Today was a beautiful day. It was the first day of the year you really didn’t need a second layer. No jacket or hoodie needed – a t-shirt would be fine. People from the Northeast can all agree that this day, special because it only happens once a year, is great. I might roll my eyes hearing about how magical the first snowfall is, you might sneer about leaves falling in autumn, but it’s hard to be cynical about the first day of spring.
Apparently it was sunny and 15 degrees back home – about the same temperature it was on the route from Kentucky to Memphis (where we plan to stay tonight). Every time we got out of the van for gas or food, I was lifted. It’s a welcome change from touring in the Canadian winter where we are forced to scuttle from the van to Tim Hortons a few times a day. Cold is not easy. Cold is hard. (In the winter in our van – depending on your seat – the temperature at your feet can swing 20 degrees. It feels like you’re either in a boiler room or you just put your bare feet in some snow. The heat controls in the van can turn into a battle ground. We need to get that fixed.)
It’s a (roughly) 25-hour drive from Hamilton to Austin, TX, and we’re doing it over three days. People often ask us how we deal with long drives like these, and although being cooped up in a van isn’t ideal for any mammal, touring in 2012 is much easier than it used to be. On our first Western Canadian tour in 2008, none of us had smart phones, and (inexplicably) only one of us brought a laptop. Today, four of us have iPads, we all have laptops, and we all have iPhones (you’re welcome, Apple). Having these gadgets might sound expensive, but it’s a pretty small price to pay given how much use they’ll get. I’ve come to *almost* look forward to these trips because there’s a lot of media I can catch up on: tv shows, movies, books, everything.
I’m interested in what my band-friends are reading, listening to, and watching while they are on the road. People ask us this often, too. Because we do this a lot – and I consider myself a bit of an expert – there are a few things to note:
- If you’re riding shotgun, your job is to be the Robin to the driver’s Batman. The driver is really doing all the work, and the least you can do is be a sidekick. You need to hold the wheel when he takes off his jacket, DJ the songs he wants to hear, and make sure there’s a free cup holder for his energy drink. If you’re in the back, it’s fine to have headphones on and be completely disengaged. But in the front there is team component that should be respected.
- If you are not sparking debate or conversation, a good podcast is usually much better at passing the time than music. Music allows you to zone out and get bored. Music can’t keep you company for eight straight hours. I hate to break it to you, but we don’t sit around singing Tiny Dancer all day long.There is a podcast for just about every area of interest. Find one with a host you connect with, and let it suck you in.
If you’re interested, here is what has helped pass the time on our trip to SXSW. See ya soon, Austin.
Max
Podcast: 60 Minutes (audio version), BS Report, ESPN’s Baseball Today, Sportsnet’s Hockey Today, This American Life, Radiolab, Kaufman Show, Tony Kornheiser Radio show.
Music: MuteMath (Odd Soul), Ben Folds Five (Whatever and Ever Amen), Plants and Animals (The End of That), Henry Clay People (Twenty-Five For The Rest Of Our Lives), Wallflowers (Bringing Down The Horse), Bahamas (Barchords), Said The Whale (Little Mountain)
Mike – Night Of The Gun by David Carr
Tim – Slumdog Millionaire, Eastbound and Down,
Anthony – The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
Max – Popular Crime by Bill James, Friday Night Lights (TV show)
Nick – Metamorphasis by Franz Kafka, Clockwork Orange, Ides of March
Brad (Tour Manager) – Out of My League by Dirk Hayhurst, Stripes (Bill Murray flick)
