On Tour with the Dirty Heads
One of our good friends Jake Bushnell was lucky enough to spend some time on the road with The Dirty Heads. While on tour Jake provided good vibes, tight cuts, and a friendly voice on the "Feelin' Good with Duddy" Podcast.
Check out his notes from the road:
Backstage Haircuts on Tour with 311 and The Dirty Heads
This summer I left behind my simple life in Newport Beach, California to head out on tour with 311, The Dirty Heads, The Dreamers, Bikini Trill, and The Interrupters.
In previous years I would have been on tour as a musician but this year I was on tour in a different capacity, as a barber and a podcaster. For the last two months I’ve been cutting hair all across the country in alleyways, backstage at venues, hotel rooms, and wherever I could quickly set up my barber tools and when time allowed.
I’m Jake Bushnell. I’ve been a barber for five years at American Vintage Barbershop in Long Beach, California. I love where I work and I love what I do. Before barbering I was a touring musician on and off since my late teens. Now at 40 years old, I would have never imagined hitting the road again. About two years ago I started a live morning show on Facebook called “The Morning Ride Show”. I simply talk about my life during my drive to work from Newport Beach to the barbershop in Long Beach. The commute is nice since I take Pacific Coast Highway the whole way. It’s a beautiful stretch of highway that parallels the beach and I can check the waves live on air. The show feels similar to me entertaining my clients but on a slightly larger scale.
After almost two years and 180 episodes of the Morning Ride Show, I was contacted by my brother (guitar/singer of The Dirty Heads) Duddy B to cohost a podcast with him. Of course, I said yes and the "Feelin’ Good with Duddy" podcast was born. Quickly, our podcast gained popularity and before I knew it I was on a tour bus and back on the road on a major music tour doing episodes of my new podcast across the USA. Though my official job on tour was a podcaster, I ended up doing a good amount of cuts over the summer. Some cuts were in green rooms or backstage at venues. But the most memorable haircuts took place in unexpected places such as alleyways, next to dumpsters, and in between tour buses. I was lucky to have met some great photographers on tour who were happy to capture some barbering images in exchange for haircuts.
In the end, barbering was just a small part of my summer tour experience but it was a skill that opened the door to make many new friends on the road. Thanks to Uppercut Deluxe, I had plenty of amazing products on hand to style everyone out. The new Styling Powder was a big hit! It kept everyone’s hair looking fresh on the days we weren't able to shower.
As I write this, I am back home and back to work at the barbershop. The podcast is going strong and we've booked a live show at the Irvine Improv. And that was my summer of music, podcasting, and cutting hair.
