Photo credit: Jonathan Buckley
Tell us about your tour vehicle. Any notable breakdown stories?
oh damn, over the years… i’ve used everything from way cool rv’s (10 day warped tour run with street dogs), to public transport and everything in between… even do a few gigs strapping the guitar down to the motorcycle …
breakdowns are bound to happen years ago darkbuster seized a motor going through death valley and had to junk the van we were in, buy another to get us to la and the van we bought subsequently broke down when we got there…
good times…
How do you eat cheaply and/or healthy while on tour?
diet can be tough on tour especially in the u.s. (europe the venues take such great care of musicians) but time constraints and budget in the us can make it really hard to be healthy lots of water and trail mix … fortunately i no longer drink alcohol or the dee dee ramone diet (two bud talls and a tuinal) would still be the norm lol
How many strings do you break in a typical year? How much does it cost to replace them?
typically i don’t break many strings (i change em a bunch) i’ve been very fortunate to have an endorsement from the good folks at d’addario
last tour of europe i actually did without changing strings at all (on the acoustic) it does create some anxiety ????
Where do you rehearse?
been a while since i’ve had a designated band rehearsal space i’ve a room at home reserved for creating it don’t get any crazier than two incenses lit at once these days ….
What was the title and a sample lyric from the first song that you wrote?
i think first 3 chords i learned c,g,d, and i was writing immediately was something like “die like a dog you dog of dogs you’ve lived your life in collars”
Describe your first gig.
first gig had to be a high school keg party … description can be summed up like acid (lsd), black sabbath covers, and burning chickens
What was your last day job? What was your favorite day job?
i tend bar in a live music venue, and side hustle construction … every job has pros and cons but i loved the construction for the satisfaction of a job well done …(i’m just a bit old for it now)
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?
my musical income has remained about the same … if i break even that’s a win … i try not to expect much for future income but if i had to predict – exponentially better!
What one thing do you know now that you had wished you knew when you started your career in music?
i wish i understood that making music is the reward and everything else is a bonus ….