Danielle Allen of Offsides

Offsides is a fast hardcore band from Ct. and Fl. respectively. I've had the chance to get to know Danielle recently and since they're out on tour right now I decided to send her some questions. It's always funny to see or hear what touring is like from different bands. Not one band will do or act the same as another and that's what keeps me excited about interviewing bands about tour, plus half of tour is about the stories we encounter and people we meet. Enjoy and go checkout Offsides if they come close to you.

1- What are three of your biggest pet peeves while you are on tour? (this can include things from shows, band members, van, other bands)

Having to convince people that I am in a band and not just some girl along for the ride or trying to get in free to their show. Bands that don’t watch the other bands, especially at a show where only a handful of kids show up. Smoking in venues.

2- Do you have any tips for other vocalist that tour on how to not blow out their voice?

If you are using a PA that just doesn’t cut it, don’t try and yell to be heard. It is the main way I always blow out my voice and every time I should know better. Throat coat tea is also the best measure for keeping what is left of your voice.

3- What do you think the biggest misconception of being in a touring band is?

That tour is one giant party. People don’t realize that while it is a blast, the majority of the time you are dirty, hungry and stressed on money (which is something you see little of while on tour). You drive hundreds of miles to play shows where sometimes no one cares that you are playing, then get to sleep in your smelly, hot van and wake up to do it again. I guess all of that is part of the charm and challenge that makes me love it, but in the end tour is not the all hours rager people think it is.

4- What are some ground rules you have set with the band while on tour? I.E phone use while driving, what happens on tour stays on tour, merch trades and so forth?

1. Always give me a heads up before you get naked. This is usually done by someone saying “If you want to see me naked look over here right now” or “Getting’ nake”.
2. Do not eat other people’s food (that’s a law, not a rule).
3. Don’t drink the rest of someone’s “apple juice”.

5- Sketchiest place you've had to sleep at on tour?

During our tour last summer, we had a show in the Midwest and had a ridiculous drive ahead of us. It was one of those staggering drives where just looking at the map is giving you cabin fever. We made the choice to drive after the show as far as we could before being too tired to continue and then just find a place to sleep. A quick fact about our bands is that we can sleep anywhere, and have done so, without complaining. We sleep on cement, sitting straight up in the most uncomfortable chairs, wherever. Anyone that has ever toured knows that driving at night after driving all day and playing a show sucks. Everyone is tired, sweaty, and usually smells like a men’s locker room. Around 3AM, Matt, the singer of No Harm Done, decides this is the end of tonight’s journey and we needed to get some sleep. We pulled into what appeared to be a closed down steak house. Our van, at the time, was a conversion van with seven seats, four of them being captains chairs. There were seven of us in the van, so we decided that some of us would just sleep outside. We filed out, laid out our tarp, and started to get some sleep. We laid out, looking at the stars and enjoying the cool night air and realized there was something amiss with our cool night’s air. We look around and realize there is a full grease trap very near where we are laying. The air was thick with the scent of thousands of old steaks, burgers and whatever other animals were being fried at this restaurant. After getting a few hours of sleep, I awoke to the sound of a car engine roaring into the parking lot and a fellow with some very heavy boots making his way into the steakhouse. In my sleepy state, I was able to also realize my sleeping bag was moist. It was drizzling and we were all just getting soaked. I rolled over and tapped Charles, our guitarist, to tell him someone just showed up and I think we should probably head out. He rolls over, half asleep and really not listening, and tells me “It’s just rain. Stop being a girl. Just go back to sleep.” I tug my sleeping bag up over my head and drift back to sleep. A few hours after that, I am woken up again, but by a much more urgent sound. An enormous crash comes down and wakes up everyone. A garbage truck is just feet away from us emptying the dumpsters. I poke my head all the way out of the sleeping back to take stock of the situation and see a gathering of leather-clad bikers and some cooks, complete with bloody aprons, giving us the eye from not too far away. They are discussing something together and I feel this is probably a good time to go. I jumped up, got everyone up and we broke down camp and headed off.

Rounders

Another tour ends :(. Rotting Out and Backtrack have been awesome, tour has been alot of fun with these fools. We crammed Ten motherfuckers in one 15 passenger van. If anyone has done any touring you know what kind of situation that might lead into, oh yeah no trailer. Tonight we play our last show in Providence,RI. I can't say enough good thing's about the Rotting Out Crew great kids, great band. Kids are starting to come around, it's fucking great to watch it happen. I didn't post about this tour much, just not enough internet access and well to busy hanging hard. Whether it was at some crusty party or raging hard in a river in Alabama. Things needed to happen.

Alex Kerns Drummer/ Vocalist of Lemuria and Art Of The Underground head honc

I've had the pleasure to be in contact with Alex over a certian number of years. Him living in Buffalo, NY and me living in Rochester, NY we ran into each other pretty often. Alex has always been a very sincere and hard working individual within the Buffalo hardcore/punk community, whether he was booking shows, running/owning a record store/ venue, playing in bands. SO with Alex being a very passionate and genuine punk I thought it would be great to ask hime some questions about tour life. Alex still keeps himself insanely busy with Lemuria and Art Of The Underground Records.

1- You've been in a few different types of bands, all based in the D.I.Y ethic, what is one of the most rewarding parts of being in a touring D.I.Y band at this point in time?

- It's a very rewarding feeling when you arrive to a city that you've never lived in and you feel at ease, and nobody treats you like a stranger because you've been rolling through frequently. Every band I've played in fits into a different sub-genre of punk which makes booking shows for my current band very interesting because we play poppy indie tunes and we'll be on the same show with brutal grind, folk punk and youth crew bands. It definitely helps the shows on tour feel less monotonous and it helps me stay connected and up to date on what is occurring in the DIY scene at the moment.

2- Besides playing shows what else do you look forward to on tour?

- Everyone in the band is always concerned about what they're going to order at our favorite restaurants in each city. Do we play it safe and get what we always get because we can only get it once a year and we know we love it, or do we take a risk and try something new. Any opportunity to visit regional historic sites is a bonus. I'm always curious to become acquainted with local dialect and slang. For example, in Wisconsin "bubbler" is another word for a drinking fountain. Then again, somebody could've totally been pulling my chain.

3- What is the longest streak you have gone without changing your clothes while on the road?

- I think the first tour I ever went on back when I was playing in The Young Ones I might have went the whole month without changing anything but my underwear. I was 16 at the time. It's now a decade later and my social skills have developed a little to recognize what the dirty looks in the van mean.

4- So Lemuria has gotten to be a part of some pretty wild fest's in the recent years, what is one that stands out in your mind?

- The Fest in Gainesville, FL is always one of my favorite weekends of the year. People from all over the world travel to it, and you can't take more than a dozen steps without running into somebody you want to catch up with. Berea Fest is also a good time, which is right out side of Cleveland. It's always the pinnacle of my summer. This is For You Fest is excellent because it refreshes me on today's best hardcore. I'm looking forward to this years Best Friends Day in Richmond because I think we're playing the day that is actually at a waterpark, which will be pretty unreal.

5- The day before tour, what's that like for you? Can you describe it?

- It's terrible. That was actually yesterday for me. I run a record label called Art of the Underground and it's almost impossible for me to ever completely catch up on everything that I need to accomplish with it before I abandon it for the month. I always have somebody help with the mailorder aspect while I'm gone, which means I actually have to organize the distro in a catalog system that any person walking into it could understand. I always want to catch up with my friends before I leave, but really all I have on my mind is a checklist of tasks where every time I cross one out, I think of two more to write down. Then I get in the van and I remember, "oh shit, i forgot...ah, fuck it".

Insight. . .

Wondering why I didn't update on tour? Didn't think so, anyway. Downtime, wasn't available which I'm fine with. So in that case thing's must have been crazy, awesome, wild, stories galore? Not really. Tour was cool, I'd rather be on out on the mistress that has more holes than swiss than at home sitting in my room eating cookies and vanilla soy delicous by myself. Everything before the Burning Fight show was good, nothing great, but good.

108 was great everynight, so much energy and passion within that band. I Rise with yet another new line-up but this seems to be the one for now, I hope they stick. Sounded better than ever.

Chicago and Burning Fight was magical. I can't really shed much more light on it. I got to see Unbroken, the end.

We also jumped on a Bane show the next day in Indy, IN. That was a lot of fun then we drove home to start recording.

Ryan Patterson of Coliseum

Ryan at first is a very intimidating figure. Black Clothes, gnarly beard, southern accent, and just his very confident stature. I've gotten to know Ryan a little bit through the years and he is one of the most honest and forthright people and I love that about him. I know I won't get some bullshit answer from him, he doesn't need to beat around any bush and he's not trying to win any dick measuring contests. He also happens to be in one great hardcore/punk band called Coliseum. Ryan also manages Auxiliary Records and does a hell of a lot of design work for all of your favorite bands. To keep up with Ryan stop by and checkout his blog that he updates with pretty awesome introspection's on releases he's been involved with.

1. You've actively been touring in band's for a decent amount of time now, what has changed for you when you first started getting into that van 10 years, and getting into the van now?

Things have gotten easier overall, although there are still struggles. I have more responsibilities at home and the biggest difference for me now is that I don’t tour to escape, I tour because I love it and because it’s what I do with my life... It’s much harder to leave now since I own a home and have a great life with my girlfriend there, but it’s what I do and that’s that.

2- You start getting sick on tour what is your solution to get better?

Generally, Emergen-C every day, as much fruit as possible, lots of rest... But it’s hard. I’ve had a number of little issues that wouldn’t have been a big deal at home, but on tour things get bad quickly and I’ve had to visit immediate care locations on the road... Which is inconvenient and expensive.

3- Coliseum has been on some pretty diverse tours, one wonders how you transition yourself mentally from playing on the floor to 60 people in a community center, to 500 at a club? Do you have a different mental preperation before these different types of shows?

It’s more or less the same. The number of people matters less than the willingness of the audience to be excited and engaged by the show. The vibe is impossible to define, but it is what makes a show good or bad for me. The amount of space on the stage makes a big difference in terms of how you handle yourself, monitors and PA’s can be very helpful or extremely difficult... I actually find big club tours with a package of bands to be pretty relaxing, there’s less pressure and things generally run very smoothly. It’s not as fun as, say, the recent Converge / Ceremony / Coliseum / Rise And Fall / Pulling Teeth tour where you’re psyched for every band and it’s small venues that are packed to the gills... But it’s also cool to play early on a metal tour then leave the venue, go eat and see a movie, then come back and the headliner is still playing. It makes for an almost normal life within the confines of a long tour.

4- Pre-tour rituals? Do you make a list and check items off or do you just wing it and hope for the best?

There’s all the usual crap... Printing tour books, making sure all the gear is in order, making sure the van upkeep is good, ordering merch, etc. Most of this is pretty much second nature at this point. I write lists to remember the other small details, but for the most part remember all the little things I need to pack or just leave them in my bag from the last tour. My one and only superstitious thing that I always have to do is bring along a Mickey Mouse pillowcase that I’ve had since I was a baby. It has been on every single tour I’ve ever done and I don’t leave home without it.

5- You play with some random touring bands when you’re on the road you realize that they just don't get it, do you placate them and try to ease out of the situation after they say "Hey man, that was an awesome set. We should play some shows together" or are you honest about not being into their band and you really don't want to tour with them?

This doesn’t really happen that often... The dreaded “let’s trade shirts” thing happens and if we’re not into it we just tell them we can’t do it. I generally don’t get into conversations like that luckily. If I tell a band I like them or would like to tour with them, it’s absolutely sincere. I do my best to never say anything I don’t mean, I don’t bullshit a band and tell them I thought they were great if I don’t like it. On the other hand, I don’t go out of my way to bring anyone down either, just because I don’t like it doesn’t mean it’s not valid.

Q&A with Zak Drummond formerly of Verse

Zak and I used to look lie weirdo brothers, but now we don't. He's a sweet dude, and a sick guitar player. Plays music in some sweet bands. Let' hear what he has to say about some things. Let it Ride. . .

1- What drives you to play live music in front of people?

I just really love playing music. Whether I'm in a room with just one other dude just screwing around with riffs or I'm playing a show I'm just happy to be playing. Especially if I get to be really loud.

2- Do you enjoy playing sober, buzzed, stoned, or wasted more?

I don't have a ton of experience with this but so far I can say that I don't love playing wasted. I did that once and it wasn't sweet. I remember sweating a lot.

3- What do you normally worry about when you are on tour?

How many days in a row I'm going to eat Taco Bell, how many times I'm going to overdraw my bank account, when and where will I lose my phone charger or wallet and how will I get it back, how many days can I wear the same pair of underwear without feeling like a piece of trash.. you know, usual shit.

4- Did you come across any convicts or Koala's while you were in Australia?

Koalas, yes! I held one and it was named Pepsi and that dick tried to steal my glasses but I was too fast for him. Convicts no.. unless those Comeback Kid dudes kept shit from me. Actually wouldn't surprise me: Casey, I'm looking at you.

5- Your on tour, you arrive at the venue and you have to take a shit, but there is no toilet paper and the bathroom is definitely not shitable, what do you do?

From being on tour I've learned to shit practically anywhere. For example we were staying with a girl in Texas and I reaaaaally had to shit. Both of the bathrooms were occupied and I knew there was a roll of toilet paper in the van. I grabbed the roll, leaned against the exterior wall of this house and shit in this poor girl's front yard. I tried to pick as much of it up as I could and I threw it in the neighbor's garbage pail and this doesn't answer your question.. Let's just say I'll do whatever I have to do to shit. Nothing will get in my way.

Upcoming Tour in April

Soul Control w/108

Apr 24 Boston, MA @ ICC Church
Apr 25 NYC, NY @ Santos Party House
Apr 26 Doylestown, PA @ The Mooselodge
Apr 27 Baltimore, MD @ Talking Head
Apr 28 Pittsburgh, PA @ Roboto Project
Apr 29 Toronto ON, Canada @ Adrift Clubhouse
Apr 30 Romeo, MI @ Static Age
May 01 Cincinnati, OH @ Warsaw Arena

May 02 Burning Flight Book Release @ Chicago, IL @ Metro
May 03 Burning Flight Book Release @ Chicago, IL @ Metro