Addison – TOUR TIPS

In this Tour Tips segment, the indie rock artist, Addison, gives you some tips for being on tour. You can check out the his tips and stream his newest single, “I Came Alive”, after the break.

1. Find your schedule
This usually takes me about a week to get into. Personally, I need an everyday schedule as if I were still at home to maintain a healthy body and mind. I typically do my work out in the morning before I eat. If we are at a hotel, I will use the gym and if not I will go for a run and do a jailhouse work out. (push ups, sit ups, jumping jacks, planks, pull-ups) Eating clean is super important for me on the road since I am not able to cook like I do when I’m home. I live a keto lifestyle. (ketogenic diet) Which means I have 7 grams of sugar or less a day, no grains, no legumes, no sugar and high fat. After a show, I don’t stay out and talk and drink. I try to get to sleep within two hours of stage time to be ready for the next day. The last tour I did, it was 6 days on 1 day off.

2. No Drinking
For me, I am a singer and when I drink I cannot sing the way I need to. I belt very high notes in a lot of songs in this current set and I need to be ready at any moment to be able to do that especially when I have radio performances in the morning. It is not fun to wake up and sing at 7 am, to begin with so you can imagine how hard that would be if I was hung over.

3. Good People
You need a good team. I cant have a tour manager that gets drunk and high every night if I’m not. I have an addictive personality and seeing that from the person that I trust the most on the road will not lead me down a good path. I’ll have a handle of Jack Daniels by the end of the night naked screaming “let’s hear it for the boy” from Footloose. As much fun as that sounds, I just can’t be doing that anymore. Besides tour manager, I have one of my best friends on the road with me teching so I am never worried if a guitar is out of tune or if my playback is getting screwed up.

4. Sleep
I would suggest any singer on the road for longer then a week needs to get a good nights sleep. I have found that I need at least 8 hours of sleep to be able to perform to the best of ability. No matter what is happening, whether we are driving overnight or in a hotel I will find my time to sleep and have someone else drive. I may seem like a diva at times, but I need to be able to perform to the best of my ability.

5. Support and Love
I have learned through the years that family and friends are the most important thing to me. For so long I only cared about music and pushed away my loved ones. I am much different now, those are the people that will pick up the phone at 3 am when you feel yourself going crazy, haven’t been home in 2 months and I am losing sight of reality. It’s a real thing.

Keep up with him on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!