Dan Vacon of The Dudes shares his money-saving secret: Walmart

The Dudes

With Raptors and The Secretaries
Saturday, February 6 at 8 p.m.
Pawn Shop (10549–82 Ave.)
$12 at Ticketmaster, Megatunes, and Blackbyrd

Dan Vacon of The Dudes comes off a lot like his music: honest and direct. He lives his music, and it reflects who he is — a man totally committed to his work. And commitment is essential when you're an up-and-coming band, where the lifestyle is anything but glamorous.

“We’re broke-ass on tour, man. We got to cut every corner we can,” says Vacon. “I bought grapes, of all things, at Walmart.”

Between buying produce from Walmart and eating Cheezies for breakfast, the prospect of being an artist who is actually starving almost seems preferable. Whether they're crashing on the floor of a fan's house or chugging back cheap beer in the van before the show, The Dudes get by. But Vacon is not a man who is entirely concerned with the material things life has to offer. For him, the decision to go into this lifestyle was an easy one. Vacon has always been involved in music, being the “singing fool” as a child.

“I knew that I could totally kiss this girl if I learned this rad tune. And I played that tune […] I played it at a house party and this girl actually cried her eyes out. I was like 'Oh my God, there could be something in this.'”

Whether it’s the physical misfortunes the band has suffered recently — both Vacon and drummer Scott Ross have been in accidents, resulting in broken collarbones, knee caps, and moustaches — or the lies people tell each other to get through the day, for Vacon, there is inspiration everywhere.

“I think an artist just needs to be a total yes man,” he says. “You got to live a wild life and that’s where you get your material from.”

And Vacon is a man who relates very closely to his music. What he writes is what he has lived through. If you want to be with Vacon, you need to love his music, “or at least pretend to” because he is his music.

For him, one band is not enough to store all of his creative output; he also has a side project, The Dojo Workhorse. There have not been any clashes between his wife and his mistress, though — far from it. In fact, fellow Dude Scott Ross has saddled up with Dan in the band. Between the two bands, they have a “good, tight unit.”

The Dudes are on tour, promoting their latest album Blood. Guts. Bruises. Cuts., which is an unfortunate title, considering the personal injuries acquired by the band. There’s “no hanging around” on tour, making it hard. But it’s enough for these four fellows. All they need is a good crowd, an after party, and hopefully some generous fan to put them up for the night because on tour, booking a hotel is the last thing they do.

Vacon sums up his feelings about this lifestyle in a few words, “I mean, I’m broke as fuck but, I’m happy too, and not working.”