For an "under the radar" touring band, life on the road presents numerous challenges. From traveling logistics to itinerary foul-ups, shady promoters to half-filled venues, one thing is certain; the unexpected will occur. For the San Francisco-based band FayRoy, a valuable lesson was learned earlier in the week during the band's stopover in Chicago.
The band travels from coast to coast via a conversion van, and between the hours of midnight and 4 AM this past Tuesday, the van and all its contents were stolen from a parking space near the intersection of North Wood St. and Chicago Avenue (locally referred to as Ukrainian Village). The band had performed earlier in the evening at Chicago's Moe's Tavern and reported last seeing the van, with contents intact, around midnight. When the band members returned around 4 AM, there was no sign of the vehicle.
After confirming that the vehicle hadn't been towed away, a police report was filed, leaving the band stranded in the Windy City while they pondered their next move. The band is in the midst of a two-month East Coast and Midwest tour and were scheduled to perform on Thursday night in Dayton, Ohio.
According to band members Zack Hoag and Kyle Fournier, all of the band's equipment was loaded in the van, including six guitars, three amplifiers, a drum set, synthesizers and sound boards along with assorted microphones, camera equipment and personal items such as clothing and surfboards, leaving the four band members with essentially all they were wearing at the time. The vehicle is a maroon 1997 Chevrolet conversion van with bubble top and its California license plate is 32508 DV. Images of the conversion van are available for viewing on the band's Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/FayRoy). The webpage also contains contact data for anyone having information related to either the theft or the whereabouts of both the conversion van and contents.
Moe's Tavern pitched in with a fundraiser on Wednesday night to assist the band, which was making their first appearance in Chicago. The four band members are also utilizing as many social media sources as possible in the search for both the van and the equipment.
The four members of FayRoy (Hoag, Fournier, Ryan Bambery, Alex Gerhard) are all native Floridians but have been based in the San Francisco Bay area since September, 2011. Their music is a mixture of folk, psychedelic and surf-rock with striking vocal harmonies, reminiscent of '60s-style California pop/rock.