Tell us about your tour vehicle.
I’ve had the pleasure of touring in everything from a caravan of old station wagons and Priuses, to a borrowed Astro van, to a rental cargo van. I don’t own a designated tour vehicle so it’s always slightly stressful figuring out the most feasible plan of action. The last tour I did in December, I’d just gotten into a car accident in my Mazda Sport a week before tour, and whispered to the lady setting up my temporary rental, ‘Can you by chance get a minivan?!’ She managed to get me a minivan! So it actually worked out for the better, haha. Shoutout to Carmina at Cartek Collision Body Shop for unknowingly providing me with a tour van!
How do you eat cheaply and/or healthy while on tour?
I’m somewhat of a Yelp guru, it’s actually become a bit of a high pressure reputation from my bandmates…but I just try to do some research to find places with healthy options, which isn’t always easy. I’m also a huge foodie, so part of the fun of traveling to different places is trying the food that’s specific to the area. For balance, if you can find co-ops, or healthy markets on the way, or put healthy/cheap items in your rider like fruit, avadacos, bread & peanut butter for quick meals, that helps maintain some healthiness and saves some cash on the road.
How many strings do you break in a typical year? How much does it cost to replace them?
I play keys live, so breaking strings is fortunately not really an issue for me! I did play in a snowstorm outside one time in Nebraska though and had my keyboard fly off the stage from the wind, that was terrifying! Instrument repairs are no fun.
Where do you rehearse?
I’ve got a shared space in a huge building in LA. The owner has had it for 20 years, its rent controlled and shared by about 7 bands, but used pretty sparingly, so my costs manage to stay low and I can still get in there a decent amount when I need to play with my full band. At home, I’ve turned my bigger closet into a small workstation space, so I write and practice on my own in my little nook at home. When you live in a small space, and need a designated practice/workspace, you have to get creative!
What was the title and a sample lyric from the first song that you wrote?
I remember two songs I wrote called, ‘Goodbyes’ and ‘Good Things Are Yet to Come’, when I was graduating Middle School and going into High School. I don’t have the lyrics but as you can imagine, with leaving middle school being as traumatic as it is, hormones raging, the songs were extremely dramatic lyrically.
Describe your first gig.
My first actual gig was with my high school band. We were called ‘Gibbus Groove’. I think we played about 3 shows total, probably one backyard party, one in a church I think, and one at the Fire Hall in my town. We wrote pretty awesome songs, one about our favorite lunch lady, and we covered The Allman Brothers’ ‘Whipping Post’ & Zeppelin – ‘The Ocean’ and probably drank Smirnoff and got really stoned after. That band was awesome.
What was your last day job? What was your favorite day job?
My last day job was nannying and waiting tables. I’ve gone many years of having various side hustles on and off. When you’re a solo artist, hiring a band, and wearing many hats, where the financial responsibility falls solely on you, it can be tough. There’ve been times when I’m able to just do music, and times when things are just slower, or a global pandemic shuts down the entire industry, and you’ve got to find other work. That said, I’ve gained a lot of life skills and lessons from working so many different types of jobs, my favorite being The Hat Shop in Soho, NY. Linda, the shop owner has been there for 25 years, and makes amazing custom hats, working with only local milliners. I’ve got some beautiful hats from there, gained lifelong friendships and learned a lot about owning a small business.
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 expanded my skill set quite a bit over the last 10 years, so my music related income has slowly started to reflect that, which I’m grateful for. In addition to my own artistic projects, I’ve started working for other artists as a hired gun for tours, writing for commercial music houses, and have had stints with teaching here and there. I’ve learned it’s an uphill marathon, and patience is key for a lasting career. In the next 5-10 years I expect to put out a lot more of my own music, and hopefully expand and grow those branches of writing & performing.
What one thing do you know now that you had wished you knew when you started your career in music?
The process is the most important part. Be present and enjoy being able to go through the motions of creating, and don’t worry so much about the outcome while you’re in it.