i did an interview ahwile back for a magazine and it has answers to alot of the emails i get here on myspace. im posting it hopefully to clear the air and relieve some of the duplicate emails i recieve. (obviously there are spelling errors and the grammer is awful, but, i could care less. it was edited later.)


Here are the questions:

1. How old were you when you began playing music?
i was really young, my dad was in a band, and i was CONSTANTLY at his shows growing up. i was probably about 11 or so when i started really caring and playing for myself and in school bands nonstop... my parents used to ground me FROM my guitar/bass when i was in trouble. it was pretty hilarious.

2. Was music your escape from boredom growing up in Missouri?
yes and no. i grew up on 10 acres in a tiny town (grain valley, MO), so needless to say there wasn't a neighborhood i really got to hang out in. but i honestly think i would've been just as into the music if i grew up in the city. i swear, its genetics.

3. Were you ever in a band of your own?
yes, haha, when i was somewhere around 16 i was in a band named SICKEND but we only played one show at a park, it was hilarious. i didn't move an inch cause all of my best friends were right in front of me staring the entire time. it was horrible... but the band wasn't all that bad, verrrry nu metal though (think, machine head meets hatebreed meets slipknot)... haha.

4. How did you get into being a guitar tech?
i just kinda knew the basics of guitars enough to try my hand at offering some help w/ my friends bands whenever they would roll through town... eventually they realized i wasnt just fucking around, and knew what i was doing and would offer to bring me out on tour to work. first for free (which is not easy), then the pay goes up from there. it was a slow process, but i got started early on.

5. How many months out of the year are you on the road?
usually about 8-10... in 2005 i was only home for 30 days. it was pure insanity.

6. Do you get hired mostly through word of mouth, or do you seek out the bands you want to go on the road with?
99% of the time through word of mouth... once you are out on the road you meet other bands, maybe the other bands on the tour w/ you etc and they'll offer you jobs or refer you to their friends and so on... its one big circle. its a SMALLLLL world.

7. You have experience working at a few labels. Do you prefer the business or art side of the industry?
definatly the art side. id rather work w/ the artist first hand. nothing against labels at all... its just more personal and one on one and i feel like its more rewarding to see your work in action at the live show, then on paper or in emails...

8. Where do you see yourself career wise in the future?
uhm, thats a hard question... hopefully out touring for a little bit longer, peferably playing... but we'll see... i also wouldnt mind getting into working for some magazines and/or tv shows (mtv fuse etc)... i honestly have no idea at all... but quite a few offers.

9. Whats it like being a girl on Warped Tour?
its probably the hardest thing any human can go through. its the most grueling thing ever. everyday seems like the worst one yet. i don't really recommend it to many people. sure its all fine and dandy you get to hang out w/ soooo many bands in the parking lot at the end of the night, and some of those people will be people you REALLY look up to and cant even believe you have the opertunity to MEET them, but honestly, you are more concerned about being in your bus in the air conditioning or taking a shower than giving two shits about who's hanging out where and on what bus. trust me, its not all fun and games. at all. being a girl out there is even more hard... you gotta be tough, alot of dudes and chicks are lonely on that tour, and are all about summer lovin and 90% of girls on the tour end up seeing someone by the end its a LONG 3 mths to spend alone. (its natural ppl, your gonna put 60 girls w/ 600 guys, good luck staying single even if it is a summer fling) but ill tell you straight up... if you stay to yourself the whole tour and just befriend everyone and not hook up w/ anyone... at the end of the tour, everyone and thier mom wants to be your best friend and you'll get 385734085 job offers. think of it as the ultimate test. its tough, and alot of days you need a shoulder to cry on. yes, CRY. but if you ever end up on warped... stay strong and it pays off.


10. What are make-up products have you found to be the best to endure the sweat of the stage? Other tour essentials.
i usually wear mac makeup. i, for the most part, only wear black eyeshadow and eyeliner... and mac's smolder eyeliner and carbon eyeshadow are pure matte black... shimmery stuff on me is a big no no. and, mac doesn't sweat off near as bad as anything else ive tried thus far. sweat is a whole other thing. there's nothing you can really do to NOT sweat. its just gonna happen. although i did get this crazy adidas deodorant that has cotton in it. its insane and works really well, and smells amazing and really girly. haha. as far as essentials i MUST bring on tour, definatly a flat iron (i have the curliest hair ever believe it or not), makeup, and lots of hairspray and hair products and teasing brushes.

11. Was it a culture shock moving to NY? What are some of your favorite things about it?
yes, NY is insane. i've spent ALOT of time staying in LA so i thought it was gonna be alright, but NY is totally different. not to mention COLD as hell in the winter. the one thing i really like about NY is the convience of everything.. all of the 90485739048 bodega's and subways make life sooooo much easier.

12. Favorite places to shop.
eek hard question, but probably h&m, diesel, or some random melrose (LA) or NY boutiques. although, i'm just as guilty of shopping at hot topic as everyone else out there.

13. What have you learned from your touring experience?
to stay tough, how to move on and put things behind you, how to prepare for worst case senerios, how to be one of the guys, how to respect peoples space and belongings, how to pack a suitcase better than anyone else in the entire world, and how to handle a lot of real life situations outside of touring and amazing people skills in general. its kinda like survival skills 101, but all bunched into a VERY small chunk of time. you learn fast. you have to.

14. What bands are on the top of your play list?
uhmm... when your on tour, its kinda weird, you end up in a vortex of not knowing anything about the outside world. your pretty much the last to know about anything, which sucks, but for the most part, the songs i fall in love w/ and replay the most are 90% of the time, bands i've worked for or with on tour... after hearing certain songs over and over every night, you cant help but want to hear them again once you get home. you go through serious withdraws post tour.

15. What band would you love to go out on the road with?
the biggest obsession of my childhood.... Metallica.

16. Is From First to Last the only band youve filled in with?
yep, so far. they're my family, and i love them to little pieces and i can never thank them enough for giving me that experience.

17. What are your plans for the spring?
right now, i'm hanging in LA w/ Mikey (my fiance) while his band records a new album. so as of THIS actual moment (we just got here 2 days ago), a whole lot of nothing. THANK GOD. but, i'm sure ill be heading out again, soon enough. its only a matter of what i want to do this time around. i've been so lucky to have so many options.

18. Do you ever get shit from guys because youre better than some of them?
hahaha... not normally, but then again, we all make fun of each other 24/7 anyway, so i don't really think it would be that strange to get some shit every now and then. the amount of inside jokes on a tour is ridiculous. i feed them just as much shit as they feed me. its a love/love/hate/hate relationship and i wouldn't trade it for the world.

19. What women in music do you look up to?
there's very few that i DONT look up to. pop/rock you name it i probably obsessed over them at some point. although, when i was younger i was obsessed w/ this band from Sweden named Drain S.t.h. they're all beautiful girls, and amazing musicians, at that. not many people knew about them (especially in missouri), it was almost like my little secret. i can play all of their cd's front to back, still, to this day. i will also admit i was a huge Kittie fan (weren't we all? hahaha)... i used to have this kittie necklace i wore everyday of my life for years. Then years later, i got a random email from the drummer of the band on Myspace asking me to come try out on guitar in a matter of DAYS up in canada at their expense... a few phone calls and ONE day later and i was in a plane. i had to re-learn every Kittie song in ONE night. i didn't get the gig, but i'm proud to say it was a very close call and they went w/ their close friend of 4 years, lisa.

20. Anything else you want to add?
stay tough girls... its not all as glamorous as it all may look. its still a REAL JOB and its hard, especially when it feels like everything is going the right direction, something can happen to knock you back down to square one. stick to it, BE STUBBORN, it pays off. trust me.