Greetings from the Road: Greg Erwin & Saint Motel

This fall Saint Motel has embarked on a 6week, nationwide tour in support of their latest album, Saintmotelevision. The band’s drummer, Greg Erwin, a long time cyclist and photographer will be documenting his experience on tour for peloton.

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Greetings from the back of the tour bus. My name is Greg Erwin. I am one of the four members of a band called Saint Motel, a band I am fortunate enough to have been a part of for the past 11 years. When I am not touring the world and sharing a stage with three of my best friends, I can generally be found seeking out any amount of miles on anything with two wheels. Since the age of four, motorcycles and bicycles were my thing. I was fortunate enough to have a father who grew up in the sport of “observed trials” and who passed that skill set and passion on to me. I grew up through the ranks of local motorcycle and bicycle trials competition. When I turned 15 I was signed to a national team and started racing all over the United States. Needless to say, I was always on wheels, and never stopped trying to excel on my bike.

When I went off to college, and was beginning to really pursue my music career, there wasn’t as much room for the motos anymore, but the desire to compete was still there. I didn’t know at the time, but with my first road bike purchase – steel Nishiki at a thrift store – I was hurtling into a love affair with skinny tires and spandex. I started off my days as an amateur bike racer after college and continued to race and train as much as possible. All the while, the band I was in was starting to really develop, make albums, tour, and basically build a foundation for something that would eventually become very real. I raced up to a fairly respectable Cat 3 level, with some wins along the way I was very proud of. But, when being a drummer became my primary source of income it became clear I couldn’t really risk a broken wrist or clavicle while racing for a box of energy gels.

Skip ahead a couple of years, and Saint Motel’s trajectory was on the rise and things were moving along quite nicely. I found myself now traveling in a tour bus with a support crew, rather than 6 dudes in a sweaty 15 passenger van. I began to see the chance to do more for myself and my mental and physical well being while on the road. Beyond that, there was a beautifully sized bay under the bus that I realized could very easily carry a road bike. BINGO! Worlds collided. I began to ship my bike out to wherever the tour began, unbox it, assemble it, and I was off to the races, figuratively…still no racing, haha!

As a photographer, who spent a lot of his professional days shooting for cycling teams and brands, this was also a dream come true. I was able to combine three things I loved; touring, riding, and shooting photos. Beyond that, having a bicycle on the road with me completely transformed my life as a touring musician. I began to see things and parts of the country I never imagined were there. I was meeting a completely different breed of people than I was used to from being in a band on tour. I was also gaining a whole new appreciation for places I once thought to be terrible or boring. To this day, one of my most surprising and favorite weeks of riding on tour was during a four show stint through Iowa. Who knew?!

Now, why, you might ask, is all this coming together here? Not long ago, I was fortunate enough to cross paths with the gents who create Peloton Magazine. They soon became aware of my story, and general love and healthy obsession with music, bikes, and documenting all of it. So, naturally, I was flattered when they asked if I would be interested in sharing my story, and tales from a rock and roll tour with a bicycle in tow, with their readers and fellow enthusiasts. I am honored to get to share some of my experiences, both on and off the bike, with you all. I hope it gives some insight into what we’re all about, and what it’s like to try and maintain health and some level of fitness, in an environment where those types of things generally aren’t practiced or encouraged. With the help of Peloton, and some incredible partners, the Fall tour we just kicked off, is sure to be an absolute adventure, both on and off the bike. Thanks for reading, I hope to meet and (even better) to ride with some of you along the way! Stay tuned.

Saintmotel’s new album, Saintmotelevision drops October 21st. The fall tour runs from September 15th to October 29th. For more info check out Saint Motel’s Facebook page.

Saint Motel 2016 Fall Tour Dates
9/29 – TULSA – OK
10/1 – AUSTIN – TX
10/4 – HOUSTON – TX
10/5 – DALLAS – TX
10/7 – SAN ANTONIO – TX
10/8 – AUSTIN – TX
10/10 – ST. LOUIS – MO
10/11 – LAWRENCE – KS
10/13 – MINNEAPOLIS – MN
10/14 – MILWAUKEE – WI
10/15 — CHICAGO, IL
10/16 – INDIANAPOLIS – IN
10/17 – CLEVELAND – OH
10/19 – BOSTON – MA
10/20 – WASHINGTON – D.C.
10/21 – NEW YORK – NY
10/22 – PHILADELPHIA – PA
10/24 – CINCINNATI – OH
10/25 – NASHVILLE – TN
10/27 – CHARLOTTE – NC
10/28 – ATLANTA – GA
10/29 – NEW ORLEANS – LA