Throwback Thursday: Keeping Up The Hustle While On Tour.

When I am on tour, I like to try to get out to see the city we are in. I have been known to buy bikes on tour so I can really get around and cover more ground, because I think it is important to your art to see what the world is up to. Cruising around European streets, pulling over for an espresso and then maybe visiting a museum or sitting in a park are all things I love to do while on tour. I’ve documented some of my travels on Instagram but the purpose of today's Throwback Thursday is to offer some insight as to what drives me to work hard: In order to have these amazing experiences, I have to work as hard as I can so I can maintain it.

Cruising around Stockholm. 

Back in the Spring of 2012, Big Sir was fortunate enough to tour Europe, and did over a week of dates in Italy alone. One of the best venues in Italy is The Cage Theatre, a beautiful old theatre that is run by great people who love music and art. Our friend, Toto, put us up in this beautiful bed and breakfast spot that had a pool and a perfect view of the Livorno coastline. Although we had time to enjoy the sights and get some downtime, at the end of the day- ya still gotta work! Matthieu Lesenechal (guitar/keyboards in Big Sir) and I room together on tour and I always tell him we have to “post up” and get to working on music. Here, we had to build a backing track for “Smooth Interlude” to perform live.

Whether you’re on a plane, in a van or a hotel, if you have a laptop and headphones, you can put in work. Capture your inspiration when it strikes you. One of the best things that has happened in the digital age is that your workstation is now mobile. You’ll never be bored or inefficient on tour (or in life!) if you have access to a laptop or your instrument. If I can’t sleep at night, I’ll configure pedals in my head or think about how to orchestrate a piece of music. Working your creative mind as much as possible will keep the ideas flowing but, like anything else, taking too much time away from it lessens that flow. I say keep your hustle on till you fall asleep every night and it will eventually lead to great things.

Stay hungry, stay motivated!

-Juan