Tell us about your tour vehicle. Any notable breakdown stories?
We travel in a Chevy 2500 12 passenger van. It’s got 120k miles on it and relatively well maintained, so no major breakdowns. I’ve now had two hit and runs on the van here in Nashville. So there is lots of fun cosmetic damage. There’s only AC and heat up front so it’s particularly uncomfortable during winter or summer. We pack it so tight without pulling a trailer so there’s very little room for activities in it. Straight up shuttle service to and from the gig.
How do you eat cheaply and/or healthy while on tour?
We usually do one meal a day when traveling. Typically pick at truck stop snacks and coffee stops too. But we have a dedicated “band dinner”. Brian (drums) usually picks the restaurant. When busy we pretty much scavenge or just wait until after load out for Taco Bell/Fast Food.
How many strings do you break in a typical year? How much does it cost to replace them?
I use Elixer or D’Addario’s coated strings. About $10-$12 a pack. We buy in bulk for longer runs so it can get cheaper. I play very hard on the instrument so I have to change them after every show. If not, I almost guarantee to break one.
Where do you rehearse?
We have a dedicated space in Nashville. Typically rehearse later at night starting around 8pm. Once or twice a week. We’ll space out the vocal workload depending on the shows.
It’s our clubhouse. We have a Danny DeVito and Nick Cage life size cut outs on the wall. The space is littered with show posters and items that remind of us of where we have been. Sort of a wall of achievement. We also have a neon glowing Alien light, he’s smoking contraband and giving us the finger. His name is Sorrow. He’s our spiritual guide. We did pick up a strange signal from an amp one day. Almost like the movie “signs” where there was clicking and hissing. 100% electrical noise. But we like to think Sorrow was trying to pass along good vibes.
What was the title and a sample lyric from the first song that you wrote?
War Cry. “Shouting in a language I can’t discern. ‘Fire, Fire, Fire’”
Describe your first gig.
Fraternity party at La Tech. A gross dilapidated home with bizarre hazing rituals to their pledges. None of the bathrooms worked and it was pure squalor. How did it go? Not great. The beer was at least hot and free.
What was your last day job? What was your favorite day job?
I quit my previous job of teaching music in 2024. It was a lot of work but I really enjoyed it. I miss the people.
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’ve gotten to a point where I can comfortably hire a band vs traveling as a solo artist or acoustic duo/trio. We still share one hotel room or sometimes 2 if it’s cheap. But the income has grown. So has the expenses. Merch has become the main entree. I expect us to continue growing our ticket sales. People seem to support us mainly through merch and tickets. We’re a touring band so I see lots of potential there.
What one thing do you know now that you had wished you knew when you started your career in music?
It’s a tremendous game of cat and mouse. Good luck vs bad timing. It’s just as hard as I always imagined. Just different. My biggest take away – a mentor told me “stop worrying about touring. Start focusing on the song. All you need is the right song”. That was 6 years ago. I now disagree with that advice. I’d advise myself now “stop worrying about the song. Start focusing on the content. All you need is the right Reel”.