Photo credit Mandi Fountain
Tell us about your tour vehicle. Any notable breakdown stories?
My tour vehicle is a 2009 Chevy Suburban I bought from my parents. It had sat parked in their garage for a long time so it only has 110,000 miles on it, and I’ve put about 45,000 of those on it! No crazy breakdowns yet(knock on wood), but while living in Nashville my elderly neighbor without insurance hit the back of it while it was parked and my bumper’s been messed up ever since. I think it adds some character though.
How do you eat cheaply and/or healthy while on tour?
I would say food is the one thing I never scrimp on while on tour. Food is fuel so I try to eat as healthy as I can, never skip a meal, and avoid gas station food. I mostly try to eat at the venues and buy groceries to make my own breakfast, but sometimes for lunch and dinner I get grab and go and deli food from grocery stores and also go to restaurants. I often get little snacks and such from the gas stations along the way, but I really make an effort to take care of myself on and off the road. As someone who used to not take very good care of myself, I know it catches up quick, especially when you’re driving 5-10 hours a day and playing shows every night.
How many strings do you break in a typical year? How much does it cost to replace them?
I’m not much of a shredder so it’s pretty uncommon for me to break a string. At this point I only own acoustic guitars and the most complicated thing I do is travis pick, so there isn’t much potential for breakage. I try to change my strings whenever they are starting to sound dead though. I still spend a bit on string every year, maybe $150+ or so dollars, but nothing crazy.
Where do you rehearse?
I’ve rehearsed in many places. When I lived in Oregon my band and I rehearsed in a barn. It was dirty and cold as hell in the winter, but it was really special. Often in the winter we’d use these propane heaters and have them on full blast, they were probably pretty dangerous, but it worked. After practice sometimes we’d have bonfires using all the palettes my drummer got from his job and shoot cans with his BB gun. Real wholesome and sweet times I look back on fondly.
In Nashville, I mostly practiced in friend’s houses. I’ve always been really lucky to have bandmates and friends who allow me to use their spaces. It’s hard to have the room and gear to host rehearsals, so I’m grateful for all the folks along the way who have lended their spaces to me.
What was the title and a sample lyric from the first song that you wrote?
I would have to dig through my old journal from high school to find out the exact first song I wrote, but the first song I ever recorded, was a song called “Goodbye, Nebraska”. I wrote it the summer I was 18 and met the sweetest guy from Nebraska while on tour. Funnily enough, my Dad still brings the song up today almost ten years later, he’s always loved it. It’s only two chords and the title comes from a line in the verse: “So goodbye, Nebraska and hello, California / but I don’t wanna be in a place that doesn’t have ya”. And the chorus starts with “so I’m driving back the roads I’ve crossed and I’m flying over plains…” and so on. Really just a simple song about not wanting to go home and wishing I was back on the road with this person I’d met. It’s not something I’d release now, but I’m still proud of it as a marker for where I was at the time.
Describe your first gig.
My first gig was at my high school’s talent show and I think I was 14 or 15. I accompanied a friend on acoustic guitar playing “Rhiannon”. I did a lot of those high school talent shows and it’s fitting it was Fleetwood Mac because they are still a favorite band of mine today and my heart will always lie with classic rock.
I suppose my first legitimate gig was at 924 Gilman in Berkeley, CA, a historic punk venue where I used to spend a whole lot of time as a teenager. I was making indie music at the time and somehow convinced my friend’s punk band to back me and I had an absolute blast.
What was your last day job? What was your favorite day job?
I have worked in either retail or food service since I was in High School. My favorite job I’ve ever worked was at a vintage store in Nashville called Black Shag. They specialize in vintage band tees and rock and roll memorabilia, so I got to nerd out about music all day with customers and my coworkers. I’m a real nerd about old clothes too so it was really an ideal day job for me while pursuing my music career and the shop was also a magnet for touring musicians so I got to meet lots of rad folks.
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’d say the biggest change in my music-related income was selling merch. Unfortunately gigs don’t pay that great at my level, and often after the band is paid and gas, hotels, and food are paid for there isn’t much left for me, if anything. But selling merch, specifically records, really helps remedy this. On the road I’m able to break even by selling merch and off the road selling records at shows and on bandcamp helps give me some income.
I’ll be honest though, I have always worked a full time day job, music doesn’t pay my bills at this point, BUT I am absolutely confident it will in the near future. As hard as this industry is, I’ve always intrinsically known that I’ll make it work. I think I’m just still in the “paying my dues” part of my career where I’m just fighting to break even and not lose money, but I’m hoping in less than five years I’ll be able to support myself with my music. I think getting this record out is a huge step towards that, and I can’t wait to see what the next year holds for me.
What one thing do you know now that you had wished you knew when you started your career in music?
There’s an interview with Dolly Parton where she is asked what her “biggest mistake” has been, and she responds by saying that what have looked like her “biggest mistakes” have turned out to be her “biggest blessings”.
There’s so much I don’t know now, and I knew even less when I started taking my career very seriously 6 years ago, but I can’t really think of anything I wish I knew because without the mistakes I’ve made from my lack of knowledge or greenness, I wouldn’t be here today. I’ve made many mistakes on this path, but I think it’s all taught me something. I wouldn’t know what I know now without messing up or falling short. I also don’t think I’d appreciate how far I’ve come and everything I have without those tough times. The hard lessons I’ve had have been instrumental in my maturing as not only an artist, but a bandmate, friend, and just a human being.
I’m learning as I go and am trying to just never forget the joy of the craft. I’m in this because I love songwriting and I love performing, and as long as that remains at the heart of what I do, I think I’m doing alright, mistakes and all.