Holiday Guide
In this town, everybody knows a broke-ass musician—always borrowing money, never bringin’ a bottle of wine to a dinner party, always scarfing down their food like its their last meal. And yet, so many of them own a BlackBerry. But it’s hard to hold it against them—they’re out there making shit, selling shit and eating shit, all for their art. And when it comes to the holidays, they have their own brand of eco-conscious, anti-consumerist agenda, inadvertent as it may be. We talked to five local such musicians who’ve found ways to cut corners and subvert the capitalist holiday mania without showing up empty-handed come gift-swapping time.
Zachary Gresham
Photos: ericengland.net
ZACHARY GRESHAM, 26, Umbrella Tree singer/guitarist
Day job: barista
How broke are you? I’m fairly broke. I work at a coffee shop in Dickson three days a week, so yeah, I’m broke.
How do you make ends meet? I never ever pay for coffee, and I do a lot of cooking. The best way to save money is just to cook a lot. And a lot of times I drive instead of fly.
What do you do for gifts around the holidays? For gifts for musicians, the best thing to do is to record a cover of one of their songs. I did a whole EP of songs for a songwriter friend from Minnesota for a gift. It’s also fun to take email correspondences with people I’ve had and turn them into mad libs. But that takes time. I also have a home studio, so I have given people studio time as a gift.
JOEL McANULTY, 28, De Novo Dahl singer/guitarist
Day job: [Playing in De Novo Dahl] has been my only job for the last few months. I’m looking for something part-time when we get off the road, and I’m starting to make a little money producing and recording other people.
How broke are you? Well, I think we’re going to be more broke this year than last year.
How do you make ends meet? It’s usually pretty creative. We pretty much live by the skin of the old teeth. Everybody in the band still has part-time jobs other than me. We’re starting to make a little money from the band. Selling merch and what we make on shows. Hey, priceline.com can really save you a lot of money if you’re getting hotel rooms—35 bucks for a room instead of 90 or 100. After five nights in a row, you’ve saved enough for everyone to eat off of or pay a few bills.
What do you do for gifts? Serai [McAnulty’s wife] and I have decided to make a tradition instead of buying individual presents for people—see, both our families live in Middle Tennessee, but they don’t get together that much. So instead of presents, we’re going to take both sides of the family out for a big meal or have them over and cook for them. It’s something that’s a gift for the whole family, and it feels like it brings the holiday spirit into the gift more than buying someone a CD or video game they would buy for themselves. I’ve written and recorded songs for people, and Serai makes most cards she gives with presents, and they’re a lot nicer than anything you could buy.
Seth Graves
SETH GRAVES, 29, Casio Casanova singer/laptop aficionado
Day job: investment firm, freelance writer
How broke are you? Right now I’m not that broke, but since about the year 2000, I was pretty consistently destitute. I do consider myself an expert in the field of being broke.
How do you make ends meet? Lots of temp working, selling paintings and stuff and selling band merch online.
What gifts do you give? Paintings are always good for gifts. People tend to really appreciate things like that. Of course music, the merch I’m selling—you can sort of pass that off as a gift, especially to family because they have to pretend that it’s awesome. A lot of times you’re just sort of taking advantage of the fact that people have to be nice to you and pretend to like what you give them. And a lot of times you just have to be a jerk and not get people anything. If you tend to wear your pockets on the outside people will usually understand that.
DANIEL GIVENS, 22, Prom Night drummer
Day job: flower shop, freelance graphic designer, handyman
How broke are you? I’m really broke. I just recently got into some legal troubles, so I have very little money to spend.
How do you make ends meet? Well I do everything DIY with recording. I don’t eat out, and I always make my lunch.
What
gifts do you give? I like giving gifts people will use and appreciate.
This season, I’m only giving handmade stuff. I just started this online
store [moonvillage.us] selling the stuff I make, and I’m gonna bake
things for people. I usually customize everything I make, and make the
wrapping paper and all that. We have three different types of products
online right now, but I’m working on a few more things—necklaces with
crystals and feathers and stuff, and hand-braided leather headbands.
And I have some temporary tattoos that are digital watches that say
“NOW,” you know, like, the time is always right. And I make it all
myself.
Chris Crofton
CHRIS CROFTON, 38, Alcohol Stuntband singer
Day job: waiter, bartender and some catering crap
How broke are you? I’m not that broke. I can buy some, like, CDs. Does anyone buy CDs anymore? I don’t know. I used to get CDs for everybody or else burn CDs if you’re poor. Mixes are good for people. Most musicians are so self-centered that you can also consider yourself a gift. I always like to consider wherever I am as a personal appearance. My own family is getting to see me for free—usually there’s a $5 cover. Everyone’s on the guest list to see me, so it’s a gift I’m giving all year long to see me for free. I’m so goddamn charming that people think they got a present even though I didn’t give them one. Whatever piece of shit I give them, it came from me, so it’s automatically worth more. And they can sell it on eBay. This masking tape, Chris Crofton gave me this masking tape. You could put in a case at the Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Fame.
How do you make ends meet? Certainly not by playing music. I don’t know. I don’t save any money. I live inside my head. I really do. I just live out of pocket. If I have money in my pocket, I spend it. And if someone comes to my door and says you have to go to jail, I’ll say, “Why?” And they’ll say “Income tax.” And I’ll say, “Why? You can’t do that to me.” I think a lot of musicians think they’re so smart they’re like invisible or above the law. That’s the way I feel. I operate as if I’m above the law. And that’s why I spend all my money selfishly and not worry about things I really need my money for.
What gifts do you buy for people? I buy books. I can usually scrape together 10 bucks for a book. Give five books away, and that’s 50 bucks. Usually I have 50 bucks. Always get something fun. Give ’em a DVD of wrestling. Get somebody a DVD of something they would never get. Like backyard wrestling. Or, uh, some exploitation documentary or something that’s really fun and immediate and maybe you never even watch it again past that one Christmas day. Do you know what backyard wrestling is? Kids all over the country make these videos where they smash each other over the heads with chairs and hit each other with sheet pans and things. See, I just like wrestling and pornography—but I’m not gay. But you can’t buy someone pornography. I like instant gratification gifts. Things that are fun.