Off Duty daydream

Photographs By Anthony Locascio

Southern California band Road Trip celebrated the release of their EP, “Tower Twelve”, by going on a 2 and a half week tour around the Western United States. The band talks about discovering different scenes while on tour, how they kept the energy going night after night, and exploring themes of relationships and acceptance in their EP.

Los Angeles, USA

What is the Road Trip origin story?

Alex and I (Caden) met through going to shows in the scene. We started writing songs all the time right when we met, and most of those became "Off Duty Millionaire". I knew John from middle school so when he got back from college, we started playing shows with him and it was a perfect fit. When John left for school the following year, Ralston started filling in on bass and we were having so much fun, we asked if he'd want to be our lead guitar player. Then, Road Trip was fully formed.

What have you learned since then?

We've learned a lot since first playing, but we always talk about how many people don't know what the scene is yet. We're constantly trying to find new ways to pull new people into the scene and give them a good experience. Many people we didn't know before starting Road Trip are now such close friends, and we feel like a community is forming.

You recently released your EP, "Tower Twelve". What is the EP about?

The EP is about a lot of different experiences blended into one, but the main theme is about longing for relationships. It's about the anxiety/excitement of not knowing whether or not people will accept you. Plenty of the EP is also about wanting a romantic relationship, and somebody who just fits your life perfectly, most shown on "Pizza & TV". There are also struggles of feeling like you might not be enough for a relationship, or that you might not be able to give a significant other all they deserve, most shown on "Off Duty MIllionaire".

How does "Tower Twelve" show your growth as a band?

It shows our growth mostly in experimenting with different instruments and more confidence in our takes. While recording our debut album "Off Duty Millionaire", we didn't have much experience in a studio or with recording at all, so this time it felt like we were more prepared.

To celebrate the release, you toured the Southwest, Midwest, and Northwest of the United States. How did it go?

It was so much fun. It was cool learning about the different scenes in all the states we toured. And aside from the music aspect of things, it was all of our first times traveling to several of these states. Also everyone couldn't have been nicer. The bands, the show hosts, the fans, we wouldn't have traded this experience for anything. And we can't wait to go on the next one.

What was the booking experience like?

We self-booked the whole tour, so it definitely had it's ups and downs. The one thing that is consistent in every scene is the people are so helpful. When we reached out to bands/venues, they would give us so much assistance and it made the whole process much better.

Which city was your favorite to play in and why?

We loved playing in every city but we did have a few standouts. Grass Valley, Boise, and Denver. This was our 4th time playing in Grass Valley and it never disappoints. We've made such good friends there and you've never seen a crowd quite like them. If you ever find yourself in Grass Valley, please do yourself a favor and go to a show there. Boise was a very surprising show for us, not because of the location, but because our original venue fell through and there was a relocation, plus the show was on a Monday night, so we weren't sure about turnout. But we ended up playing in a packed out garage and made a ton of friends that night. Denver was a bucket list show for us because it was our first basement show. It felt like 120 degrees in there and the floor was all wet and fans kept bumping into us from moshing, it was exactly what we hoped for from our first basement show. We'd also like to shout out our new friends in Bite Size Productions from that show.

What’s the craziest or funniest story from the road that you haven’t told anyone yet?

There were two funny little things that come to mind. In Denver when the last band was playing, during the mosh somebody got bumped into the wall and made a giant hole, and when the homeowner came down, we expected them to be a little upset, but they celebrated because it was the first hole in the wall for their house venue. And on our last night in Fresno we were feeling so tired, ready to get home, but it was the 4th of July and everyone was setting off fireworks all over the street. We got stuck in the car for a while when it was finally time to go home.

How do you manage to keep the energy high for the same songs night after night?

It was mostly the fact that we knew it was a lot of people's first time hearing these songs, so we knew we had to put on a good performance. The crowd moshing and singing along definitely helped out too.

For each member, what’s the one item you absolutely cannot tour without?

Caden - Arrested Development (tv show)
Alex - Vitamin Water
Ralston - Buc-ees Keychain
John - Sunglasses

What is the best piece of advice you’ve received from another band while on tour?

Eat as healthy as you can on tour. Bryan from Chicano Mosh told us that right before we left. We listened for the first few days then gave up, and it caught up to us quick lol.

What advice would you give another band for their tour?

Remember that tour is not only a fun trip with your friends, but it's an opportunity to share your hard work with the world. Take your time enjoying every place you're in but don't take the opportunities for granted. Show up on time, make sure you're healthy and energized, make a lasting impression on people you likely won't perform in front of for a while.