32 Days On the Road

Sarasota is where to catch the sunset - but we hit sunrise one day as we had to get one of our guys home and drove straight from gig to airport. The white sands of Siesta Key look like water here. Its been a while since we posted a tour blog. Oh we had great ambitions back in November when we came home from a long tour stretch that took us from Detroit to Dallas, around Texas through the Gulf, to Miami and back to Dallas before returning home. --- so let me catch you up in a

32 days on the road. The irony is that we ended up dragging our tired bodies and dirty laundry home late on day 31 this last run. Which is another story, altogether. But 32 days begs the question, "How long is too long"? There is not a one size fits all answer. Being on stage 6 times a week might improve your chops and stamina but staying on the road for a long stretch doesn't make you better than anyone else. In some cases its not bright. For many troubadours there are respo

One of the biggest challenges of being on the road is eating healthy. Budgeting, goes hand in hand with that. Living large on tour can set you back or put the brakes on things. You can't spend like its a vacation if you have bills to pay (newsflash - we are not the Rolling Stones). And eating fatty, sugary, nutrient devoid junk food every day isn't only a bad idea, it's a recipe for disaster when combined with sedentary days, irregular sleep, and alcohol that flows like the m

5 shows in the span of 5 days, 1500 miles and 26 hours in a van. Breaking it down like that, it doesn't sound unmanageable - an average of 300 miles a day. In an ideal world we would drive half the distance or teleport to as many great venues. Six hundred miles of it wouldn't be gig to gig. And we would not be waving at the beach in Miami as we drive by before doubling back to New Orleans. Routing can at times be a tricky thing; in the end you do what is most worthwhile and g

I know we left off in Alexandria, Louisiana. Day 11ish? Its easy to lose track of time on tour. More so as days go by and you're in a different town each night. Of course, we have to stay on top of things due to a tight schedule and being accountable to a lot of people. "Google calendar is our best friend on the road", said no rockstar ever. But its true if you are a humble DIY performer. An average day involves getting up between 6am and 9am for Dylan and I - depending on ou

Its just recently that I feel comfortable taking a couple days off a week with the band while on the road. Anything can happen, something often does, and that one extra show can sometimes make all the difference. With a ton of overhead I prefer to know we have some buffer even with the best of luck and planning. At times the pressure has been incredible to book and map out a tour with good shows that will cover pay and expenses, not completely wear everyone out, and not end u