The open road is nothing to mess with! Chris Howorth from IN THIS MOMENT has seen a lot in his days as a musician. Everything from major summer festivals, touring with Ozzy Osbourne, and recently ITM released their third album – A Star Crossed Wasteland which debuted at #40!
Small clubs, huge arenas, van tours, bus tours -There’s a ton of knowledge in that dreadlocked head of his.
From Van To Tour Bus – Tips On Touring With A Metal Band
By: Chris Howorth of In This Moment
1. Packing – Clothes/Toiletries/Shoes
Most people have no idea how to pack for a 2 month tour. When touring in a van you have to pack guerrilla style because the first thing you realize when everyone in your band shows up with a huge suitcase is that you have no place to put everything (on our first tour at every venue we had to spend 10min unloading all the suitcases before we could even start loading gear) For a van tour I recommend a medium sized suitcase and a backpack. Pack a couple pairs of pants and as many socks,underwear and t-shirts as you can cram in your bag. Socks and underwear are key here. You may even want to head to the shops to replenish your sock and underwear supplies and also pick up other essential clothing while you’re there – budgeting is key here so maybe you could use some Kohl’s coupons to help bring the cost of the purchase down somewhat. Put your computer, iPod and other related items in your backpack. Get one of those little toiletries bags (with a hook for hanging) for all your bathroom stuff. This way you can run in and out of truck stop, hotel and venue bathrooms without dragging your whole suitcase everywhere you go. On our last tour I brought my big suitcase (we were on a bus) and I counted to make sure I had at least 30 pairs of socks, 30 pairs of undies, and 30 t-shirts. That way I am not always concerned about when and where to do laundry (Sometimes doing laundry on tour can be a huge pain in the a**).
SHOES:
Bring a pair of show shoes, a pair of everyday shoes and a pair of flip flops, and use gold bond foot powder every time you put them on. Shoes have a way of taking over bus hallways or van floors so a cheap shoe rack is a worthwhile.
GEAR:
Obviously you need to bring whatever gear is necessary for your band to put on the best show possible but first timers always bring too much stuff. WARNING: anything you bring that you aren’t using onstage will become a problem. You will be loading and unloading things you don’t even need. Just think about what you are bringing and make sure you really need it because you will be dragging it all over the country for the duration of your tour.
2. Food/Drink
This topic varies from band to band , and varies depending on the level of success of a particular band. Most bands touring in a van give themselves $10 or less per person per day to eat on and basically eat the worst and cheapest food there is. These bands are very opportunistic. Most times there is no catering and no deli tray and you are lucky just to get water. In this scenario you are pinching every penny and eating whatever, whenever you can. (TIP: if you are nice and make friends with the headlining bands, sometimes they will give you extra food and water and let you raid the dressing room for leftovers at the end of the night. The dollar menu at fast food restaurants helps stretch the budget – or not eating at all, a pure Monster Energy diet works too).
Another scenario is a band on a tour bus making some money at each show, maybe then we will live large budget $20 a day. There is usually a catering budget that will give us each another $10 for food that day, or sometimes we use that money to buy “bus stock”. This is basically a bunch of lunch meat, hot dogs chips, sodas, snacks and stuff for everyone to eat on the bus. Then you have to decide, Do I spend my daily money on real food or do I eat junk on the bus?”
The dream scenario is a fully catered tour where the headliner is a big band and feeds everyone on the tour every day – this is awesome. ITM has experienced all of these scenarios in our career so far.
3. Recreational Activities
Down time on tour is also relative to the level of success your band has experienced so far. Bands touring in a van are typically hustling and doing everything themselves -from loading and unloading, changing strings, selling merch, and driving to shows. In this situation most down time is spent sleeping and drinking. You are so tired at the end of the night you either want to fall asleep or get drunk. At the level when you are riding in a tour bus you probably have at least a small crew to handle the loading and tear down, a person selling your merch, and a driver. This frees up tons of time for the artist to focus on playing the best show possible… and also play a ton of video games like Nazi Zombies, Left 4 Dead, Modern Warfare 2, or Elder Scrolls Online. All as good as each other, but if you prefer the latter, you may want to look into this eso stamina templar guide to see how you can maximize your character’s potential so you have a better chance of winning. Imagine that? Taking down your enemies before going out onto the stage and wowing the crowd. Unbelievable. If video games aren’t your thing though, you could watch a movie, take a nap, or do anything else that you want to do. Take it from me, it’s pretty awesome not having to worry about all that other stuff.
4. Show Clothes
Any band that has experience touring knows that show clothes are toxic. A rookie will not know what to do with dirty show clothes. First of all, always wear the same shirt and pants for as many shows as you can stand your own smell and after every show put them on a hanger, douse them with Fabreeze, and hang them in the trailer with the gear. (not on the bus or in the van.) I would try to wash the show clothes every couple of weeks, I have seen some pretty nasty rashes as a result of show clothes worn for too long on a summer tour. Change your socks and underwear for every show. (If you don’t you will stink and offend people.)
5. Attitude (be nice, professional)
Being in a touring band is a situation where you are selling yourself to people, not just to the audience, but to the venue staff, the promoters, and the other bands as well. Be nice to everyone, make friends, leave everyone that comes into contact with you or your band with a good feeling. If your name comes across a bigger bands desk for a tour opportunity your first impression is the one that will stick, it can make or break you. It’s also a good idea to learn about PROs (check ASCAP vs BMI) because you never know who or what might be helpful when you first start out as a musician, whether as a member of a band or not.
7. Europe/Canada
Once your band starts to tour professionally you will more than likely go to Europe and Canada – this is a whole new world. I could do a whole article on this topic alone. Some quick advice would be to take someone experienced with you on your first time to Europe. Never ever try to take anything illegal across the border, it will blow everything you’ve been working for – get rid of your weed before you cross into Canada people!
8. Perception vs. Reality
One of the biggest reality checks I had once we started touring professionally was that it was nothing like I thought it would be when I was 12 years old playing air guitar in the mirror. The perception is that you make a record, go on tour, play arenas and you are a rock star because you’re in a magazine and stuff like that. The reality is that every band that’s in that magazine works their asses off 24/7, most of the time for very little money. Most bands never get to play in arenas and play small crappy clubs instead. It’s a labor of love, and it is work. It’s the most amazing lowest paying job I’ve ever had in my life haha.
9. Hygiene/Showers/Stinky Bands
To me this is a big issue, In This Moment is a very clean band and we live by a very simple rule “If there is a shower available -take it.” Sometimes this can be challenging, (Warped Tour was a nightmare for getting a shower) but there are always options..Friends/ fans houses (Just ask). Lots of clubs have showers for the bands and truck stop showers are amazing ($8 and the whole band can shower). If all else fails there is the baby wipe shower, or the sink shower. I understand having to go a couple of days but there is no excuse for not showering for weeks at a time. It’s offensive to your band members, fans and anyone else you come into contact with. TIP: unscented baby wipes, gold bond body powder (anti chafing summer tour must) Preparation H wipes (for gig butt), fabreeze (for stinky clothes/sheets), Axe body spray (To cover that 2 day stink), Dr. Scholls Foot Powder (a shot in the shoe every day will keep the stank away.)
10. Fans
These are the people that buy your music and give you a career. Treat them with respect and give them a some of your time. A little goes a long way, and what may seem like no big deal to you can make a fans whole night. Happy fans tell their friends how awesome you are. Unhappy fans tell their friends how you suck and act like an a$$hole.
11. Summary
I am really just scratching the surface of what it takes and what it’s like to be on tour. It’s different for every band at every level of success, but one thing that is consistent is that it’s work. The most fun rewarding work ever, but its work, and there is no easy way out especially for a new band. Go out and get it, work your ass off, no pain no gain. The fantasy of sitting in your room and getting discovered is a pipe dream. Go out and make it happen!
Source: Myspace Artist HQ
http://www.myspace.com/inthismoment
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