On The Road With Volcano I’m Still Excited!! (Part 1?)
Frontman Mark Duplass fearlessly negotiates interstate highways while conducting frank Coyote Music interview.
The band is on their way from Des Moines, Iowa to Champaign, Illinois for what looks to be a promising show. Champaign, home to the band's label (Polyphonic), greeted Volcano on their first visit with a warm crowd numbering approximately ten. But with tonight's line-up of six or seven bands and Volcano headlining, the band hopes for a better showing. Coyote Music rings the band's cell phone to find singer/songwriter/frontman Mark Duplass at the wheel of the band's van while drummer John Thomas Robinette III and guitarist Craig Montoro sleep in the back, unconsciously awaiting their driving shifts.
MARK DUPLASS: Actually, that first night in Champaign wasn't too bad. There were only about 10 people but most of them bought merchandise, which helps out a lot. It seems to work out somehow, that small crowds by a decent amount of merch and then larger crowds will by the exact same amount.
COYOTEMUSIC: What's in the CD player?
MD: The Shins just finished, the Lost in Translation soundtrack is about to begin. We have an iPod in the van now, though, so we'll start using a 3,000-song shuffle for our musical pleasure.
CM: How's the tour so far?
MD: Amazing. The van's transmission died early on and we missed the first 3 shows. Then we drove from New York City to Jackson, Mississippi in 2 days to catch up. That's a looong ride. In Austin we sold out Beerland. There were lines of people trying to get in. In Baton Rouge my parents came to see us. Craig and John's parents were at the Dallas show. We also did an early Christian show in Springfield, Missouri. On the West Coast we had a stretch of days off. We rode bikes in San Francisco...
CM: For bands reading this who aren't to the touring stages yet, give some idea of what it's like. What do you need? How many CDs do you take on a tour?
MD: We almost ran out of CDs this tour. We left Brooklyn with about 75 and only have 8 left. Since we're headed to Polyvinyl's home city we'll stock up there. On the other hand, we're overstocked on t-shirts. There's no set method-sometimes you have enough and other times you don't.
CM: Are fans at shows beginning to know the songs and sing along?
MD: Maybe one out of every seven or eight shows will have some heavy duty singing. Yeah, every 7th or 8th show.
CM: What about money? At what point can bands expect to make some sort of profit.
MD: It takes a long time before any money is made. Money is made, it just gets spent all over. It goes to recoup recording costs, CD production, promotion and things like that.
CM: Do you have an "average" night when it comes to income?
MD: Not really. There are good nights and bad but I guess an average would be maybe $100 at the door and $50-100 of merch. There have been some $300-700 nights. We made $400 in Springfield. It varies. Some nights is much less. Actually, the most money we made was from "Joe Jaxon" being used in the Showtime series Queer as Folk. That was 4-digits worth and very unexpected. It'll pay for the transmission and some other expenses.
CM: What about your schedule? What's an average day?
MD: Today we have a 4:00PM radio spot in Champaign--play 2 songs. Also at 4 we have load-in at the club (we'll be late for that). Show starts at 6...
At this point cell signals begin to fade. Interview is over. A quick agreement to talk the next afternoon while the band walks around Chicago. That call doesn't happen (our fault, not the band's) and so here we are. More to come?
07.22.2004 - Wiley Koepp
- Related Links
- :: Volcano, I’m Still Excited!!
- :: Mark Duplass
Coyote Music reviews recordings and live performances, publishes articles and interviews, and promotes musical artists through consulting, press releases, and concert promotion. Founded in 1995, Coyote Music thrives on its honest, positive approach, and experience working in most all facets of the industry.