JUMPING DARKNESS PARADE: EYAL ON THE LOCAL BAND WEEKEND TOUR
Monday, August 24th, 2009 at 5:00pm by Eyal Levi
The local band weekend tour. We used to do these back in our DIY days and I recommend that any band that aspires to touring full-time do some of these as well. The point is to get you ready for what you’ll encounter out there on a real tour. So you start with a weekend tour. If that goes well, see if you can handle a week. If that goes well, see if you can handle a week and a half. All this time keep doing little weekend runs in your region.
Now here’s some things I need to point out that will fuck you up. I don’t want to see you guys make these typical mistakes. These weekend runs are NOT family vacations. They are not an excuse to get away with the wife and friends. DO NOT take three vehicles for your band. Figure out the most intelligent way to pack all your shit into one vehicle and go as a band with maybe one dude to help you out. Leave the girlfriends behind. Again, this isn’t party rockstar time. This is learn how to tour time. On tour you will be in one vehicle and your girlfriends and wives will not be there to tell you how amazing you sounded in front of all the other local bands and the bar tenders.
Okay, so you’ve got a vehicle and you’ve got your weekend run. Call the place in advance. This is what’s known as advancing a show. Start calling maybe two weeks in advance because promoters are notorious for not answering their phones or not calling back. You have to stay on these fuckers.
Find out the following – When is load in? What time are we playing? Can we backline? Confirm the amount they’re going to pay you. Ask if there’s anything extra, like drink tickets or food. Find this all out in advance so that there’s no funny business at the club, and so that you can get there at a reasonable hour. If load in is at 6 pm, why the fuck would you want to stew in your own juices for six hours by arriving at noon? When you load into the club, designate a spot that is OUT OF THE WAY for your gear. Consolidate all your gear there. Set up as much of it as possible. Whatever you can do pre-loading it to the stage. Drummers especially. Have your shit ready to go prior to stage time. Nothing is more FUCKING ANNOYING than a drummer that sets up and tears down his drums onstage. On this last tour DAATH did, we had Zack Simmons from Goatwhore on drums for us, and he had his shit up and running in three minutes flat every night. That’s what you should aspire to.
Once you’ve found your corner and you gear is prepped, have some fun. Enjoy the night ’til the band that goes on before you starts playing. This is when you make sure your shit is ready to go. Again, get as much of it as pre-prepped as possible so that your changeover is quick. This may not seem like such a big deal to you now on a DIY tour, but if you aspire to get to real tours, I implore you to realize that how quickly you move your shit can determine many things, from how you are treated by the other bands all the way to possibly being kicked off a tour.
That said, get up there quickly. Rock the fuck out. And then get your gear off stage fucking ASAP. Don’t wrap up your cables onstage, don’t’ tear down the drums, don’t take apart your rigs. JUST GET YOUR GEAR THE FUCK OFF THE STAGE AS QUICKLY AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE. Let me repeat: GET YOUR SHIT OFF STAGE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE!!!!!!!! And if the venue allows, get it as close to your vehicle as possible. Load it ASAP. As soon as you can be loaded out the better. Okay dudes? That’s how the pros do it when they’re in opening bands.
You should aspire to be this way or you will have a very very very hard time touring. ‘Til next time…
-EL
Once you’ve gotten your shitt off stage, visit Daath on MySpace.
Fucking SPOT ON. Nothing annoys me more than bands that would take their sweet time breaking everything down, the drummer running to the bar to grab a drink before striking his kit… and the next band standing next to the stage, ready to go.
Thanks for the advice, will keep in mind.
Really cool piece of advice.
Keep ‘em coming!
You are the shit, nothing has been gettin on my nerves lately more than “I got to take my girl with me”. FUCK THAT SHIT!!!! Fuck, you’ll live without her for one day! Goddamnit!
Dude that is so god damn true about drummers who tear down onstage. It’s so fucking annoying to be ready to get your shit onstage and having the drummer in the band before you unscrewing his cymbals one by one getting them in their bag.
True story. Lots of metal drummers seem to forget that the biggest advantage of mounting your big-ass kit on a rack is that, with a little help, you can take your kit off stage ALL AT ONCE. Slow fuckers are annoying. . .
Kevin Talley doesnt use a rack and he still gets it up really fast. Its just a matter of being aware and on top of your shit
True about the racks, but on the other hand, I played a show with a dude who moved his big-ass rack off stage, out the door, and then parked it right in front of the stage door so nobody else could load in or load out while he sat there slowly unscrewing his cymbals, dropping names of all the third-tier bands he’d opened for over the past twenty years. Plus, he sucked at drums.
Yep. That happens. Rack or no rack isnt the issue. Its the mentality of the drummer.
this is how it’s done. I’m glad someone finally posted the importance of loading and unloading gear quickly. Eyal is right (not that he needs my confirmation), but the biggest thing is pre-prepared for the slot you’re playing. The second biggest thing is to leave your fucking girlfriends at home, because nothing says ‘I don’t take this band or touring seriously’ like bringing your fucking girlfriend. It’s more fun if you leave her at home, too.
Best blog yet, dude.
Thanks man. Its one thing if you’re on a month long tour and you wanna see her for 2 days and you figure that out.
Its a whole other deal if its three shows. Cut off the fucking leash!
exactly, that shit tears people, let alone bands, apart.
some dudes need to learn how to take their balls back
no shit
This is so spot on.
Couldn’t have said it better myself
The worst drummer I’ve ran into for that set his fucking drums up during my bands soundcheck in front of the stage. His kit was pretty big too. Same guy did the same thing at a different show, once again during another bands soundcheck, and decided that it would be a good time to play a drum solo.
Alex, thank you for bringing up that point. That’s something I failed to mention.
DRUMMERS, when you get your kit set up in the club its not suddenly the Guitar Center Drum Off competition. The only prize you’re going to win by being an asshole and annoying everyone by practicing and showing off is hatred. Don’t be that guy. Set up your drums and get them the fuck out of the way!
In my first band, we used to make a habit of quickly moving the amps out of the way and helping the drummer get his shit out of the venue. If we had friends with us, they would also jump in and help, but most of the time, it was us.
We would quickly take the amps out with guitars/basses either in a case or in a free hand. Take those to the car or van, lock it, then quickly help our drummer finish moving his kit pieces. out. We didn’t bother with taking things apart unless we were the last guys of the night. If shit had to go, shit had to go. We couldn’t waste time or we’d look like assholes.
Once again, an informative, entertaining post, Eyal.
Keep it up and keep fucking destroying.
Play Brooklyn Fuckers!
Nicely done eyal! I remember when we got a spot on a huge tour package with veil of Maya, winds of plague, arsonists get all the girls etc a while back at the white rabbit in San Antonio. There were 2 stages so that the bands could load out on one stage while the next band started on the other. Everything seemed to be going smoothly until the local band that played before us. They went past their allotted time, then proceeded to do the slowest fucking load out of all time. So 2 songs into our set winds of plague starts playing on the other stage. Of course everyone leaves, and we are fucked. That is all.
That is EXACTLY what I’m talking about
That’s one of the many reasons local bands get shit on so much.
That fucking sucks.I would have fucking gone out of my way to get those dudes one way or another.
“So 2 songs into our set winds of plague starts playing on the other stage. Of course everyone leaves, and we are fucked. That is all.”
Sounds like there were some smart people at the gig if everyone left when WOP started playing. I would have gottent the fuck outta the whole town, not just the venue if WOP ever tried playing in my hearing range.
As I drummer myself, I fucking HATE guys who set up/tear down on stage. Especially when it eats into the other acts time.Is it really that hard to set up your shit before and fine- tune it on stage? Not only is it rude, it’s unnecessarily time consuming, epecially the more bands on the bill.
Another great post, Eyal. I’ve got a question for you that perhaps you could provide some insight into.
I am in a band in Portland, OR. I have noticed that lately clubs have been significantly dropping that amount of dollars that they are paying bands each night (perhaps due to the economy).
Often times shows we play shows with other local bands who also bring a decent crowd and come up empty handed. The venue usually blames the touring band(s) on the bill saying that they hand to pay them all the money that was supposed to go to the local bands.
While we don’t mind helping the guys that are touring at all, it would be nice to know going into the show if there will be any profit. I know you guys are on a whole different level and are probably guaranteed earnings each night, but did you experience this in your DIY days? Is there a good way to handle this upfront without coming across like a money hungry dickhead? I know you mention to ask for a guarantee prior to the show, but usually the answer is “no guarantee, it just depends on how may people show up” and sometimes seems to “turn off” the promoter. However, whether we bring 100 or 10 people, the payout isn’t much different.
Any thoughts?
First off, if you’re in a local band and you’re getting a guarantee consider yourself lucky. You should still find out how you’re getting paid if at all. Is it a door deal? How’s it split between the bands and the club? Etc. You won’t come off as a hungry dickhead if you’re just inquiring into the money situation. If you get bullshit from the club and you’ve been cool then maybe the dude on the other side of the phone is the dickhead. Often the case. That’s just something to get used to.
Second of all, the touring bands have gas, food, and lives back home they have to support. They come first when it comes to getting paid. That is their only source of income for that time on the road while the local bands still have their day jobs.
Don’t play local shows expecting to profit unless you can sell an assload of shirts. Its not about money at that point in the game anyways. Its about getting your shit together and converting people to your cause.
+1, we usually dont really care about the money we make off of shows at this point (sometimes we forget, not always a good thing!) but whatever we make just goes in the band fund. I think a lot of bands need to understand this.
for better or worse, you are basically holding a benefit when you play locally with a touring band. give in to it; that’s the only way. the best thing to do (in my opinion) is to start building relationships with bands in areas where you’d potentially tour. set up shows for them in your town and usually they’ll return the favor. focus on getting as many people as stoked as possible on these gigs so that the touring band has a great night. give them all the payout from the club, too. it comes back–not always, but often. there’s an extra-hot place in hell for people who don’t hook up the touring bands.
i’m happy to say that my band just came back from our longest (1 week) and best paying tour ($500) yet. we hope to go out longer next time. thanks for this column, eyal!
Dudes, if you’re in an unsigned band and you want to make a lot of money either make some amazing shirts or start learning your cover songs.
I love you.
I found this funny 10 Rock’N'Roll commandments (it’s in Serbian, but I’ll try my best to translate it)
1. Sound checks are for assholes
2. Only rednecks are wearing shorts on stage
3. If the soundman is wearing Sisters Of Mercy t-shirt – You’re fucked!
4. If an opener band is bad, they’re playing long… Playing longer, they’re becoming more bad.
5. All promoters are imbecils
6. Tuning guitars on stage is a SIN (my favorite one)
7. Drummer with a microphone is shame
8. If girl is selling your merch, you’ll sell twice as more.
9. Don’t ask to be on the guestlist…
10. My mom plays guitar better than yours!
(sorry for the bad english, not my first language)
Good commandments, ur english is fine.
It’s sad, but the drummer of my buddies’ band fits the description to a tee.
Nice Post Eyal once again !
Hope your feeling better brother! and ready for that kick ass tour in Europe Have fun !! and say Hello to Grutle from Enslaved for me :)
Thanks man!
Feeling much better. Should be totally recovered just in time for the European tour to kick my ass!
A absolute MUST read for anybody wanting to be in a successful touring band would be “toursmart” by Martin Atkins. He was in Public image, nin (for a short bit) started pigface, ran invisible records.
we go from the van in cases to the stage in 4 minutes flat. no fucking around. i think being on time is overlooked too. our last show specifically said load in/ticket money turn in was at 4, yet bands were still showing up at 6. needless to say, they got fucked on their timeslot. dig your posts man, gotta check Daath out sometime!
Thanks for the advice!!
+1
who gives a shit? if the band is good what does it matter?
There’s more to being in a band than just being good. Being pro is part of it too. That’s what my whole blog is about.
Great post Eyal, keen for more pro tips & pearls of wisdom.
I totally feel your pain on the subject of bands taking way too long to set up and tear down. A few months ago we played a show in Tampa with almost 15-20 bands throughout the day. When a show is that big, there’s ALWAYS something going wrong. In this case, it was several bands taking almost 30 fucking minutes to set up because they wanted to set up a series of wussy lighting systems, silly effects, tuning their amps/guitars etc. It was pathetic. We were able to set up in minutes, played for 20, and were off stage before the next band even knew their slot had come up. The whole night was a disaster simply because, as you stated Eyal, bands need to know how to do their job when it comes to this simple process. DO YOUR FUCKING JOB, THEN GO PARTY. Not before, not during, but after you’ve squared away everything. So many bands never get anywhere simply because they think there’s no level of professionalism that comes with being in a band. If you wanna do this as a career, then act like it.
Should we ever play with you guys, I can promise you we wont be one of those bands that push back your set time because we’re too busy “setting up”……………..
…………….or putting on panda bear paint. lol
Cheers.
Dude – we DREAD those shows. When we are on a five band package and there’s like 9 local bands we know the entire show is going to be an absolute clusterfuck. Its best to just relax, and let go of all your cares that day because if you don’t you will stress out like a motherfucker.
“GET YOUR SHIT OFF STAGE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE!!!!!!!! ”
Sooooooooooooooooooooo fucking true. We’ve played with tons of bands that dont understand this. Quick setups and breakdowns are something my band takes pride in. Its called “RESPECT FOR THE OTHER BANDS”.
To me, one of the first signs of an amateur band. They’ll learn.
That and not timing out their set and playing for 70 mins instead of 45.
45?? Damn! I wanna play where you guys are! We’re lucky if we get 30. lol
All the people on here want to know is how they can find time to play World of Warcraft and how many hot pockets they can eat before the have to break the “don’t shit on the bus” rule.
Story of my life. Fast setup/teardown is one of a hundred things that sepparate pros from scrubs.
I love your blog and this was a great read. But I got one question:
How the fuck do you find time to write so much, let alone on so many good and enlightening topics? And then reply to us? Seriously dude, you’re awesome.
Eyal, I couldn’t possibly agree with you anymore on the girlfriend subject. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, fucks with a band worse than when a member suddenly shifts his focus from the band to his girlfriend. Especially when you know how fantastic a contributer that guy can be when he used to actually care about the music. There’s a time for the band, and there’s a time for your girlfriend. Love all your blogs man.