Almost Famous … with the Spill Canvas
After spending a day with the band, we got an insider’s look at touring from down time to performance time
By Kelly Mellott
Published: October 4th, 2006 | 3:24pm
September 20. 2006
1 p.m.
After the six-hour-and-39-minute drive from Minneapolis, the Spill Canvas loaded into the Chicago House of Blues early in the afternoon. I met up with Daryl, the band’s dreadlocked tour manager, in front of the venue. After quick introductions, we followed Daryl up the winding maze of back staircases to the quartet’s backstage dressing room. The band was there, lounging, getting in their daily Internet time, and catching up on MTV.
1:30 p.m.
“I’ve already seen this episode,” says vocalist-guitarist Nick Thomas of MTV’s newest high school reality drama Two-A-Days," but we watch anyway. He explains to us that busy days of touring seldom leave much time to relax so the band takes whatever they can get. Hiding behind his laptop screen is guitarist Dan Ludeman. He takes breaks from his computer to indulge in the fully stocked fridge and brief guitar jam sessions. Bassist Scott McGuire and drummer Joe Beck are somewhat elusive most of the day, catching up on laundry and phone calls. “If I wasn’t a musician, I’d want to do photography,” says Thomas as he shows off his vintage camera to Venus Zine photographer Lisa Wagner. While most of the members of the band seemed quite and somewhat reserved, Thomas was enthusiastic to have Venus Zine around. He explained to us that he rarely gets to spend much time meeting new people due to the demanding tour schedule and constant travel.
3:30 p.m.
“Wanna watch us backline?” asks Thomas. Lisa and I follow the guys to the stage; it is smoky and covered in instrument cases and sound equipment, but it’s much larger than I expected. The venue almost looks small, empty, and ready to be filled with the hundreds of fans who are already beginning to line up in the lobby. We learn exactly what it means to backline. The headlining band — which in this case is Sugarcult — pushes its equipment all the way back, and every other band follows suit in accordance to the order they will appear in at tonight’s show. Since the Spill Canvas will be the second to last band to perform, they push their equipment back in place next, right in front of Sugarcult’s.
4 p.m.
Not wanting to spoil his appetite for the free buffet at 5 p.m., Thomas decides to only get a small snack to tide him over. We head out of the venue and down Grand Avenue to everyone’s favorite burrito stop, Chipotle, for some chips and salsa. We share our common infatuation for ABC doctor-drama Grey’s Anatomy. “I relate to George; I think we’re a lot alike,” confesses Thomas. After finishing our food, we walk down State Street as Thomas lets out his inner tourist, taking some quick snapshots of the city and the Chicago River.
5 p.m.
The free lunch buffet is served and everyone prepares for the show to begin. We leave the room so the guys can focus and warm up. The doors are opening and the first band, So They Say, is set to go on soon. Then things get complicated.
6:30 p.m.
According to Illinois State Law, it’s illegal for any person under age 21 to be backstage if alcohol is present. And there was. A lot of it. At least this is what the unpleasant young woman in the box office tells me as she grips my all-access pass in her boney hands after checking my birth date on my ID revealing that I was 20 years old. I tried explaining that I wasn’t here to party — just to do my job — and quite frankly even if I wanted to drink I would go somewhere the drinks aren’t more expensive than a full meal, thank you. OK, sorry, I’m venting now, but my frustration is understandable what with the infamous 2–1 looming only a month away. “You can come back in a month,” she says in an unenthusiastic droll. Apparently she’s not getting the point. I could come back in a month, this is true, but would the Spill Canvas be here? Would my interview still be going on? I think not. Regardless, not a single soul in the box office felt a twinge of sympathy for me. Not even a little.
8 p.m.
After my grumpy verbal brawl with the entire House of Blues staff, I accept my infantile state and entered the venue (with the rest of the children) just in time to see the Spill Canvas perform. And I must say, their performance took me by surprise. The shy group was suddenly full of life and energy, songs from the album that sounded soft had the audience on their feet, singing and dancing along to each and every word. To me, it seems as if these boys have found exactly where they belong doing exactly what they should be doing — on a stage performing their heartfelt hits for everyone willing to listen. They end the show with my personal favorite, “All Hail the Heartbreaker.”
10 p.m.
After Sugarcult finished up, it was time to load out and say last-minute thanks to fans who had stuck around for autographs and pictures. Back behind the venue in the loading zone, the bands spend time hanging out and helping to load the vans and buses they traveled in. By 11:30, the merch had been counted and packed and Tony the merch guy began bringing it out to the van. The next step on the tour was Pittsburgh, my hometown. Wishing I could catch a free ride home for the weekend, I instead say my farewells to my band-for-a-day. Around 12:30 a.m., all merch, equipment, and bags were packed into the trailer, we waved goodbye as the Spill Canvas mobile pulled away and began the journey east.
Issue #35
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