Ciaran Lavery – TOUR TIPS

In this Tour Tips segment, the singer-songwriter, Ciaran Lavery, gives you his tips for being on tour. You can check out the feature, after the break.

1. Pack light. Most self-sufficient tours or travels will rely heavily on your own two arms and body weight to carry not just your instrument, but also the thing that makes you money, merch. Therefore it’s important to take only the necessary clothing. I have yet to witness a songwriter who has any costume changes mid-set. It’s just like any trip where you find yourself rotating the same items of clothing with some clothing being left idle at the bottom of some godforsaken bag, rolled up like a crisp paper. Carting all these things around on public transport or to and from a rental car to a hotel to the venue is not only time consuming and energy zapping, but as time goes on it eventually eats away at your very soul. Stress levels are best kept to a minimum.

2. Read. I find myself suffering from tour brain, commonly forgetting which day it is, where I’m supposed to be and how to converse generally without being zombified by the art of constantly moving from city to city, town to town. I find reading keeps the brain sharp. It serves as an excellent escape mechanism from the mundane waiting around pre and post sound-check to show time experience. Personally, I keep my books short so I can dip in and out without feeling the need to re-read; something that’s easy on the fatigued mind – short stories are ideal for this. With these, you can achieve the same accomplished feelings over 15-20 pages as you would with the completion of a 1000 page epic piece of literature. There is something wonderfully satisfactory about that.

3. Write everything down. Even if things don’t make sense or have any relevance at the present time, it’s important to have a pen or pencil and some form of paper to note things down (*also, see 21st century for smartphone). I have always found great difficulty being productive in the creation of new material but I try my best when I can, to note things down for a later date, so my brain may make more sense of it when I step out of the tour bubble. I also have the unfortunate gift of a terrible short term memory, with the long term not too far behind, so it’s almost a necessity for recall.

“I’m going to remember everything & then I’m going to write it all down” Patti Smith

4. Embrace the service stations. I have found much refuge in the joys of the service station with all its variety & general ebb & flow. Due to the nature of these places, there is always a constant influx and movement of people, from all walks of life. If you are traveling and have time to spare, these are great places to sit and just observe the lives of others – a real personal pastime of mine. It’s possible to sit over a tea or coffee for any length of time if you can bear it and just let the rest of the world pass by. It is also important to note that you can also tap into that sweet free wifi (security recommended)

5. Open yourself to the conversation of strangers. The merch table is a great place to engage with people, whether it’s your own show or you’re warming the stages for another act. Traveling on your own, the importance of human contact and conversation is paramount to retaining sanity. You will start talking to yourself, that’s a given if you don’t already. But talk to people, it’s good for your head.

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(Photo credit: Kathrin Baumbach)