David Nail Tour: Singer Soaks Up Local Flavors on the Road
Living on the road can take its toll on an artist, so David Nail makes sure to focus on the positives while on tour. He especially likes to take time to experience each city through its sights and culinary offerings.
"That's my favorite part of playing shows," David tells The Boot. "For me, being able to go out and see a little bit of the community and see the city is important. That's the coolest part of the Internet, you can get on there and see what the cool spots are. Over the course of a day, you get to get a feel for where you're playing, so when you get out on stage, you already feel like you've had a bit of a bonding experience with them. The more enjoyable aspects of what we do is being able to see a lot of places, and eat at a lot of restaurants, that otherwise I would never have the opportunity to do so."
"The Sound of a Million Dreams" singer even relies on his fans to give him good pointers. "Nowadays, social media is the easiest place to go to find something," he explains. "It's a good thing if you've got two or three places you've heard about, you just throw it out there on Twitter and you get some immediate feedback. For the most part, they tend not to lead you astray, but every once in a while someone will tell you a place, and you'll walk in, and it won't necessarily be your cup of tea. It always makes for a good story and a good experience."
Since David's been on the road, and frequented some of the same places, he's also remembered a few restaurants, and makes sure to stop there whenever he's in town. One Texas chain that has caught his fancy is Rudy's, which he tweeted about during a recent run in the Lonestar State.
"Not only did I get Rudy's once, I got it twice," he boasts. "We got to Waco early that morning, and we couldn't pull into the grounds at the venue. So, I got on Yelp and found out where one was, and then asked my bus driver to run by there. Then later that evening, I thought the venue would give us barbecue but they didn't, so I gave the runner at the venue 20 bucks to get some jalapeno sausage and turkey. So, I had it for dinner and then again for breakfast the next morning. Three different servings. It is one of my favorites. I love barbecue, it's my favorite thing to eat. There's all sorts of places in Texas, but Rudy's is one of my favorites."
In addition to giving him food tips, fans who make it out to see the Missouri native on tour will be hearing some new material. "I've got the worst case of ADD., so I've been thinking, 'I made the record a year ago, I want to start another one,'" he admits. "We're already playing three or four, sometime five songs, a night that I hope to record on the next album. I'm really excited about continuing to grow and try things out."
As for what his next single will be, David is unsure. His cover of Adele's "Someone Like You" started to get some unsolicited, but much appreciated airplay, earlier this year. That, coupled with some internal changes at his record label, are the cause of the uncertainty.
"If there is a downside at all, which I never think there's a down side to getting airplay, but I think the Adele thing was something we hadn't expected, and it threw us in a tailspin," David says. "There are three or four songs off the last record that I'd love to hear on the radio. At the same time, though, I'm really thinking about the next one, too."
David's next show is Nov. 28 in Jacksonville, Fla. See more tour dates here.
Watch David Perform 'The Sound of a Million Dreams'