Premier Rock Forum

noise&light wrote:Take Thor Harris' advice to heart.How to Tour in a Band or Whateverby Thor HarrisThis made me want to tour again.One thing I'll add in the advice column (this is probably common sense), keep good notes on shows, make special note of good and bad venues, promoters, etc.... We toured with a band that had already been around to the cities we were playing 3 or 4 times, and it helps when you can learn from your successes and mistakes.

That's a hell of a list of good links, thanks for that! And the Thor Harris list is gold.

Thankfully we're a duo and our kit is relatively small, being a combo amp and a four-piece drum kit, so we can manage to squeeze into pretty fuel efficient vehicles. Any advice on promoting in cities we're visiting for the first time? Any on getting shows around the Chicago area specifically? That was one place we were looking to play this time around that we didn't manage to get into.

Offal, thanks for the links! I went searching but my Google Fu is weak. Yaledelay, it's a bit absurd how happy the apples and oranges I just bought are making me. I try and work out crash space beforehand where I can, but I will definitely ask from the stage next time we don't have one.

I'm absolutely going to look around and ask for help setting up shows. Probably too late for the BBQ this year, I'm guessing, but I'll make sure to try for next year.

Once I move out of my cracker box apartment that is definitely in the cards too.

This first tour has, in parts, been a disaster; bad power supply fried moat of my pedals, got a flat and a bent rim, tossed out of a club before we could play by a psycho promoter... I'm actually pretty thankful. Having so much go wrong and still being able to laugh and enjoy the ride kind of proves to me that we can do this again no sweat.We actually managed to roll this time in a Honda Fit my drummer bought; great mileage. We make a lot of our own merch, and go as inexpensive as we can to help break even (that car helps a lot).

In general, I can't recommend driving at night. Though we did it plenty and I still do it if I am traveling and want to make time.However. If a show is in a big city and there isn't someplace great to crash, I like to leave town afterwards and get an hour or so out. We can stay at someplace boring and not have to worry too much about whatever gear we might leave in the van.Parking a band vehicle with anything valuable in it in a city overnight is asking to get robbed. Not that I haven't done that as well. But we take inside anything we can't stand to lose, which means guitars and occasionally an amp or two.The last Pit tour, we were in an unfamiliar van, in S.F. I went out to the van to get something. Did something dumb with the key fob on my way into the club and opened the back door completely. Didn't notice, went inside, played show. Much merch and some luggage and stuff in the back.The door guy at Bottom of the Hill noticed the open door, took the initiative to close it, and asked me after we were done if that was our blue van...that had had the door open. Gave him a hug and a bunch of merch.Bottom of the Hill is the best.

ben wrote:Go where you are wanted.I probably said this in one of the other threads, but some of my most enduring (if not best) memories of touring involved "prospecting" shows midweek in Bumfuck, Egypt someplace.It's worth trying to play every single night just to get a few of those WTF guys in there.

Do whatever you can to set up or promote shows for bands touring through your town. Help those bands find a place to crash, or better yet, get your place set up for letting 5 touring musicians crash there. Cook them a meal, or order them a pizza.In my 20s, most of my best shows on tour were via band people repaying the favor I did them in my town.