Photo credit: Laura Moll
Tell us about your tour vehicle. Any notable breakdown stories?
We learned our lesson and started renting vans and SUVs for tour stops. We played the Kentucky Opry Venue and on our way back to Nashville, Brandon’s 2001 Land Rover SUV broke down. We were in the middle of nowhere. We barely had cell reception to reach people. It was around the time where most of our friends were out of town on vacation in the spring. We were stranded on the side of the road overnight for 12 hours. We didn’t feel safe at all but we spent the entire time taking turns taking naps and being on the lookout for help and playing songs on our guitar. Stressful, yes. But looking back, we wouldn’t change a thing. A friend finally answered and drove 3 hours to pick us up before he himself left for vacation. We’re thankful for good friends!
How do you eat cheaply and/or healthy while on tour?
We’re pretty simple eaters. We prefer healthier options just so that we feel better on the long trips from show to show. For us, this means instead of stopping for fast food we make quick stops at grocery stores and get fresh food from the deli areas. Budget-friendly and healthier.
How many strings do you break in a typical year? How much does it cost to replace them?
Our strings only break at the most convenient times. But they don’t break often so we spend next to nothing on strings, thankfully.
Where do you rehearse?
We have a spacious area in our house where we rehearse for shows with a smaller band. Sorry, neighbors! We rehearse at Diamond Sound Studios in Nashville for big full-band shows. It’s a perfect and convenient in-and-out situation for us.
What was the title and a sample lyric from the first song that you wrote?
This is an earlier song we wrote. It’s called “Save A Survivor” in honor of our godmother, Brenda Cowan, who we lost in the line of duty. “Nobody knows why but some live and some die / Through the flames and the fire / Burning higher and higher / But those angels fly / In heaven through the sky / This is for the firefighters. It’s time to save a survivor.” They actually just named an elementary school after her.
Describe your first gig.
Our very first gig as The Kentucky Gentlemen was in Nashville where we played a set at Benchmark Bar that used to be on 2nd Ave. There was absolutely no one there. The bar had open windows and it was freezing. We were wearing coats on stage. We sang an Easton Corbin cover and in the middle of it, Easton Corbin walked in. All of a sudden it didn’t matter that the bar was empty.
What was your last day job? What was your favorite day job?
We both still work day jobs. One of us works an office job for Nordstrom and the other manages an ice plant. Honestly, no day job is our favorite day job and we’re holding out for the day we can drop those.
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?
Well, 5-10 years ago we were making $0. We’re working hard to do much better than that now and it’s looking up. Hopefully, 5-10 years from now we’ll be really comfortable.
What one thing do you know now that you had wished you knew when you started your career in music?
You can’t control much. Just keep showing up and working hard. It’ll take some time but you’ll be just fine.