of my guitar case. I only travel with one guitar. I use Elixir Strings and Martin SPs. Both great.
Where do you rehearse?
As a birthday present, my 11-year-old daughter set up a music room for me (her old room). She put in nice pillows and found pictures she thought I’d like and put them up. They are all of me! It’s surprisingly comforting.
Also, it’s great having my Spire recording unit on hand. I’ve had anxieties about learning new tech, so in Minute One of setting it up, I was like, “This doesn’t WORK!”, Minute Two, “I KNEW this wouldn’t WORK!”, Minute Three, “Oh, this totally works. I love this.”
What was the title and a sample lyric from the first song that you wrote?
“I Should Be Happy Where I Am”
“In other places I might find more sorrow, Just like the slaughter of a lamb. So until the promise of a new tomorrow, I should be happy where I am.” I was twenty-five. Just kidding. I was ten.
Describe your first gig.
I played in a lounge in college. I really lucked out. All sorts of people showed up. Loving, excited, and probably a little stoned. They were so supportive! They wouldn’t leave, so I replayed some songs from the beginning when only a few people had arrived. I remember seeing a guy who’d broken my heart standing outside. I played Bob Dylan’s “Idiot Wind” staring right at him. He had no idea.
What was your last day job? What was your favorite day job?
I worked at a gardening store and loved it. They made fun of me for keeping a copy of Rodale’s Organic Gardening Encyclopedia with me at the counter. The owner also found some lyrics I was writing and randomly recited them to me. So embarrassing.
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?
About 40% of my income went out the window around 2008 when streaming became the norm. It couldn’t be replaced by becoming more savvy about streaming. The money just wasn’t there. I started touring more and going out on the road with less people. It was always my plan to do other things besides touring, so I’m one of the lucky ones. I lead a songwriting retreat called “Writing a Song That Matters”, I teach, and I do “Town Talks” where I talk about my book “What I Found in a Thousand Towns” (traveling musician’s guide to urban planning!) and share the stage with community leaders in different cities and towns. I love all the things I do, so ultimately I had a soft landing from the fall of CDs.
What one thing do you know now that you had wished you knew when you started your career in music?
I think I always had this voice that said, “So, what am I doing wrong today?” I like what my friend Jim did to counter his anxiety of uncompleted To Do lists. He started writing lists of what he’d Done. I thought it was professional to be self-critical. The most professional thing I did was to become more resilient and accepting of myself and my environment. We learn and grow every day. I would tell my younger self to trust that.