Well, we’re winding down a formidable jaunt across the country and I thought it was time to conjure a few reflections. It’s been eight weeks of vans, trailers, shower rooms, buses, (yes multiple), drivers, breakdowns and, well, rock n’ roll. We spent the first few weeks on the road in a van before switching over to a glorious tour bus in Nashville. We would never have been able to afford a tour bus were it not for a couple of heaven-sent sponsorships. At this point in the music industry, there are so few bands in this country who can actually afford to be out on the road at all, let alone with a tour bus and nice hotel rooms and good food!

We’ve become quite comfortable with the steadfast ‘van and trailer’ lifestyle. Although it belies the glamourous image that so many bands project, it has become the status quo for musicians on tour in the states right now. That is why it borders on impossible that a band like us could afford to roll around in a bus! The first sponsor connection was made after our appearance at FarmAid this past fall. After doing some research, we found that our favorite cheese company, Cabot, also happened to be a major supporter of the family-owned farm. They agreed to help us spread our music (and their cheese) across the country by funding a good chunk of our tour bus expenses. The other lucky connection we made was a music networking company called ‘Ourstage’. They supported us for this tour while also providing us with a wonderful selection of up-and-coming bands and singer/songwriters who joined us for a few legs of the tour.

The first was Gina Chavez, an incredibly talented woman who joined us for several shows in Texas. Her sound seems to be a tug of war between the intricate guitar stylings of Rodrigo y Gabriela and the song craft of Aimee Mann. Then there was Franki Lee, a band from Minneapolis that brought a much needed kick in the ass with their saucy musical stylings.

After playing a show in Davenport, Iowa, we discovered that they actually covered one of our songs, “If I was From Paris”. We invited them to join us for a second night of good times in Kansas City. It paid off then they joined us on stage for a rollicking version of the shared Parisian anthem!

When we headed up to the northwest, we were joined by Brandy Lyn, a truly soulful and spiritual singer/songwriter with an honesty both onstage and in person that is hard to come by. So far, this tour has brought us a beautifully diverse group of talent and we owe it to Ourstage! We’ve been able to enjoy the company of some truly gifted musicians. Stay tuned for the next chapter of my ramblings…

- Grace

Grace Potter talks about the bands move toward a harder rock sound and how Jay Leno walked in on her naked!