Members EcHoplex Posted May 22, 2002 Members Share Posted May 22, 2002 My band is the process of finishing our cd and we want to get out and play other markets. Our local scene isn't very accomodating in terms of playing original music...it's pretty much 90% covers and a typical 3 to 4 hour gig. Since we're a rock band, we don't really play the dance stuff like Y.M.C.A., Brickhouse etc. So cover gigs are somewhat limited for us. Anyway... We really want to promote our own stuff as well as help other bands who want to do the same. 1. What insight & advice can you pros out there lend me so we can start off on the right track? 2. Did you book a tour with other bands or book it by yourself? 3. Did you rent a van or buy one used/new? 4. Were you required to provide your own P.A. or did you choose venues that already provided lights and sound? Thanks in advance.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members EngineGuitarist Posted May 22, 2002 Members Share Posted May 22, 2002 there's a lot to do when it comes to touring. my advice would be to start small and by small i mean a mini-tour. if you've never toured before then spending 2 weeks with your bandmates will be a good test to see if you will kill each other on a 1 or 2 month tour. you'd really be surprised. I don't know where in the midwest you are, but i'd say playing 10 shows in 2 weeks is good. play mostly in cities unless you know of a thriving scene in the suburbs. for example, if you're from chicago start in Detroit then go to Ann Arbor Michigan, then chicago, then leveland or cincinatti or both, then maybe pittsburg, or indianapolis. making some sort of pattern in where you go will help keep long drives to a minimum. As for a van, depending what you can get for a good price renting is an otption. usually its too expensive. if you plan on touring more than buying a van will be in your best interest. just make sure all of your bandmates names are on the insurance since they will all be driving. There are websites that have lists of clubs so you can get places that way. just check out what kind of stuff they have there. make sure you have t-shirts, CD's, and stickers to sell at ALL your shows, well give away the stickers. you will need that money to survive unless you want to pay more of your own money. Also, get used to sleeping on a floor, including the floor of your Van. It sounds a bit daunting but its {censored}in great. I toured across the US three years ago it was great. We came from NJ and drove straight to Las Vegas in 45hrs non-stop. then we went to southern cali for a week, then san antonio, houston, New orleans, all around florida and back home to NJ. 10,000 miles in one month. It was great, when you're on it you look forward to going home and having a bed, but once you're home you wanna leave again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bluesbass Posted May 22, 2002 Members Share Posted May 22, 2002 Originally posted by EngineGuitarist play mostly in cities unless you know of a thriving scene in the suburbs. for example, if you're from chicago start in Detroit then go to Ann Arbor Michigan, then chicago, then leveland or cincinatti or both, then maybe pittsburg, or indianapolis. making some sort of pattern in where you go will help keep long drives to a minimum. . There are websites that have lists of clubs so you can get places that way. just check out what kind of stuff they have there hey do you know what websites to check for this ?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members EngineGuitarist Posted May 22, 2002 Members Share Posted May 22, 2002 check out http://www.1212.com http://www.1212.com also, if you use city-search.com you will get lists of cities and then can see a list of clubs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kenm Posted May 22, 2002 Members Share Posted May 22, 2002 i remember reading a lot of good web stuff about touring. I think the best resource available is going to be www.byofl.org and do a search for touring 101 kind of info. The bands that I know who did longer tours bought their own van. You really want to bring as much merchandise as you can. Bring a big variety too, multiple t-shirt designs especially. Good luck, Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BlueStrat Posted May 23, 2002 Members Share Posted May 23, 2002 Touring for the sake of touring can be fun, but it can be an expensive proposition if you don't have an approach to it. There are things you can do to maximize your time and money. Ask yourself these questions: 1.Why am I touring? It has to be more than just to feel like you're getting somewhere. You must have an end game in mind. If it's just to travel around and play, okay, but if it's to build a following and make an impact in an increasingly large region, crosscountry touring is likely not a good idea yet. Realize you're not going to develop a following by blowing through a town and playing once, or even twice, unless you're getting regular rotation radio airplay. You have to play regularly every 4-8 weeks in a town to make a dent. 2. What's my long term goal? Figure out where you see yourself five years from now, and work backwards in formulating a plan. Do you want to be a major label recording act? An indie act? Or just make a living playing? Every decision you make must be made in the parameters of attaining the goal. 3. What am I willing to do to become successful? Am I willing to bring my own PA? Lights? Do I have a full 4-hour night of material, and am I willing to play covers in certain venues? The likelihood of going on the road with a band that plays 10 or twenty original songs and making even enough money to pay for gas to the next town is wishful thinking. The road is an expensive place to be, even if everything goes good. You can tour with other bands, sure, but you're doubling the expenses and cutting your chance of making more money. I travel in a 1-ton Chevy cube van with a walk through cab, which I own. We put a wall 6 feet back behind the cab, and have a huge stuffed sofa in the back, a cooler, a TV/VCR, put in an operable vent, so we can all travel together. All the gear goes in the back. We have a whole drum kit, plus spare heads and parts, a Hammond B-3 in a flight case, a Leslie cabinet, electronic keyboard, a bass rig, 2 guitar amps plus a smaller backup, an entire PA and 4-monitor system, including subs, and lights, and we still have room for clothing and miscellaneous stuff. My strategy is to increase the region I play in. I'm in the Paific Northwest, and play from the middle of Montana to the Ocean, from Portland OR to the Canadian border. Would I like to play in LA or Texas? Sure, but there has to be a strategy involved. National acts don't go out and tour unless they are supporting a CD that has distribution and is available everywhere. Without that, I'm more of a tourist than a touring musician. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bluesbass Posted May 23, 2002 Members Share Posted May 23, 2002 wow !! i like taht plan , so let me ask , what do you think.. If ui were to find a few more band s our age and style, you think it would cost more money to tour with them ?? you dont think it would help out with m,ore people?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BlueStrat Posted May 24, 2002 Members Share Posted May 24, 2002 Originally posted by bluesbass wow !! i like taht plan , so let me ask , what do you think.. If ui were to find a few more band s our age and style, you think it would cost more money to tour with them ?? you dont think it would help out with m,ore people?? I can't say. It could help you book an entire night as a package, but you'd have to decide how the money was going to be split up, whether each band was going to be responsible for their own transportation, or pool it, and of course lodging gets more expensive ( we often rent two rooms and sneak a third guy with a sleeping bag into each one). The issue though is not whether to tour with another band (s) or not, it's whether you are ready to or need to tour at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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