Conversations is an interview series in which we discuss a specific component of an artist’s work.
In this edition, Jeanette Wall speaks with Radiator Hospital frontman Sam Cook-Parrott about touring solo on a Megabus around the country, DIY scenes throughout the United States, and the best record stores to stop at while on the road.
This summer you went on a solo tour, taking a Megabus from show to show. What cities did you visit via Megabus?
Mostly places in the upper Midwest: Pittsburgh, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Chicago, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Madison, Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti. I’m doing another megabus tour in January and heading down south, which I’m really stoked about.
What parts of a solo tour do you prefer over a tour with a band?
I like travelling alone, walking around new places alone, putting on headphones and listening to podcasts or music. One thing I like about the bus is, there is a set schedule when it departs, so you don’t have to worry about making sure everyone is up in time to get on the road to make it to the next show. I like being completely in control of my schedule and when I get to a place. I don’t have a driver’s license (I know seems crazy but I grew up in the city and biked/walked everywhere) so I always feel like a burden on tour with other people and I also feel like I’m at the whim of whoever is driving, which of course I’m cool with since I’m not driving, but with the bus I don’t have to worry about it. I’m generally pretty independent so it works nicely. That said, I obviously love touring with my friends and hanging out and I love playing music with other people! I have the incredible luxury to get to do both.
When you’ve gone on solo tours, are you typically playing in DIY spaces or houses?
Basically any tour I’ve ever been on has been a mix but mostly houses and DIY spaces with a bar or two thrown in every now and then.
How would you describe the DIY scenes in the cities you played in? How did they compare to the scene back in Philly?
The Philly DIY scene is pretty unstoppable; there are a ton of cool bands/people/spaces to play. That said, it’s a major East Coast city, so it’s definitely got a completely different feel than the Midwest. I’m originally from Michigan—there is a lot of love and heart there. The nice thing about smaller cities is usually kids there are super stoked and up for anything. It’s easy to get jaded living in a bigger place, but the Midwest is always refreshing.
What are your favorite scenes in the Midwest?
I am and will always be partial to Michigan. Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo and Muskegon in particular all have really awesome communities of people doing cool stuff. The Kalamazoo scene, as most DIY touring musicians know at this point, is pleasantly surprising in how supportive and cool it can be while being such a small city. Tons of kids stoked on all different types of music. Already Dead Tapes based out of there has sort of forced their will on Kalamazoo in a really awesome way, it seems like it’s made people really open to all sorts of weird music. Muskegon, too, is a really small place where everyone comes out to a cool show and is super friendly and supportive. Grand Rapids, as the biggest city in west Michigan, has an incredible DIY art and music scene, with one of the longest standing all-ages music venues in the country, the Division Avenue Arts Collective (which was recently forced out of its space, but is still active and will have a new home in 2014). Grand Rapids recently hosted the second annual Lamp Light Festival, which is a house show festival, a bunch of houses near each other hosting shows all weekend. Things like that are very hard to execute in bigger places, but Michigan has it on lock.
You get a pretty unique view of the country from a bus window. What were some of the most interesting things you saw on tour?
I seriously loved touring by bus, it was a blast. I like traveling alone and it’s cool getting to explore cities on foot once you get there. Didn’t see anything too particularly crazy from the bus window but it’s definitely a neat and cheap way to travel and see the country!
Who were some of the bands you played with on your last Megabus tour?
A small selection of killer bands I played with include: Kyle Kaos, the Valenteens, Night Shift, Kitten Forever, Away Game, Dropped Calls, Sacred Strays, Frontier Ruckus, and Unraveler.
What are the best record stores you’ve visited on tour? I remember reading you had some pretty good finds on this last tour.
Record shopping is my absolute favorite thing to do on tour. I love Repo Records in Chicago, Hymie’s in Minneapolis, Bullseye Records in Milwaukee, my hometown store Vertigo Music in Grand Rapids. I was just in New Paltz the other day and for an adorable tiny town they have two really killer record stores, Rhino Records and Jack’s Rhythms. There are awesome stores all across the country, and I always end up spending way too much money on records!
How does touring inspire your songwriting?
Honestly, it doesn’t that much, other than making me frustrated that I can’t be in my room and sit down and work something out haha! I find more inspiration living my daily life than I do when on tour but occasionally something will hit me and sometimes it’s nice to let it brew in my head for a little before I actually get a chance to write it.
When are you hitting the road next?
We are playing some shows in the Midwest around X-mas, doing a few shows with Potty Mouth in January, and then I’m doing another solo tour throughout most of January. Probably doing a bunch more stuff throughout 2014.
Where in the South will you be going on the solo tour? Any places you’ve never been before?
Richmond, Charlotte, Durham, Atlanta, Athens, Birmingham, Memphis, Nashville, and a few other places. Once it’s all confirmed I’ll post the dates on my blog and Facebook. Haven’t been to a handful of the places I’m going, and love the places I’m going that I have been to, so I’m excited.
What else is coming up for Radiator Hospital?
Putting out a split tape with Kyle Kaos in January, working on a new LP which will be out sometime in 2014, trying to tour more, and trying to get as freaky as possible in the new year.
See below for the band’s upcoming 2014 tour dates:
1/5- New Brunswick, NJ* @ Cooler Ranch
1/6- Brooklyn, NY* @ Glasslands
1/7- New Haven, CT* @ Cafe Nine
1/8- Washington, DC* @ DC9
1/9- Philadelphia, PA* @ Boot & Saddle
1/10- Richmond, VA
1/11- Greenville, NC
1/12- Charlotte, NC @ Area 15
1/13- Atlanta, GA @ The Cottage
1/14- Athens, GA
1/16- Birmingham, AL @ Transylvania
1/17- Memphis, TN
1/18- St. Louis, MO
1/19- Chicago, IL @ Bric-a-Brac Records
1/20- Grand Rapids, MI
1/22- Indianapolis, IN @ Hoosier Dome
1/23- Nashville, TN
*= w/ full band
