Photo credit: Philip Lufton
Tell us about your tour vehicle. Any notable breakdown stories?
When we are on the road, we are in a Ford Transit Van. In the van world, it’s hard not to envy the big fancy Mercedes’?of the world, but our Ford was built to last and easily got us through a 7,000 mile stretch last month. We are glad to say we have yet to break down in the van, but every touring?musician tells?us that it’s just a matter of time.
How do you eat cheaply and/or healthy while on tour?
The two secret words to eating healthy and cheap while on the road are: Diners and Chipotle. We love local diners because everyone can get something they like with a couple salad options for the healthier eaters. Chipotle takes the crown as the healthy fast food — a bowl with fresh ingredients is hard to beat.
How many strings do you break in a typical year? How much does it cost to replace them?
In a year, we will break around a?dozen strings between the band. Lucky for?us, we have started to prefer the sound of cheaper, darker guitar strings over bright expensive guitar strings; this saves us a few bucks.?
Where do you rehearse?
Our go-to rehearsal spot is Space ATX, a large complex of rehearsal studios in South Austin. We love this place because bands from all over the country will stop here to rehearse while?they’re?in town — it’s fun to watch the tour buses roll up and wonder what band is going to be in the room next door.
What was the title and a sample lyric from the first song that you wrote?
November Sky — “Let me see you out tonight while dance beneath the cool November sky”
Describe your first gig.
Our first gig was a backyard show in College Station, TX. We played to?a?crowd of 40 Texas A&M students who had never heard our music but were kind enough to lend their ears for the evening. Drummers beware, to this day it is the only gig we have ever played a cajon at.
What was your last day job? What was your favorite day job?
Technically, our last day job before full-time music was school; we both graduated from the University of Texas at Austin before hitting the road as musicians. Truett studied business management?and Philip studied hydrogeology. Both of our grades were quite subpar due to our Austin gigging, but we got our degrees!
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?
While we were in school, we put all money?earned back into the band account to save up for post-graduation. This has helped a ton as we enter full-time musicianship with some extra money to support travel for far away festivals and longer tour runs. We hope that the band will continue to grow in all aspects and our income is also one of those hopes.?
What one thing do you know now that you had wished you knew when you started your career in music?
Playing in front of people is the best and most effective way to make fans. Nothing can replace the experience of live music.