Critiques of Indie Music: Q & A with Evan Pierri

I recently spoke with Evan Pierri, a graduate from Rider University, who is the tour manager for the band Four Year Strong. The band and Evan are on tour now for the Taste of Chaos Tour and enjoying life of the road.

How did you get involved with Four Year Strong?

EP: The summer after I graduated from Rider I had an internship in New York City with Crush Management. Four Year Strong’s current manager started working there that summer and introduced me to them. I was pretty much able to talk them into taking me out on tour (with a little recommendation from an I Surrender Records intern) to do merch for them for free. This was to see if I could handle touring and if the band liked the way I worked. Two tours later I was able to show them that I was organized, hard working and had the ability to learn skills to help the band on the road and promoted me to Tour Manager.

When you’re on the road what do you prefer to listen to and why?

EP: I usually end up listening to something that’s polar opposite of the bands I’m currently on tour with to balance out my musical life. Right now I’ve been listening to a lot of City and Colour, Jason Mraz, and my all time go to musician John Mayer.

How would you describe these next upcoming months on tour for the Taste of Chaos Tour?

EP: So far this has been the most easy going tour for me. Taste of Chaos has a full production staff who takes care of some of the normal tedious tasks I have to as a tour manager. Having them in place means I don’t have to run around searching for promoters or venue managers and I can focus more on the band. The hard thing about a tour like Taste is that it’s two months long. That means being away from home and trapped in a van or bus with 8 other guys for that long It can be grueling at times.

After being on tour and away from Jersey for so long, what is the fist thing you anticipate doing when you return home?

EP: Sleeping in my own bed is usually the thing I look forward to the most. Beyond that going to Surf Taco for a burrito a diner for a Pork Roll sandwich and catching up with my friends and family.

What would you say your favorite indie label is and why?

EP: Epitaph records is one of my favorite indie labels of all time. They have introduced me to some of my favorite bands of all time. Motion City Soundtrack got their start with Epitaph and now they’re taking on extremely established artists like New Found Glory and helping them get in touch with their fans on a more personal level by putting a record out on a smaller level and giving the record and them the attention they deserve.

When the band isn’t playing or practicing, what do you usually do?

EP: I’m home either preparing for the next tour or looking for other production or tour work.

What were your musical influences growing up, and would you say they helped you get where you are today?

EP: My musical influences growing up were bands like Green Day, Rancid, Operation Ivy, No Doubt and Blink 182. I grew up in the New Jersey pop punk scene helping out friends in bands and learning as much as I could about the process of dealing with promoters, venues and other bands. If my friends from home never gave me a chance to see what it was like working with a band I probably would not be doing what I’m doing now. That gave me some insight into what I wanted to do with my future. When I got to Rider I became actively involved with S.E.C. and furthered my knowledge of dealing with artists, contracts and production. All of these things helped me have a better idea of what I should be doing as a tour manager.

Four Year Strong is: