Photo credit: Adam Kennedy
Tell us about your tour vehicle. Any notable breakdown stories?
We got a new tour van, in 2022, so that’s been our road warrior the past few years, Her name is Betty. She has 60K miles now. She’s been great no major problems. (“Knock on wood”)
We have a few breakdown stories in the past with vans. We’ve been stuck on the side of the road, with strangers towing us to the nearest repair shop, having the son of the mechanic fixing our problem with a hammer, etc. we’ve been through it all.
How do you eat cheaply and/or healthy while on tour?
Cheaply is easy. Healthily is hard. When we drive all day everyday you basically learn what gas stations have that you can survive on until you get to your destination, in hopes that they have something that isn’t to bad for ya. We try our best. We are all pretty much over most fast food chains in the country.
How many strings do you break in a typical year? How much does it cost to replace them?
We break a lot on tour, I couldn’t tell you a number that would even be close, But Ernie Ball has been very good to us about getting us enough stings to get us through.
Where do you rehearse?
When we are home long enough to get together we rent a small room from a buddy of ours that has a great set-up space for us to rehearse and write and get stuff done. Nothin crazy we just go there to “Work” not to hang out much.
What was the title and a sample lyric from the first song that you wrote?
I think it was called “I Gotta Go” and it was very simple and had a very Johnny Cash thing going on.
Describe your first gig.
It was at a Coffeehouse in Lakewood, CA. I sat in the corner and played some really not so great songs that I wrote. It was the beginning of what I do now, So I have fond memories of it.
What was your last day job? What was your favorite day job?
I’ve a few day jobs growing up, but the one that I had the longest was I was a Barista at a Coffeehouse called “It’s a Grind” in Cerritos, CA (Not there anymore) for 6 years. It was great because it catered to my schedule at the time. Working mornings, not nights for shows and I could take off and travel the country whenever an opportunity arose.
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?
It’s changed a lot. 10 years ago, I basically had no music related income and now I do. I hope in the next 10 years I’ll have more then I do now.
What one thing do you know now that you had wished you knew when you started your career in music?
That playing live is the best and one of the only way that you get better at it. There’s no other way around it, putting in those 10,000 hrs is real and makes you understand, and better at your craft. I never questioned it, but never realized how valuable those early days were to what I do now!