Photo credit: Adam Gurczack
Tell us about your tour vehicle.
A little while back the plan was to use our bassist Mike’s forest green ’99 Honda Odyssey for tour. On the morning of a tour, we loaded up the van and it wouldn’t start! Turns out some rats chewed through the wires and made it impossible to use, so we borrowed Mike’s roommate’s car and thankfully made it to our gig on time.
Mike ended up getting a 2015 Toyota Sienna (very reliable), and that’s what we use now. By day, he’s an engineer so he was able to concoct some sweet customized upgrades to: he added a pop-up tent to the roof, a functional kitchen (with sink, stove, and spice rack!) in the trunk, and added an ultrasonic rodent repellent to keep the rats away. It currently has 95k miles on it.
How do you eat cheaply and/or healthy while on tour?
Our fiddler Kat Wallace has a talent for finding food that is good, inexpensive, and healthy, which is not easy to do! She compiles options surrounding each venue for us pre-tour and then we all decide together day-of. We’ve dubbed her the band’s Wellness Wizard.
We also keep lots of healthy snacks on hand in the car for the drives…dried fruit, popcorn, regular fruit, granola bars, nuts for quick protein, and at least one giant case of seltzer.
Mike also roasts his own coffee beans and brings a giant pour-over when we are on the road. He kindly makes coffee for us and our hosts on the road, and it is SO tasty. Eating well has been the key to our happiness!
How many strings do you break in a typical year? How much does it cost to replace them?
I usually only break strings in the summer because of the humidity. I used to really enjoy the sound of dead strings, but recently I’ve been of the mind to try and change them at least once a month, maybe twice a month. A pack of 3 string sets of the type I use is about $20.
Where do you rehearse?
We rehearse in the music room at Mike’s (our bassist) house. It’s a gorgeous room with wood panel floors and a dreamy bay window. Our rehearsals are entirely acoustic and the sound is really live and lush in there. I’d say this space has the cutest quirk I’ve ever experienced: Mike has a sweet little lovebird named Kiki, and she lives in the living room right outside of the music room. Occasionally she’ll sing along with us and make her way onto our iPhone memo recordings!
What was the title and a sample lyric from the first song that you wrote?
“Head East” was the title of my first song. I wrote it for my brother, who lives on the west coast after I moved to Boston. The chorus went like this: Head east, boy, head east / good fortune comes with wet feet / already, I know you’re ready / hop a bus and find a warm seat / and tell that city that I love most / there ain’t nothing better than the east
Describe your first gig.
My first paying gig was a summertime backyard wedding in a Rhode Island village. There were pigs, goats, and chickens just roaming around; some of them came up onto the stage while we played. The bride and groom requested we work up “Here Comes The Sun.” It was a little odd, but really lovely.
What was your last day job? What was your favorite day job?
Currently I am the School of Music Manager at Club Passim. I also am a Performance Manager there and run sound for shows. This is, hands down, my favorite “day” job!
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’m definitely making more money now in music than I did 10 years ago, but I’m reinvesting almost all of it back into my music and my band. I’ve been fortunate enough to have my day job, which has enabled me to do that. Being a musician feels somewhat seasonal; as far as gigs go, it’s usually famine or feast. Having a band is both wonderful and terrifying – having people who are wanting to go out and tour with me has introduced a new kind of pressure that keeps me booking and trying my best for them. I don’t want to let them down! In the next 5 years, I’m hoping we’ll be playing more festivals and touring internationally. I’d love to make this project a truly viable option for my bandmates and myself.
What one thing do you know now that you had wished you knew when you started your career in music?
Invest in professional quality videos of you performing live before you invest in making an album. If you can do both at once, that’s great, but if you have to prioritize, absolutely pick the video. It will open so many more doors for you and help you book gigs.