Observations: On The Road With Red Hands
By Megan Fair, Copy Chief
The idea of touring is this whimsical thing: driving from town to town delivering your music and message to fresh faces, essentially living as gypsies. As a fan of music, one may observe that touring seems glamorous, especially at shows such as Arcade Fire, a band that travels in busses with hordes of crew members. Even well-off mid-level bands have the chance to have their tours booked for them and to travel by bus.
The reality for many bands, especially those without labels, is that the tours are booked in a do-it-yourself fashion and executed by traveling in a van with a trailer (or sometimes just a mini-van). Some days a solid connection in a city guarantees a great show and a floor to crash on, but shows will inevitably fall through, occasionally less than 24 hours in advance of the event, and sometimes the only place to sleep is in the van or outside.
While I was aware that tours are barely glamorous, I was interested in experiencing that kind of voyage, and I was lucky to get a taste of it this summer. Red Hands, a hard-to-define progressive post-hardcore band from Pittsburgh, invited me along to help with handling merchandise on the first leg of their almost two-week-long tour.
The following observations took place from July 30 to August 5, all logged by iPhone notes and pictures during stretches of time spent in various cities, a Ford E150 and venues from OH to NYC.
Day 1: The Final Practice
The day before tour began, the group assembled for one last practice in order to tighten up their set and pack up the van and trailer. Vocalist Tyler Kirin, guitarists Jordan Tomb and Dave Yarkovsky, bassist Si Lewis and drummer Andy Mayer seemed excited for the trip, taking a pseudo-vacation from their day jobs to explore eight cities around the eastern area.
Red Hands practices in the AltarTV studio, where Jordan serves as Chief Editor. The bricked walls and dim lighting make the practice space seem like a venue in and of itself. As the crew waited for everyone to get settled for practice, Dave and Andy played either noodling jazz music or metal riffs--there was no in-between. From the moment that the guitar amps were turned on and buzzed to life, the space was consumed with sound.
After several run-throughs and a quick sit down to make note of what aspects of the set needed attention, the group turned to packing up, scarfing food down and quickly loading up the van. As everyone went their separate ways, it was clear that the following day couldn’t come quick enough.
Day 2: Youngstown, OH
Andy, with Dave in tow, picked up Jordan and I in the afternoon after both working their last shift before the excursion. The gang was headed for Si’s house, where the van and trailer were waiting. His home was conveniently located on the way to the venue, so it served as a good meeting point for the five-piece.
Once the band was united and good to go, the van moved on over to Youngstown, Ohio, to play at a bar called Cedars. The area seemed relatively dead, but the show was fairly well-populated for it being a Thursday night. The lineup was extremely varied, from Kid Detective’s brooding punk to Albums’ stoner-rock to Them Bastards’ Every Time I Die-mimicking brand of metal. Red Hands had already been warned that the drinking crowd wasn’t usually into purchasing merch, but the band still managed to make some cash.
After playing an energetic set laced with some frustrating technical difficulties, Red Hands had a lot to discuss in the car. They all noted what they wanted to see get cleaner or stronger, and discussed travel plans for the next day.
As Si’s place set them up well to get to their next show, the gang crashed in the schoolhouse Lewis uses to repair musical gear. It was here that I was introduced to a ridiculous YouTube video that had tickled the band's funny bone. Five dudes humping an ottoman to Pretty Ricky’s “Late Night Special.” If you mimicked the motion of one of the five dancers in this video as he crossed the screen in front of Dave, he would lose his mind laughing, without fail.
Day 3: Wilkes-Barre, PA
After kicking off the day with one of numerous Sheetz stops to take place on this journey, the Red Hands crew moved on to the town of Wilkes-Barre which was currently in a sleepy haze without the college students yet moved in. The group split off to find dinner in a number of local restaurants to suit tastes and dietary restrictions, but all convened back at the van to jam the new Slipknot track and prep for the show.
Whilst jamming the new Slipknot track, a friendly officer of some sort politely asked us to turn it down, to which Andy made many hilarious jokes. Andy remained a comedic force each day, his salty jokes and digs making everyone laugh. When he wasn’t being hilarious he and Dave were busy debating over their extensive knowledge of pro-wrestling.
Load-in time arrived for the late show, and the venue, a hidden place called The Other Side, was unbelievably charming. Its brick walls were covered in chalk and stickers, the multi-colored lights creating a pleasant atmosphere. Every single staff member was kind and conversational, as well as the other band members playing that night. The show was shorter, featuring pop punk outfit Young At Heart and indie rockers A Social State. The crowd was solid, interested and very supportive. Red Hands absolutely killed it, going so wild that Jordan really ripped his show pants.
Not only was the show a ton of fun, but the endless hospitality of couple Ed (from A Social State) and Chelsea blew me away. They generously offered us couches and floors to crash on, even offering us pizza and keeping us busy with conversation. Their delightful home felt welcoming and cozy, and laughter filled the rooms until the early morning.
Day 4: Dayville, CT
The fourth day brought an earlier rise, as the trip to Connecticut lay ahead. Everyone assembled in the van, stopping at Sheetz (of course) before heading out. These car rides never were boring, as the guys had rigged up a TV with an Xbox, a Nintendo 64 and a crate of games to play. Some favorites included "WCW/nWo" for the N64, as well as the NHL (affectionately called "Chell") and Madden games. Each member carried a different type of competitive spirit: Tyler’s hilarious quips and energetic responses, Dave and Andy’s colorful bantering, Si’s smart-ass comments and Jordan’s quiet confidence.
Arriving at the Millenium Club a little early, the band once again decided to split up to acquire food. Jordan and I stopped at Aldi’s to gather food to make in the car-powered coffee pot he had brought along, eventually creating some gluten-free pasta with red sauce and some herb seasoning. Investing in food to make in the van would pay off, as $20 essentially paid for enough food to make six meals for two people.
Once everything was loaded in (up some work-out inducing steps), the gang once again split off to nap, chat with other bands and explore the gorgeous area around the venue. The venue itself was stunning, a large open room with brick walls and giant windows. It wasn’t long before a decent crowd had rounded up, and the longer show kicked off. The event featured New City Ghost, Servants, One for All, Somewhere In Time and California Cousins.
Once again, Red Hands' set was energetic and tight, despite the fact that everyone was feeling pretty crummy during the day. Every single member left the stage soaked with sweat and Jordan’s pants were at this point officially and comically ripped.
While all the acts were great, California Cousins were incredibly cool, boasting an impressive emo sound reminscient of early Joyce Manor. They not only ripped, but were easy pals with Red Hands, seeing as they’d already played together previously in Rochester, NY. The two bands kept each other company even long after the show had ended, a circle of the dudes gabbing in the parking lot until it was time to head out.
Despite the late hour, the host of the show, Chris, took on the task of putting Red Hands up for the night. We stopped at a Walmart to pick up some things to grill and eat before crashing. In the middle of the night, Andy and Chris fired up the grill, tossing on Andy, Chris and Dave’s salmon burgers, as well as Tyler’s jalapeño and cheese sausages and Jordan’s and my Morningstar Chik’n patties. It was a delicious way to end the night, everyone settled into a satisfied slumber.
Day 5: Off Day In Thompson, CT
Chris’ family was kind enough to make us an amazing breakfast and offer their shower to the gang. Everyone scarfed down the food and took turns showering and watching probably too much "Parks and Recreation" in the living room.
During this resting time, I took it upon myself to sew Jordan’s show pants. Each member of the band has a specific outfit they wore each night for the performance as a way to keep as much of their clothing clean as possible. For this reason, it was necessary to save Jordan’s pants as he’d only brought one pair along besides it, and did not hope to embarrass his sister the next day at the show in NYC.
After the pants were salvaged and everyone was cleaned up, Chris took us to a bowling alley nearby to enjoy some cosmic bowling. Red Hands’ playful competitive nature came alive. There was a lot of name calling, especially the use of “fuccboi,” the band’s most popular term of endearment and insult, with the exception of Tyler who doesn’t swear at all. At one point, he accidentally stabbed himself with a sewing needle and shouted, “Mother fricker!” seamlessly.
The bowling was a success, eventually melting into Tyler and Andy trying ridiculous ways to get the ball down the lane, like between the legs, while texting and using the little dragon ramp (pictured above) meant for children.
Once we returned home from bowling, Chris’ family had prepared an abundant meal of steak, squash casserole, salad and corn on the cob, absolutely spoiling Red Hands. The band’s gratitude was apparent, as they thanked the amazingly kind family for their hospitality a million times and still felt it was not enough. The rest of the evening was spent riding a quad around in the woods and enjoying a bonfire and the last few hours of rest before the next day of travel.
Day 6: New York City
Monday morning kicked off to a rough start. Little by little everyone woke up and prepared for the day, but Tyler was the last to rise, which wouldn’t have been a big deal if he wasn’t super diabetic and needed to eat by a certain time in the morning so he wouldn’t slip into a diabetic coma.
As Tyler came into the living room, unable to speak and very out of it, Dave and Si immediately prepared a bowl of cereal and had to coax Tyler into eating it. Although he finished the bowl of cereal, everyone wearily waited for his blood sugar to rise, which it did by the time he had gone downstairs to grab his stuff and returned. This was the only time over those days that it had happened, as Tyler had been doing a great job of managing his blood sugar and eating schedule despite the varying routines of the road.
Eventually everyone was in tip-top shape, and Red Hands set off for NYC. These car rides were almost always full of banter and laughter, and the band’s expansive knowledge of basically all things pop culture was baffling. The fifth day of travel definitely was setting in, however, as there wasn’t as much chatter on this voyage, that is, until we entered the hell that is NYC traffic.
It’s pretty difficult to find parking in NYC, especially cheap parking. Now try doing this with a van and a trailer. If I had a dollar for every person who beeped at us (albeit usually for no reason at all), I’d have a good sum of dollars. We found some parking not terribly far from the venue to hold us over until load-in, and, as usual, everyone set off to grab some grub.
For Si, Jordan, Tyler and myself, our meal of choice was at David Chang’s Momofuku, a ramen bar nestled just a block and a half away from the venue in East Village. Tyler, a huge fan of Chang’s work, was absolutely giddy to be able to eat there. The food was incredible and very filling, but not so filling that Tyler couldn’t purchase a pint of ice cream from Chang’s Milk Bar, the a-la carte dessert bar embedded in the restaurant. We (with the exception of Jordan who is very allergic to nuts and sesame seeds) scarfed down the pint of peanut butter and strawberry with sweet cracker ice cream as we meandered to find the venue.
The venue itself wasn’t marked at all, just a building/bar painted black. A clearly drugged-out man was sitting outside the venue, apparently an employee. He told us load-in wasn’t until 5:30 or 6 but did, however, let us check out the venue which was “still a total mess” from the night before. As we entered the barely lit building and rounded the corner to the steps, we all braced ourself for what we were about to see. The steps were little more than a metal ladder, making the inevitable carrying of gear a now very real dread.
On the other hand, the dive-y but very cool looking venue with its leather couches and musty bricks and dim lights, set the stage for what would at least make a show with excellent photo opportunities. We all headed back to the van to reconvene and figure out what to do with the remaining hours.
Once Jordan took his daily yoga picture for Woody Woodrow’s #Rockstaryogis challenge, we all decided to sit in the van and roast until a cool plan came up. That never really happened, besides Tyler and I checking out a sweet record store called Bleecker Street Records, but eventually it came time to move the van to the venue.
Besides a few initial hiccups, we found parking not even a block from the venue, free after 7 and totally easy for loading in and out without too much hassle. As Red Hands loaded in, it was with much weariness they were told that only one other band was there. The gang would later come to find out two of the scheduled bands just wouldn’t show at all, and the other had called to say that they were dropping off the show.
Although the show itself was not well-run, Red Hands put on by far their best performance of the tour. Their floodlights creating a dramatic atmosphere, the band going wild, running and jumping around as they banged their heads and absolutely ripped on their instruments was a sight to see. At one point Tyler was hanging from the ceiling pipes, and also playfully punched Dave in the chest for knocking him in the head with his guitar stock.
At the conclusion of their set each night, the band would play an older track called “23 Inches of Rain,” which ends with guitar feedback and pounding drums as Tyler belts out the last few notes of their set. It always gets wild, but that night Jordan swung from the pipes and everyone stomped their heart out. The audience wasn’t large, but the band’s presence was.
The following band, Those Mockingbirds, put on an entertaining display of indie-rock meets theatrical western, and the two bands chatted afterwards until it was time to load out and for me to depart for my bus back home.
Red Hands ended up spending the night in a hotel and exploring the city the next day, including a long hike to get a picture at Sbarro, just so they could reenact a scene from The Office in which Michael Scott gets his “favorite New York slice.” The band had five more shows to go after NYC.
As I bussed home, it struck me that tour may not be the most glamorous thing, but it is the most fun an artist can have with their bandmates in situations both good and bad, and being able to play your heart out and lose your mind every single night is worth the hassle of booking a two week tour on your own.
