vockins wrote:I have a picture of Bushwick Bill and I

That is fucking awesome. Did you come across him in 5th ward, Houston? Was this after he got his eye shot out? If so, was he rocking the eye patch or a glass eye? I have so many questions about Bushwick.

Q: Yo Bushwick, what do you do when motherfuckers underestimate your size, man?
A: First of all I lie...
Q: Then what?
A: Smack their ass like a goddamn car crash, and if you wanna try your luck, come on, play pussy get fucked...

I'm not sure what that means, but I do know that Bushwick is the coolest rapping midget I've ever heard.

i haven't read the whole thread, though i'm looking forward to it.

a couple of insights:

- bring two different atlases. the club you're going to will undoubtedly be located in the crease between pages on the one atlas you have, so bring a different one.

- practice the 'dummy check' sevaral times after each show, and when leaving the place you've slept. in sicily, this practice is called the 'silly tour', and it will reward you to not have left, for example, your socks, or your drummer, at someone's house in fayetteville arkansas.

- grocery shopping is a great idea, if you can convince your bandmates to do it.

- when driving late at night, please discuss the 'NO HEROES' rule. most fo the bad band crashes i've heard about are due to the driver falling asleep.

- when booking a tour, unless you're working with someone you know and trust, send a contract, have the club send it back signed, and bring it with you. nothing ridiculous - just "[your band] is playing on [date] around [time], for [set duration]. club will provide hot dinner and beer tickets. etc" get the club's phone number and the promoter's phone number.

- DON'T bring a gigantic normal sized bath towel - they take forever to dry. bring a hand towel - easier to hang in the van and have dry by the end of the drive.

i'll think of more after i read the thread.

Also make sure you get a good manager so you won't end up like these guys

jayryan wrote:DON'T bring a gigantic normal sized bath towel - they take forever to dry. bring a hand towel - easier to hang in the van and have dry by the end of the drive.

DON'T listen to Jay. This is a man who leaves for a three week tour with two pairs of socks, two t-shirts and two pairs of boxers...and then comes home not having worn everything yet.

Bring that big fucking towel. It will make you feel more at home. Also, bring that big fucking pillow. Your head will thank you while you are sleeping on a hardwood floor.

HoseMobile wrote:Hello Electrical.

Many of you have much experience with shoe string budget tours. I am getting ready to go on my first.

With a sleeping bag and thermarest you can sleep anywhere. hardwood floors, porches, back yards, picnic tables, anywhere.

Take any left over bottled water, juice or fruit with you from the backstage area when you clear out of the venue for the next days ride.

A cheater strip than inverts the cigarette lighter to AC power is a godsend in the van for charging anything that needs it.

Throw away the newly accumulated garbage in the van at every stop.

I also highly recommend the bag within a bag to separate the clean clothes from the dirty ones. Also seize any opportunity to wash clothes.

Wherever you stay, not only should you clean up after yourself, but your bandmates if necessary.

Don't ever let the soundguy carry 6-day old Camembert from France to Italy for his girlfriend. The resulting combo "foot/ass" smell is one that would even make the drummer heave.

Just thought I would add my own suggestions to the mix.

Bring a notebook with you for a mailing list. After the show when people buy cds from you and whatever, have them write down their address/email/name/. This way you can email fans when shows/events are occurring in mass email format etc. i've seen this work wonders for bands.

I find its good to play music on the PA when youre setting up or between bands. This is of course if where youre playing does not already do this. It "keeps the ball rolling" as my friend says in terms of just keeping people in the room, and when you stop the music everyone knows automatically to move in and listen up.

im sure you already know this, but bring lots of extra strings/patch cords etc. when youre going on tour.

Also, I find it's best to bring lots of power strips and extension cords. The shitty venues ive played usually have outlets few and far between and youre usually going to need all the power you can get.

I know next to nothing about electrical grounding/circuits etc. , but if you have a hum coming out of the amps the best thing to do is to reset the strip. Or you can try turning it off and on. This happened to me at the last gig that I played with my friends band, and by resetting the strip we were able to eliminate all the hum coming from his tube amp. He muttered something behind the electricity finding a new route etc. Im not too sure about this. Someone can explain this a lot better than me, so Ill let them.

Best,

Chet

This thread is awesome.

A few other ideas, stolen from my favorite band's website (that is, mine):

1. If you are not from in town and nobody really knows who you are, play in the middle of the bill. Do not be last if you can help it. You will be left playing in an empty bar to a waitress who had to sit through the Shenanigans.

2. Being older than 22 is not necessarily a bad thing. Although your expectations for personal comfort may be a bit higher, it's nice to not be totally broke as you are touring, and a bit of maturity among traveling companions goes a long way.

3. Play with bands that have a similar sense of aesthetic as yours.

4. Make sure that you have guarantees on everything if you are ever going to play in Baltimore.

5. If you have diet restrictions, stock up on your own snacks before you leave. And make sure that you always have plenty of good water.

6. If you are obsessive about the quality, organization and condition of your equipment (both musical and transportation) before you leave, it is one big thing that you won't have to worry about.

To this I would add -

Journal. Every day. It helps with the alone time, it forces you to pay attention to what's special about touring and you will some day be happy to go back and relive the experience. Probably.

Actually, if you are going to journal, force yourself to be honest and positive about it. Remember that touring (even on a shoestring) is a privelege. Many bands never get that far, many people never get in bands, and 1 out of every 5 people are going to bed hungry tonight. You're in a rare group if you're touring.

= Justin

Justin from Queens wrote:4. Make sure that you have guarantees on everything if you are ever going to play in Baltimore.

Ouch!

As for late night driving, it is the opposite of the daytime. In the day during the drive everyone can be in their own little worlds and there is just music or quiet. During late night drives try and stay up to help the driver stay up. Play games. We played one called "ah/um" on the last tour I was on. It was hilarious. Example.... "Please tell me six professional sports teams whose names do not end with an 's' WITHOUT saying 'ahh' or 'umm'... It's funny how hard it is to not say 'ahh' or 'umm'. Or another one is 'name me a fruit that has it's seeds on the outside WITHOUT saying 'ahh' or 'umm'....or "Name me five english words that begin with the letters "DW" WITHOUT saying 'ahh' or 'umm'. The ones that make people really stretch their minds are the best. It keeps everyone up and sharp and safe.

I second the notion to take left over bottled water from each club for the van. Saves you money the next day and you end up drinking water instead of sugary sodas and blue sports drinks. You are what you eat.

If you cross the border to Canada for a show or two and plan to re-enter where you exited (like when playing in VanCouver/Victoria) get a cheap hotel room on THIS side of the boarder to leave extra merchandise. Only take over what you really think you will sell. You usually have to pay fees on bringing over such things and though they say you can get some of the fees back if you return with unsold merch, it is most often impossible to do on your way back in. A hotel room can be way way cheaper than the fees depending how much merch you have with you at the time. The border can be a complete pain in the ass so try and have all your eggs in a row when you arrive (all IDs/passports ready, work permits in hand, merch easily accessible and inventoried, etc).

Justin from Queens wrote:4. Make sure that you have guarantees on everything if you are ever going to play in Baltimore.

WTF?