Tips for first tour

[bclaire]

Tips?

Eat sensibly, ALWAYS bring the guitars into the room with you (never left in the van), always have someone with the gear whenever loading in and out, learn to nap, take turns driving, bring extra tools and parts, etc.

Plan on something going wrong and be ready to laugh it off. Hey, you'll laugh at it two weeks down the road- might as well laugh now!

[Ddjembe Mutombo]

Hotels. Haha. Only in the worst circumstances. If your shows are iffy you'll end up spending more on hotels and gas than you'll make. You'll find people to stay with. Usually you won't even have to ask. Don't worry about that part at all.

This is their first DIY. I doubt they will find people willing to let them crash on the floor (especially seeing the type of venues they are playing at).

[Randy Bass]

You should stock up on deodorant and air fresheners since you probably won't be showering much . M.R.E.s would be a practical thought in the absence of food refrigeration.

[baytamusic]

Hotels. Haha. Only in the worst circumstances. If your shows are iffy you'll end up spending more on hotels and gas than you'll make. You'll find people to stay with. Usually you won't even have to ask. Don't worry about that part at all.

This is their first DIY. I doubt they will find people willing to let them crash on the floor (especially seeing the type of venues they are playing at).

I have played some pretty horrible places on tour and never had to get a hotel. Just sayin'. Of course I'd rather stay in a hotel than in an abandoned squat house with roaches crawling around, but hey it's free.

[misterMagoo]

I rather enjoy an abandoned squat house every once in a while.

OT: Ever see the movie Suburbia? It's got Flea in it. And TSOL.

[michaelmcgough]

i was on tour june 2008 and our entire van was stolen. luckily it wasnt my band touring, i was driving some friends. but it was a 1987 Ford Transit and had windows down both sides and on back doors. it was the easiest thing to get into, you just had to kick the back door and it would of pooped open.

tips -

- buy 1 or even 2 extra padlocks for the back door, they really do help. get extra keys cut for them too for all band members cos you lose them easily and the cheapest thing to do would be to buy an entirely new lock.

-cover the back windows in black paper or tin foil, cheap options work just as well as getting them tinited for like £150.

-hide anything small and electrical (ipods satnav etc), better still keep it on you.

- if youre using a satnav, when you remove it from the window, rub off the sticky mark it leaves, cos thats the first indication to say you're using one and 9 times out of 10 its left in a glovebox.

- bring plenty of water and vitamins

- bring your own toilet paper

-bring your own porn

- buy in-car phone chargers, there were times where we nearly missed shows cos no one had battery on their phones so we couldn't contact promoters.

- chances are you're all going to fall out after a few days. avoid that.

- bring an acoustic, and when you get to a town do some busking. it helps with petrol money!

- enjoy it!


peace x

[Y0UNGBL00D]

I'm compiling a personal list from all of these. More, more! Even just learning experiences

[baytamusic]

I thought of a some more. Some of them may be kind of obvious:

• Don't buy gas in big cities. Plan your fill ups at those gas stations in the middle of nowhere.

• If you are going to stay in hotels, again avoid the big cities. Plan to not get wasted at your show and drive out of town and stay in a hotel in the next small town that has one. It'll literally be half the price.

• Make sure you have a spare tire

• Don't go without merch. This is where you make your money.

• Ask to play the middle slot at the show. A lot of small clubs, venues, or whatever will want you to headline because you are from out of town. This is a surefire way to play for the ten people who decided to stick around.

• Make sure you have extra money in your bank account or a credit card in case your van breaks down. It happened to me twice on one tour. We missed a show opening for Lucero in Denver and an awesome house show in Cheyenne. It sucked big time and it was winter. Bad idea. I'll never tour in winter again.

• Don't party too much. Bad things can and will happen. You aren't going to be with people you know and cops in smaller towns aren't nearly as "forgiving" as cops in big cities. They are bored and you "aren't from around here".

• Be nice even if the show sucks. If you play good and are easy to deal with next time they WILL get you on a better show.

• Make friends with the local bands you play with. They'll be a good asset next time you come to their city. They usually have contacts in the smaller towns nearby. Offer to trade shows.

• Don't put stickers all over your van. It shows both cops and potential thieves you are a band.

• If you bring "recreational" materials with you, find a good hiding place in the van so if you get pulled over you know where to put them and aren't panicking. Better to just not bring it really.

• Buy one of those club things for your steering wheel or unhook your battery connections at night. This will deter thieves from steeling the entire van. They aren't going to stick around too long.

[ESBlonde]

If you take water bottles, get free refils from the bathrooms in the places you stop. Have a subscripton to the Auto club? Take out a credit card and keep it Only for Dire emergencies like broken gear boxes or illness. Take some fruit on the buss, bananas and apples will keep a few days and are excellent for your health. Avoid eating processed crap, it makes you lethargic and bad tempered. Having multivitamins is a great idea. Avoid too much alcohol and plan to each have a dry day in rotation. Take gaffa tape and cable ties, strings, sticks, skins,batteries etc. Plan your petrol/gas/diesel stops in advance so you don't run out. Clean clothes are esential from a social aspect as are deodorant. Whilst you remember all this you will have one a*hole in the band that preps nothing will be a drain (in every respect) on the band for the duration. Leave anything valuable you don't need at home.

Stuff a 20 in a sock so you can all eat on the last day.
Take a bunch of handouts to leave on table so folks can send emails to you and buy merch after the tour and be your fan club base for the future. Keep details of all contacts always.

Take a paperback joke book and pull it out to use after the first week!

Enjoy yourselves.
Bring us a good story or two.

[Randy Bass]

Bring plenty of mouthwash and condoms for all the groupies you are sure to encounter!

[Neiloler]

Bring plenty of mouthwash and condoms for all the groupies you are sure to encounter!

Haha, always the voice of reason.

[drewfromutah]

Bring plenty of mouthwash and condoms for all the groupies you are sure to encounter!

Definitely a must for a bunch of fat kids playing ska-core.

[Randy Bass]

I just meant that you could give them to the groupies, tell them to keep it clean, and go along on your merry way .

[Tibor]

* when we tour, one man has to sleep in the van... often its me, because its my van, also the van smells better! ... so i bought a -40C° sleeping bag and its quite comfortable... and we feel save for our equipment... we use some opaque curtains to cover the back windows so it looks more like a mobile home than a bandvan...also put some cloths (working cloths) over the equipment, so it looks more like a sanitary installation firm truck... its only for the first look...

* check where is your spare tire and the necessary equipment to change a tire... maybe get a membership in an automobile club for some minor repairs ...( in europe we have the ADAC... we call them for free and get minor fast repairs for free...and they come within 60 minutes everywhere... definitly worth the 50€ per year)

* check if everyone has his Passport ord ID with him... we toured europe and one guitarist had an ID wich was overdue since 2006... big problems if you leave the European community... but thats a story on its own...

* fill a 10 gallons cannister for the last few miles (sometimes at night some gas stations are closed espaecialy on the country side... so your planning for gas stops can go wrong!)

* DON'T FORGET TOOTHBRUSHS!!! THEY ARE ESSENTIAL!!!

* TOILETPAPER IS ESSENTIAL TOO!!!

* DON'T EAT FAST FOOD (MCD,BK...) IT WILL GET YOU TIRED AND DRAW MORE ENERGY THEN IT PRODUCES...

* set your self a limit when drinking... for me its normaly 2 beer per evening (german beer is 4,0-4,5 o/°°...) so you can drive safely the next morning... at least the driver shouldn't smoke "recreational" things... (german law/dutch law ... don't know about the states!)

* set your self a limit in guitars and amps (2 guitars per guitarist/ one spare amp for both)...

* take a flashlight and a soldering iron with you as well as some tools (victorinox or leatherman should be fine) and lots of fuses/ a set of spare tubes... and a DMM (digital multi meter to find busted cables), batteries or power supplies for FX...

* drummers should take additional skins and snare carpets and screws with them... and lots of sticks!!!

* ... take good music on the trip or better some radio dramas (pratchett works very well!!!)... or listen to news channels... it keeps the boredom away...

* lots of fresh underwear and socks as well as t-shirts

* don't dress like a band (all in bandshirts with the own band logo) ... you might get ripped off

* BE FRIENDLY TO POLICEMEN!!! STAY CALM!!! MOSTLY THEY ARE FAIR GUYS!!!

* STAY FRIENDLY TO EVERYONE

* DON'T SPEED

* CHECK HEADLIGHTS AND TAILLIGHTS BEFORE EVERY RIDE!!!

* CHECK TIRES BEFORE EVERY RIDE!!!

* CHECK THE MAXIMUM LOAD OF YOUR VAN!!! AND CALCULATE YOUR WEIGHT+ THE EQUIPMENT!!! SOMETIMES ITS CLOSER THAN YOU THINK!!

* BRING VITAMINS AND ASPIRIN + DEXTROSE

* BRING A ROADMAP IN CASE YOUR SATNAV BREAKS DOWN!!!

* AT THE VENUE PLAY AT A MIDDLE SLOT!!! DON'T HEADLINE!!! (MOST PEOPLE DON'T STAY TILL THE END)

* DON'T FORGET TO TELL THE AUDIENCE YOU HAVE CD'S AND MERCH!!! THATS YOUR MONEY!!!
even if it sounds strange or greedy!!!

* FOR ROADSIDE DINNERS.... LOOK FOR WHERE ARE THE MOST TRUCKS AND COPS... GO THERE BECAUSE THE FOOD WILL BE GOOD AND WILL HAVE A FAIR PRICE

* MAKE A DRAWING OF YOUR LOAD AND PUT EVERYTHING ALWAYS AT THE SAME PLACE... SO THE CHANCE YOU FORGET SOME EQUIPMENT MAY BE LESS, and you will see that something is not there!!!

* REMEMBER HEAVY EQUIPMENT (CABS!!!) ALWAYS DIRECTLY BEHIND A SEAT OR A WALL!!! YOU DON'T WANT THEM TO COME TO THE FRONT... BECAUSE YOU HAD TO STEP ON THE BREAKS!!!

* WHILE LOADING SOMEONE HAS TO STAY AT THE STAGE AND ONE AT THE VAN!!!

* STAY IN CONTACT WITH THE OTHER BANDS ASK THEM IF THEY KNOW THE CLUB YOU WILL PLAY TOMORROW, AND JUST STAY IN CONTACT...

* SHARE EQUIPMENT AS LESS AS POSSIBLE... SOUNDS UNFAIR... BUT YOU WILL NEED IT MORE FOR THE NEXT FEW SHOWS!!!

* HIDE THE HARD EARNED MONEY NOT IN THE CAR!!! OR A GUITAR CASE!!!
KEEP IT AT YOUR BODY!!! (BEST IS A BELT WITH AN INSIDE POCKET!!!)

* WHEN DRIVING MAKE STOPS EVERY 90 MINUTES FOR AT LEAST 10 MINUTES / SWITCH DRIVERS (if possible!... dont know about driving licences in the states... in europe only i am allow to drive a vehicle with a maximum load of 7,5 tons)

* WATER IS BETTER THAN BEER (REMEMBER LESS PEE-BREAKS)!!!

[baytamusic]

This is fun. And a good resource! Here's a big one I left out.

Tell your drummer to bring his own drum carpet. Sometimes they don't have one and his crap will be sliding all over the stage if you don't have your own.