Low point: the van breaking down, forcing us to spend the night in Eden, Idaho
4. The Smith Street Band / AJJ / The Sidekicks / The Sugarcanes
Where: Australia
When: September
High point: BEING IN AUSTRALIA
Low point: getting the middle seat on most of the flights and not sleeping at all
5. AJJ / Jeffrey Lewis & Los Bolts / Rozwell Kid
Where: The South
When: November
High point: Nashville hot chicken
Low point: playing a set after eating hot chicken
RESTORATIONS
Favorite things to listen to in the van on tour this year:
1 – Those new Baroness singles first thing each day on the Menzos tour.
2 – Steve Gunn’s “Way Out Weather” right after that.
3 – Probably that instrumental record I can never remember the name of immediately following, assuming its snowing or raining.
4 – 15 minutes of giggling about a new @airguitarcenter post.
5 – The sound of the van door opening after 8 hours of sitting in traffic.
Top 5 best tours we did this year, in no particular order:
• w/ Cheap Girls, Chris Farren, and Hard Girls
• w/ The Getup Kids, and Pup
• w/ The Early November, and Lydia
• w/ Crazy Arm, and Sam Russo
• w/ The Menzingers, mewithoutYou, and Pianos Become The Teeth
MVP of the Year: Jeff Meyers
ALLISON WEISS
1. The National Womens Soccer League
Womens soccer is my number one favorite thing I discovered in 2015. Did you see the USWNT win the fuck out of the World Cup? They were incredible. Watching this performance got me into the NWSL. Nothing better than watching a bunch of extremely talented ladies being total badasses. My team is Seattle Reign. I got into them via Rapinoe, and quickly fell in love with Little, Fishlock, Winters, and all the other incredible players on this perfect team. If you’re new to the sport or the league, get ready to be impressed and addicted. And pick up some merch. Even though these ladies arguably play better and smarter than their male counterparts, they’re paid a fraction of the amount the dudes are getting. Loving the NWSL feels like loving underground music. Get into it.
2. Peau De Loup
As a queer person with female body but a pretty androgynous taste in style, it’s hard for me to find clothes that fit me the way I want them to. Enter Peau De Loup. I discovered this brand this year and immediately bought 5 shirts. They’re my new go-to and I want them to be huge. The company was started by a girl who much like myself, was just looking for that menswear style in a fit made for women. So she created it. I couldn’t be more thankful.
3. Rix’s Tavern in Wilcox, AZ
When I was on the New Love Tour this past fall, my tourmates and I stopped for a night in Wilcox AZ. There was a cheap hotel there with great reviews, so that’s where we landed. We decided to go out and explore this tiny town and ended up at a bar called Rix’s (literally pronounced Rixes). We danced, we shot pool, we did karaoke, we made friends with the locals. I sang Carrie Underwood like it was my job. Talk about a one-of-a-kind experience.
4. Dr Pepper, My New Tour Van
Last winter, my band and I were in a super rough accident on I-80 in Wyoming. We hit some ice and flipped our van. Luckily we all walked away unscathed, but the van was toast. Thanks to incredibly generous donations from fans and friends and family, I was able to buy my “new” van. It’s a 2002 Ford E350 V10, baby. It’s a powerhouse. It’s maroon. It’s name is Dr Pepper. For some reason I always pictured myself in a maroon tour van. I hope Dr Pep lasts me the 200k miles I know she’s got in her.
5. SideOneDummy Records
Y’all, I am straight up obsessed with my new label. All my life I’ve just wanted to build a team around me who believe in what I’m doing as much as I do, and I truly believe I’ve found that at Side One. No group of ‘industry folk’ have ever been as inviting and receptive and just totally stoked on life. I’m so looking forward to many more years ahead with them!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrHvYg4rVzM
