Aly & AJ: The Interview

Lucky for us, the ever-busy Michalka girls are on summer tour with Corbin Bleu, Drake Bell and up-and-comer Bianca Ryan.

Aly and AJ have been on tour before with other acts, so at this point we figured that they're pros at the constant traveling, packing for a two-month trip and being away from home. So how do they deal with such a demanding schedule? I checked in with them before they kicked off the tour to find out how they survive a tour, from how they keep up with friends and family to the essential items and products that they take with them. Here's what they said:

ANNA: You two have headlined tours before, but this will be your first with Corbin Bleu and Drake Bell. Think you'll all get along -- for two straight months?

ALY & AJ: We've hung out together before, we see each other at events. It'll be fun -- those guys are really fun, and we already know them. It'll be the whole guy-girl thing, we've never played with those guys. Also, the crowd will be good, it'll be diverse.



ANNA: What new songs are you tow most excited to play on the tour?

ALY: Probably 'Bull's Eye.' It's got a great energy to it, it's something you can drive your car to -- it's got a great vibe, its about realizing that somebody pushed you, but that made you go, 'wow, I'm really into you, and that made me attracted to you.'

ANNA: Has that ever happened to you?

ALY: Yeah, for sure, it's definitely happened to me – that's why we wrote about it.

AJ: I would say my favorite song is -- I love the first single [off the new album] -- the 'Potential Breakup Song.' It's a great summer song to have fun with your friends. But I also love the song 'Division.' For me, it was also the most diverse to sing; it's powerful and has a good message behind it, it's a cool song.

ANNA: How are you guys getting ready for the tour?

ALY & AJ: Our days are pretty crazy. Right before we leave we do a big dress rehearsal … For us, it's getting everything really tight, hang with the band, too -- mainly it's all work -- which we love, it'll be fun.

ANNA: What's the biggest hurdle for you while you're on tour?

ALY & AJ: Playing shows every night, all in a row. That can get tiring on your voice and your body , mentally and physically -- so it's all about being able to recharge that battery, lie down when you can. And you have to conserve your energy, keep your energy up.

ANNA: So how do you kick back and relax in between shows?

ALY & AJ: Usually we watch movies, hang out, read books -- and go tot spa! We're tight with the band too, so we hang with the band, and we make sure we have down time.



ANNA: Do you have any groupies that try to hang on the bus with you?

AJ: No, but we fly out our friends. It gets a little lonely. It'll be fun, our bus is pretty empty, it's pretty much Aly, our mom and dog.

ANNA: Do you miss people while you're on the road?

ALY: I love it. Me and AJ get used to it, but by the second or third week, you're rollin', you get used to the schedule, used to different cities each and every night…people probably think it's glamorous and everything, and it's a nice bus -- but it's a lot of hard work.

It's also kind of comical in how random and spontaneous things get. It's kind of surreal: sleeping in a bunk every night, and everything's catered. So you miss home, but touring is such an adventure. Yyou meet new people, see the world, even though you get homesick, it's still fun. [Our dad] makes it out … for certain shows, which is pretty fun.

ANNA: So what's the most ridiculous thing that's ever happened to you before a show or on the road?

ALY & AJ: We were stuck in a snowstorm. We were in Wisconsin -- on our way to a radio in what was it? A radio in-house interview, and we were driving to the radio station, and the bus was at the hotel and we left in a van -- like driving in the van, during a massive snowstorm. We were skidding on the road, and finally we had to stop, but we had no jackets. We weren't prepared with warm clothes!

But we made it -- it was a miracle!!

ANNA: So what are your tour essentials (um … besides winter jackets)?

ALY: My iPod, cellphone, a pile of books … my fave pair of Lucky Brand jeans, my Converse.

AJ: We pack a lot -- but not [so much] that we'd freak out: Perfume, deoderant, lotion, hand crème -- important things like that. I write a list and pack all the stuff.

ANNA: What about your on-stage wardrobe? Are you two involved in picking it out?

AJ: It's fun! Aly and I -- we laugh -- we feel like the mall comes to our house [before a tour]. We're close to our stylist. They bring hundreds of clothes, wheel them in and we filter through things and pack it for the tour. We do this really long wardrobe fitting.

ANNA: Is there ever stuff that you just won't wear?

ALY & AJ: You gotta watch how hard the shoes are -- you gotta wear flat boots, and no dresses -- unless they're over shorts. Plus, it's hard to wear earrings [with the earpiece], so we wear a lot of bracelets and necklaces and rings.

ANNA: Do you like to take song requests during shows?

ALY & AJ: We have a certain set list, but they'll shout it out, [we] like doing that; it's kind of fun & spontaneous.

ANNA: Is there anything you're anxious about for the tour?

ALY & AJ: We're getting brand new guitars from Fender, so we're excited. Plus all new amps, and gear -- we're more anxious and excited … we're excited, [and] can't wait to play.

ANNA: You mentioned that your mom goes on tour with you. What's that like?

ALY & AJ: Our mom's our support system -- she's awesome. We’re bringing our two new puppies, too – [our mom will be] cheering us on, she listens to every show.

ANNA: So who are your dogs?

ALY: Rhodey is my dog and Willow is AJ's -- they're called teddy bears, they're Shitsu/Buischons. They' adorable, especially mine! She's little.

AJ: They hang out with us when they're sound checking. Rhody loves it, but Willow gets freaked out by the amps and stuff.

ANNA: What's the highlight of performing on tour for you?

ALY & AJ: Being able to hear our music, and see all these places, and have all these amazing memories -- we always walk away with inside jokes, cool stories from our fans and nicknames -- things we'll always remember as adults, [we'll] want to tell [our] kids.