Q+A: Cold Weather Touring w/ Eddie Paul
In many ways, touring is what it takes for a band to expand its appeal, hone its craft and become (usually) a tighter knit unit. Unfortunately, sometimes touring is required when the cold slap of winter is perpetually backhanding the planet.
With that in mind, Riffyou.com is asking a bunch of musicians what it’s really like traveling the frigid roads and coming out the other side.
Today, Montreal rocker, Eddie Paul, tells us about how his band handles the chilly climate.
RY: What vehicle do you use when touring and how does it handle cold weather touring?
Eddie: “We go tandem on ski-doos – two people on each one. Nothing handles quite like a ski-doo for winter conditions.”
RY: Tell us about the worst, funniest, or scariest cold weather touring experience you’ve ever had.
Eddie: “Well, once during a ferocious snow storm I got separated from my band members and ended up at a rookery – a place where penguins breed. There, a raft of emperor penguins attacked me. Fortunately, I escaped suffering only minor injuries.”
RY: What does your emergency roadside kit consist of? And how many shovels do you pack?
Eddie: “Five Flannel shirts, a pair of skates, a Swiss army knife, and Q-tips.”
RY: How much does touring in a cold vehicle mess up a person’s sleeping patterns?
Eddie: “It’s hard to tell when to go to bed because it’s always dark outside. So, sleeping becomes quite irregular.”
RY: If given the option, which weather condition would you rather drive in and why? A Blizzard, Freezing Rain or a Frosty and Wet Windstorm?
Eddie: “Freezing rain is preferable because we can unpack the skates and skate right into the venue.”
RY: If you were only allowed to bring one of the following items on a winter tour, which item would it be and why? Winter Boots, Thermal Socks, Parka, Gloves, Long Johns, or a $100 Tim Horton’s gift card?
Eddie: “The Tim Hortons gift card because everyone dealing with adverse weather conditions knows that cold starts in the core section of the body –that’s where a piping hot cup of Tim’s comes in handy.
RY: What music do you play as you trudge through shitty, scary weather conditions? How does it help you out?
Eddie: “We do a cover of Yellowman and Peter Metro’s, ‘Canada Cold.’ It really helps lift our spirits.”
RY: When touring in the cold, what’s worse: loading your gear into a venue, or loading out after a gig? And why?
Eddie: “Both situations are proportionally onerous and not agreeable.”
RY: Have you ever been so cold on the road that you’ve considered retiring as a musician and finding a cubicle to forever call home? If not, what’s the strangest thing to cross your mind during such a scenario?
Eddie: “No, I have not. I would have to say the strangest thing to cross my mind in this type of situation is wondering how big a Sasquatch penis is.”
RY: What lessons have you learned while touring through the cold?
Eddie: “The three Rs – Reading, riting and rithmetic.”
RY: What is one positive about touring in brutal weather as a band?
Eddie: “All the group hugs.”
-Adam Grant
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