Taste in Music: Eating on Tour with Indie Musicians

by Luke Pyenson, Alex Bleeker

In this unique and deeply thoughtful collection, musician Alex Bleeker (Real Estate) and food and travel journalist Luke Pyenson (formerly of Frankie Cosmos) take readers on tour with a diverse lineup of inspiring indie musicians from around the world, sharing meals and travel experiences, peeking behind the curtain at this singular and singularly misunderstood way of life.

Through original essays and engaging conversations with dozens of indie musicians representing several subgenres, scenes, and eras, food takes center stage in stories about being on tour and eating on tour and how this basic human necessity can create a sense of community and interconnectedness in one of the most mobile industries in the world. Based broadly on the subject of eating on tour, these entries each spin off into their own focused and exciting behind-the-scenes story, but all confirm what Pyenson and Bleeker suspected all along—food looms large in the lives of touring musicians, and it can be used as a gateway into understanding what going on tour is really like.

Featured contributors include:

Robin Pecknold (Fleet Foxes)
Chris Frantz (Talking Heads)
Natalie Mering (Weyes Blood)
Mark Ibold (Pavement)
John Gourley (Portugal. The Man)
Lily Chait (touring chef to boygenius and Phoebe Bridgers)
Amelia Meath (Sylvan Esso)
Greta Kline (Frankie Cosmos)
Devendra Banhart
Bob Mould (Hüsker Dü)
Brian "Geologist" Weitz (Animal Collective)
Dawn Richard
Sasami Ashworth (SASAMI)
Sadie Dupuis (Speedy Ortiz)
The Beths

In addition to wide-angle meditations about eating on tour, Pyenson and Bleeker have gathered stories that take place on five continents, in private homes and street-side stalls, in temples of fine dining and in actual temples, backstage and in the van, early morning and late at night. Stories that deal with the best parts of touring: meaningful cultural exchange, hospitality-induced euphoria, and the opportunity to build relationships around the world. And the worst: loneliness, exhaustion, estrangement from family and friends, struggles with disordered eating, and unsteady access to medical care.

So the question isn’t, “How was tour?” It’s, “What do you eat on tour?” Like the best songs or meals, these conversations and essays evoke something central about the human experience. They show us all the ways that music and food bring us together, break us down, lift us up, and add color to our lives.

NOTABLE AUTHORS: With over twenty years of experience in the music industry, Alex Bleeker and Luke Pyenson are your perfect guides into the world of touring. Having toured with their own bands—Real Estate and Frankie Cosmos, respectively—they're asking all the right questions, shedding light and understanding on the lives of touring musicians and the people feeding them.

FOOD ANTHOLOGY & MUSIC SCENE DEEP CUT: With interviews and essays from about forty different musicians, chefs, and promoters—ranging from Chris Frantz from Talking Heads to boygenius’s private chef Lily Chait—not only is this book a treasure trove of knowledge and insider information, it also offers something for foodies and music enthusiasts alike.

ARMCHAIR TRAVEL: Go behind the curtain all around the world, from America to Russia, Japan to Italy, and dozens of places in between. Read about your favorite musicians’ experiences abroad, all from the comfort of your home.

Perfect for:

Musicians and fans of indie music
Foodies, chefs, restaurant owners, and home cooks
Anyone interested in the music business
Travel enthusiasts
Readers who enjoyed Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner, Our Band Could Be Your Life by Michael Azerrad, and Mixtape Potluck Cookbook by Questlove

Genres: Music, Food, Nonfiction, Travel, Memoir

240 pages, Hardcover

First published September 24, 2024

Reviews

[Tim Null · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is for you if you're into new experiences involving food and music. The food is oftentimes somewhat similar to what you might see on the Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives TV show, and the list of musicians will greatly expand your personal Playlist. The downside is you'll have to go elsewhere to get recipes and to listen to these artists play their music.

[Miranda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this book for a bookclub that was a long time in the making. Book was cool, not my usual style, but the memories surrounding it are awesome.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

really interesting and fun to read!! I thought it would be something I'd specifically enjoy because I'm interested in the mechanics of touring and food and listen to some podcasts I thought would be similar (Dish and Off The Menu) but I think this would be a fun read for anyone!

[Josh Bokor · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5
Anything about indie musicians would peak my interest, especially with a book created from members from Real Estate and Frankie Cosmos. Eating on tour, the many joys and distastes from it is something I'm not too keen on coming from a guy who's never toured to save his life. Directly reading from many diverse perspectives in the indie music community through short stories and essays is eye opening, intriguing, and full of delight. Totally recommend, especially those interested in the intertwined touring/travel/food/music communities.

[andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

thanks to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for the advanced digital copy!

this one hits shelves September 24 2024.

--

i wasn't sure what to expect from this one. if you're going into it hoping for recipes from your favorite artists, you're going to be disappointed, but if you're looking for a lot of great recipes surrounding food, community, and connection, then this one is for you.

i picked this up because i'm a big boygenius fan and there's a segment in here talking about road food. i took away a LOT from this.

there's this show called somebody feed phil which features host phil rosenthal head to various countries around the world to sample cuisine and talk to the locals. nearly every episode makes me cry because you learn very quickly that food is nourishment, but food is also history and love and a means to connect to humans. and that's what reading this book was like.

i really appreciated essays that concluded that meals don't have to be fancy/expensive to be meaningful. i also really appreciated the message that on tour, these artists mark their time via eating, almost purely because in those moments there's always a story.

moreover, i think this book drew some really interesting points about food availability in america versus other countries like japan and the perceptions held with each - there was a comment in here about how in america the most common tour complaint is, "i need a vegetable". whereas in japan, their service stations are full of fresh ingredients, beautiful food, and are healthier/better-tasting than the bulk of restaurant chains in the us. i also found it really fascinating how the liberty of travel/touring helped different artists expand their palates and try new things because of how lacking certain areas of the country (the u.s. specifically) are for variety and cuisine deemed "not american". so if you squint, there's a pretty interesting conclusion to be drawn there, too.

all in all, a super and interesting read. ALSO interested in how many artists become/became vegan/vegetarian and how they accommodate travel companions who aren't, how many of those travel companions also convert. i'd fully read a follow-up to this with more artists discussed.

[Anna Swafford · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really cool collection of essays from musicians and others from the music industry covering all of the different aspects of the relationship between food and music. There were so many different stories from around the world, and it was such a fascinating glance at the difficulties of nourishment on tour, while also looking at the tight-knit culture of musicians supporting each other. I think if you're interested at all in the life of musicians (beyond how they make music), this is a good read.

Thanks to NetGalley for this arc!

[Tim Carbone · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was gonna write some form of intro sentence explaining this book's premise, but it would've just been trying to reword the full title. This collection of short essays is very specifically about the intersection of food and touring. It's a topic that I've never really considered, but one that you can feel just from the writing is very relatable to musicians. When you spend most of your day traveling to and playing the next show, it makes sense that meals are the only chance of variety (and thus, memory) you're afforded.

I appreciated the range of topics covered, each only a few pages in length, but there were clear through lines of hospitality, community, and looking after oneself that tied it all together. So many artists I've heard of or listened to got to share a bit about themselves, and I discovered new artists along the way. I do wish the writers went into greater detail about the actual food, as the focus remained primarily on the circumstances and lessons, but that's down to my own interest. I also wouldn't say the writing was top-notch given these are mostly people who don't write for a living, but a lot of personality was felt in each writing style and there was only one story I skipped due to bad writing.

My highlights were:
- Weyes Blood comparing the feeling of eating on her first tour and her most recent tour
- Phoebe Bridgers'/boygenius' touring chef on making healthy and varied food for over 30 people
- The artist caterers of Osheaga Festival describing how they make such good food that artists want to come to Montreal specifically for it
- Adam Schatz of Landlady/Japanese Breakfast describing the loss of a breakfast sandwich that was not spectacular, but exactly what you need
- The extremely-okay Hooksett Welcome Center on I-93 being described as "one of the best rest areas in the US", saying more about the other rest stops than itself

Overall, a really great read for people who love music and food.

[Ryan C. Zerfas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I loved every second of this.

Takes me back to the days when I would interview bands and talk about van life and the food, etc... I'm obsessed with this topic and this book hits the nail on the head again and again and again.

The format, really allows the many different contributors to have their voices represented with flair and variety.

I'm so pleased with this impulse buy walking around a bookstore. Hope there's more volumes on the way!

🍾🙏🎯🔥📚📚📚

[Jayson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is perfect for any DIY musician to pick up and feel the pull of the road. Each essay carves out a unique perspective about the good band and ugly aspects of being on the road, all framed within the meals that kept them alive.

[Bella Pahulu · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the only books where I really soaked in everything I read. Really combined the three things I love— music, food, and travel. Highly recommend!

[Rani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read! Felt like a slam book with anecdotes from different bands about their life on tour. Four stars just because I think some of the essays ended a bit abruptly. I now have more discographies to look into.

The book is centered on food and the community surrounding these bands. Aside from being able to play their music in front of fans, there's a different kind of warmth in the hospitality coming from people in the same circles and people who understand what it's like to go on these crazy tours, going from city to city and spending an insane amount of hours on the road.

I also liked reading the eventual self-care journeys people went through. There's a lot of nuance you could only get to now in the 2020s hahaha, putting more care about the kind of food you put in your body. This is a job, after all, and one needs a certain amount of nutrition and energy to sustain it.

The ending essay from Sebastian Modak was a great note to end on. "A table and a meal can bring people together, but it's just as adept at revealing the cracks between them."

[Carly Gillum · Rating 4 out of 5]

And for my 60th book of the year (gasp!), we have this amazing collection of essays with contributions from musicians, promoters, photographers and more - all from within the touring scene.

It was fascinating to read about what life on the road is really like. I’m sure I’m not alone in romanticizing the touring life and what it brings, but the reality is that it’s largely mundane. Unless, that is, you find a way to make it memorable, and that often happens through food and connection - sometimes when you least expect it.

Thanks to Chronicle Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this one. Such an easy and fun read and one I’d definitely recommend for folks wanting a behind-the-scenes look at what being a musician is really like.

[Paul Mena · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fast-paced smorgasbord of first-person accounts captures the wide-eyed excitement and grueling tedium of the touring indie band. Some of the contributors are household names, but others destined to be asterisks in the liner notes of an obscure EP. The common denominator is food: how it can be Skittles grudgingly purchased at a gas station or the nurturing hospitality of a generous host far from home. Like most good books, Taste in Music embodies its subject matter and must be savored, not devoured.

[Katniss10 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this was very well organized - I picked it up on vacation and had a blast skimming the essays and admiring the photos of the described feasts. I certainly feel like I learned more about life on the road and touring musicians. Some of the essays were dense and repetitive, but I understand that it is challenging to control that. Still, I think this collection was very well done, and if I had had more time to enjoy it, I likely would have liked it even more.
Reread - Nope.
Recommendation - As a library book, sure.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to chroniclebooks for sending me this good reads give away.First I had to google indie musicians to find out who they were. I'm sure a younger generation person would have known. Unfortunately I was unable to recognize any of the musicians but their descriptions of different eating places were very interesting.

[Maria Fernanda Fabricio · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the experience of reading this book, and the reason why I bought it was because they interviewed one of my favorite singers, Weyes Blood.
Here, you have interviews with musicians from the bands Animal Collective, Frankie Cosmos, and many other singers. I also enjoyed the pictures and illustrations inside it.

[kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found so much comfort in this book and its writing, photos, and its self-awareness. I did not see any of that coming from a book about road dogs eating at gas stations. What beautiful writing and stories. I adored this book and wish it never ended.

[leonard powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book, found it easy to keep reading with the contributors constantly changing. The story about “One to go” made me teary. Great idea, hope to tour to some of these places one day! Also, being 2 months into a 4 month trip with my girlfriend made it even more relatable.

[Red · Rating 5 out of 5]

Make sure you eat a good balanced meal before reading this delicious fun book

[Grace Huber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super interesting and lots of perspectives. Very funny. Also opened me up to a lot of new foods, musicians, and bands!

[str4wberries · Rating 3 out of 5]

man these ppl like food wayyy too much

[Neo · Rating 4 out of 5]

pretty fire!

[Mim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun light read about musicians on the riad

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quality of the essays vary wildly but it gets pretty samey after a while.

[Jehnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This sits right in the middle of the venn diagram of music bio and foodie blog. The stories are sweet, nostalgic, and poignant. The bands are earnest and diverse.
A fun, quick read.

[Hilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is cool because people who see this on your coffee table in your listening room will know that you like music and that you eat food

[Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun coffee table book if you're a fan of bands like PUP, Fleet Foxes, Real Estate, Japanese Breakfast, and wonder what they eat on the road!

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun—and quick—read that provides a glimpse into the life of a touring musician. While every one tells a story, some essays are more compelling than others. The book is artfully illustrated.

[Adam Parrilli · Rating 4 out of 5]

A terrific intersection of topics and window into the touring life. I personally have always been curious about the time between the gigs and how it's spent. I have a sweet spot for Real Estate and it is cool to read Alex's writing. I hope this book finds the audience it so richly deserves. Now if only he coulda shed some light on Budweiser Sprite...