Style Rider: Esmé Patterson Needs Kimonos and Fireworks

Photo by Daniel Topete

Pop storyteller Esmé Patterson knows how to live life on the road. Her music career began over a decade ago in the Colorado mountains where she founded indie-folk outfit Paper Bird. Following four gorgeous albums, Patterson changed course and began making music as a solo artist. Now, she’s about to release her third solo LP We Were Wild in June, which hones in on her knack for storytelling and her love of roots-y country.

Before her album come out, we caught up with Patterson to find out her must-haves on the road. And, if we’re being honest, they make her pretty badass.

Though it takes up about a fourth of the room in my suitcase, I bring a kimono on tour because we're playing rock and roll clubs and sleeping on floors sometimes. The moments I find to relax and feel like a woman, feel fancy, are worth a lot. A kimono goes real well with a glass of pink wine.

On a day when we're driving by a river that i know is great for swimming, or if there may be a pool near the gig or at a hotel, I like to style a swimsuit into an outfit with some shorts or a skirt or something to be ready to dive in.

I love to bowl. I bring my ball and shoes on tour 'cause you save a lot of $$$ bringing your own shoes. If you roll into a town a couple hours before sound check, a bowling alley is a great way to stretch your legs and kill time. Also, overalls are an amazing tour outfit 'cause i love having as many pockets as possible and can jump a fence or change the oil on my van while looking flashy.

You can buy them super cheap in the midwest and Wyoming and Nevada. Of course, make sure you light them in a place that isn't prone to wildfires….As a young woman running my own business on the road, if I don't have to get on an airplane, I make sure to have a few weapons with me (brass knuckles and a few knives) make me feel safe and tough. Nobody wanna fuck with this b. Also, lots of books always, a baseball mitt and ball keep the boredom and blues away.

Follow Ilana Kaplan on Twitter.