Photo credit Joshua Black Wilkins
Tell us about your tour vehicle. Any notable breakdown stories?
I have a white dodge caravan named Betty, she’s my prized steed. It’s got almost 200,000 miles but Betty has gotten me through very scary situations involving snow, scary canyons, and people impersonating police at 3AM in the middle of nowhere.
My most notable break down story was with my old van, The Silver Bullet. I was going to Telluride, Colorado for the first time ever and my AC belt snapped in the middle of the canyon and my car just immediately turned off while going 40 mph… the gig was in 2 hours and I had no service. An old man named Homer picked me up with my thumb out and took me to the closest mechanic and a phone, 30 minutes away in the opposite direction. Long story short, I was stuck in Telluride (the most beautiful place ever) for almost a week and met some lifelong friends, and made it to the gig on time.
How do you eat cheaply and/or healthy while on tour?
It’s definitely a challenge with such conveniences being next to every gas station right off the freeway, but packing a cooler with sandwich gear has helped me a lot recently with money. I try to stay with friends and family as much as I can on tour because a home cooked meal adds time onto a touring musician’s life.
How many strings do you break in a typical year? How much does it cost to replace them?
I heard Seth Avett talk about Doc Watson in a documentary, and he said Doc made him realize “It’s not about volume, it’s about character” ever since I heard that, I’ve saved so much money on strings. It’s rare I break any nowadays but I still break around 6 a year touring in different climates and torturing my guitar with dead strings.
Where do you rehearse?
My rehearsal space is wherever I am, because I am a troubadour.
What was the title and a sample lyric from the first song that you wrote?
I wrote my first song at 11 years old, named “Woody Guthrie Song” I was introduced to very old music, very young. Woody lived as a fictional drifter character in my head as a child until I grew up realized he really just lived like that.
Describe your first gig.
My first gig was busking on the streets at 11 because there was only one open mic night here in Ogden, Utah that was all-ages, and people thought a kid busking was the cutest thing ever, so I actually made money that way.
What was your last day job? What was your favorite day job?
I’ve had one job putting pizzas in boxes during the pandemic. Very short lived.
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?
One thing about music-related incomes, it is ever changing. All I can do is hope for the best the next 5-10 years. I live cheap, I don’t need much.
What one thing do you know now that you had wished you knew when you started your career in music?
Time goes by fast and every day matters.