The first Corin Tucker Band album, 2010’s 1,000 Years, was dominated by moody, thoughtful songcraft—quite a left-turn coming after Tucker’s last album (to date) with groundbreaking trio Sleater-Kinney, 2005’s furiously distortion-heavy The Woods. But now, 1,000 Years’ follow-up, Kill My Blues (Kill Rock Stars), is another sonic shift. The guitars are louder, the textures more extreme, and Tucker’s lyrics on the album cover an amazing gamut—from clarion calls to teenage memories to more elliptical pieces. At times, the LP brings to mind S-K’s post-September 11 album, 2002’s One Beat, a collection of rock anthems for troubled times. Throughout Kill My Blues, Tucker writes—and the band plays—like something important is truly at stake on every song. The Corin Tucker Band—which also includes drummer Sara Lund, guitarist Seth Lorinczi and bassist Mike Clark (as well as touring bassist Dave Depper)—will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our brand new feature on the group.
Depper: Let’s face it: An extended tour in a van is a health disaster waiting to happen. Endless hours in close quarters, irregular sleep schedules, copious amounts of various legal and illegal substances and gas-station food. It’s no wonder that touring musicians aren’t exactly known for their robust physical shape and healthy pallor. I spent my first few years road dogging it as a bloated, constantly sick mess until I realized that a few small changes to my lifestyle meant that it didn’t have to be that way. So, fellow road warrior, I present you with a small list of lifestyle tips meant to ensure that you come home from tour feeling like you were run over by a Camaro, as opposed to a Mack truck.
1. Carry hand sanitizer with you at all times.
I can’t stress this enough. When you are on tour, you are in constant contact with all manner of icky surfaces: poorly maintained rest-stop bathrooms, gas pumps, ketchup bottles in Applebee’s, the wasted dude after the show who shakes your hand vigorously and wants to know how you write your songs, maaan—any of these noxious things is likely to be carrying all sorts of microscopic fauna that’s dead set on bumming you out for the next week. Nothing is worse than catching a cold on tour. Nothing. You can buy a pocket-sized container of hand sanitizer at just about any grocery store or pharmacy. Carry that sucker around in your pocket, your purse, your gig bag, whatever. And use it frequently. I’ve seen tour infection levels go down dramatically once hand sanitizer is in the mix.
2. Drink plenty of water.
A no-brainer, right? But you’d be surprised at how many people drink far less water than they should. Try carrying a small (24-to-32-ounce) water bottle with you and filling it every time you need to stop for gas or a potty break. You can do this at the soda fountain in a gas station or a drinking fountain at a rest stop. Make it a goal to drink the whole thing by the time you reach the next stop. Repeat.
3. Exercise.
I know, I know, this just sounds awful. I mean, it’s already hard enough to get your ass in motion when you’re not hung over, sleep deprived and covered in cat litter from the floor you had to crash on the night before. But the decision to get a bit of exercise every day on tour has singularly made the most difference in my on-the-road well-being. Even if it’s just getting out and walking for 45 minutes after sound check. Even if it’s just doing a few rounds of sit-ups and pushups in the hotel room before taking off in the morning. You will feel a difference in your energy levels, your mood and your overall health. Plus, if you go for a little jog in the morning, you’ll discover that the city you’re in isn’t just a bar and a hotel room.
4. Buy the right snacks at the gas station.
Everybody has moments of weakness on tour. It’s mentally and physically taxing, you have no private time, and you’re generally uncomfortable and feel like crap. You’re miserable, you’ve been driving for four hours without a break—what better time to eat potato chips or ice cream or donuts? Let’s face it, the food selection at most places a band van stops isn’t gonna match up a local food co-op. But c’mon, do you really eat Cheetos every day at home? No, and you definitely shouldn’t on tour. Buy lots of nuts (never mind the high fat content; nuts are pure protein that will keep you full and satisfied), bananas and yogurt (the former for essential potassium and both for keeping you regular the next time you sit down on one of those gross bar toilets). If you’re lucky enough to stop at a grocery store, baby carrots are a lovely van snack. Peanut butter is your friend, too.
5. Just because it’s there doesn’t mean you have to drink it.
This was one of the hardest lessons for me to learn. On tour, you’re pretty much confronted nightly with the astonishing prospect of an open bar. It was all of my teenage dreams come true! But once again, ask yourself: Would you drink three, four, five or six beers every single night if you were at home? If the answer is yes, then perhaps you’re dealing with stronger demons than this blog post can help you with. If the answer is no, then find yourself at peace with the concept that it’s totally OK to leave some beers behind in the backstage fridge. Bob Pollard isn’t gonna kill you or anything.
6. Emergen-C.
Set off with one of those boxes of this stuff and take it every day. Just do it. (This is also an excellent thing to ask for on your rider.)
7. If all else fails, read How To Tour In A Band Or Whatever by Thor Harris (pictured above).
Because this is pretty much all you need to know.
