Photo credit Alex Csorba
Tell us about your tour vehicle.
I’ve put 140,000 miles on my Tacoma over the past 6 years. It runs like a tank and has also been a wonderful place to sleep when I’m on the road (weather permitting). Out on tour with Pony Bradshaw this past fall in California was just about as good as truck-camping gets.
How do you eat cheaply and/or healthy while on tour?
I’m smart about my rider. I eat lots of fruit and will lean toward Chipotle over anything else if I need something with a bit more substance than typical fast food.
How many strings do you break in a typical year? How much does it cost to replace them?
I have no idea when I broke a string last; I replace them when I have time / need to do something to keep my hands busy in the sometimes-boring greenrooms far from home.
Where do you rehearse?
I write in our spare bedroom at home. It’s painted a beautiful “Etruscan Red” from Farrow and Ball (the color was matched at Sherwin Williams to save some money, by the way). I have my desk, a couple of leather chairs, and a guitar hanging on the wall. It’s a wonderful, creative place to be still and stare into the abyss.
What was the title and a sample lyric from the first song that you wrote?
I have no idea, but there is an EP called Kentucky that some true Csorba fans know about and surprisingly love. It is no longer available on the internet 🙂
Describe your first gig.
Mm. It’s hard to say – I remember playing at a place called Walter’s in downtown Houston for my album release party when I was about 16 years old. I hired an all-star band from the studio, and I think I remember it going pretty well.
What was your last day job? What was your favorite day job?
I currently work as a Senior Talent Buyer for a venue owner / promoter here in Texas. It’s been interesting and grounding to see the business behind the music by researching artists, digesting data, and playing air-traffic control on the calendar as agents are routing tours. Grateful for the gig, and grateful to be a part of an organization that encourages me to tour, release music, and prioritize what I need to – in so far that my work as getting done.
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?
I think about this constantly. The financial pie chart of my life will certainly shift and change as time goes on, but I’ve come to peace with that. Quite frankly, I have plenty of friends in other fields (outside of music) who have encouraged me to find some other work in parallel with my music career. That may be a path I take someday, but I know this for sure: whatever my financial pie chart looks like throughout my life – making and releasing music will always be a part of who I am, what I’m doing, and part of my eventual legacy.
What one thing do you know now that you had wished you knew when you started your career in music?
There is no reason to try to prove yourself or convince people of something through song. I’ve been thinking about this idea a lot recently. I’ve found a lot of freedom in making a record that required me to be a documentarian or a witness of the life around me. When I was 17 or 18 and making music, I wanted to make a point or contribute my opinions to the world. Now, I see my music as a vehicle to document and memorialize a moment in time – slivers of a life well lived. Perhaps that perspective and the stories can influence people to understand the world or themselves better, but there’s no reason for me to point my finger and make a judgement call just because I have the microphone.