She makes breakfast quesadillas and wants to go on tour with The Beatles -- talk about a dream girl. Not to mention the music she makes is super fucking cool and groovy.
What do you eat before a show?
We try to eat light, so it's easier to sing. I had a burger before a show in Chatanooga, and it made so sleepy I thought we might have to cancel the show in order to take a nap. Luckily I recovered just in time to play.
What's your favorite thing to get after a show?
Being from California, tacos are kind of a classic. But lots of times I like to come home and make a nice healthy veggie stir fry.
Where have you had your best post- or pre-show meal. What was it?
On tour three years ago, we had a Cuban Sandwhich at Paseos in Seattle. Ever since then we have been talking about those sandwhiches, but Paseos always seems to be closed when were up there. On this past tour we finally got to eat there again -- the sandwiches held up to three years of hype.
Have any groupies ever made you anything and sent it backstage?
I've had a fan make me a painting of myself. I feel a little funny having it up in the house but she was the sweetest gal so I can't just hide it in a closet.
If your mom was on the tour bus, what would she insist you eat?
Carrots -- they make your eyes shiny. She always had a reason to eat each vegetable, but I'm pretty sure a lot of them were made up.
Who's the best cook in the band? What's their best dish?
Gotta brush my shoulders off on this one, though to their credit, I can't say Drew or Scott have ever cooked me a meal. My specialties include French onion soup, eggplant parmesan, roast chicken, Thai curry and breakfast quesadillas.
Who's the pickiest eater in the band? What's his/her deal?
Well Drew (guitar player) isn't picky but he never eats more than a third of his meal but can still drink me under the table. In all truth, I'm probably the pickiest and most whiny.
Any on-the-road food discoveries, restaurants, or roadside vendors?
A smoothie and some veggies. We never seem to get enough healthy food on the road.
When we played Capitol Hill Block Party Festival in Seattle we discovered the "cream dog" which is just a hot dog the vendors sell with grilled onions, sauerkraut and cream cheese. I was skeptical at first, but they're pretty tasty. We also really enjoyed Salsas in Asheville, N.C., The Grit in Athens, Killer PoBoys in New Orleans and Aurora Coffee in Atlanta -- although watch out for the parking police in Atlanta. My coffee ended up costing $38 -- tip and parking ticket included.
Best two [tour] dates? Worst two dates? Two dream dates?
We played a super intimate show in Philly with one of my personal favorites, Birdie Busch. On this tour it was such warm welcoming community -- I loved it. I played a show down in Big Sur on the California coast with Dirty Projectors a few years back -- they are such a wild band and Big Sur is so magical; I will never forget that one. My worst gig was probably a recent one where my guitar broke down half-way through our second song and started making a terrible buzzing noise if it was plugged in. I had to play the rest of the set mic-ing my electric guitar and running it through the PA. It sounded terrible, but it did afford me the opportunity to meet a hilarious 80-year-old Italian guitar tech, who repeatedly referred to me and all women as terrorists. Now that's customer service. In my dream gig, we are touring the country with Dr Dog and end the tour at a festival where we share the bill with Flaming Lips, Of Montreal, St Vincent, Javelin, Wilco, Grizzly Bear, Jolie Holland, Os Mutantes, The Strokes and -- hell why not -- the Kinks, The Beatles and The Beach Boys with their original line-ups.