RAGGED - NEWS - RAGGED Exclusive: Ride Or Die: Bus Life, The Blackout Express and Breathe Carolina

RAGGED Exclusive: Ride Or Die: Bus Life, The Blackout Express and Breathe Carolina

May 21, 2011

Straight from the pages of the new special Brasil edition of RAGGED, we’re thrilled to give you an exclusive excerpt from our feature story with Breathe Carolina! Catch us on Vans Warped Tour all summer long and download the entire issue featuring more photos with the band for free right here.

As one of the preeminent electro-pop/punk outfits, <>Breathe Carolina are well known for catchy songs (including their hit “Blackout”) and electrified, energenic live shows. When we last chatted with Kyle Even and David Schmitt, the duo had just released their newest album, Hell Is What You Make It, which landed itself on the Billboard Top 200 and garnered acclaim from critics and fans alike. Currently, Breathe Carolina, along with their live band, are in the midst of their longest tour to date, which will have them traveling across North America through the end of August. This summer, the band are set to rock the main stage on the Warped Tour, but before they launched off, we caught up with them on the Southern leg of their Blackout Forever tour with The Ready Set and asked for a visit aboard their moveable pad. With such an intensive travel schedule, what better way to move across the country than in a swanky tour bus?

Unlike other buses that have been popularized in movies like Almost Famous and Speed, the band are afforded a certain degree of luxury that smaller bands don’t have. After all, when you’re on the road as long as Breathe Carolina, you’ll need some comfy digs to ensure that you’ll be able to travel in peace— and have a place to crash at the end of a wild show. However, this is something new for the guys.

“We’ve been through a lot of different buses, many that have broken down,” multi- instrumentalist/singer Even explains. “This is definitely the most gorgeous bus we’ve ever been able to travel and live in.”

After climbing the steps and walking through the driving area, there are several sliding doors that fold in and allow for extra space in the hangout/eating area.
Once a show is over, the band likes to head back to their home with wheels to unwind—which includes the ultra tour luxury: a shower.

“There’s never been a shower in our bus before,” Even says. “That’s life-changing. You go onstage and you sweat your brains away, and you just want to get that rinse off, so it’s nice to jump in and cool off for a second.”

One of the most difficult things about life on the road is eating right. Though the temptation and ease of pure microwavable goodness is strong, the band like to attempt some fine cuisine (by tour standards) with the bus’s semi-state-of-the-art kitchen. Though it’s nearly impossible, they try to eat healthy and tune in to the Food Network and the Travel Channel (they’re big fans of Man Vs. Food) in order to whip up something quick and delicious.

“We’ve become masters of the microwave heat-up,” the singer admits. “We have this little appetizer we make called Ritz Mac and Cheese that combines Ritz crackers over a plate with shredded cheese. Then you mix up a little Velveeta mac and cheese and pour it over the original melted cheese and then you got your dish. It’s so good.”

(Continued in the new issue of RAGGED…)