By Alyse Horn
It’s been a long, hot summer tour for The Alternate Routes, but as it winds down the anticipation for playing at the Levitt Steel Stacks tomorrow night in Bethlehem has only grown.
“We get to do a wide range of more mellow and intimate material, but also bigger, louder material,” guitarist Eric Donnelly says. “When we’re able to do everything, that’s when the band is at it’s best.”
Donnelly and vocalist Tim Warren will be driving to town in their 2006 Ford Ecoline van, which has racked up over 370,000 miles since they began touring in it over a decade ago. As luck would have it, the AC in the van stopped working near the beginning of their summer tour, but the guys didn’t let it drag them down. Donnelly says no AC is not ideal, but while driving through Arizona and New Mexico, the “desert was kind of nice.”
Touring with each other over the years and sometimes in unfavorable conditions, Donnelly says his bond with Warren encompasses “every relationship you can imagine.”
“I’m man enough admit we’re had our ups and downs… [but in the] last two years we have gotten to a place where we’re better at communications and not taking things personally,” Donnelly says.
The growth in communication with Warren has made the last couple of years the most successful time in Donnelly’s eyes. The band’s recent album release, Nothing More, is available exclusively on Pledge Music. Donnelly says the band is excited to share it with fans at tomorrow night’s show.
Donnelly and Warren are both from Connecticut, and Donnelly says that is where the two draw a lot of inspiration from for their music.
“Connecticut is a huge part of our story and who we are,” he says. “We pride ourselves on where we are from and the people we have gotten to work with.”
For instance, Donnelly says the single “Nothing More” was created to help support Newtown Kindness, which is a non-profit organization that was created in response to the tragic school shooting in Newtown, CT.
According to the band’s website, “when you purchase “Nothing More”, half of the proceeds go to support the organization.”
Anyone who is on the edge about attending the show tomorrow night should check out the album on Pledge Music.
The Levitt Pavilion at Steel Stacks in Bethlehem this Friday. Donnelly says being able to perform a full set tomorrow night will allow the band to dabble in both ends of their musical spectrum.
