Not many people know how it feels to wake up dressed in a Confederate flag or to be snuck up on and tagged with an electric dog collar.
It may sound odd, but these are typical of the hijinks Ettison Clio employs while on tour. Rest assured, there will be plenty of hijinks as the East Lansing-based band hits the road Monday for a 46-stop, 7-plus week cross-country tour.
Ettison Clio, an unsigned band, has booked the entire tour themselves. And because of the time commitment for the tour, bassist Jared Nisch and drummer John Ostler have postponed their academic studies at MSU, while vocalist Stephanie Gunther said she will probably have to give up her job.
"I think very few people get the opportunity we're getting right now," Ostler said. "You can always go back to school. It's having confidence in your decisions and dealing with your families. Everybody here wants this more than any degree. We've got a group of people committed to one goal."
So, Nisch, Ostler, Gunther and guitarists Brian Roop and J.P. Niemiec are set to pack up their belongings and pile into a 15-person passenger van as they attempt to expand the band's fanbase.
Gunther and Niemiec are 2003 MSU alumni, Nisch is an interdisciplinary studies in social science senior and Ostler is a communication junior. Roop does not attend MSU.
Booking has been time consuming. Gunther said she has spent as many as five hours a night on the computer lining up gigs, but with shows set for New York City and California, the hard work is paying off.
The band's last tour wasn't even half the length of this tour, so group members know they will have to loosen up and learn to live with each other in crammed quarters. Ettison Clio also clarified some of the misconceptions people have about being rock 'n' roll musicians:
Ostler: "People are always coming up to you and saying 'Wow, I want to be like you.'"
Niemiec: "Everybody thinks it's parties, booze and sex - but it's not."
Gunther: "It's going to bed and getting up at 7 a.m."
The gregarious bandmates hope to one day sign with a label, but as Gunther said, the band must first "pay its dues," and that means patience and persistence.
"You have to remain positive and be willing to give it everything you've got," Roop said.
The group has given everything it's had for two years now. Its current lineup dates back a year. Ettison Clio got its name from Roop's grandfather, who always offered the guitarist advice on life, such as how people should follow their dreams.
Ettison Clio's only East Lansing gig on the tour is Tuesday night at Rick's American Café, 224 Abbott Road. The tour kicks off in Detroit a day earlier and wraps up in Indianapolis on Dec. 2.
