Shenanigans

Happy & Healthy (on the road)

Yep. Might as well be an oxymoron. 

Just kidding. That would be a pretty depressing post, huh? 

I'm no expert, but I have easily spent 75% of the last two years on tour - never mind the time I spent traveling before I started music. Based on my track record, I would gather to say it's likely i'll spend the majority of my life on the road in some capacity.

My first couple of runs were hard on my body. I gained weight, picked up ailments I'd never heard of, and self-medicated a severe tooth infection for months. Sexy, I know. The fact is: this is my life, not a free-for-all Vegas Vacation. Once I accepted that fact, my approach to touring changed dramatically.It's not always a linear process, but over all I've picked up quite a few tips for keeping myself happy & healthy on the road. These are a few of them.

PART I of II: Happy & Healthy Body 

A) Exercise. It's cheaper than therapy. At home, I try to exercise five days a week. On the road - it's usually no different. I never know when something unexpected will come up, so I don't really plan my off-days. They just happen. 

•  Gym Membership: I use 24-Hour Fitness, but Anytime Fitness is another great option with a lot of locations all over the country. Bonus: after you exercise, you can use the showers & dressing rooms to get ready for your day (or in my case, gig). 
• Local track/parks:  This gets to be a lot of fun when you start to hit the same cities. I always look forward to jogging along the Mississippi when I'm in Memphis. Vitamin-D is also a natural anti-depressant (yay!) 
• Gym Trial Membership: If there's no 24-Hour Fitness in the city I'm in, I usually scan gyms in the area till I find one that offers a free 1-week trial, or something like it. Sometimes you need a local address, so come prepared. Or just be honest; on several occasions I've bartered my CD for a trial membership. Try it. People are friendly. 
• Just Bring it: Tennis shoes, yoga matt, light weights. None of these are even required, just get outside ya dork! 

  

B) Eat healthy. I've been a vegetarian for over year now, but wasn't when I started touring. It's great because I can't just swing into McDonald's and pick up a burger, but not for everyone. Either way, here are a few ways I eat healthy on the road: 

• Ice chest: I heard once of someone having two - one for dry food, and one for iced. I don't have that much room in my car, so I just stick to one. 
• Grocery Stores: Cheaper than eating out, and often deli's will have prepared vegetables & sides to go. Normal rules apply, stick to the outer aisles and only eat things with ingredients you can pronounce. If you are on a tight budget like me, look up your local food stamp program. They usually have out-of-state options. 
• Cook: I stay with friends most of the time, and bring extra tupperware for prepared meals. In exchange for use of their stuff, I'll sometimes cook extra for them or offer to make dinner one night. Falls right in line with my big fat liberal vegetarian agenda, too!
• IHOP/Subway: I just discovered IHOP can prepare healthier options of almost all of their plates. In fact, most restaurants will if you ask. Subway also has a killer $5 Footlong deal - I do the Veggie Delite, 8-Grain Wheat, pile on the veggies and avoid dressings. 
•  Livestrong/The Daily Plate: To gauge my calorie intake, I use the Livestrong App on my IPhone. You don't have to be a Nazi about it, but pairing up your daily exercise against bigger meals will give you a good picture of how much you should be eating. 
• Research: I know. Yay, more homework! There are amazing websites online that list calorie count for chain restaurants, grocery stores, and food brands. Like this one. 

 C) Just say No. D.A.R.E. was right. I might get some flack for this, cause I like a good time as much as the next gal, but it's a big one.

• No drugs: Luckily, I suck at doing drugs. I don't enjoy them and never have. There are probably websites that can advise careful drug use. This isn't one of them. Don't do them.
• No jailbait: Drinks, that is. Boones Farm, Strawberry Margaritas, etc. Unless you have a death wish or need to relive your high school days, avoid the sugary-pink crap. 
• No mixing: When I drink, I stick to whiskey. A trainer once told me to stick to clear liquors. You know the drill.
• Know your limits: You're not cooler when you drink, and you don't play better drunk. No one wants to make out with the dude who just threw up behind behind the stage. Think about it.  

D) Build-Your-Own First Aid Kit. Whether you prefer over-the-counter or holistic only, you're putting your body through a lot of stress, so come prepared.

• Emergen-C: I know I said I don't use drugs, but I love this stuff so much I would snort it if I could. Which is a nice segway to my next point...
• Netty-Pot: On average I use mine once every other day. Twice a day when I feel a cold coming on. 
• Multivitamins: I used to take pre-natal vitamins (for the extra vitamins. no baby on board). Now I take Greens, because I figure I won't always get in all the fruits & veggies I need. 
• Protein Supplement: This makes a lot of sense for me - since (1) I workout a lot and (2) am a vegetarian. Most gyms & vitamin shops will have a cool little portable shaker-cup contraption for mixing shakes. I like using Unsweetened Chocolate Almond Milk for mine: only 40 calories a cup! 
• PEANUT BUTTER: Worse case scenario. Not enough calories or protein? A spoon full of peanut butter. 
• Water, water, water, water: Bring a water bottle, refill at gas station and pit stops for free.
 

 E) *Rest. Take off your party pants, and slip on a pair of comfy boxers. Just not in public places, that would be illegal. 

• Plan ahead: Know where you're staying before you get there. Not always possible as my schedule changes constantly, but Couchsurfing is an excellent resource for this. If I'm not staying with friends, fans or family, I Couchsurf.  
• Hotel Points: My friend, Laura Meyer, has a credit card that adds points towards free hotel stays at Marriott Hotels. They come in handy when a surprise pops up, or she just plain needs a break from people. 
• Worst case scenario: All else fails, though I strongly advise against it, WalMart provides free overnight parking for truckers & travelers. I'll be honest, I've done it a few times between long drives, and it sucks. Pack a pillow, and throw blanket. Hide your valuables, and keep your cell phone close by just in case (a friend of mine keeps 911 on speed dial). 
• Eye mask: Ok it sounds silly, but you'll be surprised how many places you'll stay that have huge windows, lots of light, etc. For better, deeper sleep, use a mask. 

*I'll extend a lot more on this one in my next post, "Happy & Healthy Mind."

More than Melodies

I did an interview earlier this week with Kyle Cunningham - from A&M's Battalion magazine. Kyle and I met earlier this fall when I performed with Laura Meyer at Stafford on Main (Bryan, TX). The interview was a pleasure...he asked great questions, and, and expected - did a spectacular job summing up the inspiration and ideas behind this tour with Chloe.

Probably the most poignant description of the tour concept so far...my sincere thanks to Kyle, Stevo Schlemmer and everyone in the Bryan/College Station area!

You can read the full article here, or check out the text below:

Being on the road is tough. There's the loneliness factor of leaving everything you own and love behind to play show after show; but when everything is finished, you can still return to those things and people.

Some people aren't so lucky, which is why musician Aly Tadros is hitting the road on a tour of the Midwest and southeast, stopping in Bryan for a 9 p.m. show today at The Village.

For the last few years, Tadros has dedicated herself to two projects: music and non-profit work. In Austin, Tadros worked with a group called Care Communities.

Care Communities is a non-profit organization formed in 1991 to provide daily care and help for those with serious illnesses like cancer, HIV and AIDS. Tadros worked with a patient named Anna, and what started as a volunteer assignment grew into more.

"Anna needed rides to acupuncture and just wanted someone to hang out with her," Tadros said. "I ended up spending a lot of time playing music for her. We just became really, really good friends and I loved it so much. She was such a huge inspiration for me."

After Anna passed, Aly released her album Things Worth Keeping and started touring, but something kept tugging at Tadros while she was on the road.

"I felt restless, I wanted to be doing more and there was a part of me that felt that I should be volunteering or contributing my time somehow because I get so much from it in an altruistic way," Tadros said. "I didn't want to do music if it was all me all the time. I mean, you say it's for the fans and you want to share your music and music helps people, but a lot of time it feels like you're spending three hours a day on Facebook promoting shows because it's all about you."

Tadros' research on what she could do with her music to benefit more people than just regular fans, led her to discover Musicians on Call, a group that plays for hospitalized people.

The Musicians on Call model pushed Tadros towards the style of tour she is doing now – performing for those in retirement centers, assisted living homes and at The Arc, a foundation for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Her tour-mate, Chloe Charles, wasn't told about this until the middle of their first tour together, back in the summer.

"We were in Europe and the same feeling kicked up and I was thinking, ‘What am I doing this all for?'" Tadros said. "You know you're working towards something bigger, but it still felt like a selfish sort of thing – sell my merchandise and pay my bills. During the second week of the tour I was feeling really depressed."

This led to Tadros asking Charles to do this tour – just a plan back then – which Charles supported.

Six stops on the tour will be for those in assisted living, retirement communities or various Arc locations.

The entire tour will take place as Tadros takes an online class for lyric writing, which she said takes up multiple hours of her day.

"You're learning all of the clinical, intellectual sides of analyzing and putting together songs," Tadros said.

As the learning process continues for Tadros, she only hopes that she can give as much to the world with her music as she can take in.

 

The story behind the tour...

Continued from The Official Southeast & US Tour Announcement:

So, Chloe Charles is back from Toronto; touring around NYC with Sam, her bassist, and getting ready to head down to Austin for our big show at Momo's (Thursday, Nov 11 @ 8pm!) to celebrate the release of her latest EP, "Little Green Bud".

Me? I'm celebrating wearing tights 5 days a week. Yay winter!

I'm making my third tour out to the Midwest and Southeast (holy crap!) in the last...year or so? No wonder everytime I turn around, ol' Black Betty is ready for another oil change. Sponsorships, anyone?

In all seriousness: this tour I was determined to find a way to give back on the road, and feel like I was contributing to some higher purpose other than "sell merch." I've always been passionate about nonprofit work (I am a full time musician, after all), don't have a bunch of funds at my disposal, and love working with people one-on-one. So, I thought integrating music and volunteer work on the road would be the best way to go about it.

I got in touch with the wonderful people at Musicians on Call last year to see if I could figure out a way to perform in hospitals around the country. Unfortunately, MoC is only based in a few specific cities, and it seems they won't let just anybody waltz into hospital rooms and break out into song. Liabilities and differing music tastes and such. So that was off the list (for now).

Then, my friend Katie in Evansville hooked me up with the people at Evansville ARC - and a free performance was scheduled for the Ragged Haggard Tour. And it was AWESOME. I didn't care what I sounded like, wasn't critiquing my lyrics or performance; all I cared about was being in the moment; interacting with the students and have a damn good time. We had a blast. And I thought, "Shit, shouldn't every show be like this!?"

And then, I got these in the mail:

click on images to enlarge:
  

Yep. Done.

Several people also recommended checking out Nursing Homes, as they're constantly looking for volunteers. I read online that something like 60% of people in homes never get a visitor - I mean, really?!

But I needed help. I put up ads online and found my fantastic intern, Sarina - and enlisted her to help me around the office, and coordinate free-performances around our regular show schedule.

And, voila, we have a full-fledged, 22-date tour.

This is an experiment of sorts, hopefully to grow into something bigger over time - but, let's just say I'm getting my feet wet.

Leçons

At the halfway marker of the tour, I have learned a couple new lessons:

• Cowboy boots are highly functional for every occasion, as they are fashionable, and utterly indestructible

• Exception to previous statement: Parisians do not curb their dogs.

• Never buy bus tickets at the station.  They are almost always hugely discounted online.

• Never, ever throw away your student ID. It is a cheap travel goldmine.

• If you are at an Irish Pub and in need an icebreaker, order a Guinness.

• If  you are at an Irish Pub with anyone over the age of 50, you best  learn some Irish Folk Songs, and fast.  If not, order more Guinness. They will come.

• Always travel with blank Thank You notes. They don’t take much time to fill out,  and the small but thoughtful gesture always fills me with gratitude.

• For musicians: one of the best ways to network in a new town is to go to an open mic. Make friends with local musicians, and get the lowdown on other spots around town. It’s also another opportunity to sell CD’s and get spots on your mailing list.

• When in doubt, there’s an app for that.

In Transit.

I'm sitting on the Gatwick Express headed towards Victoria station to meet Chloe.

In the last 20-ish hours of traveling from Austin-London, I have learned a few important lessons: 

• Bring a days worth of food when traveling international. Unless you want to spent a weeks worth on day-old meals at the airport. O'Hare International Terminal = epic fail. 

• Never trust Expedia to process any sort of special request involving a drop-down window. Swear, it's one big fat facade. Just try requesting Vegetarian Meal, I dare you. What you're served will probably scare you back into eating meat for 12 hours. 

• Customs workers are malnourished. Otherwise, there is no reasonable explanation as to why the 15+ Luna and Cliff Bars were removed from my suitcase.  I call for a coup. 

• College is over. So are my years of functioning on less than 2hrs of sleep.  

• Surprise text messages from kind folk welcoming me to town (ALAN WALKER) make it all better. 

 

Besides. Holy crap, I'm playing in London tonight!!!!