Tag: touring

Root 66: Hollis Brown’s Roadside Favorites

Posted on by Editor

Name: Hollis Brown
Hometown: America
Latest Project: Cluster of Pearls

Tacos: Luna's Food Truck in Austin, Texas. Good hang. Good vibe. Cool colors. The steak tacos are out of control.

Pizza: Polito's Pizza in New York City. This is my local pizzeria in Queens — my go-to on the day after a long tour is done! I love that it’s a neighborhood spot. The plain slice is one of the best in New York City.

Burger: Lamb burger in Clavesana, Italy. I decided on this particular burger because the chef personally ran the local farm that nurtured the whole meal. Unbelievable.

 

Take your pick! What's your favorite hot sauce? #tapatio #tabasco #ghostpepper

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Dive Bar: Dino's in Nashville, Tennessee. Couldn't believe it the first time. Second time was awesome. Third time, loved it. Where else can you smoke, watch Tommy on VHS, and feel like you're in a 1950s time warp?

Record Store: Concerto in Amsterdam. They love their roots music. They love all of their music, actually. We did an in-store acoustic show there, and it was really cool. They had an actual Van Gogh on the wall. Enough said.

Listening Room: City Winery. Great sound. Great hospitality. Good people. We have done both Chicago and New York. Love this gig.

House Concert: Live@ Drews in Ringwood, New Jersey; Hamilton Park House Concerts in New York City. Both have mastered the art, the intimacy, and the awesomeness of what a true house concert should be. They provide really solid sound for a house show. The atmosphere and excitement of the audience is really cool. The people who attend are real music lovers and deeply care about the art.

Backstage Hang: Red Rocks in Morrison, Colorado. When the backstage is rock, you know you're doing something right.

Music Festival: Firefly in Dover, Delaware. Nicest staff and most comfortable artist grounds I have ever experienced. Super friendly and safe, too.

Highway Stretch: Coast of California. Unbelievable views. Cool cars. I love making this drive. Stop in Big Sur and keep going.

Day Off Activity: Sleep, eat, smoke, repeat. We rarely get days off. When we do, I am usually in recovery.

Driving Album: The Rolling Stones, Exile on Main Street. This is one of my all-time favorite albums. Exile takes you on a ride. From the up-tempo rockers at the start ("Rocks Off," "Rip This Joint") to the bluesy covers ("Shake Your Hips," "Stop Breaking Down") to the acoustic jams and ballads ("Torn and Frayed," "Let It Loose”), the sound is perfect for driving on the open road anywhere — whether the countryside of England or the Arizona desert. Just a perfect album.

Photo credit: Shervin Lainez

Gig Bag: Aaron Lee Tasjan

Posted on by Editor

Welcome to Gig Bag, a BGS feature that peeks into the touring essentials of some of our favorite artists. This time around, we look at what Aaron Lee Tasjan has to have handy when he's out on the road.

Silver Beatle boots: I got these silver Beatle boots as a gift from my friend, Kim Buie. They are essential for traveling, especially where we go, like Wisconsin or Gatlinburg. You gotta have style and it helps to have class. Obviously these boots fall under the "git you a girl who can do both" category.


Goldie: Goldie, as you may have noticed, is a van … but not just any van. It's a custom, like-brand-new-for-sale-as-is van that I bought off a fake minister in East Nashville. Fake ministers are the only people you can trust when it comes to buying a vehicle. What are some of the custom features? How about an original Nintendo "Minister" Terry said we could have but then took out of the van secretly before we picked it up? Or how about power locks that work almost most of the time? Would you care to listen to the radio? We wouldn't either and, thankfully, we don't have to because it doesn't work. Also, there used to be a custom hole in the gas tank, but we changed that custom feature to a different one with just a regular gas tank. 

Brian Wright: Whenever I go on tour, I try to take Brian Wright with me. He is one of the best songwriters I've ever heard and he loves to eat third-rate Mexican food and mad dog anyone who crosses him. I've seen him do the following things just in the last three months: break his finger from partying; use a piano as a foot stool; quit smoking; start smoking; come up with the idea for John Mayer to go skydiving and have it photographically documented by world famous sky diving photographer John Mayer; invent a can't-lose fighting move called 'The Elephant of Surprise.' All true. 100 percent.

The Tailgater: The tailgater is a 50-watt speaker that we use to listen to music in the van and make general announcements on because it came with a free microphone for some reason. These babies are $119 at Walmart and, let me tell you, it is a tour ESSENTIAL. What do you think Mick Jagger uses to warm up for every Stones gig? The Tailgater. Plus, you don't have to feel lame at the drive-thru anymore because now you have a mic, too. The Tailgater. Know it. Love it. Own it.

Lede photo by Curtis Wayne Millard

Root 66: The Congress’s Roadside Favorites

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Name: The Congress
Hometown: Richmond, VA
Latest Project: The Game (September 9, 2016)

Tacos: Patzcuaro in Denver, CO and Guisados in Los Angeles, CA

Gear Shop: Music Emporium on Bardstown in Louisville KY. We found this amazing tweed bassman clone amplifier there (built by their repair tech) that has been our main guitar amp, keyboard amp, even a bass amp at times, and it is used on all of our records. Larry Gant, if you're out there, thank you!

Record Store: Wax Trax in Denver, CO. (Half of guitarist Scott Lane’s record collection is from poaching their dollar bin.)

 

Capping off this PA/DC run at @musikfest tonight.

A photo posted by The Congress (@thecongress) on

Driving Album: Phil Collins — Serious Hits… Live!

Backstage Hang: Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, CO.

Book Store: Chop Suey in Richmond, VA

 

Scoping Niagara Falls before we play the Rochester International Jazz Festival tonight

A photo posted by The Congress (@thecongress) on

Highway Stretch: Highway 101 through Redwood National/State Park

Tour Hobby: Making up our own — sometimes offensive — lyrics to famous songs for anything from general communication to show announcements.

Car Game: We have a game we invented called Turd Ferguson. We wrote several pages of very complicated rules (the "Constitution") over the course of a couple years. It's not really worth explaining beyond mentioning that it is played with sets of vintage Trivial Pursuit cards from the '80s, and there's a daily double-esque thing called the "Hot Round." Everyone sings the Hot Round theme song together when it happens. Also, we have to mention our game Kevin Bank'em, which is played by connecting two famous people in the style of the Kevin Bacon game — but you have to "bank" off of Kevin Bacon as a connection on the way.

 

Just some dudes laughing on a porch, photo @joey_wharton

A photo posted by The Congress (@thecongress) on

Music Festival: High Sierra Music Festival in Quincy, CA

Airport: We've spent enough time at DIA to call it a home.

Day Off Activity: Chris Speasmaker (keys) and Jon Meadows (bass) are avid tour golfers.

Photo credit: William David Lawrence

Root 66: The Wild Reeds’ Roadside Favorites

Posted on by Amy Reitnouer

Name: The Wild Reeds
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Latest Project: Best Wishes EP

Tacos
: Veracruz breakfast taco truck in Austin, Texas, is bonkers. Try their Migas tacos! We are spoiled when it comes to Mexican food in Los Angeles, but Austin's got the breakfast taco thing goin' on and Veracruz is truly the best.

Health Food: Red Barn Natural Grocery in Eugene, Oregon, became a favorite of ours after playing Sam Bond's Garage a few times. It's small but has character — you know, like granola-hippie-dreadlock-B.O. — and their side café has great breakfast, and ice cream!

Roadside Diner: Walrus and Carpenter wouldn't be considered a diner — it's a gastropub — but it's a "must" every time we are on the East Coast. It's in Black Rock, Connecticut, by the water and it's the best BBQ we've ever had. I know that sounds crazy because that's not what Connecticut is known for. Joe, the owner, has taken good care of us on numerous occasions. We even played a show there this year. Their maple-cured pork belly and their hush puppies are so good. Also … they have CRAZY pies and a full bar. GO THERE. 

 

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Coffee House: Rozz Tox in Rock Island, Illinois, is one of the cooler coffee houses you will ever visit. It's full of funky vintage furniture and bizarre artwork that makes you feel like you've fallen down the rabbit hole. It's family-owned and operated, and they serve hot drinks, killer food, and throw shows in the back. They also have a library upstairs with a record player and a hallway of bunks for bands. Oh, and Saturday morning, (black and white) cartoons!

Vintage Store: We love vintage stores (yes, even the guys do!) and it's hard to choose a favorite, but one, for sure, is House of Vintage in Portland. It's a vintage mall with tons of curated booths and their prices are great. They have EVERYTHING … from combat boots to your grandma's pin collection. It's usually a three-hour affair for us. 

Gear Shop: Our favorite music store is Folk Music Center in Claremont, California. Owned and run by Ben Harper's family, it's become a community pillar of history, culture, live music, lessons, and rare folk instruments. We all have lots of memories playing there, and they are the only ones we trust with our banjo. Revival Drum shop in Portland is also somewhere we try to stop whenever we are in town.

 

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House Concert: In Walla Walla, Washington, there's a kickass family who puts on the Bellsville West house shows and, if you ever get the chance to play there, do it. Some of the most down-to-earth folks, who'll stay up all night around the fire drinkin' wine and talking about stuff that matters. 

Backstage Hang: The Chapel in San Francisco has always been good to us, and their backstage catering is wild. Somehow, you're in an old parish, eating goat cheese pizza and drinking in the baptismal overlooking the crowd. 

Music Festival
: Our favorite music festival is Pickathon in Happy Valley, Oregon. This Summer, we got to play it for the first time and were thrilled. It's an alternate universe where children run free, GOOD music never stops, food is real, and beer flows like water. But really, camping under the stars while listening to music in the woods is heaven! 

 

A photo posted by thewildreeds (@thewildreeds) on

Radio Station: King's Radio KZPO 103.3 in Lindsay ( Central Valley) California. If you're coming or going from L.A. to S.F. on I-5, this station is a gem of oldies from the '40s on up, many of which never had air time. They also play original rare versions of songs. It's a tradition for us on our drive home. 

Tour Hobby: We have a few tour hobbies: In the van, we do a lot of embroidery to pass the time. It helps you to not get sucked into your phone for hours, and we've made lots of hand-sewn patches and merch for the band. Our other hobby — more like a problem — is thrifting. We stop at every thrift store we can that's off the beaten path. It's one of the best ways to see into the personality of a city and the people that live there. However, we did a little too much collecting and have now opened an online vintage store called Bandwagon Vintage where you can buy our treasures and continue to fuel our habit.

Driving Album: We have several favorite driving albums, but one of them is Joel Alme's Waiting for the Bells. He's a Swedish artist that somehow harnessed all the world's nostalgia and put it into one soul-filled love-and-loss record. He's got a cool way of singing and it makes you feel good feelings. We put some more of our driving albums in a Spotify playlist called "road jamz" so feel free to take a listen. 

Photo credit: Ryan Cosentino-Roush

Root 66: Matt Haeck’s Roadside Favorites

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Name: Matt Haeck
Hometown: Bridgetown, Barbados (birthplace); now based in Nashville, TN
Latest Project: Late Bloomer

Roadside Attraction: Hillsboro Days Inn, Hillsboro, Texas. IT’S THE “BOTTLE ROCKET” MOTEL!

Day Off Activity: Skinny dipping. There’s a lake near Thomas, West Virginia, that’s about 100 degrees year round.

Driving Album: Veedon Fleece, Van Morrison

 

I love lamp #ilovelamp

A photo posted by Matt Haeck (@matthaeck) on

Record Store: Found Sound, Ferndale, Michigan. After years of searching for it on vinyl, I walked in and Veedon Fleece was right there on the front endcap.

Tour Hobby: Thrifting. Best thrift stores are definitely NOT in small towns devoid of hipsters and vintage shops. Don’t even bother! Ahem!

Gear Shop: Fanny’s House of Music, Nashville, Tennessee. Like the good thrift stores, I’m once again loathe to send people here, lest they buy up all the good finds.

Truck Stop: Sheetz. Because dope af hotdogs ordered straight from the gas pump.

Coffee Shop: Forth, Winnipeg, Manitoba. Best Americano I’ve ever tasted (go figure), and — duh! — Canadians.

Airport: Denver. Because smoking lounge (cough! cough!)

Diner: Waffle House. Because hashbrown bowls with gravy, 24-hour service, and the best banter between servers and cooks any side of the Mississippi.

Backstage Hang: Heartbreaker Banquet or Winnipeg Folk Fest. (Eating all the cherries backstage at the Winnipeg Folk Fest.)

Best Way to Refresh Your Wicked, Road-Weary Soul: Rothko Chapel, Houston, Texas.

Photo credit: Mick Leonardi

Root 66: Sawtooth Brothers’ Roadside Favorites

Posted on by Amy Reitnouer

Name: Sawtooth Brothers
Hometown: Twin Cities, MN
Latest Album: One More Flight 

Pizza: Dulono's Pizza in Minneapolis has always been our home. They've hosted bluegrass music since before we were born, and we've been playing there and enjoying their incredible thin crust since before we could drive.

Burger: Whenever we drive through Rochester, Minnesota, we make a point of stopping at Newt's. They claim to have the best burger in town, but we think that's an understatement. Great tap selection, too.

Health Food: Every band knows how hard it is to find wholesome food out on the open highway … because there's only so many times you can stop at Subway. We like to find a grocery store and stock up on Clif Bars and sweet potatoes (you can microwave them in your hotel room).

 

A photo posted by @sawtoothbrothers on

Coffeehouse: We used to record in NE Minneapolis, which has its fair share of coffee houses (although the number of breweries might be overtaking it). Our go-to stop on the way into the studio or out of town is Matchbox Coffee. Look closely, it's small. About as small as a matchbox, but the coffee is perfectly hot and fresh. We dare you not fall in love with this place.

House Concert: Last Winter, we found ourselves in Michigan's UP on a bitterly cold February afternoon. Thankfully, we were playing a house concert at the Rainbow's End Alpaca Farm in Norway, Michigan. It was more than enough keep us warm. Pack a bluegrass band, a bunch of shelves full of alpaca wool products, and about a hundred people into a tiny gift shop, and you'll forget it's only five degrees outside! The Full Moon House Concert series was incredibly welcoming and hospitable.

Day Off Activity: Fishing brings us together on our off days. We could be on a lake up north or down on the river, but we're always looking for fishin' holes while touring around. We usually fail to plan for the discovery of an enticing stream, though, so "We should have brought our fishing poles!" is one of the most common things we say.

 

A photo posted by @sawtoothbrothers on

Car Game: You'll typically find everyone asleep except the driver (hopefully), but if we're feeling restless, we'll flip through the radio channels and compete to see who can name the band first. Our guitarist Clint usually wins.

Music Festival: A highlight of every year is the Laughing Waters Bluegrass Festival. It's in Minnehaha Park, the crown jewel public space of a city renowned for its parks — Minneapolis. There's an incredible waterfall, biking, fishing, miles of trails, and, every year on Labor Day, a free bluegrass festival with a huge turnout. Seriously … so many people come to this thing, it's almost like everyone has the day off of work. There's always a great lineup, awesome food vendors, and perfect weather (knock on wood).

Tour Hobby: Sometimes you find yourself with time to kill in a city you know nothing about. We take this as an opportunity to stroll the streets and explore. We usually end up in a local brewery or at a park. Recently, in Viroqua, Wisconsin, we stumbled on Eckhart Park which must be the quaintest thing we've ever seen. It's on a wooded hillside with a city time capsule cemented into a rocky outcropping which overlooks a baseball field we played some softball in for a while.

 

A photo posted by @sawtoothbrothers on

Backstage Hang: The Rochester Civic Theater is home to the Americana Showcase series and also a fantastic backstage. It's one of those classic spaces underneath the stage with a bunch of squishy old couches and posters for former productions. It's got a great energy, and the bands hangout together before and during the show. The last time we played this series, we were finally old enough to join in the ceremonial tequila shot that starts off every show.

Listening Room: Our claim to hipster cred is that we thought the Punch Brothers were cool before anyone else. We saw them a couple times back on their first tour when they came to the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis. When they come to town now, they play First Avenue or the State Theater, but it was extra special to see them at the Cedar. It's an intimate setting, and everyone sits down with rapt attention for the musicians. The sound is top notch, and you can usually meet the band.

Driving Album: If you want to ride along with us, you'd better like Nickel Creek, cause we'll be listening to A Dotted Line … a lot.

3×3: Nathan Bell on Being the Silver Surfer, a Reluctant Gypsy, and a Major League Baseball Mascot

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Artist: Nathan Bell
Hometown: Signal Mountain, TN
Latest Album: I Don't Do This tor Love, I Do This For Love (Working and Hanging On in America)
Personal Nicknames: I’ve never had a nickname and it’s uncool to give yourself one (just ask Kobe Bryant), but if I could have one, I’d like it to be “Wolverine.”

 

Bikes and shit

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Your house is burning down and you can grab only one thing — what would you save?
I have a signed copy of a book of short stories by Rick Bass that my wife gave me when we were first together, so I’d take that. And my wife, of course. And our kids. And three dogs. 

If you weren't a musician, what would you be?
A Major League Baseball mascot.

If a song started playing every time you entered the room, what would you want it to be? 
“Atomic Dog” by George Clinton. Or, if I’m in a thoughtful mood, “It Never Entered My Mind” by Miles Davis. If somebody just died, Ralph Stanley singing “Rank Stranger.” Maybe always “Rank Stranger.”

 

Mossman one and Mossman two, pre shoulder surgery stalwarts

A photo posted by Nathan Bell (@nathanbellmusic) on

What is the one thing you can’t survive without on tour? 
The default answer is my guitar. But if you are allowing the guitar to exist separate of this question, my return ticket home. I’m a reluctant gypsy. I love to play solo live shows, but I’m a family man, and when they aren’t around, I need to know I’ll be going home eventually.

If you were a car, what car would you be? 
A battered 1997 Ford F-150, with 4×4 and an 8-Cylinder engine. I’m not so fast anymore, but I get stuff done. I don’t need any girls dancing in the bed, which is full of junk as we speak.

Who is your favorite superhero?
Silver Surfer — because he’s a complete fucking loner.

 

Acoustic Magazine has been kind enough to print some of my work. The newest issue is out. @acousticguitarmag

A photo posted by Nathan Bell (@nathanbellmusic) on

Vinyl or digital? 
Stone tablet. That way I could have liner notes and the proof that somebody worked hard to create something. But I love recording digital. Good microphones are all you really need.

Dylan or Townes?
Terry Allen. The greatest songwriter/sculptor to walk the earth. He’s unbought and unbowed, just doing his thing, perfectly.

Summer or winter?
Winter. Although, just to be contrary, I prefer Fall. Things dying, things sleeping, everything waiting to start over. The season that looks the least hopeful, like me, but, also like me, is optimistic that life goes on.

Photo Credit: Richard Duby

WATCH: The Way Down Wanderers, ‘Heading North’

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Artist: The Way Down Wanderers
Hometown: Peoria, IL
Song: "Heading North"
Album: The Way Down Wanderers
Release Date: July 15

In Their Words: “'Heading North' is a traveler’s tune for those in love and separated by miles. It is an anthem for putting everything behind you, aside from an all-night drive and the person who is waiting for you when you finally reach your destination. I wrote the song when my girlfriend was away at school and I was spending a lot of miles on the road. It helped me get through that period of time in my life and I hope it gives some comfort to others, too.” — Austin Thompson

Enter to win a signed copy of the Way Down Wanderers' new CD & a tank top.

Photo credit: Andre Velez

Root 66: Lucy Dacus’s Roadside Favorites

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Name: Lucy Dacus
Hometown: Richmond, VA
Latest Project: No Burden

Driving Album: Remain in Light by Talking Heads will never get old.

Backstage Hang: The NorVa in Norfolk, Virginia. We played a bunch of pool and pinball before our show with Daughter. I hear that there’s also a basketball court and a sauna, but we couldn’t find them …

Car Game: Jacob, our guitarist, pulls up Wolfram Alpha before we get to whatever city we’re playing and makes us guess the city, urban, and metro population. It’s about as fun as it sounds.

Health Food: There comes a time when everybody just wants some straight-up raw broccoli. We’ll stop at a grocery store and buy a full head of broccoli and maybe some hummus to dip it in. Need them greens!

Book Store: Whenever we have some extra time in New York, we have to make a pilgrimage to the Strand. I’d like to be buried there so my ghost spirit will have plenty of reading material.

Sushi: Now And Zen in Charlottesville, Virginia! HUGE rolls, very good eel roll, top-notch sake, great service.

 

ha hey guess what we did holler at us at DC9 tonight!

A photo posted by Lucy Dacus (@lucydacus) on

House Concert: Every year on Fourth of July weekend, our manager Brandon Crowe throws a big backyard party that showcases tons of local Richmond bands. You can see the fireworks from the baseball field down the road, there’s Hardywood beer, and people come from all over the country. I’d been attending long before we started working with him and it is always my favorite day of the year.

Tacos: There has been much discussion over the best tacos, but I think two major contenders are Taco Republic in Kansas City, Kansas, and an unnamed taco truck in Austin, Texas.

Highway Stretch: The stretch of I-40 between Knoxville and Asheville is amazing, especially if you catch it when the mountains are smokey and the light is right.

Music Festival: We loved playing Treefort Fest in Boise, Idaho! They were super sweet and accommodating to us, and Boise is an unexpectedly rad town. Plus, we played a showcase with Your Friend, Porches, and Alex G who were all bands we wanted to see anyway.

Truck Stop: On a recent drive, we took some serious solace in the North Carolina Welcome Center. We stretched and laid on their shaded picnic tables for like 20 minutes.

Tour Hobby: Seeking the perfect breakfast sandwich.

Photo credit: D Condren

3×3: Anthony D’Amato on Biopics, Bungholes, and the Perfection of Ryan Adams

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Anthony D'Amato
Hometown: Blairstown, NJ
Latest Album: Cold Snap
Personal Nicknames: Twaan

What was the first record you ever bought with your own money? 
I can’t remember if it was the very first, but I vividly remember buying Pete Yorn's musicforthemorningafter at Jack's in Red Bank, New Jersey, very early on, and it's part of the reason I'm here now.

How many unread emails or texts currently fill your inbox?
0. Obsessive compulsions require me to maintain a clean inbox at all times. If you've got thousands of bold emails in your inbox, just give me a call and I'll come over and delete them all. It'll be therapeutic for both of us. 

If your life were a movie, which songs would be on the soundtrack?
Ryan Adams has done a pretty good job of having a song for every occasion and mood I've ever encountered. He knocks out albums so quickly maybe we could even get him to score my biopic — 90 minutes of me anxiously trying to decide where to stop for lunch on tour and then realizing it's now dinner time.

 

Fog rolling in on #PemaquidPoint #Lighthouse on the #Maine coast

A photo posted by Anthony D'Amato (@anthdamatomusic) on

What brand of jeans do you wear?
Topman had a clearance rack in my size one day, and I’ve been set ever since.

What's your favorite word? 
Nap. I find out there’s time for a nap before/after any event and my whole face lights up.

If you were a liquor, what would you be? 
Hard to say, but it would definitely be a brand for sale at the Bunghole Liquors shop, which Stephen Kellogg and I recently discovered is a real place on tour in Massachusetts.

Fate or free will?
Free will when things are going well, fate when they’re not.

Cake or pie? 
Cake when things are going well, pie when they’re not. 

Sunrise or sunset? 
I've heard nice things about the sunrise, but until I wake up early enough to actually see it with my own eyes I'm going to stick with sunsets.