Photo credit: Jason Quigley
Tell us about your tour vehicle.
When the 97’s started, we bought a beaten-up Dodge van using our drummer Philip’s credit card. He was the only one in the band with good credit as he had a job. When we signed to Elektra, we bought a better van. During the touring for our second major label album we graduated to tour buses and it’s been buses ever since except for some short runs for which we employ sprinters.
How do you eat cheaply and/or healthy while on tour?
Yelp has saved my ass. I’m able to find coffee and healthy options near the venue. I try not to simply survive off the rider (deli meat and hummus), though it’d be cheaper. I enjoy eating alone.
How many strings do you break in a typical year? How much does it cost to replace them?
I used to break a ton of strings. But my form has improved! My tech Jason is awesome and he changes my strings for pretty much every gig. I do most of the show on my number one Gibson J200, and it gets worked over and sweated up pretty good.
Where do you rehearse?
What’s rehearsal?!? The 97’s haven’t really rehearsed since the early years when we rehearsed all the time. Now it’s just meet up for the start of the tour and hope for the best.
What was the title and a sample lyric from the first song that you wrote?
I wrote my first song at 13 and it was called “Charles Manson.” A sample lyric: “You killed the actress and the hairdresser too/Charlie what’d they ever do to you?”
Describe your first gig.
April of 1987. I was 16 years old. I’d played talent shows and living rooms before but Murry (now my 97’s bandmate) let me play between his band Peyote Cowboys and local heroes Three On A Hill at 500 Cade, a cool little club down by Fair Park. At the last minute I decided to play Murry’s 12 string Rickenbacker electric instead of my acoustic. I stepped on a delay pedal and all hell broke loose.
What was your last day job? What was your favorite day job?
I did some time as a plumber’s assistant, and that was a pretty shitty job.
The only real job I ever held for any length of time was working as a maître d’ at a fancy Italian restaurant called Terelli’s in Dallas. Some of my best friends worked there and some of my best memories were made during those crazy years. They would let me go off on rock ‘n’ roll tours and keep my job when I got back.
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?
My income has been almost entirely performance-based for a long time. Which is rough when you have kids at home. My biggest hack recently is that I took a job teaching undergraduates songwriting. The local 802 in New York made sure that not only was my daughter’s entire tuition at the college covered, but my family of four now has complete healthcare coverage. First time in my entire life I haven’t been paying thousands of dollars every month for healthcare.
What one thing do you know now that you had wished you knew when you started your career in music?
I really wish I hadn’t assumed that everyone else knew something I did not. I figured they all had the secret and I was just some sort of imposter. Nobody knows anything. We’re all just out here trying to figure it out together.