Jackercrap

After reading this I was inspired to do something similar. I’ve read a few entries on the wide world of web about things to do or not to do while on tour. Ultimately, everyone’s experience is different partly due the kind of music they play, the area they touring in and obviously the people they are touring with.
I’ve done a few small tours and one tour that lasted an entire month. However, to some people a month is a small amount of time to be “on the road” as they say. I’m not talking about other people though. I’m talking about me again. I’m selfish like that.
The longer tour took place last April and I suppose it’s good I get some of this out before I completely forget the details. Having said that, I’ll be recounting some of the highlights and trying to pull out some general lessons while I’m at it. It’s important to note that unlike many other things I’ve seen written about touring that in my case I was a “sideman” and not the band leader. A lot of what I say might not make sense to band leaders or bands where most or all the members are on an equal level. In some ways for this particular band I was considered a “hired gun” which I believe explains itself. For this tour I was getting paid a certain amount of money each day even if we weren’t playing a show that day which is a great gig. However, whatever money I saw the band leader taking in for merch or from venues/promoters was not going to come my way. But it’s kind of like that old trick of taking $1000 now or getting a penny today, two cents tomorrow, 4 cents the day after that etc for a year? It seems like you’re getting the shaft at first but then you realize that the small amount starts adding up. So with this tour I wound up coming home with a nice chunk of change while the band leader wound up losing money (not including paying me and the other sideman). The lesson here is to get a gig where you are guaranteed a certain amount of money because there aren’t a lot of guarantees in the music business especially when it comes to cash.

I’m already feeling long-winded here. This is probably going to end up being split into multiple parts for my sanity and yours.

I can’t stress enough how important it is to really plan out what you’re going to need/want to bring on tour and make a checklist. Even then you’re going to forget something. Just try to make it something that you can buy cheaply anywhere at any time like deodorant or earplugs. CVS is your friend and lover. It’s crucial to be realistic while you’re getting you belongings together but don’t be cruel to yourself either. I made the mistake of bringing 3 or 4 books and wound up reading 1. This isn’t a big deal but you get the point. On the other hand I only brought 1 pair of pants and 1 pair of shorts. For many reasons I should have at least brought another pair of pants and they don’t really take up that much space. It’s hard to know how much space you’re going to be working with depending on what everyone else brings but you can always squeeze in a pair of pants or pillow in a nook between a cello and cooler.

Don't forget to pack a cat or two. Those definitely aren't my boxers...

IMPORTANT LESSON 1: PLAN! Be a planning machine. Look at the tour itinerary and check/think about the weather where you are going. If you’re touring in the south during the summer you only need to bring 1 snowboard and not 2. (That was a joke. Yes. I know that “the south” does get snow…in the summer.) Think about what you want to do in your free time which you will have an incredible amount of. Keep in mind though that a lot of this “free time” will be spent in a cramped car with other people. (Maybe you’ll want to actually get to know the people you’re going to be spending every second with for the next month. Maybe not.) If you’re feeling like you’ve got the planning thing down, you might want to consider doing some research into the places/areas you’ll be playing at, staying at or passing through. You may never get another chance to check out that Old Navy in North Carolina or that Starbucks in Shreveport. (Get it? That’s stuff you can do anywhere. You’re welcome.) There’s a lot of the same out there in this homogenous world but if you do your homework or walk down the right alley you can find some marvelous crap.

I’ll leave you on that cliffhanger for the moment. Since I know it’s tough to read the internet without lots of pretty pictures, here’s the first picture I took on the tour.

From a record store in Philly. I wanted to remember to check out the terrible looking movie by taking a picture of the record sleeve for the soundtrack. Still haven't checked it out...

~ by jackercrap on March 4, 2010.

Posted in Music In My World
Tags: boxers, cat, cello, cooler, cvs, deodorant, earplugs, gavin castleton, gruvis malt, hired gun, north carolina, old navy, shreveport, sideman, sidemen, Starbucks, tour, tour lessons, tour tips