Tour Pregame with Twin Peaks and The Districts
Interview by Cadien Lake James and Rob Grote
Photo Courtesy of CJ Harvey
Chicago's Twin Peaks and Philadelphia's The Districts are heading out on tour together this Friday, March 16th. As a little pregame, Twin Peaks' Cadien Lake James and The Districts' Rob Grote jumped on the phone to talk tour past times and road hobbies. They chit chat about what they've been up to in the studio, what food spots they'll be hitting up while trying to stay "healthy," and who drives shotgun while on tour.
But that's not all of the pre-game. We also teamed up with the two bands to give away some free goodies. Just by signing up for our newsletter, we'll select five winners to receive the Twin Peaks with The Districts x POND Tour Package: 1 Twin Peaks Sweet ’17 Singles LP, 1 The Districts Popular Manipulations LP, a pair of tickets to an upcoming Twin Peaks with The Districts show (March 16th - April 6th), a copy of our "Cold Out There, Warm In Here” zine, and an exclusive print that didn't make the zine, courtesy of Lomography. Is that not the best dang thing you've set your ears to in all of 2018? Enter to win after catching up with the bands below.
Twin Peaks with The Districts x POND Tour Package:
- 1 Twin Peaks Sweet ’17 Singles LP
- 1 The Districts Popular Manipulations LP
- 1 pair of tickets to an upcoming Twin Peaks with The Districts show (March 16th - April 6th)
- 1 Copy of "Cold Out There, Warm In Here,” a POND Magazine Zine
- 1 Exclusive Print from "Cold Out There, Warm In Here” courtesy of Lomography
Cadien: How many years now have you guys been on the road?
Rob: I guess we started touring probably 2013 a bit— before that we would just do weekend things, just getting out there a little bit, but 2013-2014 is when we really started actually picking up and grinding out a bit more. Pretty much since then.
Cadien: Same. I asked because I’m really psyched about this tour because I feel like it’s going to a lot of small towns and places we haven’t been before and wouldn’t usually go and skipping out on a lot of big cities that all of these kids are getting pissed at us for not playing but we play there all the time. So I’m pretty psyched about [that] — I turn 24 when we’re in Boise. It’s been a long time since we’ve been back to SLC. Just kind of hitting the secondary joints— going to Athens, Georgia, suppose to be a dope town, I’ve never been.
Rob: I like getting to see glimpses of weird small parts of America, too. Like going through South Dakota and random towns that you normally don’t get to see what life is like. I think with major cities, which are all cool and unique in their own way, you definitely get plenty of unique pictures of the country.
Cadien: Absolutely, I agree. Like middle America is one of the most unique things about America... Have you ever played Sioux Falls, South Dakota before?
Rob: No, we’ve never. I think when I was really young we went to North Dakota with my family one time but never played there.
Cadien: This joint, I don’t know where we’re playing at this time, we’ve played there like three or four times, but it’s put on by this little record shop called Total Drag, so we’ll have to go stop in there when we’re in town, but really cool record store and I think they’re promoting the show we’re doing. For the first time we’re doing a venue, so that’ll be interesting.
Rob: Yeah, that sounds rad.
Cadien: Yeah, really cool record store. They’re badass.
Rob: I feel like you guys tour nonstop?
Cadien: Yeah, how often are you guys on the road? I think it was last year we realized we played a show every third day, if it was one third of the year we were playing shows, so we were on the road half of the year.
Rob: Holy shit... Not long along ago we pretty much did nine months pretty nonstop. But then we’ll go for periods when we don’t play much, we’re just recording or doing whatever. But definitely respect to you guys for grinding like that.
Cadien: It’s been enjoyable. I think we love being on the road. Also it’s like, this isn’t why we’re on the road, but part of the reality is like in order to pay rent we have to play shows, now that we’re all moved out of mom and dads. It’s just hustlin’, its part of the hustle. But truly love playing the shows and getting out there, it’s a pure joy in my life... So when you guys make records do you generally take like six months and really take your time with it?
Rob: ... We’ve done a handful of things. The first record we ever made, a full length thing, we were kids basically just trying to figure it out with our friend who had a recording set up. So that was really drawn out, we didn’t know what we were doing and then we made another one with John and that one we had written over the course of a while but we recorded it in nine days.
Cadien: Right, getting in the studio with a producer and knock it out kind of thing.
Rob: Yeah. And the most recent one we did some with John and then some we produced ourselves with a friend from Philly— that one we made over the course of spread out sessions, but each one relatively short... Do you guys have a go to?
Cadien: So far, we’ve always knocked em out. I guess when we did Down in Heaven it was more of a retreat. It took a while, but mainly because we had to drive out to Massachusetts with our whole studio set up and then set up a studio at this dude’s house. I’d say we were recording maybe half of the time at best, we were kind of just dicking around at this dude’s house having a blast. But other than that, everything’s happened pretty quickly between when we finish touring on a record, take two months to make a record, then it's three months and we get it out and then you’re back to it. I think after this tour we’re going to hunker down more than we ever have. Really work on making something and taking our time with it. This tour might be the last hoorah for a little while, we’ll have to have a good time.
Rob: Yeah, sounds rad... Did you guys grow up in the city in Chicago or did you grow up outside of it?
Cadien: We’re all from in the city. We all went to school in the city, except Colin, who's from Ohio. He came to Chicago for college, he’s a couple years older than us. But yeah otherwise, we’re all from the city. Are all of you from the city of Philadelphia?
Rob: No— all from Pennsylvania but our guitar player Pat grew up right outside the city and the other three of us are from a pretty small town in Central Pennsylvania, the farm country boys in the big city. But yeah— we’ve been living here for a few years now.
Cadien: I wish I was from the farm country to be honest. That’s why I like touring so much. You come from the city— we don't have a lot of nature in Chicago, we have the lake. So I just love fucking driving around and seeing dope shit. We’re going to Colorado, Utah— It’s going to be beautiful... As fucked up as our country is, there’s really some great beauties.
Rob: Yeah, definitely. I feel like my favorite time on any tour is the west from Colorado onward— it's beautiful, massive.
Cadien: Huge shit. Especially, we come from flat states, so getting out West— I remember the first time, our first tour was the first time I drove out west in my life and was obviously pretty mind blown... Who sits shotgun? Who’s the DJ? Do you guys switch it up or do you got a guy?
Rob: We definitely rotate a bit. I’d say me and Pat drive the most. We’re often in the driver’s seat. I think I used to take shotgun the most, but I quit smoking so now I am less greedy about it because I literally would be like I want shotgun so I could smoke the whole time.
Cadien: We just stopped smoking in our van this year— and it’s been good, you don’t need to smoke in the van. I still smoke plenty of cigarettes.
Rob: Yeah, you can have your little cozy, cleanly place.
Cadien: Yeah, it gets really gnarly when you’re just smoking in the van all the time.
Rob: By like one day of tour the van is just done for. It’s impossible to keep clean.
Cadien: I asked because for a long time I was the shotgun guy, but I’ve given it up as of late. Well, I got a Nintendo Switch so i’m not trying to sit shotgun anymore. I’m just trying to play video games in the back.
Rob: Do you guys rotate or do you make your home and have your spot?
Cadien: We rotate a bit, but people gravitate to a certain spot— everyone’s trying to get the window seat. You want to be able to put your head up against the window. The van is the home... Wawa or Sheetz?
Rob: Oh shit. So, myself and the other two guys, the ones from central PA, are all Sheetz guys but Pat’s a diehard Wawa, but I’m into Sheetz. It’s what I grew up with. You got the $2 dollar cheese hoagie, or sub, hoagie is the Philly word. But I’m a straight Sheetz guy.
Cadien: We can never decide. I love them both. We don’t have anything like that out this direction. It’s a lucky thing in the region... Do you guys make an effort to try and eat healthy on tour or still just gas stations, rippin' it up?
Rob: We’re pretty good about it. I started eating vegetarian a while ago, mostly because of touring. I just was feeling like my stomach was fucked up all the time. So I’ve been on a not too strict vegetarian diet— and most of us are vegetarian, so for the most part, try to keep it on the healthier side but—
Cadien: So you guys are much healthier than we are. Our merch guy was doing vegetarian the last tour, but other than that, everyone else was just rippin' it up.
Rob: That’s fun though, sometimes.
Cadien: Gas station rollers, hot dogs, let's go.
Rob: Gotta live a little.
Cadien: I sweat it all out on stage, we get plenty of physical activity... What shows are you most jazzed for this tour?
Rob: I’m excited— we played in Montana one time, in Missoula and I had a really fun time and my friend was in Bozeman for a while and really enjoyed it, so I’m excited to check that out. That should be fun, I’m excited— I’ve always wanted to play in Nashville. Nashville will be cool. Denver’s good. Boise I think we’re playing the same like festival thing?
Cadien: Treefort, yeah.
Rob: I like when a festival falls in the middle of a tour. It’s a good change-up of vibes for a minute.
Cadien: Yeah, thats true. I agree.
Rob: Do you have any particular ones you’re looking forward to?
Cadien: I’m also really psyched about Bozeman because we played Missoula once as well but it was on our first tour. We played a house show there, in 2012. So its been— it’ll be six years since then this tour. Wow, man, time flies. We’ve been touring for six years. That was one of the craziest shows of our first tour— fuck, what was the house called, I'm going to forget, but they were getting shut down so they were doing thirty shows in thirty days. It was just kind of a lot of, for lack of a better word, like crusty train hopper folks hanging out. Ya know, Missoula Montana and we just had a blast. We didn’t play until 3 AM and I remember the girl running the house came up to us and we were like on our second case or something and she was like are you guys going to be good to play? And we’re all just like 18 and were like yeah we’re great, "Let's goooo." It was a really wonderful show and then some of the people who were there, literally train hopped and saw us in Tacoma, Washington. So good memories from Montana and looking forward to hitting Bozeman. First venue show we’re doing in Montana.
Rob: Yeah that’ll be sick.
Cadien: Yeah, maybe we’ll see some of the folks. There was a guy named Hoppy. Maybe he’ll turn up. I just remember this guy playing acoustic guitar - hopefully he’s at the show... and yeah, Nashville will be great. I’m excited for Athens, I have family living down there right now. Excited for the shows we’re all doing with The Nude Party boys, over in West Virgina.
Rob: Oh yeah, we played with those guys a long time ago. I haven't seen them in a long time.
Cadien: They’re really fun boys. They’re a party for sure. A really good live band.
Rob: Nashville’s one of the places where I can’t be vegetarian because I love hot chicken.
Cadien: Dude, me too.
Rob: I’d die for hot chicken.
Cadien: Well, chicken is my favorite thing in the world. I’m working on a book called Wingin' It.
Rob: Wingin it?
Cadien: And the sequel will be called Wings Over America. Kind of autobiographical but also focused on the chicken I have eaten in my days.
Rob: That’s amazing. New York Times bestseller.
Cadien: What’s your favorite spot in Nashville? For chicken?
Rob: I’d say Bolton’s.
Cadien: Boltons was the first one I had and it’s my favorite. We’re on the same page, brother.
Rob: I’ve had a couple others, I’m trying to think... I haven't had Hattie B’s.
Cadien: Hattie B’s kind of seems like the bougier of them all. It’s kind of the hipper joint in center city or whatever, its still delicious its just a little less authentic feeling to me... Have you ever been to Prince’s?
Rob: No I havent, a friend told me that’s his favorite though.
Cadien: Prince’s is also very dope. But Bolton’s is my favorite. I remember the first time I went to Bolton's, I was asking for the "hot" and the people there were all kind of laughing at me and not trying to give it to me and then I had it. I was like this is good and they were fucking with me and were like do you want some more heat and I felt challenged and I said yes and she came out and poured more of the dry rub on and it was fucking me up and I was totally crying, but having a blast eating it. I like the food challenge, I like to eat a lot.
Rob: The first time I went there I was with Braden our drummer and our friend Sean— we have another band Straw Hats that we do, and we all went to get hot chicken and all three of us went to order "hot" and they were like you know you can’t return it once you get it. And we were like what what do you mean, we’ve never had someone remind me that you couldn’t return food. So we downgraded to medium— which was still hot, it was intense.
Cadien: Sometime you should try the "hot hot". It’s a battle but its good. I wish I was famous enough to do that Hot Ones interview thing.
Rob: The interview thing? I love those.
Cadien: I’m not famous enough to do it, but maybe on tour we can buy a bunch of hot sauces and film our own.
Rob: Yeah that sounds good, with hot chicken.
Cadien: We’ll have to go somewhere and order a bunch of wings, but be like can you give it to us plain, we brought our own sauce. I have the hottest sauce that they used to use on the Hot Ones— the megadeath sauce. I know I can do it, I’ve already tried it, I know I can succeed. This interview took an interesting turn...
3/16 Davenport, IA @ The Village Theater
3/17 Lincoln, NE @ Royal Grove
3/18 Sioux Falls, SD @ Icon Lounge
3/20 Bozeman, MT @ The Rialto
3/24 Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
3/26 Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
3/28 St. Louis, MO @ The Ready Room
3/29 Memphis, TN @ Growlers
3/30 Nashville, TN @ Basement East
3/31 Athens, GA @ Georgia Theater
4/2 Durham, NC @ Motorco Music Hall
4/3 Richmond, VA @ Capital Ale House
4/4 Morgantown, WV @ 123 Pleasant Street
4/5 Cleveland OH @ Beachland Ballroom
4/6 Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
Full dates: twinpeaksdudes.com/shows
Keep up with Twin Peaks and The Districts while on tour on Instagram.