Touring is an increasingly important element to a successful music career, but getting on the road too early has inevitably lead many promising talents awry.
There are few things more exciting or fulfilling than being on tour. Not only are you afforded the opportunity to perform your music for people who want to hear it, but you can see the world as well. Being on the road allows musicians at every level to see how the rest of the human race lives, and through doing so, many find the inspiration to create their best work.
There is a catch, however, and it’s a big one. Artists who attempt to tour before they have the right elements of their career in place are destined for hardships and failure. You may be able to string together a tour, and you may be able to make a little money doing so, but unless you have plans in place you will, eventually, burn out before your dreams of success in the music business come to fruition. It has happened a million times already, and it will no doubt happen a million more in the future.
In this episode of Music Biz 101, host James Shotwell breaks down the five (5) things every artist and group needs to do before they consider getting on the road.
We have made it something of a holiday tradition to find a band we believe them and ask them to detail their safety tips for life on the road in the dead of winter. Bands of all sizes have contributed to this series in the past, and the latest is none of other than fast-rising rock act Civil Youth. Enjoy!
Hello everybody! Civil Youth here to tell you
everything you need to know when it comes to touring during the winter months!
Weather you’re a band or a fan, here’s a side to touring most people might not
think about when driving to their favorite group’s next show….
Smart Routing
-If you’re still an independent band or have any sort of say with your
booking agent, be smart when you’re routing in the Winter months
– If you can be “out” of the storm states as much as
possible and as financially feasible as possible, DO SO. There’s no reason to
stay only north in the states when you can circle the south and stay warm at
least half of the time…
– Look ahead before you travel. Don’t just plug in the next show via GPS
and go. Make sure you’re not taking any highways or roads that are too
dangerous for your vehicle and it’s trailer. Think “how would a trucker
navigate?”
We’ve certainly learned from experience trying to come east through Denver
during January. You run the risk of hitting a storm like we did and getting
trapped on top of a mountain in Vail, CO…
Clothes
–
Tour packing is always “as little as possible” but think about unpacking the
trailer in 10 degree weather and the venue hasn’t turned their heating on yet…
–
Bring gloves, hats, boots and those little warming pads you can essentially put
ANYwhere. They come in handy more than underwear.
–
If you’re smart with your routing and have some hot southern states, don’t
forget about those. It’s a huge jump having a tour start in Florida and end in
Colorado. Pack 80 cold / 20 warm
– Tons of blankets for your feet, if you’re sleeping in the car still, and for
the window to keep as much cold out as possible. (If you’re not idling all
night)
– socks on socks. Once your feet get cold, theres no turning back. Bring double
socks and extra shoes/boots
Van Essentials
– Make sure your vehicle is in top shape, Oil changes, transmission fluids,
antifreeze, windshield wipers and their fluids, good battery
There’s been times where our antifreeze leaked and we had no heating until we
had an off day and took the car to the shop. Waking up in Flagstaff with snow
and no heat SUCKS. We also wasted SO much money 🙁
We also had a bad battery one tour and every time we stopped I had to jump the
van which made me stay out in the cold even longer at 2 am… not fun, especially
in sketchy areas.
–
Tire tread is in good condition and you have chains. Never know what crazy
storms you can hit
– Ice scrapers because no one likes to get snow off of the window with old
boxers
– Lights you can hang in the trailer so you can see during load in. It gets
darker faster in the winter. The quicker youre out of the trailer, the quicker
youre getting to warmth.
Extra
-Coffee,
Emergen-C, Tea, water
These are usually a given, but people tend to get more sick during the winter.
Being on the road when you’re sick is literally the worse thing next to dying.
– Portable grill if you’re hardcore and like to grill in the cold like Evan. He
was a boy scout so get at us.
– Extra car fluids just in case.
– Spare tire and jack
Most importantly:
Be smart
and careful. Shows are what we live for, but if one needs to get canceled, it’s
not the end of the world. Your safety is first. Drive slow, smart, and allow
extra driving time to your next show due to weather, traffic, etc. Don’t get
trapped on a mountain like we did during a blizzard and had to call emergency
service to get us down.
Hello and welcome to another exciting week of music industry insight and advice here on the official blog of Haulix. Christmas is fast-approaching, but here at Haulix we are showing no signs of slowing in our efforts to bring you the best blog content and music distribution services available anywhere online. We have new content planned every week day until the end of the year, and yes that even includes the day when Ol’ Saint Nick will come scurrying down your chimney. If you have any suggestions for future articles on this blog, or if you have a question you would like us to tackle in the weeks ahead, please email james@haulix.com and share your thoughts. We can also be found on Twitter and Facebook, which we update regularly. We can also be found on Twitter and Facebook.
We know there is no way for us to give each and every reader of this blog a gift for the holidays, but we have been working around the clock to compile the best content we possibly could to help keep you both informed and entertained while staying warm indoors. Today’s piece is the second-ever guest advice column written by an artist, and in my opinion it’s one of the best pieces we have ever run.
Whether he’s working with bands through SwitchBitch Records or melting faces in venues around the country with his own musical endeavors, Michael Abiuso lives music 24/7. When winter began to approach I knew we would eventually want to run an advice column geared towards preparations for seasonal touring, and Michael was the first person that came to mind to help create the piece. Fortunately for me, he agreed to help after only a few requests (and friendly nudges over social media). You can read his fantastic insight, below:
Winter Tour Survival
Hey kittens, Mike Abiuso of The Venetia Fair and SwitchBitch Records/Studios here. I was somehow invited back but this time to speak about touring in the winter. Don’t ask me how, either James has a man crush on me, or you guys get a kick out of mocking my poor writing capabilities. Either way I’m happy to be here.
Although I tour and have been touring since 2006, I’m still not quite sure I’m the best candidate to take advice from when it comes to prepping to hit the ol’ open road for the winter. I’m actually in the middle of an east coast tour as we speak with The Venetia Fair and in all honesty I’m sick as a dog and slept in the freezing cold van last night in attempt to enhance my gritty throat so I could continue singing in the vein of Madball. Are they still around?
Without any further adieu, lets freeze our balls off (gals this includes you).
Having your vehicle and paperwork up to date is so important. Be sure the following are all good to go:
Driver’s licenses are not suspended
Vehicles registration
Insurance cards
Inspection stickers
Oil changes
The wipers actually wipe shit off the windows and not just smear it around (This all pretty much goes for every day life and vehicles as well you hoodrats)
Anti-freeze
Learn from mistakes:
For about 5 years I was in a touring band called Kiss Kiss. We had a diesel school bus and although it was cheap and seems really cool, there were a lot of issues we ran into. I’m sure myself and everyone else would think…”$3,000 for a full size school bus and I can take the seats out and put couches and tables and make it cool…blablabla” We’re all stupid, trust me. Why?:
They don’t sell diesel at every gas station.
Do you remember in middle school how bumpy those things are? Good luck reading a book, or doing anything.
There’s a heater in the front and the back AND THAT’S IT. Not to mention it’s one big draft box made of aluminum.
If there are any issues, most places don’t service or have parts for these vehicles and if they do, you get charged a shit ton.
These things don’t like to start in the winter. Be prepared to purchase a block heater and a bunch or different sprays to blast in the engine prior to starting. Cool right?
That all sad, I personally would stick to a van and trailer. There’s a reason why every other touring band has one, it’s because it works, however there are things you need specifically for a van and trailer that you wouldn’t ordinarily need for a standard vehicle:
You’re going to want to make sure you have a separate braking system hooked up to the trailer or you will not be able to make abrupt stops putting yourselves and others in danger.
Be sure you know how your different high and low gears work for heading up and down large up/downgrades.
Snow tires are definitely helpful, but this winter we (The Venetia Fair) brought snow chains for our tires. In the past the band has gotten stuck trying to go uphill (upmountain) through the Rocky Mountains, and had an 18 wheeler push the van and trailer from behind.
Occasionally you’ll run into situations where a) you can’t fit a van and trailer anywhere and need to park them separate or b) you have a day off and don’t want to lug around a trailer and unnecessarily waste gas. For these occasions a ball lock is essential to put in the hitch of the trailer so it doesn’t get jacked when you leave. When you “D the T” more commonly known as dropping the trailer we make sure to have triangular wheel blocks placed under the trailer tires so it doesn’t accidentally roll away.
In cold temperatures the padlocks on our trailer freeze closed, so we keep a blowtorch in the door of the van.
There are always chances you will break down. It’s a good idea for at least one member of the band to have AAA so you can take advantage of roadside assistance without paying an arm and a leg.
People sometimes forget that the internet answers to everything. That said, we have a wireless internet router in the van that we share. If there are any issues with the van or anything, there’s a good chance you can google the issue if not to fix it, then to at least have an understanding of it to avoid being bullshitted by auto repair shop.
Frequently when driving through mountains there will be dead zones with no service. Breaking down in these areas can be a nightmare. It is important (especially in the winter) to try and keep your gas level above ¼ tank so (depending on the type of breakdown) you can at least keep the heat on in the van till someone stops to help.
If the scenario described above occurs but the van can’t idle or the issue is with the engine, we have a generator and a spare gas tank. We mainly use this to power microwaves, coffee makers, tvs etc, but I’m thinking for this upcoming January tour it may be a good idea to bring along a small space heater to use if a) we breakdown in a dead zone or b) we sleep in the van.
Lastly, I’d suggest getting some reflective cones to put outside of your rig when pulled over. This is just an extra precaution on top of hazards to avoid getting sideswiped.
A perk about touring in the winter is that you can buy food in larger quantities so it’s cheaper and will stay longer in the trailer! Maybe I’ll get invited back someday for a lesson on budgeting money on the road! Until next time kids, be safe and don’t do anything The Venetia Fair would do! Much love,
