The life of a musician on the road is grueling. Exceptionally few groups have the funds or the fortune to travel in their own tour bus, so most instead pack all their members, instruments and equipment into a van night after night. Countless hours behind the wheel, little time spent anywhere but the venue at each stop, sometimes sleeping in a bed, sometimes on the couch or the floor at a friend of a friend's -- it's a lifestyle that would weigh on anyone.
"I think everybody in this world experiences at some point discontent with their situation, whatever it is," says Eli Winderman, keyboard player/vocalist of progressive rock/dance group Dopapod. After seven years of continuous touring, the band didn't realize it was maybe time for a break until the musicians took a look at the group of songs they had written for their fifth studio album, "MEGAGEM," out Oct. 26.
Dopapod
with Mouth
WHEN — 8:30 p.m. Dec. 5
WHERE — George’s Majestic Lounge in Fayetteville
COST — $10
INFO — dopapod.com, georgesmajesticloun…
BONUS — Dopapod provides a subscription service on its bandcamp site (named PODify) where fans can access recordings of live shows, studio albums, side projects and more. dopapod.bandcamp.co….
"It wasn't like we were trying to make a concept album or anything. A lot of these songs [were] in the works way before we made this choice to take the year off. [Those feelings are] just what was rolling around in our heads -- a lot of it just came out subconsciously."
Those feelings and themes that came to reveal themselves in the writing centered around living in the present moment and the dialogues of the inner mind. Viewing life in general through that lens brought the group to the conclusion that a year off from the band would provide personal growth as well as a mental reset. Winderman hopes the time to focus on other projects -- the right decision for himself and for the band -- will provide motivation for fans to make choices in their own lives to serve their mental health.
"We're super grateful for where we're at now," Winderman asserts. "We have an incredible fan base that is genuinely moved by the music and that to me is just the coolest thing. But at the same time, I think we're starting to get a little older and we're starting to feel the effects of the lack of sleep and the van time.
"It's been an interesting journey," he goes on, pointing out that with the constant touring, some cities offer a warm reception and some cities seem not to care about the quartet at all. "It's like a roller coaster sometimes and [we're] trying to find that inner peace of 'Well, I care about it; it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks,' and just continue down the path."
-- Jocelyn Murphy
NAN What's Up on 12/03/2017