On The Road With Shane Henderson

PHOTO CREDIT: MIKE SCIOLI

Valencia's Shane Henderson will be performing at Raleigh's IMURJ on August 28th with June Divided. But first, Henderson spoke with us about touring and life on the road.

Describe your music for our readers who may not be familiar with you.
It's a mix of melodic songwriting, some acoustic, and some electric. Mostly aimed towards the fan of a good melody!

What's the first concert you attended?
Strangely enough, Aerosmith. It was also the last Aerosmith show I ever attended.

What's the strangest gig you've played?
The first time we played in Japan was in 2005, at a festival called Fuji Rock. We were a brand new band and just had released our first album. To walk out in front of 5,000 incredibly respectful Japanese fans was a trip. Pure Silence, before and after songs. Up until then, our biggest show in America had been maybe 250. It was a whole different universe than we were used to!

What's the craziest thing a fan has done at one of your shows?
Maybe wheelchair crowd surfing? Proposing on stage? We had a dude that came to the shows and knew how to do backflips always jumping off the drum riser. Mostly just crazy energy!



What's the first thing you look for when you hit a new town?
Coffee! Always coffee! Then maybe the venue ;)

How do you spend your days on the road?
Mostly I am either driving or doing work from my laptop while on the drives. Once we load in, typically will meet up with friends and get food or write new tunes.

Do you have any pre-show rituals?
I used to be super ritual oriented in Valencia. Warm up a certain amount of time before the set, drink only water, etc. etc. I've learned to embrace a bit of the crazy when it comes to performing. Going up there and kind of digging in only when the first note is rung rather than 2 hours before the show makes for an always exciting burst of energy. I still warm up and am smart with my throat choices, but I mean in terms of the minute-by-minute schedule, I am ready to just go with the flow now!

What's some advice you'd give to a band embarking on its first tour?
Save your money! Promote as much as you can, and always remember nothing in this world is ever handed to you. You will need to physically be putting your band's music in people's ears to get their attention. Also, have fun. You aren't playing arenas so don't be TOO serious. Take it just serious enough as to progress but while also having fun and learning about yourselves as humans. It is a great ride!

Final question: You're the opening act of a music festival. You can get any five artists, living or dead, to perform on the bill with you. Which five acts do you choose and what song do you all perform together for the final jam?
Daaaaamn. Ok. Petty, Springsteen, Freddy Mercury, Dave Grohl, and Chuck Ragan. And we're all singing "Free Falling!"

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