Folks in active original bands, would you do this?

[BATCAT]

-leave Seattle, WA

(174 miles)

-a show in Portland, OR, on Thursday

(634 miles)

-a show in San Francisco, CA, on Friday

(381 miles)

-a show in Los Angeles, CA, on Saturday

-then either driving straight back or (more likely) staying somewhere on Sunday night and finishing the drive on Monday.

 

You would not have to pay towards rental of the van, but you'd probably need to chip in on gas. You have decent places to crash lined up. The shows might be pretty good, but you probably wouldn't much or any real money. Or maybe a little, but gas would likely eat it.

 

You like and respect all members of the band, and they're responsible folks.

 

Would you do this? Yes? No? Maybe? Would the shows have to be really great? What would it take?

[lz4005]

 

The shows might be pretty good , but you probably wouldn't much or any real money .

 

 

Those two things are opposites.

[kmart]

Missing the most crucial pieces of data...

 

Specifically:

1) Age of players involved

2) "Real-world" responsibilities that may be impacted by taking on such an endeavor

3) Will there be boobies?

 

 

Thinking like 20-27 year-old me did, I still think the deal killer is the Portland to SF leg...that's a hell of a lot of driving.

[BATCAT]

Those two things are opposites.

 

In a six piece band, with two other bands on the bill, you might have a pretty fantastic night, but it's unlikely anyone would see any money past the double digits, just because of how the split works. And food/gas would eat it up quick.

 

[snoggin]

I'd do it. Just for the experience Don't know if I'd do it twice. But I'm 53 haha and crazee

[BATCAT]

 

Missing the most crucial pieces of data... Specifically: 1) Age of players involved 2) "Real-world" responsibilities that may be impacted by taking on such an endeavor 3) Will there be boobies? Thinking like 20-27 year-old me did, I still think the deal killer is the Portland to SF leg...that's a hell of a lot of driving.

 

 

1)Mostly early to mid 30's.

2)Using two days of paid vacation

3)Highly, highly doubtful.

 

That a hell of drive, yeah. I've done it for band stuff before. It's just awful. Plus, one van, six or seven people. I much prefer fly-ins but of course it's hard to make that cost-effective, or even close to it.

[lz4005]

 

In a six piece band, with two other bands on the bill, you might have a pretty fantastic night, but it's unlikely anyone would see any money past the double digits, just because of how the split works. And food/gas would eat it up quick.

 

 

I know what you meant. What I'm saying is that losing money to play music is not a fantastic night. You may as well just mail the venue some cash and stay home.

[SpaceNorman]

I love a good road trip every now and then - and rarely have a reason and/or opportunity to make 'em! That said, if this is a one time thing - I'd have no problem enjoying a weekend "on the road" and making a little music. However, if road trips like this are part of the "business model" for any band I was involved in - they'd be auditioning for a new keyboard player.

[J.Paul]

Tough call

I lean towards "no" unless there is something else that ties in ;

EX : the band needs the video footage

The band has to appear busy right now (for some reason)

There is a relationship w one of these venues that needs fostered

There is an actual demand or fan base in these markets

[tim_7string]

As long as it wasn't the norm, I would give it a shot. It would be nice to play three completely different markets.

 

I would drive the first day and let other people handle the other days. I would be beat by then and we'd probably get into an accident if I drove everywhere.

 

I would also only do this if I were in my early 20s again. No way in hell I would do it now, unless the fanbase was sure to grow huge from the appearances, the money was fantastic, and it was going to lead to more gigs, so many that we could call it a tour. I doubt any of those things would happen in today's market and with my age of 42.

[Flying_Milkman]

I absolutely would do it. But I'm 24 and still think that these kind of experiences are neat.

[Vito Corleone]

That's a LOT of driving. Sure, if everyone is up for it, do it once just to say you did it. Be a great story to tell when you're older. But Portland to San Francisco is going to be a 11-12 hour drive when you figure in pee stops and traffic. What time are you going to get out of Portand? What time do you need to be in SF to load in? Then you wanna do damned near the exact same thing again in LA? You're not going to get all that great of sleep in the car and you're not going to have any real time to "crash" anywhere.

 

But still...could be fun. If I was 20? I'd have done it in a heartbeat. Why not? What the hell else would I have to do that weekend? By the time I was 25? They better be some damned good gigs.

[Lee Flier]

Yeah, the Portland to SF thing in one day seems pretty crazy. Other than that, sounds like a circuit I used to play pretty regularly when I was a teenager. But we would have a gig in between Portland and SF, like in Ashland or Eureka.

 

We've done trips like that around the South recently, not QUITE that long a drive every day but still, a lot of traveling in a van. I still love it. If you like the music and the people, it's great. If you're stuck with people you don't get along with very well or aren't responsible, it's a nightmare, but it doesn't sound like that's the case here.

[kmart]

 

Tough call I lean towards "no" unless there is something else that ties in ; EX : the band needs the video footage The band has to appear busy right now (for some reason) There is a relationship w one of these venues that needs fostered There is an actual demand or fan base in these markets

 

 

Yep x1000.

 

I actually just declined a single date next month where the drive time would be ~6 hours one way because none of the above came into play...and even though backline and a place to crash was provided for playing 1 set each for the two bamds we'd be bringing, when all was said and done, after gas and food/beverage costs, I'd have netted somewhere between pocket change and at best, ~$40 for the two days it would occupy the bulk of.

 

Screw that.

 

I can't imagine attempting in the vicinity of double that driving without a day off in between gigs, etc.

[jw10]

Sounds like a whole bag of fun to me. I Say do it.

[SLScott86]

If there were local bands with a following in those places supporting then, yes. Or if we had a following in those places. It does seem really inefficient, but I would probably do it.

[Lee Knight]

It all depends on what you get out of it. One thing that hasn't been discussed yet is the camaraderie (or possibly the opposite) an experience like this can bring a band.

 

Multiple stinky pits in a small van have a way of tempering any glamor. That takes about 1/2 a day. Then you're left with the true nature of the gigs. What will they do for you. Will they be the start of a genuine regional fan base? How much money will the "tour" actually cost you? Can you afford it? Do you have a CD and merch ready?

 

And will the band be stronger or weaker after the experience?

 

I'm inclined to think it is worth a one time shot to find out the answers to all those questions. It is, in fact, how recording act careers were started.

[BATCAT]

Yeah, the Portland to SF thing in one day seems pretty crazy. Other than that, sounds like a circuit I used to play pretty regularly when I was a teenager. But we would have a gig in between Portland and SF, like in Ashland or Eureka.

 

The most fun I ever had doing a West Coast mini-tour thing was with my own band- we flew down to SF with all the gear we could take by plane, teamed up with another band from Seattle, rented two vans and pooled gear, played SF, then Arcata CA, then Eugene, then Portland, then Olympia. No drives longer than 5 hours at any point. Of course, we lost money. But it was cool and pretty relaxed.

 

I've done this exact trip and similar ones quite a few times in the past, but I was closer to 25 than my current age of 35. It doesn't hold the same appeal.

 

I'm not doing it incidentally. I had a vacation booked alread for the weekend in question and the bandleader was able to find a sub. But I'm honestly a bit relieved I have an out- I would have done it, but I think I would be dreading it a bit. I just wanted to throw it out here as I though people's reactions might be interesting.

[BATCAT]

 

But Portland to San Francisco is going to be a 11-12 hour drive when you figure in pee stops and traffic. What time are you going to get out of Portand? What time do you need to be in SF to load in?

 

 

Yes, it usually ends up being close to 12 hours. What usually happend is you need to be in SF by 8pm at the latest, so you need to hit the road around 8am, the day after a show. Which sucks, natch.

 

The thing is, there just aren't really any good places to play between PDX and SF. Sacramento maybe, but that barely cuts anything off the drive. That gap is a big part of why I just stopped bothering to so little West Coast tours. It just not cost effective or time effective.

[FitchFY]

Based on those details, I'd be tempted to say "yeah, let's make some memories." But I'd also want to know the gigs are worth it -- good venues, you'd have crowds, it would help the band, etc.

 

Road trip gigs were always a lot of fun back in the day - it also forces band camraderie and ride sharing!

[MartinC]

My group is not that active anymore, but we did do 150 dates a year for years playing our own stuff. We'd have never done anything like that.

[Vermoulian]

Like so many other aspects of original music, it's tough (I'm being polite: it's impossible) to justify through any sort of rational business analysis, but, if you're an original band, you're already expending lots of time and effort and enduring inconvenience, cost, and heartache for essentially no money, so this is just a week in which the general original band experience is just a lot more concentrated.

 

All other things being equal, I would probably not make a trip like that for its own sake, but, if your band are good traveling companions, I think a road trip that doubles as a mini-vacation would be awesome. Schedule some fun stuff along the way to do and see. But if it's just drive to gig, play, sleep, drive to gig, play, sleep . . . that's too much like work. I can see a certain amount of travel if you're trying to build a regional following, but that would not justify going all the way down to the big cities of California---that's too far to play often enough to become a presence there.

 

However, I must confess that a few years ago, when the opportunity came along, I joined a band for a "tour" that was probably even less legitimate than your proposed tour. I was 42 and had never had the tour-in-a-van experience and figured I wasn't going to, but a friend-of-a-friend mentioned that he had a tour lined up in a couple months but needed a bass player. I liked his CD that I heard, so I offered to do it. We left Chicago and played in Bloomington, Indiana, then drove to New Orleans for a day off, then to Foley, Alabama, and then Pensacola, Florida. Intended gigs in New Orleans and in Chattanooga on the way home fell through. Income roughly covered costs. But, it was a great experience, and I discovered a whole underground culture of 20-something outsiders that I had not known existed. I ended up playing with them for the better part of a year, and I'm still friends with them. Here's a video from a fairly typical show. The sound is pretty bad and this is not really representative musically of what we did---most of it was not this kind of free-form jamming. But this gives an idea of what being in that band was like. Driving around, playing shows in non-traditional venues to receptive audiences of unusual people . . . I wish you could make money at it.

 

[video=youtube;xMdKxiGccPY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMdKxiGccPY

[bassred]

For me it would have to be possible to get vacation time off work, but besides that, it might be fun!

 

Of course, this is coming from a guy who just yesterday, at 34 years old, had a business trip to Louisville Kentucky and rented a car to drive 400 miles up to FOrt Wayne, IN to record the backup vocals on the choruses of 4 songs for our EP and then drive back down 400 miles to Louisville (stopping at a rest stop to sleep for a couple of hours) Airport to get back to Vegas (that way the only expense was the rental and gas and I didn't have to pay any extra to change the flight). . .

[sventvkg]

I have friends who do that kinda van traveling regularly but they are paid to do it ad it's still tough. The stress on a body from the road is incredible and will take its toll. I've done it in a van and a bus. The Bus was better but still.

 

So, I'd have to say my younger touring self would have done it but I'd have had paying gigs lined up along the way. Every time I ever touredI lost my ass so the indie touring band thing is a no go. If a label was paying me for gigs, hotel an per Diem I'd probably do it.