Tell us about your tour vehicle. Any notable breakdown stories?
It depends on the length of the tour. Sometimes we fly. Sometimes we bus. Sometimes we drive. Sometimes we have a driver. When we fly we are at the mercy of the airline and the quality of their planes. When we bus once again we are at the mercy of the company and their product. When we drive we are pretty good about keeping our vehicles up to date and maintained. When someone drives for us usually it’s a rental car so once again, haha.
One story, we were on a tour bus, got caught in a blizzard and the bus heating system broke down so we had to bundle up for the night. We missed the gig.
How do you eat cheaply and/or healthy while on tour?
Nothing is cheap these days. That makes it kinda hard sometimes. Honestly it comes down to being strict with yourself to eat as healthy as one possibly can. Meat and veggies go a long way. Some days you just can’t so you have to stop at a fast food place. We try not to eat fast food but it just happens.
How many strings do you break in a typical year? How much does it cost to replace them?
That’s like asking how many times a year one sneezes or coughs, haha. It’s not something one keeps count of. Really, breaking strings happens a lot more on a guitar than the bass, but Ringo chews through sticks like a termite. Maybe a couple sets a night. The cost for these types of things is something that varies with the brand one utilizes.
Where do you rehearse?
We have never really rehearsed. Our rehearsals are once we hit the stage. Occasionally we do but personally speaking we have been playing together so long that we just sort of know each other’s musical habits. When we do rehearse, sometimes we are at various places.
What was the title and a sample lyric from the first song that you wrote?
Henry wrote his first song at 4 years of age. It was called “She Left Me”. I was around 10-12 and the song was called “I Need You”. One of Ringo’s first songs I can recall was called “My Kinda Woman” and I believe he was around 13-14 years of age.
Describe your first gig.
Haha!! Don’t remember it! However our first gig without our dad as the frontman was at a place called Jocks N Jill’s in Atlanta Georgia. It was a very hard learning curve about what it takes to be frontmen. We had no idea the work our dad put into being a showman as the frontman. We hugged each other and cried after the show.
What was your last non-music day job? What was your favorite non-music day job?
My last job was renovating houses and all the aspects that come along with that. Cutting and milling lumber, laying tile, mixing thin set, grout and mortar. Light electrical work, running saws and sanders, etc. Just some of the many things involved in construction work. My favorite non-music job was…
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?
Broke as ever, haha! Also, broke as ever, haha!
What one thing do you know now that you had wished you knew when you started your career in music?
The toll touring takes on one’s mind, body and spirit. It’s not all glitz and glamour. When you’re working, that’s just it, YOU’RE WORKING. Learning to find the balance between life and a music career takes time. Once you figure that out, it’s no longer work…it becomes purpose.