Roots, Rhythm & Soul Tour Spotlight Series Interview
The Latest Noise also highlights bands outside of our area to get a new perspective on all the aspects of performing music, touring & and promoting. When Andrew Green (Banjo - Roosevelt Dime) reached out it sounded like a great opportunity to interview and learn from 3 band currently touring the East. The tour is coming to Maxwell's Tavern on 6/28/17. The first part of the interview is about the booking and touring process with Andrew. The second part takes a look at the bands and what they are trying to get out of this 2-week tour.
Kuz: Hey Andrew, what can you tell us about the Roots, Rhythm & Soul Tour from an overall concept?
Andrew: This tour came about as a way for a group of bands to work together to build their networks and fan bases together. The three bands have really different sounds, but all connect back to some element of Roots, Rhythm, and Soul. So fans can expect a wide range of music and difference performance styles, but the sets really do hold up as a package.
Kuz: What are some of the benefits of getting 3 different acts together on the same tour?
Andrew: Being able to share the workload with other bands is a huge help. There's a tremendous amount of work that goes in to planning, promoting, organizing, and executing a successful run of shows, so having more hands on deck definitely help. Plus we get the chance to perform for each other's fans and get to know each other and inspire one another. A touring band can start to go a little crazy if they're only spending time together, so it's nice to get some fresh blood in the mix.
Kuz: There must be a lot of moving pieces when putting the tour together, how do you deal with the logistics?
Andrew: It's helpful to have a point person who takes a bird eye of all the needs and can delegate tasks across the groups. This tour lined up as well, as each band has a few different cities that they're strong in, so they're able to take the lead in promoting those markets. Plus we try to coordinate sharing gear and backline as much as possible to keep the sound checks and shows themselves running smoothly.
Kuz: What was the booking process like? Did which gigs you booked affect your tour route?
Andrew: Our booking agents received a ton of interest when pitching this show. We actually had more offers than we were ultimately able to take because of the geography and timing. But there were a few keys cities and clubs we knew we would do for sure, so once the dates were booked for those, it turned to the more difficult piece of filling in the open dates in a way that made sense.
Kuz: How are your days off / driving days structured? Is there a balance of being on a schedule vs.allowing for spontaneous deviations from the schedule?
Andrew: We really try to optimize our time on the road and be as productive as possible, so on any day where there's no shows we'll try to do in-studios at radio stations or other opportunities like that. Plus we'll take those chances to handle all the business that needs to get handled as an independent band. It's important for us to be productive together because we've all got families and lives waiting for us back home too, so it's important for us to maintain that balance. In general we do try to be pretty regimented, but part of that also consists of making time for some good diversions like grabbing a good meal or finding a swimming hole on a free afternoon.
Roosevelt Dime
Roosevelt Dime - Official Site / Facebook / Twitter
Kuz: Tell our readers a bit about your band and what you have going on in 2017.
Andrew Green (Roosevelt Dime) : We are based out of Brooklyn, NY and we play our brand of Americana Rhythm & Blues. We're touring through the fall across the northeast and mid-Atlantic, and are continuing to hone our new material that we'll record later in the year.
Kuz: What is your band looking to get out of this tour?
AG: We're looking get in to some new venues for us that we may not have been able to book on our own, but have been able to as part of this package tour. It will be great to perform for Harry and Jenna's fans, and we're looking forward to turning our fans on to them in turn.
Kuz: What do you think will be the biggest challenge heading into the tour?
AG: It's always a challenge playing a city for the first time, but being able to spread the promotional work across the three bands gives me hope that we'll be able to have solid nights across the board.
Kuz: Any specific shows that you are looking forward to?
AG: We built this tour around a lot of our favorite cities to play, so it all really shaped up well. Since the members of the band actually live in different cities, we have quite a few "hometown" shows to look forward to, including Richmond, NYC, Hoboken, and Bridgeport.
Jenna Lotti
Jenna Lotti - Official Site / Facebook / Twitter
Kuz: Tell our readers a bit about your band and what you have going on in 2017.
Jenna Lotti: Hi! We are Jenna Lotti and we're based in Boston, MA. We have released two albums and are currently working on a new EP set to be released later this year.
Kuz: What is your band looking to get out of this tour?
JL: We are really excited to be hitting the road with Harry J & The Bling & Roosevelt Dime. It's our first tour with two other bands and we hope that we can gain some new fans!
Kuz: What do you think will be the biggest challenge heading into the tour?
JL: I think the biggest challenge is playing in new markets where we haven't played before. Also all of the coordinating and logistics that go into planning a tour!
Kuz: Any specific shows that you are looking forward to?
JL: All of them but hometown shows are always the best :)
Harry Jay & The Bling
Harry Jay & The Bling - Official Site / Facebook / Twitter
Kuz: Tell our readers a bit about your band and what you have going on in 2017.
Harry: Harry Jay and the Bling is a funk/ RnB/ hip-hop project whose primary goal is to create music that grooves and prompts instant dancing. We have been together for almost two years and are in the process of recording and releasing our first full length album (hopefully to be completed by fall of 2017). 2017 is a big year for us: we’re embarking on our first major tour, set to release our first full length studio album, and are finally developing the mature musical sound we’ve been working to find for almost two years now.
Kuz: What is your band looking to get out of this tour?
Harry: The most important thing we hope to get out of this tour is definitely the experience. Last year we had a small, spread out tour in 3 states which was independently funded and consisted of mostly bar and small venue performances. We now have the opportunity to share bills with some incredible bands, play some really well-known rooms(Rockwood Music Hall, Thunder Road, Jammin’ Java, etc), and learn from everyone who has done this before. I personally hope to be able to take each and every gig on this tour and learn something new about what to do for the next show (or next tour), so I won’t continue to make the same “rookie mistakes” that every young band makes. I’m also SUPER excited to be performing with Jenna and Roosevelt Dime. Everyone one this tour is so friendly and exhibits consummate professionalism in both the music and the logistical aspect of the tour. I’m very excited to learn from them, jam with them, and just become friends with them!
Kuz: What do you think will be the biggest challenge heading into the tour?
Harry: I think the most difficult part to any tour is the logistics. We need to figure out how to get all the gear, merchandise, and personnel to each show, find places to stay overnight, and figure out how to maintain our band budget while doing so. At this stage in our careers, our music has been rehearsed so many times that I feel as though the external aspects to touring are the more difficult.
Kuz: Any specific shows that you are looking forward to?
Harry: Definitely the Boston show at Thunder Road, since we all attend school in Boston and will definitely see some familiar faces. The New York show will also be great- any opportunity to perform in the Big Apple should be relished in. Finally, the Jammin’ Java performance to end the tour will be huge. We’re headlining that show to our hometown crowd, who are always so supportive and excited to be there.
Kuz: Tell our readers a bit about your band and what you have going on in 2017.
Harry: We’re just beyond excited to be on the road this summer. We’ve been working our tails off all year at school, rehearsing, writing, and tightening up our music to get to this point; these shows will definitely be the culmination of all our hard work so far. Also, if anyone knows of any bomb breakfast joints in Lancaster, please let me know!!