Photo credit: Electric Peak Creative
Tell us about your tour vehicle. Any notable breakdown stories?
We have a 2016 Diesel 15-passenger Mercedes Sprinter van with just over 100K miles on it. So far we haven’t had to do any major repairs (fingers crossed), but we make sure to get an oil change and a general engine check between every major tour. We did replace a couple bench seats with more comfy chairs for the hours spent on the road. We love it, and have named it “The Black Lung” because someone always seems to get sick while we’re touring 🙂
How do you eat cheaply and/or healthy while on tour?
We ask ourselves this same question all the time! Mostly we try to stay away from fast food (not always possible). Hotels with free continental breakfasts are great, the occasional grocery store stop for healthier options, and lots of Vietnamese, Thai, and Mexican food. We’ve really been enjoying Pho and Ramen as a bit “lighter” options when we need to eat out.
How many strings do you break in a typical year? How much does it cost to replace them?
We probably change our guitar strings every other month or so, but I (Joe) still typically break a string or two once a month. Thankfully, strings aren’t too expensive; somewhere between $10-20 for a pack.
Where do you rehearse?
Our rehearsal space is generally just one of our living rooms 🙂 I suppose the craziest thing is within the creative process; sometimes we’ll accidentally come up with something cool to add to the live set.
What was the title and a sample lyric from the first song that you wrote?
Oh man… mine was a song called “Teddy Bear” when I was about 6… and the lyrics were…. “Teddy bear” X 8.
Describe your first gig.
The first ever official TopHouse gig with William, Jesse, and myself (Joe) was at a coffee shop called The Break Espresso in Missoula MT in early 2017. We had maybe 2-3 originals and 7-8 covers for it. We somehow convinced a bunch of our friends to show up. “Send Me On My Way” by Rusted Root is a song that we learned right from the start, and it’s still a favorite to add in to the occasional setlist when we feel like doing a cover.
What was your last non-music day job? What was your favorite non-music day job?
My last non-music day job was digital marketing for a software company (super exciting). They were awesome; it was a remote job and they let me do as much touring as we needed for the band.
My favorite non-music job was probably landscaping in MT. I did that for 5-6 years and loved being able to work with my hands in the dirt. Not to brag, but I’m really good with a shovel and a rake 🙂
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 pretty wild; 5 years ago we all had day jobs and making a living with music felt like a far-off dream. Now we’re all full-time music makers and currently hoping to keep seeing it grow and evolve. At the moment, probably 90% of our income is from touring. We would love to see more percentage come from streaming and royalties and whatnot (if we could have it all our way).
What one thing do you know now that you had wished you knew when you started your career in music?
Don’t take yourself too seriously. There are always other musicians, singers, songwriters, producers, etc. who are more talented than you, and it’s so good to remind yourself of that and keep a sense of humility. There’s so much to learn from so many amazing people. Also, it’s a lot more fun if you’re willing to laugh at yourself. We all make mistakes, have bad gigs, write songs that don’t go anywhere, etc. Remember it’s calling playing music for a reason; it should be fun 🙂