Hello Humans,
Tour has properly begun and I finally have a quiet day to gather my thoughts and let you in on what life currently looks like on the road with Hana Piranha.
Every night we get to watch Catherine Elms and Emberhoney open the show, which sets the tone in the most beautiful way. Catherine’s songwriting is vulnerable and emotional without ever tipping into indulgence, and Emberhoney brings her shimmering energy that is both smokey and sweet. I'm learning all the words to their songs and becoming quite the super-fan!
Standing side stage and absorbing it night after night is a reminder of why we do this. Live music, in a room, with real humans. It's a beautiful feeling.
On top of that, my feral little side quest known as HVIRESS has been opening the night. Hana and I bounce on stage in baggy tracksuits and proceed to “rap” our witch-hop songs with absolute commitment and very little dignity. 😆😆😆
It is chaotic, sweaty, slightly unhinged and genuinely hilarious. It also burns through an alarming amount of energy before I then have to pick up a bass and switch personalities to something more serious for the rest of the evening.
It's insanely hard work, but I love it. I feel like being on tour is one of the greatest experiences you can have as an artist so I'm incredible grateful to be here.
We are being ferried around the country by our wonderfully unhinged and entirely dependable tour manager Brad, whose bright red hair and booming northern voice wakes us up in the morning when it's time to get ready.
On stage, I get to lock in every night with my bestie Hana Piranha, and something is definitely shifting in my bass playing. My fingers are getting stronger and more precise. There is nothing quite like repetition under pressure to sharpen you up!
The tour diet is exactly what you would imagine and also slightly worse. Huel smoothies, Jammie Dodgers, bananas, and whatever is vaguely green if we’re lucky. We are essentially powered by beige snacks and adrenaline.
I will be honest with you though, because this space is for that. I am struggling a bit. Touring always pushes me physically, but navigating my hormone cycle while on HRT and ADHD meds adds another layer that is hard to predict.
Some days I feel strong, clear and capable, and other days my mental health dips in ways that catch me off guard and I find myself sneaking off to the toilets to have a little sob. There is a particular kind of vulnerability that comes with standing under stage lights when you are running on fumes, and I am learning to meet that with compassion.
And yet, every single night, we walk out to rooms full of beautiful humans who have chosen to leave their houses and stand in front of a stage to experience live music. That never stops mattering and it's a real privilege.
We are also playing a new song called Valentine (which is out tomorrow!), and this has become one of my favourite moments of the set. Catherine and Taylor join us on stage and we build four part harmonies that gives me chills. Sharing this tour with three other women on stage feels incredible.
Thank you for being here, for supporting me while I'm on the road. I'll have a new song Roots for you by the end of the month - and the Marcelle EP will be complete.
Hope you are all well and surviving February ok.
Love,Mishkin