Photo credit: Eleanor Segel Williamson
Tell us about your tour vehicle. Any notable breakdown stories?
Clay Rose: We very recently acquired a 2014 Mercedes Sprinter van. Before that we would just borrow our friend’s mini van, which was an insane squeeze for 5 guys, a drum kit, two keyboards, four amps, all our luggage, a cooler, etc. Luckily my dad was a furniture mover, so I learned 3D Tetris from a young age.
We haven’t had any major repairs on the Sprinter yet, but we did almost die in it a few months ago coming over the pass in Breckenridge in an ice storm. Despite having chains on, we slid off the side of the road and teetered over the edge of a likely fatal cliff. The back of the van was a foot off the ground, and we had to very carefully all crawl out the driver’s door as the van rocked precariously over the abyss.
How do you eat cheaply and/or healthy while on tour?
Rose: It seems to be one or the other. Cheap or healthy. Food is a major topic of discussion in the van, among everyone but me. I’m an omnivore and I often will go two days without eating, just because I forget to. So I leave the food to the foodies.
How many strings do you break in a typical year? How much does it cost to replace them?
Rose: If I play more than three shows on the same set of strings, I’ll break them. So I typically go through 30-40 sets of strings in a year, at $14/set. It averages out to about $500/year.
Donny Ambory: I never break strings, but I change my wound strings about every other gig. That costs about $100 a year because I buy boxes of D’addario’s (fairly inexpensive) on sale. I use German made Pyramid plain strings. They sound amazing and last forever so I only change those about 3 times a year. Probably $20 a year because I just buy single strings.
Where do you rehearse?
Rose: Our main practice space is our guitarist, Donny’s home studio. After the space took some damage during the flood of 2013, I helped remodel the studio for Donny. One day, I was up on a ladder, cutting out a wall with a Sawzall. We thought all the power was off, but apparently there was a separate breaker for the 220V power. When I hit that line with the Sawzall, it blew me right off the ladder. As I lay there vibrating on the floor, Sawzall still in hand, I thought, “Coffee and cocaine are for the birds. 220V is the ONLY buzz!”
Ambory: We rehearse in my converted garage. We also made 3 of our first four records there and several singles. Going to fancy studios is fun and inspiring, but I love cutting in the garage…low pressure, low cost, high times!
What was the title and a sample lyric from the first song that you wrote?
Rose: The first song I wrote was a cappella because I hadn’t learned how to play guitar yet. I was 12 years old, I had just moved to rural Tennessee from Boulder, Colorado, and I was having a hard time adjusting to the redneck perspective on life. The near daily beatings I received on behalf of said ‘perspective’ was inspiring, to say the least. So, I wrote a satirical song to sing for my perps during the next beat down. It was called, “Cuntry Boy Fudd.” I would slap my knee for rhythm while I half yodeled lyrics such as, “I wear a rebel flag and beat my wife / she’s been with me most all of my life / we’re twins, but that’s amazing, ‘cause Daddy was a dud / Mama must’ve cheated / I’m a cuntry boy fudd.”
Describe your first gig.
Rose: My first gig happened by chance a week after I learned my first three chords. I had written 2 songs with those three chords that week. My dad and I were in Nova Scotia, and we were getting some gas across the road from an old dairy barn. We could hear music coming from it, so we walked over to check it out. Upstairs in the loft, they were having an open mic and the place was packed with people. When we walked in a guy at the top of the stairs asked if I was there to perform. I said, “sure.” 10 minutes later, I was on stage playing my 2 songs for a packed house. Halfway through the first song a conga player jumped up and started jamming, then a fiddler, and a fella blowing on a harmonica. And before you knew it, I had a full band. Needless to say, I was hooked, and all thought of future financial security went right out the window.
What was your last day job? What was your favorite day job?
Rose: Thankfully, my financial fall back has always been construction and carpentry. I say ‘thankfully’ because I love it. It makes sense to me. It’s creative, and it’s real. You get to see the results of your labor in real time. And you continue to see those results for decades. There’s a right way and a wrong way to build. If you do it the right way, you are guaranteed success. Unlike the music business, you don’t need to know the right person, wear the right outfit, or kiss the right ass to build a house. You just need the right tools, the right knowledge, and the right work ethic. If only the arts career path could be so simple!
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?
Rose: Before the pandemic, I was making a decent living just playing music. And that was without even leaving Colorado. But since the pandemic, we took a major financial hit, as the burden of financial loss for the venues was passed along to the artists. Pay was cut in half from what it was before the lockdown. And the pay hasn’t budged since then. I’m not sure how much longer venues and talent buyers will continue gouging artists before they feel like they’ve recouped what was lost in the pandemic, but for the artists, it could take decades at this rate. That being said, I expect to have a million dollar licensing placement any day now, so I’m shopping for a yacht. HMU if you got any leads, yall!
What one thing do you know now that you had wished you knew when you started your career in music?
Rose: Confidence is an asset, not a sin.
Requesting and accepting help is strength.
There are no rules, no experts, and no opinion that matters more than your own, when it comes to the life of your art.
Ambory: I suppose I would have to say that music would be free in the 21st century, but I probably wouldn’t have continued to work at it if I knew. I guess I’m glad I didn’t know.