Social Code Convert a Greyhound Into a Tour Bus, Thanks to Google

Canadian quartet Social Code, who lay claim to playing "honest, high energy rock 'n' roll," are a resourceful bunch. This throng of rockers gutted bassist Logan Jacobs' basement and transformed it into a home studio, where they recorded their latest album, 'Rock 'n' Roll.' They renovated a Greyhound bus themselves, and use it as their tour vehicle. And guitarist Morgan Gies is a poker player who participates in tournaments whenever and wherever he can, often against his bandmates.

"Yeah you could call it 'resourceful,'" vocalist Travis Nesbitt laughed to Noisecreep. "You could also call it 'crazy.' We tend to get a bit in over our heads, but always dig our way out. When I started playing music, I would have never thought it would involve dry walling and framing. You'd be amazed what you can learn from typing 'how to build your own studio?' in Google."

After doing online homework, the band went to work customizing their studio. "A lot of times, I'd be in the main room cutting wood or pulling wire, and Logan would be in the next room finding out how to put the walls up," Nesbitt said. "After three months of getting dirty, we ended up with an amazing studio that we're even starting to rent out a bit these days."

Not content to merely build a studio from scratch, Social Code let the dust settle and set out to get their hands dirty and roll up their sleeves again. Nesbitt said, "I guess we got the urge to go at it again, and on our way home from a gig, we found an old bus for sale on the side of the road. It belonged to a town called Nanton, Alberta." The band bought it, and as soon as the tour was done, Social Code set about ripping it apart. "Hundreds of Google searches and two months later, presto! Tour bus! We're rockin' eight bunks, leather seats, a plasma TV, a fridge and a bathroom," Nesbitt said.

If the music career doesn't pan out -- and from the sounds of the bluesy hard rock contained on the album, due out March 23, it probably will pan out -- Social Code's members may have promising careers in carpentry, while guitarist Gies could go on the poker circuit.

Social Code don't worry about losing Gies to a poker career, either. Nesbitt recalls why the band feels this way, saying, "December 18, 2009: We're all sitting at dinner before doing a show and Morgan announces to everyone, as he has many times in the past, that he's out on poker and focusing all his time on music. Gamblers tend to make these declarations after a bad bat, and we know he's had a few. I called his bluff and bet him $500 he couldn't stay out of the casino for a year. Check back in December, and I'll let you know who won."