Riding Shotgun With Band of Horses
If you’re not yet familiar with Band of Horses, you very well might have been living under a rock this year. Everyone (including us here at BigYawn) has been raving about their full-length debut, Everything All the Time. Heck, they’ve even been on Letterman. Band of Horses are that rare band that bucks the trend and actually has the goods to back up their avalanche of press. In other words, do believe the hype. They’re that good. I for one am counting down the days to their show at the Black Cat, and I’d bet there’s a good deal of you out there that could say the same thing. Mister Ben Bridwell took a few minutes out of his social calendar to quench my need for BOH information. See below for Ben’s preferred cities (he likes “I” states), the unknown violence of Swedes, and the rider item that wasn’t. And then of course go see them grace the stage at the Cat on September 13, with label mate Chad VanGaalen and Simon Dawes ($15).
Touring is:
Hilarious and boring.
Our first gig was:
Kinda weird, but a relief to get out of the way.
Our favorite venue to play is:
I can’t say just one. I like The Norva (Norfolk, VA), The Earl (Atlanta), Independent (SF) and many others.
Hygiene on a tour is:
Tricky if you're broke and sleeping on floors. Expected if you're staying in hotels.
Our favorite thing about touring is:
Behaving like we're not actually adults.
And the least favorite:
Hurrying and Waiting.
City with the best audiences:
Hard to choose, but off the top of my head I'll take Bloomington, Indiana or Boise, Idaho. I enjoy their enthusiasm and hint of sketchiness.
The tour bus/van smells like:
Weed and victory.
What's the most unusual item on your rider?
Obviously it's packs of cigarettes cause we never actually get them.
Laundry is: a) washed regularly, b) washed irregularly, c) we go shopping a lot:
Washed regularly. Or any chance you get.
Who controls the music in the touring vehicle? And
what do you like to listen to while tooling around on tour?
We listen to a lot of stuff together but we also have
MP3 devices for guiltier pleasures. On the last tour
we listened to the latest by Devotchka (Curse Your
Little Heart EP) everyday probably.
Your new favorite watering hole after being on tour?
And/or the best Place to get greasy, hangover-curing food?
I like to drink anywhere that's quiet and you don't
have to stand. My favorite restaurant in the whole
world is called Waffle House.
Most amusing memory from your current or most recent
tour?
Getting my head and then instantly my nuts stepped on
by some dude in a field full of young drunk Swedes. I
was laying on the ground so what can you do?
Favorite tour activity (other than the gigs themselves):
Not dying.
Are there any bands you've played with that you'd like
to tour with again? And/or bands that you have yet to tour with
that you'd like to?
Yes.
Please name the city you wouldn't ever play in again?
Or, if not a particular city, which venue makes your skin crawl?
I'm sure I'll have to play in those cities again so
I'll be careful here. We had an absolutely shitty time
at Walter's On Washington in Houston, TX. They were
assholes to us from the beginning and it was oversold
and hot enough to kill a person. Thanks dicks!
Apart from the obvious cd, what's the merch item of
yours that you think people should shell out for?
Beer Cozies that serve as great t-shirt holders
while you’re at the show.
What's the best souvenir you've picked up on your
touring?
A future ex.
You've played quite a few festivals this summer. Which
fest was your favorite?
Emmaboda Festival (Emmaboda, Sweden). Our drummer
Creighton was quoted as saying, "This place is an Ewok
Village on acid." It did seem magical.
Whose dog is that in the red shirt on your official
website?
I can't remember.
Have you been to the top of the Washington Monument?
No.
You've been in the music press a whole bunch this
year. What's the best and worst thing someone's ever written about you?
It's all the best and the worst at the same time.
Always.
What would you like people to be saying about Band of
Horses in 50 years?
They'll probably say that we sounded like My Morning
Jacket.-ZING!
Please recite a line of poetry:
No way.
And finally, it's BigYawn's round. What's your poison?
I'd like a beer. Thanks for asking.
picture by Sub Pop