East Harbor – PRESHOW RITUALS

In this Preshow Rituals segment, the alternative pop band, East Harbor, reveals what they do to prepare before each show. You can check out their rituals, after the break.

East Harbor shows always seem like a party because, well…. they certainly are. Between the four of us (Josh Dobson, Robby Staggs, David Gonzales, and Cory Kouns) there never seems to be a dull moment. The antics begin as soon as Josh decides to show up, which is usually never on time. Ironically, the “work” is always done at this point and the show must begin. Our habits have turned into pre-show rituals and they are certainly entertaining, nonetheless.

When our “community” watches us perform, they do not witness the hours of preparation we put into the making of a show. Our fans are simply there to party and have a good time, just as we are. The only difference is that we have somewhat of a responsibility to make each show the best it can be. Our biggest responsibility is making sure Josh looks pretty and that he’s warmed up before every show. As our lead vocalist, what else really matters? The remaining 3 of us just have to show up, hit the right notes on our instruments, and basically keep the music energy flowing in time.

East Harbor is like a family. Cory is the father, Robby is the mother, and David and Josh are our two children. Before each show, “Papa Kouns” ensures that we all do our appropriate stretches so that we don’t pull a muscle by the end of the night. He also provides each one of us with an energy drink to make sure we don’t fall asleep by the third hour of the evening. Cory is the oldest person in the band so clearly he is the most wise. “Mamma Staggs” stressfully watches over everyone to witness that they’re doing their jobs correctly. She (he) is usually lecturing to “Dobby” (Josh) because of course, the vocalist is always the late one. Josh swears he spends a lot of time preparing for our shows, but we all know that he’s talking to anyone who will listen to his life story in the line of a Starbucks. We only know this because Josh shows up with a green tea and 4 shots of espresso before every single show. (This is actually a fact). “Gonzo” (David), on the other hand, is the always the first one to arrive at a show and the last one to leave. He’s the calm, hardworking one, that always picks up in the areas the rest of us need help in. As long as the job is done and he’s granted food, David is happy. Gonzo is really working on becoming the favorite child.

Joking aside, East Harbor focuses on strengthening our live performances each time we play. The four of us typically grab food before or after each performance to talk about music, goals, and our everyday lives. We really are a family and even though shows always seem like a party, we put a lot of time and effort in trying to perfect each one of them. Our goal to consistently challenge ourselves, and become the strongest band we can possibly be. To ensure we don’t end this story too seriously or boring, we can’t forget to mention one thing. We may or may not order 3 shots of tequila and a shot of water (for Gonzo) before we start the evening. He really is the perfect child.

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