Tell us about your tour vehicle. Any notable breakdown stories?
Our trusty Tourador Red Ford E350 van died recently after taking us around the country for almost 400,000 miles! It treated us very well and mostly just needed brakes and tires changed out. We did duct tape the front windshield to the van at one point. Not a lot of breaking down but we did try to run a poker tournament in the van once while we were driving.
We decided it would be crazy to let the driver play so he didn’t play. And then he did. And then we were driving 70 MPH in the dirt and grass median on 1-95. We calmly got the van back on the highway safely and never played van poker ever again!
How do you eat cheaply and/or healthy while on tour?
I can’t say it’s cheap but we definitely lean towards healthy and Whole Foods is our go to. We usually hit the salad bar there and grab some healthy snacks and coffee. They are in most major cities and it certainly beats all of the fast food options that are on the highway.
How many strings do you break in a typical year? How much does it cost to replace them?
I don’t break strings on a gig all that often but over the course of the year it probably happens about 10 times. It doesn’t cost me anything because I’m very happily sponsored by D’Addario strings. They send me my favorite strings for my acoustics and electrics every year so thankfully I always have fresh strings on my guitars! Thanks D’Addario!
Where do you rehearse?
We rehearsed at the Gibson Guitar Showroom in New York City for years. Talk about a kid in a candy shop. They had every model Gibson guitar you could ever want there. It was also the old Hit Factory recording studio where John Lennon and Paul Simon and Stevie Wonder all recorded so there was some great mojo there. We ended up throwing a big party there and playing and recording it. It ended up being released as Jamie McLean Band “Live at Gibson”.
What was the title and a sample lyric from the first song that you wrote?
“Tears of Yesteryears” was the first real song that I wrote when I was probably 16 years old. I wrote it for my girlfriend at the time. She was a year older than me and she’d gone off to college so it was my first heartbreak and my first heartbreak song. I don’t remember much of the lyrics but I remember thinking “Tears of Yesteryears” SOUNDED like a cool song!
Describe your first gig.
My first gig was on the back porch at my friend Carrie Hill’s house. I was 13 years old and my brother Carter was on drums. Our band was called Aerial Assault and I think it was our 8th grade graduation party or a birthday party. I remember playing The Beatles “Revolution”. I was terrified and exhilarated all at the same time.
What was your last day job? What was your favorite day job?
My last day job was as a host at a fancy restaurant at the top of the Prudential building in Boston. I remember quitting and telling my boss that I was moving to Boulder Colorado to start a band. He laughed and said there was no music in Colorado and I’d be back. A year later I joined the Dirty Dozen Brass Band while I was playing with my band in Boulder and toured the world with them.
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?
Touring has always been the biggest part of our income. We end up selling most of our merch at shows as well. People get upset about streaming and digital music but we never really sold tons of albums online or in record stores when they existed anyway. We sell way more vinyl and CDs and t-shirts etc at our shows. I would think that continues. You can’t replicate the vibe at a live show. Getting in a room with others and dancing and singing and sharing a moment is the best. I’ll do it for as long as they let me.
What one thing do you know now that you had wished you knew when you started your career in music?
It’s never a straight line and the road goes on forever.