A few months ago, we had the chance to talk with David and Daniel from Winona Avenue about touring ! Fun and facts are waiting for you just right here :
And if you prefer to read it, we wrote everything here just for you !
Earama – Let's talk about your touring experience ! What is your best memory ?
David – There are so many...
Daniel – Best memory.... Like a funny memory ? Or like a good memory ?... A bad memory that's funny ?
Earama – The one you want !
David – I think the one that stands out to me the most is..... I mean there are so many but this is because it was one of my first shows ever as a musician. I had only been playing drums for a few months and the drummer of the band Daniel was in had dropped out. So they needed a drummer so he like... helped and teached me all the songs and I learned basically how to play drums for an hour-long set and after a few months, the show was for like over than two thousand people... And it was crazy ! And it was one of my first shows ever so it was a really cool experience !
Daniel – Yeah He was not really energetic when he drummed. If you watch him today, he just goes crazy but that first show ? He was just drumming like a stick ! But he completely nailed the show ! That day it was one of our biggest shows and I agree it was one of the best.
Earama – Ok ! And what's your worst memory on tour ?
Daniel – Alright, this is gonna be the bad/funny one ! Ok so we are cheapest people and we don't fix our air conditionning in our Van. So we went out to the desert to California. We played a show and took the road. But I guess even the desert has heat waves, like... more hot than it should. It hoped out at 114 degrees...
David – I think it was higher than that !
Daniel – I remember seeing 114 on our screenshot. And we decided to drive back from California to the other side of the country. It was... Kansas or something. And we went to the desert, and we didn't have air conditioning. And I remember there was only one gas station in the middle of the desert. It was at this random like... small intersection. And all the prices for gatorades were like way more expensive than usual, just because there was nowhere else to get anything. So I bought like ten. And I had like a seatbelt stain from all the sweat on my shirt. And we felt like we were gonna pass out. That's probably the worst.
David – And I even remember driving through the night out there without AC and we're so used to what we're from at night. Like, even in the middle of the summer you got like cool air like if you got the windows down, blowing on you. But having the windows down just felt like opening an oven. Just the heat was passing through the window. That was rough !
Daniel – We have not been back to the desert since and if we do we're gonna fix our air conditioning !
Earama – That could be a great idea ! Let's now talk about the shows ! What's your favorite song to play on stage ?
David – I'm kinda torn between two. It would either be 'Paradise' or 'December Night' ! But I think 'December Night' is my favorite song of the album, and in general so that just makes it fun to play ! About 'Paradise', I just love the Pop-Punk feel of the song. And just... Some of the feels I do are just so fun to play. It's just an exciting song live.
Daniel – For me, I'm gonna go with 'Masterpiece'. You know, I like all of our musics so it's all fun musically. And for 'Masterpiece', we had the chance to talk about what the song means. You know we don't always have that chance for every song. It's just the way we do our set. So I think it's an important message, you know. The message of positive self worth. It's a message that I think needs to be heard. So that'll be my favorite.
Earama – That's amazing ! And what's your favorite venue to play at ?
Daniel – Hum..... We used to be under the name of 'Blank Pages', don't know if you know about that. We've been under that name for like... from 2010 to 2017 or 2018 and then we changed to Winona Avenue. We did that for a couple reason. It was just time to change things. So we had venues back in the day. But litteraly, we started Winona Avenue, it was just me and David, and we toured one time. We didn't even play locally. And then, Covid hit. So we played something like... less than 15 shows probably with Winona Avenue, maybe 20.
David – And there are two that could be considered local shows.
Daniel – I would say, there is a festival in Indiana called the Kingdom Come Festival. And I would say that's probably my favorite. I don't know if that counts as a venue. But it was the nicest place, with incredible people. So shout out to Jay, to Angie and everyone. Kingdom Come Festival will always be my favorite !
David – I don't know why but... I can't pick a venue. But my favorite state, for whatever reason we traveled to Pennsilvania a lot. And some of the venues are contacts that we made out there... And the fans who became friends, almost like family. It just feels like our second home out there.
Daniel – Basically we did a Pennsilvania tour in 2019. *laugh*
David – We went to Pennsilvania at least twice. *Laugh*
Earama – And if you could play anywhere, what country or city would you choose ?
Daniel – I would go in Artica... Because no one would be there. No I'm kidding.
David – I wanna play on the very tip of the Eiffel Tower !
Earama – That would be an amazing idea !
David – I'm actually taking that back, I'm horribly affraid of heights. So maybe under the tower. *laugh*
Daniel – Sooooo... On top of the Eiffel Tower and in Artica. Do you have any other ideas ?
David – I hope so ! *laugh*
Daniel – If we're being for real, I think anywhere in Europe would be cool ! Just because I've only been out of the country one time and that was Canada... Which is really similar to the US, and we didn't even cross an Ocean. So we really never been out of the continent. So... Europe is the first place that comes to my mind. Just anywhere over there that would be cool to play !
David – Yeah anywhere over seas would be cool !
Earama – It's amazing and we hope for you that it'll happen soon ! So, on tour, what is your absolute 'must have' ?
David – Air conditionning. *laugh*
Daniel – I don't know... We really don't need much on tour. I know it's not really answering the question but... Hum... For me it's coffee. That's more like, all the time, not just on tour but including tour, if I don't have coffee in the morning I'm not myself, things don't get done, So that would be this for me.
David – Yeah mine is really similar because I probably drink close to a gallon of tea everyday. So mine would probably be tea.
Daniel – He gets unsweet tea and then he puts like twenty sweetners in it. And it's just so disgusting I don't know how he drinks this !
David – I can't have sugar and I like sweet tea !
Earama – And do you guys, prank each other on stage or something ?
Daniel – We're not pranksters.
David – I feel like I'm a prankster outside of the band. Like, when I'm working at my part-time job or when we're home or something, I love pranking coworkers. It's like stupid silly stuffs. But on the road, we're so busy and tired, I don't know... We just never really......
Daniel – I'm not much of a prankster. I know when it comes to other bands, they're always there like 'I gotta go make a tour prank' or something and we'll participate or whatever but between just us two not really. No pranks. 'Cause if we did the other person would just get mad and then I'll laugh and.... No.
David – We more have like stupid running jokes. That's more our thing. Like things that just don't make sense at all.
Daniel – I don't know if we can even share because it just doesn't make sense at all.
David – Yeah it's all just dumb inside jokes more than pranks.
Earama – These moments in a band are the best ! And if you could open for any artist or band, who would it be ?
Daniel – There are a lot of band that I'd love to open for. And I think I've been asked this question other times and I probably pick a different band everytime ! So I'm just gonna pick one out of the top of my head. I'm gonna go with Blink-182. Because they're one of my favorite bands growing up and I think it would be really cool to play a show with one of my favorite bands growing up and they really... They're an influence in our sound, musically.
David – Yeah, Blink-182 are one of my favorites too. If I didn't choose them.... Oh man they're so many !... Hum... I could just throw out any name. Switchfoot. That would be really cool ! They have always been one of my favorite bands growing up. I don't just love their music but also what they're about as people too. So, it could be a fun band to play with and a band we could learn a lot from.
Daniel – Yeah they're up there in my list too.
Earama – Really cool ! And is there a band, you know, that would be opening for you and you'd be like 'Damn, I'm successful !' ?
Daniel – Hum.... What's the biggest artist in the entire world ?..
David – I mean, Taylor Swift has been begging to open for us so... *Laugh*
But we've already made it like, we have dozens and dozens of fans.
Daniel – Yeah. You know what ? Pretty much any artist that will open for us, we'll be happy about it. That would be an honor.
Earama – What's your favorite thing about touring ?
Daniel – There are so much things...
David – Getting home and getting away from him.
*Laughs*
Daniel – Whenever he goes home he misses me. He just calls non-stop. *Laugh*
Wait what was the question again ? Oh yeah, favorite part of touring... I would say playing shows, obviously, playing music, being on stage, for me. That would be probably one of my favorite parts. It's between that or just generally traveling. I love traveling. You know, being in new places, doing new things. Kind of all of it !
David – Yeah, I love all of those things and I love getting to meet new people and getting to see old friends who we only see when we are on the road. There's so many cool people out there and that's one of the coolest parts about what we do, it's meeting all of them.
Earama – What is the best place you discovered, while touring ?
David - What was that alien town again ?
Daniel – Roswell, New Mexico. I think the aliens have actually crashed their ships there. I don't know if you heard about it but I've been there and it's like alien town. So it was a great discovering for me.
David – Do you even know why they're like an alien town ? Are they near... hum...
Daniel – You make us sound really nuts right now. So I think it's a common thing that people know and I don't know what it is. But we went to a gas station and it was like an alien ship or something, if I remember right. And there was this alien guy standing outside of it. Like not an actual person but like a statue. Yeah, Roswell.
Earama - Did you write a song while you were on tour ?
Daniel – No, never. Whenever I write music - which for Winona Avenue I've been the one to write all the music - I am in my room. Or at home. It's just a tradition for me. I feel like on the road, you get so busy. You know, you're not as comfortable. Like I'm just not in the zone when it comes to writing. I might be interrupted by other things. Usually we're travelling in a Van and I could right there but I kinda like to have my recording stuffs with me in case I come up with something. You know I can put like a drum beat or record the guitar part. So usually, I'm always in the studio.
David – It might be different if we were travelling in a bus or something but we don't have that luxury yet.
Earama – And I wish you all the best about it ! Do you have something to share with us before we end the interview ?
David – Not anything specific. We're really excited to hit the road and stay really busy in 2022. We have a lot of big plans to stay on the road.
And that's right ! The band is going back on the road today ! Here is the list of dates and don't hesitate to tell us in the comments where you're gonna see them !
