Summer tours conquer road

Originally published May 21, 2008 in The Orion.
Direct link to article

On part of Chico punk group Gruk's 2007 summer tour, audiences heard guitarist Scribles simultaneously play guitar and bass. He did not perform a contortionist trick, but when the band's bassist unexpectedly left the tour, Scribles covered by playing through both a bass and guitar amp.

Band members leaving midway through a tour is one example of the sudden adventures that bands face while on tour, said Rachel Loveless, Gruk vocalist. In order to have a successful tour, band members have to think on their feet and quickly come up with creative solutions.

But unforeseen problems are not stopping Gruk and other Chico bands from travelling the United States this summer.

Gruk, which also includes drummer Sean "Hipmo" Cummins and new bassist Logan "Ziptie" Keyser, have been on five national tours but will visit cities this summer they have never played, Cummins said. The band will grace Knoxville, Tenn., and Waco, Texas, with its fast and gritty punk music for the first time.

Loveless and Cummins booked all the dates themselves and are excited to spend time with friends across the country that they rarely see, Cummins said.

While Gruk's tour will reach the East Coast, The Shimmies and Social Concern plan to stay west for their summer tours.

Social Concern, which includes bassist Ami Rose, guitarist and vocalist Sarah Shintaku and drummer Bryan Lyon, is taking its punk rock sounds up the West Coast, but will venture out to Montana, Idaho and Utah.

Dreamy indie-rockers The Shimmies, is comprised of Jack Gingerich on drums and brothers Jimmy and Sean Galloway on guitar and vocals and Stephen Galloway on bass. The band will travel to Seattle and down to Los Angeles, said Sean Galloway. With the help of a friend, band members also booked the tour themselves.

This summer marks The Shimmies' first tour, but Sean Galloway did not have trouble booking shows in other cities, he said. Band members have made friends with touring bands that play in Chico, and when members of The Shimmies decided to go on tour they called upon their friends.

Gruk used the same strategy, but the booking process was a little harder than most tours because the band plays a lot of house and basement shows, Loveless said. It's hard to get in contact with people because they move or no longer host shows.

Social Concern had similar booking issues with venues and also discovered dates fill up fast because so many bands plan summer tours, Shintaku said.

While booking shows may be time consuming and frustrating, there are benefits to touring during the summer.

Attendance at Gruk shows is higher during the summer because students do not have to worry about school, Loveless said.

Members of The Shimmies are looking forward to escaping the Chico heat, Sean Galloway said.

Selling band merchandise also helps cover tour expenses, said Jimmy Galloway. All three bands will be selling T-shirts and CDs.

The bands are committed to reaching out to other cities, but Chico musicians will miss some things.

Both Loveless and Scribles miss taco trucks, friends and inexpensive beer, they said.

Members of The Shimmies miss the laid-back Chico atmosphere, Jimmy Galloway said.

"The stress level is higher in some cities, and I start thinking how people in Chico are napping."