ON THE ROAD WITH TOUCHE AMORE
BY MATT DIXON, DECEMBER 2010. ABOVE PHOTO LIFTED FROM FLICKR (X)

Touché Amoré spent the month of November touring all over Europe. Sometimes when bands head over to Europe they only hit the UK and a few other spots --not the case with Touché Amoré. Their tour spread throughout Germany, Switzerland, Slovenia, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Poland, Belgium, the Netherlands, the UK, and Sweden! I got in touch with the band as they drove across the United States on their way back home to California.

First off, thanks for doing the interview and welcome back. You recently spent a little time overseas playing shows throughout Europe. As I understand it there were some ups and downs. Would you share your thoughts on some of the rewards as well as some of the challenges you faced on the other side of the Atlantic?

Jeremy: Thanks a lot for the interest. We're currently driving across country to get back home so I've got all the time in the world. The tour all together was incredible. The shows were so much better and more energetic than we ever could have imagined or expected. The ups were making new friends, touring with an awesome band (Lighthouse), getting to see so many beautiful places, and the sincerity of people in general. The downs included a van accident, my wallet being stolen in Romania, loading in the freezing cold every night, and a two different promoters bailing from the show before paying us/talking to us about paying us less than expected. You live and learn, all in all it was a wonderful tour and we look forward to going back.

 

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You mentioned you're currently driving across the country to get back home. Do you find it difficult to take time off and seemingly put life on hold to spend a month in Europe for example? How are you able to handle it without losing your minds?

Jeremy: Well prior to going to Europe we had been on the Envy tour. So we haven't really been home since September. By the end of this year we'll have been on tour for 9 of the 12 months. So in reality, when were home its more like putting life on hold these days. None of us have jobs to come home to. We'll sell belongings or do odd jobs to save to cover bills while gone. I find for myself that being home longer than a month I start going stir crazy and wanna hit the road again. I can't explain not going crazy. I just feel more at home while moving constantly.

 

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You spoke about making new friends out on the road. You strike me as a band that has really strong support from friends and family members helping you out to bands from your hometown area looking out for each other. Could you shed more light on these supportive elements?

Jeremy: Being from California, a state with such a thriving punk/hardcore scene with tons of great bands, everyone really looks out for each other. Our families are all very supportive of us. My Mom runs our merch store while I'm gone which is really awesome. They're proud of us even though we all dropped work and school to do this.

 

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Alright, let's get into it. Weirdest occurrence while on tour in Europe:

Jeremy: The second I took a step offstage in Poland, a girl grabbed my sweaty face and shoved her tongue down my throat. I thought she was grabbing me to kiss my cheeks and next thing I knew I had a tongue in my mouth. Definitely took me by surprise.

 

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Did any of you increase your record collection while you were overseas?

Jeremy: I bought a couple records yeah. If I found a euro version of a record or stuff only available over here. I didn't have much money for myself so I couldn't go nuts like I wanted to.

 

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What's up next for the band?

Jeremy: Finish writing the new record and record it in February.

 

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Any final words?

Jeremy: Thanks for the interview!