Photo credit: Destiny Rogowski
Tell us about your tour vehicle. Any notable breakdown stories?
My current ride is a 2009 Honda Fit with 125,000 miles logged. After driving my 2000 Toyota Sienna to 422,000 miles on the original timing belt, the water pump broke in December 2015. Rather than get that repaired, I bought what I could afford. I have a love/hate relationship with the Fit. I miss my old van.
For the most part, the Fit has been reliable. Mechanically. In November 2019, every electrical thing on the car broke, most notably the alternator which was actually overcharging my battery. When I found a mechanic in Cochran, GA (that’s east coast speak for “the middle of nowhere”), my car’s battery was smoking. If I had stubbornly stayed on the highway much longer, the battery would have exploded. Granted, that might have made for a better story. But, the come-to-Jesus mother-in-law of the mechanic – whose youngest daughter married a millionaire who paid to build his new in-laws a new house – let this nice musician stay the night in the old house while the new alternator got shipped to the mechanic in the middle of nowhere… well, that’s a fun story, too.
How do you eat cheaply and/or healthy while on tour?
I find it pretty easy to eat healthfully on the cheap. I mean, vegetables and fruit aren’t as crazy expensive as many people have been made to believe. It’s the free-range organic cashews that break my bank. I like to have a trail mix and a big bottle of water with me when I drive or ride.
When I first started touring, my method was to book gigs and negotiate for a meal. Then, I’d take some Tupperware to the gig and order the biggest meal I could. I’d eat half for dinner and save the rest for lunch the next day.
How many strings do you break in a typical year? How much does it cost to replace them?
This is a great question. I wish I had a great answer. I don’t have a fucking clue. My friend Yukon Stubblebine worked on my guitar in mid-November 2019. I haven’t broken a string since. Whatever burr was in the saddle is gone. My G and D strings love me now. I bought a 10-pack of medium gauge D’Addario extended play Phosphor Bronze strings from the legendary House of Guitars in Rochester, NY for around $55 – also in mid-November 2019 – and I still have 6 or 7 packs. This actually reminds me: it’s time to change my strings. Thanks, Twangville!
Where do you rehearse?
I haven’t had a dedicated rehearsal space since I was in my 20s. And that was a rehearsal space! It was in the basement of the old Larkin Building in Buffalo, NY. The guys who played bass and drums in that band had had another band before we all hooked up. They had the space. I just lucked into it. We always rehearsed after business hours. We could play at ear-bleeding volumes for hours without bothering a soul. And we did!
What was the title and a sample lyric from the first song that you wrote?
Oh, Christ! Um… hmm… ‘ve written well over 1,000 songs at this point. Unlike John Prine, my first one wasn’t a keeper. Neither were the next few. I do remember the gist of the fifth song which was called “Worn-Down Gypsy Man.” Just look at that title. It was clairvoyant as fuck. I can’t quote the lyrics now, but I know I’m living them.
Describe your first gig.
It was awful. I think I played “Worn-Down Gypsy Man” and Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl.” I sat in a chair and stared at the feet of the 10 people who came to see the duo who I shared the bill with. I am fortunate this shit happened before everybody had a camera on the phone in their pocket. There isn’t even a Polaroid of that event.
What was your last day job? What was your favorite day job?
I liked having a paper route. My favorite day job was when I was 15 until I was in my early twenties. My mom had worked for Grandison’s Candy at the Broadway Market in Buffalo. Part-time. I would work holidays, specifically Easter, when the Market was insane. You know those pictures you’ve seen in National Geographic of old world market places? Insane like that. No exaggeration. Me and my younger brother worked. The daughters of the shop owner worked. All hands on deck. I loved working in the warehouse. For a kid who loved chocolate, it was a dream job. Then, I picked up garbage for the Town of Cheektowaga for a couple summers when I was in college. I liked riding on the back of the truck. It was cool.
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 have no idea what to expect 5 minutes from now let alone 5-10 years from now. Your world can change walking across a room. I can tell you that I haven’t had a raise in 20 years. In the past few years, computers and cars are being made that don’t have CD players so there’s that and people are streaming on Spotify which pays music creators peanuts while paying their CEO and lawyers millions. If I’m lucky, someone will record one of my songs and I’ll get some mailbox money. That would be an uptick. In the meantime, I predict I’ll book some more gigs, get in my car, and play my ass off whether 5 people show up or 500.
What one thing do you know now that you had wished you knew when you started your career in music?
It seems that in the music business, music is the adjective and business is the noun. I’m very good at music and I suck at business. I have built some great relationships, but maybe I should’ve taken some business classes in school. Maybe I should be more concerned with learning business now. Or maybe I’ll stick with focusing on the music. I get a lot of joy out of that.