Skrillex
Year: 2004
Memory: “16 years old, first full US tour in ‘04.” –Skrillex
We asked a few musicians to dig through their old photos and show us their early years on the road. Some make touring look fun, others not so much.
- Emily Zemler
Against Me!
Credit: Wes Orshowski
Year: 2008
Memory: “Hot, sweaty and tired. All signs of a good show. Just finished our set and catching our breath backstage in our trailer at Bonnaroo in 2008.” –Singer/guitarist Laura Jane Grace
Portugal. The Man
Year: 2008
Memory: “Rehearsals on the go. We have spent a lot of time in our van. We do everything in there.” –Bassist Zachary Carothers
Portugal. The Man
Year: 2007
Memory: “Sleeping sleepers sleep. Through years of traveling with no money we made friends with very hospitable people and their hardwood floors.” –Bassist Zachary Carothers
Flaming Lips
Year: 1994
Memory: “Lollapalooza. That was probably the most fun I’ve ever had on any tour. There was a general feeling of camaraderie and every night seemed to go on forever, in a good way. Seeing this photo now, the first thing I think of is that I miss our old guitarist, Ronald Jones, and my second thought is that I feel like a jackass for smoking a cigarette while sitting near a Tibetan Monk.” –Singer/multi-instrumentalist Steven Drozd
Dawes
Year: 2011
Memory: “This picture where I’m reading The Origin of Species reminds me of a time in Toronto on the Alison Krauss tour in 2011. I had that book on the bus and somebody had unintentionally left the door unlocked. As Wylie was walking up to the bus after the show a girl that we didn’t know was walking off. Wylie naturally asked her what she had been doing and as she hurried off he noticed that she was hiding something under her shirt. He screamed at her and out came The Origin of Species. I thought it was funny that amongst all the valuables that she could have stolen, she decided to take my book.” –Drummer Griffin Goldsmith
Dawes
Year: 2011
Memory: “This photo of Taylor and I in the van during the Brett Dennen tour in 2011 reminds me of the time that the air conditioning was broken in our van and we were in Phoenix in the middle of a heat wave. It must have been 115 degrees in that van. We were all literally getting woozy and nauseous from the heat, it was crazy.” –Drummer Griffin Goldsmith
Circa Survive
Year: 1998
Memory: “Here is one of me in high school in my band Audience of One. It was the summer of 1998. We are playing on the top of a half pipe at a local skate park.” –Singer Anthony Green
Which of your favorite bands have changed their appearance the most over the years?