Taste in Music: Eating on Tour with Indie Musicians

A Pitchfork Best Book of 2024 A Saveur Best Narrative Food Book of 2024 In this unique and deeply thoughtful collection, musician Alex Bleeker (Real Estate) and food and travel journalist Luke Pyenson (formerly of Frankie Cosmos) take readers on tour with a diverse lineup of inspiring indie musicians from around the world, sharing meals and travel experiences, peeking behind the curtain at this singular and singularly misunderstood way of life. Through original essays and engaging conversations with dozens of indie musicians representing several subgenres, scenes, and eras, food takes center stage in stories about being on tour and eating on tour and how this basic human necessity can create a sense of community and interconnectedness in one of the most mobile industries in the world. Based broadly on the subject of eating on tour, these entries each spin off into their own focused and exciting behind-the-scenes story, but all confirm what Pyenson and Bleeker suspected all along—food looms large in the lives of touring musicians, and it can be used as a gateway into understanding what going on tour is really like.

Featured contributors include: Robin Pecknold (Fleet Foxes) Chris Frantz (Talking Heads) Natalie Mering (Weyes Blood) Mark Ibold (Pavement) John Gourley (Portugal. The Man) Lily Chait (touring chef to boygenius and Phoebe Bridgers) Amelia Meath (Sylvan Esso) Greta Kline (Frankie Cosmos) Devendra Banhart Bob Mould (Hüsker Dü) Brian "Geologist" Weitz (Animal Collective) Dawn Richard Sasami Ashworth (SASAMI) Sadie Dupuis (Speedy Ortiz) The Beths In addition to wide-angle meditations about eating on tour, Pyenson and Bleeker have gathered stories that take place on five continents, in private homes and street-side stalls, in temples of fine dining and in actual temples, backstage and in the van, early morning and late at night. Stories that deal with the best parts of touring: meaningful cultural exchange, hospitality-induced euphoria, and the opportunity to build relationships around the world.

And the worst: loneliness, exhaustion, estrangement from family and friends, struggles with disordered eating, and unsteady access to medical care. So the question isn’t, “How was tour?” It’s, “What do you eat on tour?” Like the best songs or meals, these conversations and essays evoke something central about the human experience. They show us all the ways that music and food bring us together, break us down, lift us up, and add color to our lives.