Ever since Kate Hudson graced the screen as Penny Lane in Almost Famous, my desire (and probably the desire of millions of others) to throw caution to the wind and go on tour ramped up to an all-time high.
From Beyoncé’s Balmain looks to the thought of Ed Sheeran crooning the crew to sleep in a luxury tour bus, going on tour has always seemed like the most glamorous of all jobs. But it also got us thinking about how one *really* survives on the road. What are the things that make a bus feel more like home? Streaming Tracy Anderson workouts? Sticking to your vegan diet? We tapped the ultimate husband-and-wife duo, Jean and Patti Grobler, who together form the band St. Lucia, to breakdown the essentials they bring with them.
Patti Beranek-Grobler’s Tour Essentials:
“I’m obsessed with my Reformation Woven Bag that I got from my bestie, Nini (Haerts). I can literally throw half of my suitcase in there if I want and find everything easily. I always have a Turkish Towel in there as well, because they are super light and act as a towel, a blanket, or a picnic blanket.”
“I always have a tour tracksuit. It’s important to be comfy on the bus (especially when you have a baby), so this Nike outfit is my first choice this tour.”
“I only recently discovered this brand, but now I’m loving it! I’m currently using the Commodity Book Charcoal Bath Bar; this way I have [a] guaranteed good smell in all the venues we shower in. The style guide is cool because you can switch up your smell depending on your mood. I can spray the stinky boys with it too, because it’s for everyone!”
“Whenever I go to Germany, I stock up on this stuff. I know you can get it here too, but there is a much bigger selection in Germany! Jean and I live off of this stuff all year round, so it’s a must-have on tour. I even use the baby stuff for Indy. I just love it.”
“I love Sunday Forever. Did I mention stinky boys? OK, OK, I might be a culprit for that too... But a bus with 12 people needs an occasional Air Detox! I usually bring some Palo Santo wood or other incense, too.”
Jean Grobler’s Tour Essentials:
“I was recommended New Wash by my hairdresser. It’s basically a way to clean your hair without actually ‘washing’ it, meaning it doesn’t strip your hair of moisture, etc. It’s kind of like a cleansing conditioner, and I feel like my hair is way healthier because of it.
“Baxter Deodorant is without a doubt my favorite underarm deodorant in the world. I don’t really believe in antiperspirant (I honestly think it makes me sweat more), and this is mostly natural, I think, but doesn’t make you get early-onset BO like most natural deodorants.
“I’ve been using Ursa Major Face Wash for years, and I mostly love it for the smell, which transports me somewhere tropical and exotic and refreshing. I feel like I need my products to smell good; I just somehow feel cleaner and fresher if the products smell good. I know it’s dumb and that’s not how it works, but that’s how my brain works.”
“So our new album was pretty much named after Hyperion, a book and series of books by Dan Simmons. It’s a really imaginative and epic space opera, but including this here is just a metaphor for taking any book on the road with me because I love reading, especially before bed. It really helps me sleep better to keep my phone in a different room and go to bed reading a book instead of looking at my phone. Plus I’m a huge sci-fi fan, so there’s that.”
“I know they’re all over the place, but I think these headphones are really good and convenient, and the battery lasts for ages. Maybe a teeny bit bright (meaning accentuated high frequencies) for studio use, but they’re great for just generally listening to music.
“It’s really handy to have a little mini midi keyboard with me on the road for writing and demo-ing songs. I can live without one, but there are often things that I can’t just play on my computer keyboard, and then it’s really handy to have one of these.
“It is so helpful to be able to play music wherever you are, and honestly I don’t think there’s a better Bluetooth speaker than the UE Boom. As you can see, mine has gotten a lot of use and has probably been to 15 different countries.
“This little guy (my Zoom Recorder) has been so useful to have on the road with me. Like, you never know when you’re gonna be somewhere and the night sounds or crickets or whatever sounds incredible. Or you find yourself in an empty venue where you can get a group of people together and do some hand claps that you can then import into a song, and it becomes the key sound of your number one hit single. I know you can just do it on your phone, but I just feel like this thing is a bit more high-quality, and it’s a stereo, which does make a difference in certain applications.”
“I love this green Mollusk jacket I picked up when we were in L.A. last. I can literally scrunch it up and shove it in my backpack and then take it out, and it will still look good to wear immediately, and it looks good with almost anything. The journal is super useful to have so I can jot down ideas, play around with new lyrics, or just draw some random stuff. It eventually becomes a treasure trove.”
“I got these shoes from a great Turkish company called Sabah. They very kindly sent them back to Turkey for me to be hand-illustrated by a master Turkish illustrator, so they’re one of a kind. They just evoke a sense of the exotic for me, and that’s why I love wearing them.”
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