Reports From the Road: Otto's Daughter, Part II

Now midway through their "Angels and Monsters" Tour, female-fronted electronic rock band, Otto's Daughter, is checking in with another report from the road. This time, we get to hear from the whole band!

IRW: Now a couple weeks into the tour, what have you learned about life on the road?

JvB: It's fun; it's liberating. Just the road and music. This is what I'm supposed to be doing. Learning how to pack smarter and for every season.

Jim: I've learned that this is what I'm supposed to be doing. I've also learned that if you're touring north, don't forget your coat.

Ro: Maybe take the rear seat out of the van and put a bed down!

G: Be ready for every kind of weather condition.

IRW: Where has the band been sleeping? Any interesting sleepover stories?

JvB: It's been pretty awesome so far...We've been very blessed, having some amazing friends and family members let us stay at their homes. Staying at Kristy's in New Orleans was fun, we helped them clean up after the hurricane mess. Pretty much everywhere we stay it's interesting and fun, especially when there are pets in the house - makes me happy! Ro has a great story from while we were in Florida!

Ro: Yeah, I could go into detail, but I'll try to make it short and sweet. In Florida, we stayed at Jim's sister's house. They have a huge cat that weighs at least 25 lb. that stays outside, but comes in every now and then. Having very little sleep, I decided to crash on the floor. My foot had been cramping earlier in the night due to me being flat-footed. As I was about to enter my first REM, I felt a sharp pain in my foot. I didn't know if it was a cramp or if a snake or alligator attacked me. Jacqueline was supposed to leave the cat outside, sure enough it was the cat that attacked my foot! I put the attack-cat outside, while cursing JvB, and went back to sleep.

A little while later I hear dbanging on the door. I went to the door, my face still smeared with eyeliner, and find Jim's sister's neighbor standing their. Did I mention he happens to be a cop? Let's just say he didn't know who I was, saw the van and trailer backed up to the garage, and thought I was robbing the house! I couldn't even unlock the dead-bolt to open the door! So here he is about to shoot my ass, and I'm yelling for Jim to come and clear things up. Luckily, he knew Jim and refrained from killing me.

Regardless of my heart beating a mile a minute from all the Monsters I drank that night, the cat attacking me, and nearly getting shot by a cop, I decided to go out to the lanai to lay down in hopes of getting some sleep. I noticed a lizard crawling on the screen, and as I was checking it out, I heard a hissing noise behind me. As I turned around to see where the noise was coming from, a big-ass stork with it's wings stretched apart comes charging at me! At this point, I'd really had enough and went in to crash on the couch.

G: No interesting stories for me, I'm just glad I brought my blow-up mattress along!

IRW: Have you had any crazy catastrophes happen? What were they?

JvB: No, and we like it that way!

Ro: Thankfully, not yet except for almost getting shot by the cop in Florida.

IRW: What have you been doing in between shows?

JvB: Sleeping, booking more shows, promoting on Myspace, photoshopping pictures, writing lyrics, keeping my journal up to date, walking around whenever I get the chance, exploring new territory.

Ro: Sleeping and driving.

G: SLEEPING and watching sports when they're on TV.

IRW: What's been your favorite show and why?

JvB: Club Midnight in Washington DC. That was the show that got the tour started. We did very well there, played to a full house and everyone loved us! Plus, I got to dance my ass off after the show!

Ro: Other than DC, I'd say Greensboro. Greensboro, North Carolina is where all my old friends are from and it's always great to see them. I'm always grateful for their support whether they like the music or not! DC turned out to be the best show by the reaction from our fans.

IRW: How has it supported the band to be on the road?

JvB: I can see why bands break up after touring: It's a great test for everyone. You learn to compromise, to think as a team, and to communicate. We all love doing this and people can feel that energy coming from the stage. No matter how tired we are, as soon as we hit the stage, everyone is ON. It's an incredible high for all of us.

Jim: We've been doing quite well between selling merch and club guarantees. We've also gotten way better as a cohesive unit on stage.

Ro: We have gotten a lot closer as a band, and we all realize it's not about any one person, but about the band as a unit. That has helped us out tremendously.

G: You said "unit", huh-uhhh-huh.

IRW: How have your fans supported you along the way?

JvB: Oh my god - it's been incredible! Our fans helped us get shows and then help us promote them online. They come to shows and sometimes have driven 4 hours to see us play! They bring us food, and sometimes let us stay in their homes. I'm very grateful for all of it.

Ro: Coming to the shows supports us for sure! the promoting helps too.

IRW: What have you been doing to stay healthy and stay in shape?

Jim: Loading and unloading the trailer; setting up and breaking down the backline; and eating less than I normally would when at home.

Ro: Same for me!

IRW: What's the longest you've gone without a shower? Who gets the stinkiest?

JvB: Ro smells, period! He needs to put a plug in his ass. So far, no one has smelled bad.

Ro: Maybe JvB is the stinkiest.

Jim: Only two days without a shower. Thankfully, I haven't smelled anyone else yet.

G: I think I only went one day without a shower. That's pretty good!

IRW: What's been your favorite moment of the "Angels and Monsters" Tour?

JvB: Every moment is special. Meeting our fans in person, making new friends, seeing old friends and family, discovering new bands, building relationships with club promoters. It's great to hear from club promoters that they want us back.

Jim: Every single show. Meeting new friends, and speaking to everyone at the shows. I also got to see my nephew, Daniel, in Florida.

Ro: Performing live, meeting new fans, seeing kick-ass bands, seeing family, and seeing parts of the States I've never seen before.

G: Being on stage and meeting new people - and meeting people we've been talking to online.

Check out Myspace.com/Ottosdaughter for tour dates.