From The Road: Kate Bollinger

Q&AMusic

Jan 31

☆ BY TAYLOR STOUT ☆

EMBRACING EVERYTHING THAT COMES WITH BEING BACK ON TOUR - Kate Bollinger crafts folk-pop music to soundtrack the slight, substantial moments that compose our daily lives. Her lyrics demonstrate a strong attention to both physical and emotional detail while her vocal delivery sounds delicate and simple, but that simplicity is never without depth. These songs feel like making yourself your favorite coffee in the morning, or riding your bike down your neighborhood’s streets and falling in love with their familiar rhythm, or hanging out in a bedroom late at night with your friends, looking around and wondering, “Is this happiness? How long will it last? Does that matter?”

For Bollinger, the mundanity of growing up is where its richness lies. Despite what the movies tell us, these formative moments aren’t all dramatic crescendos and sweeping alt-rock choruses. On her latest single “Yards / Gardens,” released November 2021, she sings, “My friends have occupations now and some have yards / They're tending gardens,” illustrating the inevitable changes to relationships that come with time. She continues, “Please don't leave me behind / When the world is burning outside.” In the midst of these changes and a chaotic world, the people we love can be grounding forces. Bollinger hopes that they can grow together.

Bollinger recently finished up a tour with indie rock band Real Estate, and is soon hitting the road with singer-songwriter Faye Webster. For our new From the Road series, we teamed up with Lomography to send Bollinger a film camera to document her life on tour. Bollinger’s snapshots act as visual accompaniments to the tender scenes she vividly conjures in her music. We talked to Bollinger about what her tour life is like, and she told us about both the routine and spontaneity that fill the time between shows.

LUNA: How is the start of 2022 treating you?

BOLLINGER: No complaints so far! I've been working on music, I shot a music video, and I am now getting ready to go on tour. I'm excited for the year.

LUNA: Now that you've had a chance to be home and reflect on your fall tour with Real Estate, what did you miss most about live shows?

BOLLINGER: I missed the energy from the crowd. The set can be exactly the same every night, but really what determines the show is the people you're playing to.

LUNA: Were there any cities that surprised you with how much you liked them?

BOLLINGER: Yes! I loved Louisville, Kentucky. I had never been there before. Louisville and Lexington were my two favorite shows on tour.

LUNA: Take us through a typical show day.

BOLLINGER: Wake up, pack up the van, drive to find some food, drive to the next city, load into the hotel, drive to the venue for soundcheck, have a couple hours to record shop or walk around, play the show, watch the headliner, load up the van, drive to the hotel, sleep and get ready to do it again. Everyday feels different, but the formula is mostly the same. Days off are nice because we get to explore the city we're in more, but it's pretty go, go, go.

LUNA: Which track was your favorite to perform live?

BOLLINGER: A new song that's not out yet called “Running.”

LUNA: What's the biggest tour hack you've discovered to keep yourself comfortable and healthy?

BOLLINGER: We haven't really tested it out yet, but my bandmates and I are going to start going to the gym on tour. There was one day last tour where we pulled over in a grassy spot by a Love's gas station and had a footrace. I think moving around like that as much as possible will be good.

LUNA: You'll soon be hitting the road with Faye Webster, so exciting! What are you most looking forward to on this tour?

BOLLINGER: I'm so excited!!! I'm especially excited for the Canada dates and to hangout with Faye and her band. I'm bringing her brother Jack to play bass in my band so I think it's going to be a really good time hanging out with everybody.

LUNA: Lastly, what is your favorite story behind a photo from this roll of film?

BOLLINGER: A lot of the photos didn't turn out, but I think there were at least three or four of Jimmy (bass) and Chris (guitar) playing arcade games. We got to play a lot of venues with pinball machines, so if I ever lost them at the venue they were pretty much always off playing games.

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