how do i gig in the u.s. from canada legaly

hi folks, just slimed down from the amp forum, and i wonder how i can do this.

i play in a popular vancouver ska band.we are los furios

www.myspace.com/losfurios

my question is how do i get us down to the states to play, we have invitations from bands like the voodoo glow skulls, the aggrolytes..

i dont want to sneak across or anything like that, but i hear its miles of red tape to come play the states

Nope. No tape. Just come on down. No sweat.

well, as long as you all have passports there shouldn't be much of a fuss. Since you are not trying for residency...but you may want to check about work permits.

You have to have a work visa. You also generally have to pay a bond or deposit at the border to ensure that you aren't coming down to sell gear. You will need itemized lists or all your gear including serial numbers of eveything that has one.

It's been several years since I played across national boundaries, so you may want to just contact your local Candian immigration and border security office and ask them if they know what the US requires. You can also contact the US Immigration Office and ask them, or just ask a booking agent where you live what they do with their bands. Back in the day, the agents I had took care of all ther paper work and bonds.

I believe you will definitely need passports for every band member.

Since you live in Vancouver, you could just save yourself a lot of hassle and drive down to the border crossing and speak to the US Customs officials. They should know what you need, since they're the ones that will be letting you through.

BTW, that's a great list of gear in your sig.

thanks for the info! and the compliment. ive been working on my gear for years. might be silly here with the "grownups" back at the amp forum, its a must if you want to get with the "in" crowd:lol:

No prob.

I played in Vancouver back in the 80s, down in the old gastown district, at a club called Bronco's. I also did Whistler, and Chilliwack, Revelstoke, Kelowna, Creston, Invermere, Penticton, as well as Banff, Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deer, Medicine Hat, and a bunch of places in Sakatchewan I'd rather forget!

I love Canada, though- so much so I married a gal from Edmonton almost 27 years ago now! Last summer we rode the motorcycle up to Edmonton and Banff, stayed a few days in Canmore. There's nothing like the Candian Rockies. We're going to Kelowna for Christmas-it's where the in-laws live.

Good luck and I hope you get it all sorted out to play down here.

Revelstoke. Banff. Beautiful places!

I live in Bellingham and we had a buddy band, Unlearned, come play gigs with us. They were from Vancouver. They would bring their guitars, and Heads, but no drums. They used our cabs and drums. The trick was to have a local US # and address and tell the agents you are going to jam with some friends. If they inquire more, they would call the # to confirm.

If you bring more gear, they usually search your car and generally make it very difficult to come across.

Outside of that you could do the work visa thing, but you wouldn't be asking if you were already at that level.

Corrected.