Your Demise: You Can Survive as a Vegan in a Touring Band

Eating while making a living in a touring band is difficult even when you aren't in possession of a picky palate. Cheap eats often equals poor nutrition, but a starving artist has to do what a starving artist has to do – and that's make the best of it. But what about vegans? Vegans don't consume any animal products. That means no meat, no cheese, no dairy – not even honey. It's a strict, disciplined way of eating that requires thoughtful, measured food choices.

So how does Your Demise's Jimmy Sampson survive as a vegan while touring the world? It's surprisingly easy for the bassist. It's a well-known fact that bands are fed well by concert promoters in Europe, but the day in, day out grind of eating while traveling can get tough. Bu if you prepare for it well, you can fill your belly, according to Sampson.

"In England, it's easy," Sampson told Noisecreep. "But in Europe, you get amazing variety. In England, kids bring you hummus and it's disgusting. It's good at first, but every day for two weeks? That's when its sucks." Sampson wants to dispel the notion that vegans subsist on "hummus, pita bread and seaweed! And olives. I could eat at Taco Bell every day and not get sick of it. They have rice and refried beans, and with the cheese and bean burrito? I change the cheese to the potato wedges and it's the best thing I have ever eaten."

While the straight edge, militant, vegan hardcore scene of the 1990s has leveled off considerably in more recent iterations of the scene, Your Demise keep their feet firmly planted in 1995 with their ideologies and viewpoints. "I was vegetarian and then I saw a PETA video," Sampson recalled. "I was in bed, ill from college one day, and [animal rights activist] John Feldman from Goldfinger had given me a leaflet with figures on vegans and vegetarians. Before that, I didn't know what a vegan was and didn't know veganism existed. I will never preach and say 'Go vegan,' but I will do everything I can to talk about the lifestyle."

Your Demise's 'Ignorance Never Dies' is out on August 12 in America. It's already out overseas.