A few months ago, I wrote a piece about how hard it was for artists to make money on the road, given then-high gas prices. Since then, gas prices have gone down, but I don’t expect them to stay that way, and they are still twice as much as they were a decade ago. My main point was to challenge the conventional wisdom that artists “make their money on the road.” Idolator put the word out to some artists to see if they would follow in the footsteps of Hope For Agoldensummer and open up their books, and Chris Otepka of one-man band The Heligoats (and formerly of the Chicago power-pop band Troubled Hubble) answered the call. Otepka is a seasoned road vet who scrimps and saves with the best of them. Being a part of a one-man band means gas costs aren’t split, but going solo means you don’t have to pay anybody and that all of the money comes back to you. How’d The Heligoats do out on the road? Not too shabby! Let’s see what Chris had to say.

I apologize for the hold up on my report from the road. As I was planning on sending you my first 2 week update, I hit a snag in southern California with some car repairs. Then, once I entered Texas, things became very hectic. I had some long hauls, some cold, lonely nights, some crazy shows, and I’m not a very dedicated computer user to begin with. I was really hoping to document (or blog) on the state of my tour pre- & post-election. Alas, here I am, and here it is.

I know I left Chicago during one of the most economically trying times in our country’s recent history. Gas in Chicago in mid-October was still in the $4.00/gal range. As I booked some of my final dates for a month-long tour I knew I was in for some long, expensive drives. I had been thinking about this tour all summer, and I was fairly confident I had an idea of what potential strain lay ahead. My vehicle was a 1991 Dodge Caravan I bought off Craigslist for $800. With 230,000 miles on it, and more fluids leaking from it than actually flowing through it, Tim (my van) was at his best getting 26/mpg on the highway, and as low as 12 mpg in Chicago city traffic. My ultimate goal for the solo trip around the country in support of a new EP I was selling for $6.00 was “don’t die.”

I played thirty shows in thirty-five nights and consider every show and the tour to be a success. There was not a single night where merch wasn’t sold and only a couple of non-paying shows. Some shows paid out hundreds, some shows paid out 20 bucks, but there was never any total loss. While there were a few bleak stretches, panic never really set in. I had some trouble calculating drives vs. sleep time and found myself restless. Sometimes obsessing over how to maintain efficiency and maintain Tim’s health ad nausea. It was probably my general anxiety, but I found myself calmed and blessed by some incredible gas prices right out of the gates. Hello $1.90 Minneapolis! $1.85 Dakota, Montana!? $1.78 Texas!? I am only one mouth to feed, I am responsible, and I was happy to be out playing music. It was incredible to have the gas concern cut in half so early into the trip. And every stop I made, I sensed that people were out to hear music and were happy to fill the hat being passed around. I definitely picked up on people’s excitement before the election. From what I could tell, people were excited to be out, even on the week nights, talking, watching CNN in the bar and seeing music…not to mention picking up the new CD.

I spent 6 days in the Northwest with my friend Sam Humans who plays as Modernstate. He helped cut some gas prices down and also hooked us up with some great shows that paid and fed us. The van’s speedometer went out in the mountains of Montana, but somehow returned to us in Idaho. The autumn splendor was awe-inspiring every mile of the trip. I could not think of a better time to be out on the road.



You’ll find some rounded gas amounts on the spreadsheet, but the book that I kept and wrote in has all the exact amounts and a folder-slot for the receipts. The merch/door money is totally accurate. There may have been a few personal purchases that did not make the list, but I’d say you have a pretty good luck at one bum out on the road. I kept my food expenses low by always having a gallon of water in the van as well as a thermal food pack I kept sandwich materials in. Groceries are the way to go. Larger “misc” purchases included oil and coolant. You’ll notice a $391 on 11/5. That is from a radiator I had replaced in the van. There was also a slightly devastating layover in Las Vegas. I only had a couple nights in a motel, slept in the van mostly, but was welcomed into many homes along the way as well.



The balance at the end of the trip came up positive… While I do not have the amount in my wallet, I have some and feel good about the whole trip. I look forward to applying what I’ve learned for the spring. So long as Tim hangs in there.

So, there you have it! The Heligoats made out pretty well on the road–thanks in part to lower gas prices–but keep in mind that his balance came up positive $326 for four weeks out on tour. That’s $81.50 a week, which ain’t exactly minimum wage. Breaking even in the biz is the exception, not the rule, so Otepka should be applauded. But if this kind of money is a success, then the CW of “make it back on the road” still remains weak.

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The Heligoats