Here at Haulix, we pride ourselves on knowing a lot about life in the music industry. We could discuss piracy, promotion, distribution, and publicity from sunrise until sunset, but the one thing we never claim to fully understand is life in this business as seen from the artist’s perspective. Everyone on staff plays music in their free time, but none of us have reached the kind of professional standing as an artist needed to advise others on the realities of the business. For that, we turn to those musicians currently on the road today, and we hope by doing so we can present a more complete view of the current music business.
Trophy Lungs are a fast-rising punk band from Boston. They have found a lot of success in and around New England, but they have yet to rise to the point of national recognition. We think their debut album, Day Jobs, may change that fact when it arrives later this month, and recently frontman Kevin Bogart was nice enough to shed the light on how they survive the countless hours and miles spent traveling from show to show this time of year. You can find the advice he has to share below.
Day Jobs is available on vinyl now through Antique Records.
I always get super pumped when we book any kind of tour in the fall. It’s honestly my favorite time of the year and having the chance to head out with my best friends and see how different parts of the country change with the seasons is always exciting. There’s definitely a few things that I always force myself to remember to pack, hitting the road toward the end of the year can get a little dicey if you’re not ready for it.
It may sound lame but I’ve found some of the most important things to bring out are anything that’s going to help prevent you from getting sick. Drastically changing weather mixed with a lot of whiskey and no sleep is a perfect cocktail that’ll make you feel like your dying. This past tour I developed a routine of Emergen-C, Excedrin, Vitamin D, and a boat load of water every morning. After that and a cup of coffee I’d feel like a million dollars and ready for the next show.
The thing about fall is it’s usually beautiful during the day but then crazy cold at night. When you’re a smaller touring punk band, chances are you’re not staying at warm comfy hotels. You’re staying in punk houses who don’t want to pay for heat and aren’t always loaded with blankets. Bringing a warm sleeping bag on tour is essential. There’s nothing worse than waking up freezing on a hardwood floor and reaching for your hoodie to lay across your legs like a blanket.
Lastly and most importantly, bring as many pairs of socks as you possibly can. It’s getting colder and with that comes rain and maybe even snow. Wet socks could possibly be the worst feeling of all time and you don’t always get the chance to do laundry when you’re on tour. Nobody in the van wants to smell that, especially for two weeks straight.
