Chelsea Tyler remembers touring with her father, Steven Tyler, when she was barely a teenager.
“We would have at least have a tour bus, if not a private plane,” Miss Tyler said.
Now 26, Miss Tyler hits the road with her electro-soul band, Kaneholler. As her tour vehicle of choice, Miss Tyler opts instead for a black minivan, driving hours on end to perform with her bandmate and fiance, Jon Foster, at some of the most well-respected music venues from Los Angeles to New York. They often share a hotel room with their only crew member, Miss Tyler’s brother, Taj, 24, whom Mr. Foster describes as a “godsend.”
“He’s our tour manager, stage manager, lighting guy, he sells our [merchandise] and does what it normally takes several people to do,” Mr. Foster said.
The band formed in 2011, a year after the couple met through mutual friends in New York. Together, Mr. Foster and Miss Tyler spent over 15 hours a day, seven days a week, inside their studio developing a rich sound that was completely their own.
After the duo began their tour in November, everything changed.
“Before, we wouldn’t leave the house for days, [but] now we’re sleeping on a different couch or bed — or blowup bed — every night,” Miss Tyler said.
For many bands trying to make money, going on the road is mandatory.
“We don’t expect to make money off music anymore. Most of what we make, most of what most bands make, is from touring,” Miss Tyler said.
Instead of waiting for major labels to help with their tours, many bands shoulder the burden themselves. This means stocking up on instant ramen, loading and unloading their own gear, going to bed at 4 a.m. and waking up at 9 a.m. to drive to the next town.
Traveling across the country in the back of a packed minivan on a minimal amount of sleep might sound like a slow form of torture, but Mr. Foster and Miss Tyler said there is no other place they would rather be.
“This has been one of the most rewarding experiences of our lives,” Miss Tyler said.
When Kaneholler opened for The Ting Tings at the 9:30 Club in the District last week, their audience did not realize what the band went through to get there. Miss Tyler smiled back at the faces in the crowd, acknowledging that they had just given a performance to remember.
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