How to Totally Suck at Touring

08-Oct-2015 By Leave a Comment

Don’t bring merch. Alison Shaw summed it up perfectly in August for youbloomTV: if a person (likely in a state of inebriation) who has never seen you before decides they like what they hear, they’re going to want to take something home with them that they can listen to again, or a T-shirt they can wear so they have a story to share with their friends (free advertising!). Offer nothing as a follow-up to your show and it doesn’t matter if you just played the most epic set of the tour: you immediately halve your exposure potential.

Patches and buttons can be made very cheaply. Just sayin’.

sportin’.

Don’t introduce yourself. You know that band that are just way too cool to say hello to the audience, and instead plow wordlessly through their set before unplugging and stalking offstage for dramatic effect? Yeah, don’t be that band.

Be rude to the sound guy. A crucial element to the success/enjoyment of every gig is whether or not you piss off – intentionally or inadvertently – the guy/girl in control of what people are going to hear. So a few basic rules to follow:

Arrive to soundcheck on time. Remember that sound check is not band practice. If you think it is, you shouldn’t be on tour.
Follow the engineer’s instructions. He has a lot of mics and levels to organize, and doesn’t want to be there tweaking for two hours. You’re also (probably) not the only band this person needs to cater to. If he asks you to turn down your amp (guitar players, looking at you), just do it already.
Communicate politely and clearly. If you can’t hear something, have a request, or something isn’t working, let him or her know.

Don’t say thanks. To the crowd for coming out, to the support acts or the act you’re supporting, to the sound engineer (see above), the booker, the venue…gratitude gets you a long way in this game. It endears you to the strangers who’ve chosen to spend their evening and money on you, and can get you invited to play more gigs or to come back again in future.

You’re too kind, really.

Don’t promote. You know, you might get really lucky and have a booking agent or a venue that’s willing to promote the show on your behalf. Or you might score a sweet support slot for a band that you know are going to draw a crowd no hassle. But listen up: you still need to promote your show.

Why? Because that’s part of pulling your weight as a touring band. The deal is exposure – for everyone, not just for you. The least you can do is make an effort and throw up an event page on facebook. If just one person from your friend list comes along, you’ve done your job.

Try to adhere to a schedule/routine/backline setup. Life on the road is mayhem. Pure and simple. Vans break down, blizzards shut down roads, venues cancel shows for no reason.

Amps blow, pedals go all ghost function, leads and stands and 9 volt batteries mysteriously vanish.

Absolute arseholes steal bands’ gear. Shit. Happens.

It goes without saying that you should have some level of organization to your plan, and to be responsible at least for your own gear and your person, but if by some crappy twist of luck, something un-ideal happens, the worst thing you can do is freak out; throw a fit; start a fight; get all demanding.

The best touring bands stay positive, remain flexible, expect the unexpected, and roll with the punches. They pitch in to help other bands when something goes wrong, knowing the road to memorable gigs is two-way, and paved with selfless acts.

These are the bands that people travel to other towns to see, that get asked back, that other bands reach out to when they’re thinking of hitting the road again.

Then again, it is entirely possible that touring just does not suit your band. And the only way to find that out is to do it. Just do everyone a favor once you do and stop.

Give up. You already know something unforeseen is likely to happen. So what should you do when it does? Well, if you want to totally suck at touring, take it as a sign that this gig/leg of the tour/entire thing is a sham and shouldn’t be happening at all. Sigh deeply, pull a U-ey, and drive your miserable butts back to Minnesota, or wherever it is you came from. Everyone will thank you later.

Or.

Show up anyway (better late than never), shake a few hands, explain what happened, offer to play and improvise if need be (house parties make great backups for venue cancellations, and often provide a night’s sleep), make friends and rack up another bonkers story for the tour diary.

Just NAUSIA being chill.

Do it right, and in a year or so, you’ll be itching to start a new one.

youbloom artist spotlight: The National Parks

04-Jun-2015 By Leave a Comment

It has already been six months since youbloom rocked Los Angeles, and we were wondering what our artists have been up to. So we hooked up with The National Parks this week to see what they have been doing since youboom@LA. In doing this, we really got to know more about them and the history of The National Parks…

The National Parks is a band that originated in Utah in 2013 where Brady Parks and Sydney Macfarlane first met and began making music. Over the next couple years, they recruited additional members: Megan Taylor, Doug Patterson, Anna Meacham, Garrick Meacham, and John Hancock.

Their first album, Young, released September 3, 2013 and climbed to #13 on the iTunes singer/songwriter chart. Due to their success and the dedication of their fans, they were taken on the road with artists such as Andy Grammer, LeAnn Rimes and many others. They have played in major cities across the country including Seattle, Chicago, New York and, of course, Los Angeles.

So, what are they doing now?

The National Parks have been busy since we saw them last November in Los Angeles. Their new album, Until I Live, is set to release on August 4th and we are told to expect the same fundamental elements from their previous album, but with a bigger and slightly “poppier” twist. We find this to be true when listening to the first single from the album entitled Ba Ra Ra, which was released through Baebel Music and can be heard here. We can expect to see the second single from the album released on June 2nd.

Also, we are excited to hear that to promote the new album, The National Parks will be touring the east coast in August and the west coast in September. Please check their website for dates posted already, and continue to check back as additional dates will be added.

We want to thank The National Parks for taking the time to update us on all of their excitement and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for them and the new album!

Rock ‘n’ roll job for musical adventures: Pat Baker’s story

19-Dec-2014 By admin Leave a Comment

Pat Baker has the rock ‘n’ roll job to die for.

From Rolls Royce mechanic to rock ‘n roll roadie… that’s the story of Pat Baker, legendary music tour manager.

The elements decided his fate when he was working in a Rolls Royce Mercedes-Benz dealership. A local contact approached him, said he needed a truck driver for two weeks. Pat said yes and found himself driving Squeeze around in 1979 in the height of the “Cool For Cats” tour.

“I had the best time of my life,” he grins, “and then they handed me a big bunch of money at the end of it. I suddenly realised I was in the wrong business.” Chatting away in the snug operations office of The Olympia Theatre Pat gives me a modest history of his professional adventures.

After the Squeeze job it took him a couple of years to hit the tour trade full time. He managed to get himself sacked from Rolls Royce the day before a Chris Rea tour started. He jumped at the chance and set off selling T-shirts. He worked his way up, watched and learned. He describes himself as “roadworthy”. Capable, willing, consistent, good craic and able to consume more than a few beers is probably what he really means.

During his ascent through the ranks he did keyboard tech, (having never played a keyboard) for Chris Rea, drum tech and African drums for Paul Simon on the Graceland tour, stage management for Adele and Goldfrapp.

He attributes his progression to two things. One, doing all the jobs. He’s been the truck driver, humped PA’s about, done rigging and set ups, lighting and backline. The other success factor is his mechanical mind and his ability to fix things. “You didn’t necessarily have to play the instrument. It was all about set up, strip down, tune and repair.” Nowadays as tour manager for acts like Chris Rea, Pat reckons that because he’s done every role he can anticipate and deal with the problems the crew might encounter. Small venues like The Olympia for example require a different rig than an arena. So Pat’s job is to have the right equipment planned for the right venue to roll out the set up on the day of the show.

Regardless of whatever issues the crew have the old adage “The show must go on” applies to the crew more than it ever does to the band. So whatever shit happens Pat’s gotta fix it.

But that’s alright, because he loves his job. As any successful professional will tell you, it’s about having the right team around you. Pat stands by this referring to the accountability of the industry. “If you’re crap, you only work once. If you’re good, you’ll work with the same people over and over”. Though the industry is populated with lots of young people Pat is adamant about the value of experience.” It’s fine if you can specialise in one instrument, but if you’ve suddenly got to go into a venue, the truck’s broken down and it’s eight hours late it’s knowing how to cope with those situations that will get you through and will get you hired again.” Passing his pearls of wisdom on to anyone considering the production industry Pat’s advice is “Don’t be cocky, watch and learn. None of this ‘I need a tea break’ because no matter what you must do whatever it takes to get the gig up and running. Finally, check and double check everything.”

The hard work pays off though. A lifetime of rock ‘n roll adventures, travels all over the world. Fun filled encounters with old style rock ‘n rollers with Squeeze. Pat did the Paul Simon Graceland world tour in 1987/88 and The Rhythm Of The Saints Tour.

That was 49 countries in 18 months. He was part of the team for the Paul Simon gig in Central Park to 750,000 people in August 1990. He did 149 shows on that tour with lots of time off. A week off in Bali, a week off in Melbourne and a week off in Florida were just some of the perks Pat was young enough to enjoy and appreciate.

Referring to more recent acts Pat speaks fondly of Adele and Goldfrapp, lovely people, great tour. He’s got some right old yarns to tell, however despite my discreet encouragement he declines. Fair enough. After all, what goes on tour stays on tour.

Professionals like Pat and his rigging crews are under the public radar and highly underrated. These are the guys who unload the boxes that contain the magic that makes the show. Whether it’s Ed Sheeran, Queens Of The Stoneage, The Killers, Peter Gabriel or AC/DC none of it would happen without the crew. The next time the house lights go up and your artist is gone back to his hotel these guys will be taking the kit apart, packing it carefully and taking it to the next venue. Driving through the night to deliver the dream to the next set of fans waiting at the barrier.

They’re not called Fly By Night for nothing.

Post by Ciara Sheahan. I’m a self confessed indie rock n’roller. Live music addict, writer, blogger, festival veteran. Native to Dublin, my degree in Journalism is from The University of Sheffield. With a proven track record in business and a creative side that refuses to recede I’m firmly focused on my future in the music/creative industry.