Photo credit: Darius Fitzgerald
Tell us about your tour vehicle.
I’m on a tour bus these days… I feel ok about saying that because I spent about ten years in beat up conversion vans to get here. Ha.
How do you eat cheaply and/or healthy while on tour?
I’ve got a weird schedule of eating while I’m on tour because I don’t like to eat much before I sing. I normally have pretty decent breakfast or lunch depending when I wake up, and then a good meal when I come off of stage. In between I’m a sucker for kids cereal and ice cream if I’m really doing damage.
How many strings do you break in a typical year? How much does it cost to replace them?
That’s a good question. I’d say 4 or 5 strings that actually break, but we change them every 2 shows while on tour and I carry between 6-12 guitars usually. We have some endorsements that help us with that, or that could cost a fortune.
Where do you rehearse?
Lots of incense! We just try to vibe it out when we rehearse and normally setup in a circle so we can all see each other. We actually record our rehearsals as well, so we have a record of us working on new things.
What was the title and a sample lyric from the first song that you wrote?
I’ll go with “City Lights”. I wrote it about my wife who I went on a first date with to see a band called Jump Little Children. She had so much class and elegance. I just knew I wanted to be around that.
Describe your first gig.
The first show with Wilder Woods was on CBS Saturday Morning. Pretty crazy to start with live tv, but did it.
What was your last day job? What was your favorite day job?
Last day job was over 20 years ago, but I worked in construction. I did roofing, tiling, Sheetrock, etc… Favorite job in high school was working as jet ski technician and getting to test drive them when we put them together.
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’ve made more money than I ever imagined doing this, but I’ve also spent a lot too. Money in music is very cyclical and anything but steady. Only advice is don’t buy a boat.
What one thing do you know now that you had wished you knew when you started your career in music?
Probably that no one really knows when something is going to connect. Everyone claims to have “known it all along” but that just isn’t true. When you think you have something, the first bunch of no’s you get don’t necessarily mean you’re wrong.