tickle me pink
coping with loss, life on the road
by rebecca howard
While riding in a van packed with his band
mates with nothing but video games, various
electronics and each other’s company for
entertainment, lead singer Sean Kennedy
described Tickle Me Pink’s current tour in
one word: “Crazy.”
The members of Tickle Me Pink, originally from Fort
Collins, have had quite the roller coaster ride in the past few
months. In addition to the national release of their album
Madeline and a grueling coast-to-coast tour schedule, the band
had to deal with a devastating tragedy.
Bassist Johnny Schou was found dead in the home that the band shared on July 1, the day Madeline was set to be released nation wide. Toxicology reports revealed that he died from an accidental heroine overdose. In the wake of this tragedy, the
band had to make a difficult decision. With the overwhelming
support of their fans paired with the desire to carry on Schou’s
legacy and their dream, the band pressed on with their national
tour.
In a phone interview on Sept. 12 on the road between tour
gigs, Kennedy talked about the ups and downs of their life on
tour.
While it was hard to continue as a band so soon after
Schou’s death, “We didn’t have a choice,” Kennedy said. “This
is what Johnny would have wanted us to do. We carry on a
piece of him with our songs.”
Their ability to continue pended on whether they could with. The band asked guitarist and longtime friend Joey Barba
to join them on tour to fill Schou’s spot. Barba took over lead
guitar and Mr. Kennedy switched to playing bass full time.
Regarding the switch, Kennedy said, “Joey is a better guitar
player than me so (the switch) makes sense.”
Barba was formally a member of another Fort Collins band,
the Brotherhood of Dae Han, which had broken up earlier in
January.
“Our bands kind of grew up together in Fort Collins,”
Kennedy said.
Barba is now a permanent member of Tickle Me Pink.
According to Kennedy, Barba fits in well with the band.
“It was as natural a transition as we could have, given the
circumstances,” Kennedy said.
In spite of the tragic loss of Schou, many of Tickle Me
Pink’s fans are glad that they continued as a band.
“There’s nothing else they could do other than push through
and continue to spread their lyrics,” freshman mechanical
engineering major Kyle Bobkowski said. “It was sad that he
passed but he was part of something bigger.”
Kristin Parr, a sophomore art major, is a fan of Tickle Me
Pink as well as Barba’s former band.
“I’m also glad they had (Barba) join them,” Parr said. “He is
amazing as well, and a good addition to the band.”
Tickle Me Pink has tour dates booked for the next 15
months, after which they hope to record another album.
Kennedy has mixed feelings about the idea of being on the road
for the next year. Kennedy said being away from home for so
long can make it hard to maintain relationships. The grueling
schedule paired with endless drives from gig to gig is not his
favorite part of being on tour either.
“It’s been fun but we’ve never done a tour this long,” he
said. “Playing a show every day really takes its toll on you.”
Still, Kennedy said that he would not trade the band’s
experience for anything.
“You have to learn how to adapt to the lifestyle,” he said.
At the time of the interview, the band was on tour with
Scary Kids Scaring Kids, Finch, and From First to Last.
“I really enjoy all the bands we’re on tour with right now,”
Kennedy said. “I grew up listening to Finch so its kind of
surreal being on tour with them.”
Currently, they are on tour with Hawthorn Heights, and are
scheduled to play a show at the Ogden Theatre in Denver on
Nov. 13. Kennedy said the band is excited to play in again, “We always like playing at home.”
The band also wanted to stay true to their roots by playing
a special show in Fort Collins, so they booked a show at the
Aggie Theatre for Dec. 20.
“We wanted to have a special Christmas show at home,”
Kennedy said.
Kennedy also said that the band plans on having a little fun
with the ‘Holiday Extravaganza’ theme, and plans to have the
Aggie decked out in festive decorations and to wear holiday
sweaters.
“It’s going to be ridiculous but it’s going to be fun,”
Kennedy said.
The past couple months have been rough to say the least,
but Tickle Me Pink has made it through. After all the emotional
highs and lows the band has experienced, Kennedy had one
thing he wanted the fans to know.
“Thank you for all the support you have given us.”