Still younger than springtime, the Wild Moccasins are getting to be old hands at this touring thing. (If you missed their set at BestFest - it was way early - you missed something special.) Lately it seems like the sunny Houston five-piece is either just getting off the road or about to go back on. That's the case Saturday, when the group headlines another tour kickoff show at Fitz before heading east to the Athens Pop Festival in Georgia and New York City's famous discoveries-in-waiting CMJ bonanza.
Now with several tours under their belt, the Moccasins know by now what traveling musicians should never go without on the road and what to leave at home. We asked the group to each pick a couple of essential touring items, and for good measure, to give us a couple of artists that, in a perfect world, they'd like to support.
John Baldwin, drums
- Clean socks
- iPod
Nicholas Cody, bass
- Nail clippers (and not the little baby ones): Can't play with long nails and I hate buying something on the road I already have at home.
- Sleeping bag: Because sleeping on apartment floors is just one of the many glamorous experiences of touring.
Zahira Gutierrez, keyboards/vocals
Dry shampoo: For those who don't know, dry shampoo is a powder you use for your hair to make it appear clean. I didn't have this for the first tour and it was very frustrating. Do I want another 30 min of sleep? Or should I wake up before everyone to get in the first shower? I don't really worry about that anymore. It's not that I don't want to shower, but it's hard to find the time when you are sleeping on peoples (who you met the night before) floors. I rely on dry shampoo every other day now when I'm on tour!
Singers Saving Grace Throat Spray: I'm not really sure what's in this, but I know it helps when singing every night.
Andrew Lee, guitar
- Watch: 'Cause of the time change! Fall back, spring forward.
- Belt: always want to keep your slacks at waist level.
Cody Swann, guitar/vocals
- Note pad: Whether I am working on songs, writing set lists, or crossing through bullet points on a to-do list (no better feeling), I would feel a lot less put together without a note pad. As you can see, I'm definitely not OCD.
- Poker book: A great amount of time is spent driving while we are tour obviously. As much as I would like to spend that time in conversation with my fellow bandmates, we all need time to relax. When those times come around, I usually have a poker book on me to remind me of all the things I do wrong while playing. At this point I may have spent more money on poker books than I have actually made from playing.
Read on for the Moccasins' choices of ideal touring companions.
