Photo credit Adam Powell
Tell us about your tour vehicle.
A 2018 T-350 Ford Transit Van in Blue Jean Blue with Extended Back and High Top–as large of a vehicle as you can drive without getting into bus territory. We’ve been in bus territory. We used to tour in an airport shuttle bus we overhauled into a living room on wheels. It was great when it was great but it was bad when it was bad. Probably spent all in about $30,000 on that thing and ended up trading it for $100 and a sitar.
How do you eat cheaply and/or healthy while on tour?
That is the age old question that no one has figured out yet. There’s always the “fresh” section at Sheetz or WaWa that has apples and generic brand Uncrustables. I’m generally a nut, cheese, and apple guy when I can be. In the best of times you can “tip the scales” at a local Whole Foods, for those that know The Way.
How many strings do you break in a typical year? How much does it cost to replace them?
These days I use heavier gauge flatwounds and only break about 10 or so I think. Even less if we aren’t touring. I think the sweat rusts them.
Where do you rehearse?
We share a rehearsal space with a few other New York bands, including our close friends The Mystery Lights. Everyone is good at keeping crazy experiences elsewhere, gratefully. When we lived upstate, there was a lot more hanging out in the rehearsal barn, smoking inside. But these days it’s pretty clock in, clock out.
Describe your first gig.
The first time we ever played for a crowd was at our college house in Boone. We basically just told everyone we were having a party, and when tons of people showed up, we started playing. Then the cops came and everyone scattered.
What was your last day job? What was your favorite day job?
Last! I wish, but no I’m clocking into a day job tomorrow. I learned from my friend and fellow musician Paul Cherry about the “best kept secret in music”: DJ’ing weddings. That’s my favorite one. I also occasionally bartend at the local Ridgewood, Queens watering hole Jones Bar. Both of those are much better than what I used to do. For years I was a dishwasher and that was by far my least favorite job. You stay the latest, get paid the least, and always leave the stinkiest, wettest and grossest.
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?
The busier I stay, the less I have to stress about money. I figure that’ll still be true in 5 years but hopefully there’s more residuals from the things I’ve already done.
What one thing do you know now that you had wished you knew when you started your career in music?
When you sign away your ownership of something for a lump sum of money (especially a small one)—you are placing a bet that your work will never be worth that much. If you believe in yourself, don’t place bets against yourself. Accept it’s a long hard path and just walk a little further every day.