The Ballroom Thieves – TOUR PRANKS

In this Tour Pranks segment, Martin Earley of the alternative rock band, The Ballroom Thieves, shares some pranks that have happened on tour. You can check out the feature, after the break.

Aside from the obvious occasional mooning, we’re a relatively prank-free group, but we do obsessively play a game called odds on the road.

It’s pretty simple:

I ask you what the odds are that you perform some hilariously embarrassing feat, and you give me a number between one and infinity. If you really don’t want to perform the feat in question, you say a really high number, effectively lowering your odds of having to do it. If you don’t really mind the feat in question, you say a correspondingly low number.

Once your odds have been established, I count to three and we both say a number between 1 and the original number you picked. If we then say the same number, you are morally obligated to perform the aforementioned hilariously embarrassing feat. If we don’t say the same number, nothing happens and we all proceed with our lives as if nothing ever happened.

As a result of this game, we all have several outstanding debts to each other. For instance, I have to smuggle a pair of peaches into a venue using one of Callie’s bras. Callie has to eat a whole stick of butter in one sitting. She also has to take an introductory martial arts class while on the road. Our drummer Devin has to play an entire show while wearing Spanx. He also has to play a show while wearing a leather jacket with no shirt underneath. He also has to build a treehouse and live in it for 6 months. He also has to eat an entire large bag of Smartfood with his hands and then play a show without washing or licking his hands first. The “owe list” list goes on and on, and I’ve included it in its entirety below:

Callie owes Dev 2 massages
Callie and Dev owe Martin 1 load in/load out
Callie owes Martin 1 hand massage
Callie owes Martin 1 stick of butter, consumed without additional food
Callie owes Martin 1 four-course meal
Callie and Dev owe Martin a night
Dev owes Martin 1 tank top
Dev owes Martin underwear
Devin owes Martin a treehouse
Martin owes Dev peaches in a bra
Callie owes Martin 1 song to a stranger
Callie owes Martin 1 foot massage
Dev owes Martin 1 mystery massage
Dev owes Martin 1 snack pack
Callie owes Martin underwear
Dev owes Callie 1 moose tooth
Martin owes Devin 5 postcards
Callie owes a Dev 1 head massage
Callie owes Martin 3 gas ups
Martin owes Dev 1 merch item
Callie owes Dev a song. A good song
Dev owes Martin 2 breakfasts in bed
Callie owes Martin 1 full leg massage
Callie owes Martin 105 squats
Devin owes Martin 1 framed drawing
Callie owes Martin 1 name poem
Devin owes Martin 1 Hudson whiskey
Dev owes Martin 15 anytime push-ups
Callie owes Martin 1 martial arts class

Tour Dates:
* With The Harmaleighs
+ With Phillip Phillips

Wed., 2/14 Rochester, NY @ Honest Folk
Thurs., 2/15 Cleveland, OH @ Music Box Supper Club
Fri., 2/16 Kalamazoo, MI @ Bell’s Eccentric Café *
Sat., 2/17 Goshen, IN @ Ignition Music Garage *
Thurs., 2/22 Nashville, TN @ The Basement *
Fri., 2/23 Lexington, KY @ The Burl *
Sat., 2/24 Cincinnati, OH @ Live At The Ludlow Garage *
Wed., 3/7 Kansas City, MO @ The Truman +
Fri., 3/9 Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre +
Sat., 3/10 Fort Collins, CO @ The Lincoln +
Tues., 3/13 Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot +
Wed., 3/14 Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory +
Fri., 3/16 Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theatre +
Sat., 3/17 Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theatre +
Sun., 3/18 Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom +
Tues., 3/20 San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore +
Wed., 3/21 Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda Theatre +
Thurs., 3/22 Solana Beach, CA @ Belly Up Tavern +
Fri., 3/23 Solana Beach, CA @ Belly Up Tavern +
Wed., 3/28 Dallas, TX @ House Of Blues +
Thurs., 3/29 Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall +
Sat., 3/31 El Dorado, AR @ Griffin Music Hall +
Mon., 4/2 Des Moines, IA @ Wooly’s +
Tues., 4/3 Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue +
Thurs., 4/5 Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall Ballroom +
Fri., 4/6 Chicago, IL @ House Of Blues +
Sat., 4/7 Detroit, MI @ Majestic Theatre +
Sun., 4/8 Toronto, ON @ The Opera House +
Tues., 4/10 Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom +
Wed., 4/11 Louisville, KY @ Headliners +
Sat., 4/14 Chattanooga, TN @ Walker Theatre – Memorial Auditorium +

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(Photo credit: Stephanie Bassos)