Column: Driver picks the music, and other road rules

Everyone has rules on a road trip.

But when your road trip lasts for weeks or even months, the rules become more specific. Add in the pressure of performing every night, and it becomes time to lay down the law.

Touring bands have to live with the same few people (and all their stuff) for weeks. There have to be rules, or everyone will kill one another.

Over the weekend, a list called “How to Tour in a Band or Whatever” circulated the web. (Read it here.) The author? Thor Harris.

Harris, who looks like his namesake, knows the road well as a percussionist for Shearwater and having toured with Bill Callahan, Devendra Banhart and numerous others.

His list is funny. And good.

Among the rules he listed:

»Remember the sound man’s name. He will do a better job.
»Driver picks the music.
»Fast food is poison.
»The guest list is for friends, family and people you want to fuck ... Everyone else can pay. They have day jobs.

The rest of the (expletive-filled) list is right-on, which is why it made the rounds.

But it’s short. There are only 21 rules, so I consulted with several local folks who have been known to hit the road from time to time.

Only a few chimed in, but here’s what they had to add:

From Anniversaire:
»Bring your own listening material!
»Don’t do a cover of the band you’re opening for.

From Little Brazil:
»Chinese food is never a good idea.
»There is no room for Deli Express sandwiches on the food pyramid.
»Febreeze. (See above.)
»Do purchase granddaddy’s road sodas for long treks through the backcountry (i.e. beer for driving through the western half of Montana).
»Toilet paper: When nature calls and bathroom attendants are on strike, it’s up to you to provide for the family.

From Tim Wildsmith:
»Some bodily functions are unavoidable. But please, roll down your window.

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Got more??? Tour rules is going to become a standing feature on this blog. I'll be asking about them from local folks and touring musicians whenever I can and adding them to a page on the blog.

If you're in a band, drop a line to kevin.coffey@owh.com with any rules you have.

Another Maha band: Landing On The Moon (plus a weekend roundup)

After some apparently close voting, Landing On The Moon was selected as band No. 4 to play on the Maha Music Festival's local band Kum & Go stage.

They'll join Satchel Grande, The Mynabirds, Betsy Wells and a player to be named later.

I didn't vote for a band. If I would have, I don't think I could have chosen anyway. I've stated before that the five performers from last night (Honey & Darling, Landing On The Moon, Tim Wildsmith, Matt Cox Band and Midwest Dilemma) could easily just be the Maha local stage lineup. Five of my favorite artists in town, in fact.

Anyway, Landing On The Moon's Oliver Morgan (also of Little Brazil) talked awhile back about the band's latest album, "We Make History Now." He talked about being a diverse band and making records that stand out among other artists.

“We don’t go out of our way to make this next song different from the (others), but at the same time, there’s a presence of mind that we want to be versatile," he said.

The group had a CD release show for the record back in October, but I received a release from Young Love Records saying "We Make History Now" will be released on Aug. 10. I guess it's a re-release?


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What are you doing this weekend? I recommend you get to some shows. It's a busy week.

• If you're into that sort of thing, Kathy Griffin does her standup tonight at the Holland Center. I interviewed her yesterday.

• Also tonight is Mates of State. The (married) indie pop duo’s latest, this year’s “Crushes,” features the group’s distinct take on 10 songs from the likes of Tom Waits, Death Cab For Cutie, The Mars Volta, Fleetwood Mac and others. The tour is accompanied by a traveling variety show and Mates' Jason Hammel acting as resident DJ for the tour. Omaha’s own sideshow, The X-Medic, will perform as an opener along with Omaha band Thunder Power. $15. 9 p.m. at Slowdown.

• On Saturday, I recommend checking out Henry Rollins. Even if you're not a huge fan of his music (personally, I love Black Flag, but not Rollins Band), the man knows how to tell a story. He told me that he'll be talking about his recent world travels, but he always throws in stuff about his touring days, making movies, celebrity encounters and all kinds of wonderful stuff. I've seen him twice and each time was a delight.

News: Second-to-last Maha band showcase announced

More Maha Music Festival details have trickled out.

The news today is the lineup for the second Maha showcase (of three) that decides who plays the fest has been announced. Who will be playing the Waiting Room on June 24? So glad you asked: The Matt Cox Band, Midwest Dilemma, Honey & Darling, Tim Wildsmith, Landing On The Moon.

Who will win? That remains to be decided. This showcase appears to have bands with bigger followings than the last showcase did, so voting tallies may be a bit tighter. Frankly, I like this group of bands better than the first, but that's me.

How does one of these bands get picked for Maha? You, the fans, should go to the free (yes, free) show. Each person gets a vote. If you have purchased your Maha tickets, you get 10 extra votes. Winner of the voting plays the little, local stage at Maha.

So, it's in your hands. The festival is in your hands, dude. (Sorry... Watched a lot of "The Big Lebowski" over the weekend.)

In case you haven't been following, the all-day concert's main stage lineup is all full (Spoon, The Faint, Superchunk, Old 97's, Ben Kweller, It's True), but the smaller, local stage lineup has not yet been decided.

Local groups Satchel Grande and The Mynabirds will be performing on the little stage and, as of last week, Betsy Wells.

Two spots are left to be filled. One will be at the OEAA showcase in Benson down the road and the other is decided June 24 at the Waiting Room.

Guest Blog: Tim Wildsmith's battle with country music

Since I'm gone this week, I decided to let you guys have some guest blogs. This one comes from local singer/songwriter Tim Wildsmith who, though he once lived in Nashville, never really liked country. But some things change...

I’ve never liked Country music.

Never.

I hated it actually.

At first I think I didn’t like it because as a kid it’s just not something we had around our house. My parents listened to The Beach Boys and The Beatles and Creedence Clearwater Revival. My grandmother had the best Elvis 8-track collection on earth. My sister was into new Kids On The Block.

Country was just never something we were listening to.

So imagine my surprise when now, at the age of 27 and well past my formative music discovery years, I’m finding myself drawn to and actually enjoying this genre that I’ve always despised. It’s both annoying and a little embarrassing. But I just can’t help myself.

I should have known this was coming. The signs have been there since the beginning. In fact, my very first CD purchase in middle school was “Cracked Rear View” by Hootie and The Blowfish. C’mon… you know that album has some moments of twang. Not to mention that lead singer Darius Rucker is now a full-fledged member of the Country community. He even closed the Academy Of Country Music Awards this month.

As I got older it was all about Alternative, and naturally my hatred for Country grew. When you’re into bands like Nirvana and Bush and Third Eye Blind it’s pretty obvious that Shania Twain and Faith Hill aren’t gonna do much for you. Country music to me was a bunch of rednecks singing about beer and horses... and feeding beer to your horses.

(Time Out)

This is the part of the blog where I choose whether or not I should talk about my Creed phase. On one hand, it could certainly move the Country hatred plotline forward. But on the other hand, it’s

Creed.

Nah….

(Time In)

Now... I really should have seen it coming when I moved to Nashville for college. I was sunk at the point.

Nashville is a tricky place, because at first your hatred of Country only grows because you’re so overwhelmed by it. It’s everywhere. And it’s annoying. But before you know it, you’ve fallen in love with this city and you realize that Country music is part of the reason you love it so much. The people singing about beer and horses are generally pretty nice. They tip well. They smile a lot. They're hard not to like.

And they have a few trump cards up their sleeves for when your deck is stacked against them.

Two words: Ryman Auditorium.

There is no better venue to watch live music.

My first Ryman experience was a Willie Nelson and Friends concert special. Yes, I’m serious. I was sitting there, right down front, taking in how incredible the whole thing was when the guy next to me stood up and walked on stage. The dude looked like hell, and he lit a cigarette. I looked to see where security was gonna come from when Willie says, “Ladies and gentlemen, Ryan Adams.”

Yep. I was sitting next to Ryan Adams. Better still, I had no idea who he was. So I bought his album called “Gold.” Now that was really the beginning of the end for me. Ryan Adams and his alt-country glory led me down the rabbit hole. It was rock and roll with a country soul.. or maybe the other way around. I loved it. I loved it the same way I love Wilco now. I can hear the country influence in them too.

I started to respect Country, but I still didn't like it. And no one could make me.

And then the dagger came... and it came from the most likely place… The King of Country.

My girlfriend, a Nashville-based country singer (yes.. still not sure how that happened), used to intern at George Straight’s record label. So she calls me one day and says, “I got you a couple of tickets to see George Straight tomorrow night.”

I said, “Why?”

She said, “C’mon! You should go! Do it for me.”

The next thing I know I’m walking into the Qwest Center and the guy at will call hands me two 5th row seats to a sold out George Straight concert. 5th row. My buddy Jake and I made our way down front, through a sea of rednecks I never knew the Midwest could produce, and took in all the Country that George and Reba could give us.

And I liked it.

I have no idea how, but I really liked it. George was a stud. And Reba was kinda hot. Both of their bands were incredible. There was absolutely no pretense. It was a big party, and we were all invited.

I like Country music.

Now, let's be clear. I'm not going to start buying every Taylor Swift album that ever comes out. I'm not buying a pair of boots or a 10-gallon hat. I'm not feeding any beer to any horses, and I'm certainly never going to be caught dead at a Kenny Chesney concert (I gotta draw the line somewhere).

But when my girlfriend calls you might hear a little twang in my ringtone.

And you won't hear me say "Anything but Country" when asked what I want to listen to on the radio.

So… I guess I like Country.

Live Review: Tim Wildsmith

I went and checked out Tim Wildsmith's set on Friday night at the Waiting Room. (Sorry this post is so late. Busy weekend.) I've seen him a couple times before, but this was the first time I got to see him play his new songs.

The translation of album to stage was quite good as far as the music was concerned. Wildsmith's voice is even more emotive in person than on his record making the delivery of his vulnerable and personal lyrics really hit home.

In fact, I've always thought that Wildsmith's voice has the emotiveness of Conor Oberst's voice, except that Wildsmith can actually sing. Have you ever seen Oberst spit out the lyrics to "Lua?" Yeah, like that. I can't help but make the comparison every single time. I think I may be onto something because my girlfriend said the same thing before I could even tell her what I thought.

He's also a pretty good frontman. A few screwups (like playing piano in the wrong key) were mostly first-time-playing-these-songs jitters, but they could have turned off those in the crowd that were infrequent concertgoers. But before that happened, Wildsmith was able to laugh it off with a few jokes.

I have to throw this in, too: Wildsmith & Co. did a wonderful, haunting version of "Eleanor Rigby" that I hope remains a part of their live set. It was phenomenal.

I hope Wildsmith is able to get out and tour. He's a talented songwriter, musician and performer and I really hope he can spread the word to those outside of Omaha.

As for the other bands, Levi Weaver and Charn, I wasn't amazed by either of them. Weaver did some cool stuff with delay pedals and stuff, but it wasn't groundbreaking. Charn was pretty unremarkable (not bad, necessarily), so we left during their set.

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"Bones" by Tim Wildsmith & The Lost Cause


"One Not Two" by Tim Wildsmith & The Lost Cause

Weekend Roundup: Tim Wildsmith and more

Lots of stuff going on this weekend, as usual.

Tonight at the Waiting Room is local singer-songwriter Tim Wildsmith. He's releasing a new album called "Little Armor." Check out my write-up and two songs here.

Tim McMahan of Lazy-i fame wrote about The Hole last week. (While I'm on the subject, thanks to Tim for giving me a shout-out on his own blog today.) I've been hearing a lot about the venue lately and his piece was very interesting on how they ran into some crap and had to move it. I need to get over there sometime soon. I definitely like some punk rock. Check out Convicted Skate Shop's MySpace (they own the venue) for details.

There's another Haiti benefit in Lincoln this weekend. Kris Lager Band, The Mezcal Brothers, Strawberry Burns, Son of '76 & the Watchmen and South of Lincoln perform tonight at the Bourbon Theatre. $5 donation suggested.