#bronzeradioreturn

Carson Millican

Merchandising :: Bronze Radio Return

I just woke up to a text one morning, “You wanna get out of here for a month and see the country and work with some good people?” I said, “Yeah.”

SHOWTIME: How long have you been with Bronze Radio Return?

CARSON: Three weeks. Four weeks.

SHOWTIME: And what’s your role on the tour?

CARSON: I do merchandising with these guys.

SHOWTIME: For those who don’t know, can you explain a little bit about your day to day...

CARSON: We drive really far to a random place and forget where we are, which is fun. And then we unload a huge amount of shit, and then I stand and sell a bunch of stuff to the fans, which is cool. I get to meet everybody, which is rad. I get to interact with all the fans and they’re all good people. So it’s really fun.

SHOWTIME: What misconceptions, if any, are there about what you do?

CARSON: On this run, that we’re dirty. 

We’ve been able to shower every single night, which is awesome. And super helpful.

I guess I’m getting thrown in at a good time with these guys, because they started from scratch and I’m just jumping on the end of it. Which is really cool, because they worked their asses off to get where they are.

SHOWTIME: Have you been with other bands before?

CARSON: No. I do some management and booking out of Hartford, Connecticut. So. I just woke up to a text one morning, “You wanna get out of here for a month and see the country and work with some good people?” I said, “Yeah.”

Daylight Savings was a weird difference in time that we didn’t understand. 

SHOWTIME: What’s the worst part about being a roadie? I know you‘ve only been on the road for three weeks...

CARSON: Lack of sleep. And connecting with people back home, because it’s a five hour difference, four hour difference. Daylight Savings was a weird difference in time that we didn’t understand. 

But other than that, I have no qualms. It’s a nice paycation. We get to go out, we bust our ass, it’s a lot of sweat and a lot of moving a lot of stuff, but other than that it’s a great time. 

We get to see a good show every single night. Get to talk with cool people.

I just met [ the band ] four weeks ago, and day one I’m sharing a bed with one of them.

SHOWTIME: Have you ever been asked to do something that’s just wild or outrageous or diva-like?

CARSON: No, actually. I’m lucky. These guys are some of the sweetest guys I’ve ever met. I’m not even just saying that. It’s really easy traveling with these guys. I just met them four weeks ago, and day one I’m sharing a bed with one of them. 

But it’s cool. They’re salt of the earth guys. They're just really humble musicians that have everything coming to them in a proper way. 

SHOWTIME: How about any fan encounters? You’re working merch, you’re face to face.

CARSON: Oh yeah. There’s some that drive out from Alaska to see a full run show and they’re sitting and waiting, which is so cool. 

But, there’s a ton of people that are just wild. Wild people. Everybody's offering me a shot, which is cool, every night someone’s buying me a shot.

SHOWTIME: That’s nice.

CARSON: Very nice of them. But other than that, nothing too crazy with these crowds. Which is pretty wild.

SHOWTIME: Any other thoughts about the touring or music industry, or being on the road that you’d like to share?

CARSON: Pack properly. Like, bring trash bags with you, even for cleaning out the van. 

TONIGHT- BRONZE RADIO RETURN with SWEAR AND SHAKE and COLD MOUNTAIN YETI

Connecticut-born rock group Bronze Radio Return hits the stage tonight. Tickets $12, doors at 7:30.