Before he takes the stage with his live band, The Copperpots, David Lareau will be adhering to his pre-show ritual — to drink a minimum of four alcoholic beverages.
“We don’t have any fun quirks for our rituals unfortunately, we just have to have four drinks,” Lareau said.
David Lareau & The Copperpots are returning to Gainesville for its Southeast tour to promote Lareau’s first solo EP, “Hugs From Distant Neighbors.”
Mainly focused on college towns, Lareau, 30, will perform Friday at Backstage Lounge. The 18-and-older show will include the bands Vane and Antic and will begin at 10 p.m. There will be a $5 cover charge.
Lareau has been playing and songwriting professionally for 10 years. He was 16 when he started playing in bands and getting serious about songwriting.
“I began guitar-checking for this band called Mile with my best friends, and we got signed with Columbia records,” said Lareau. “It only took three years to make that happen out of high school.”
Lareau played in multiple bands but has been ready to begin his solo career for a while.
“Once you’ve done it for so long, you want to do the solo area because you can have complete control of it,” he said. “This is it for me; I’m trying to have a lot of fun with it, and I can’t see myself letting go of that.”
The lead singer of Mile, Noel Hartough, produced Lareau’s record.
Lareau has described his sound as a combination of Oasis meets My Morning Jacket but admits that his sound is always changing because he is a fan of many artists and bands. He aims to have music that people can sing along to and that is climactic with good choruses.
“Hugs From Distant Neighbors” includes the single “Good From The Start,” which Lareau shot a music video for this past weekend.
“When you’re constantly traveling, you start reflecting about the things that are important to you,” he said. “I’m constantly away from home, and there’s something romantic about that.”
Lareau said themes like escapism, religion and relationships in his album resonate with listeners.
“There are some songs that are timeless, and I think that everyone can relate to what I’m trying to say,” he said.
David Lareau & The Copperpots has officially been accepted by Pandora Internet Radio, and it will start working on its next EP, or possibly an album, next year.
“A national tour depends on how much money we make in this tour,” he said jokingly. “But I don’t think this tour is ever going to stop.”
