Dikembe – TOUR TIPS

This new set of Tour Tips was written by Ryan Willems and Steven Gray of indie punk band, Dikembe. You can check out their tips for being on the road, after the break.

1. Plan accordingly
While technology is rapidly blazing a trail through the gap of blunders brought about by our own ineptitude as humans, there is a still much to plan for when hopping across the country for days, weeks, or months at a time. On a previous tour before cell phones were equipped with GPS, and were the sole, amoebic fabric of society that brought us together and kept us from collapsing, our GPS and only form of variable navigation decided to sever itself indefinitely from the life giving juices of the power outlet on the second day of tour. Luckily for us, I am a genius or a prophet, and had printed out directions to all our gigs in the event that such a catastrophe should happen. In addition to contingency plans, don’t forget to nail down the basics, making sure you’ve got phone contacts for someone in every city, paid your bills, adequately sucked up to your significant other, etc. before you leave.

Are you reaching the edge of Natty Bo Land where you can still get a 30 rack for $10? Get two and thank yourself later.

Did you pack everything you needed? Did you bring your sleeping bag? Because Steven didn’t, so I lent him mine, and he lost it. Gone forever. Sacrificed to the incessantly consuming Tour Gods that flourish and thrive on gasoline, toiletries, and flatulence. (Tour is hard- Steven)

2. Make friends
Be nice to people. To be perfectly honest, I’ve never genuinely liked a single person I’ve encountered on tour, but life is all about who you know. Let me illustrate this with an example. Awhile back, I helped out some turds from Connecticut when they were in Florida and gave them a place to stay. Whilst in Connecticut on this past tour, they happened to be playing/live at the house we played. After running out of my own alcohol to consume, the Tour Gods answered my prayers for more sustenance by sending one of these angels to me with a Miller High Life. (We love those dudes, real talk- Steven)

3. Respect your body
If you are anything like us, every single thing that enters your body during tour will seek to destroy it from the inside out. Booze, pizza cones (which sucked, sorry Providence), and Sheetz fried mac n cheese bites will all leave you weakened and burdened with regret. There are two keys to combating the horrible things that you do to yourself. 1) Drink plenty of water, coffee, or sweet tea. 2) Do shooters of Emergen C. Don’t even bother mixing it with water. It’s stupid and a waste of time and resources. Funnel it straight into your sickly gullet and feel good about what you’ve done.

4. Respect others
Being completely serious for a second as this is crucial: respect everyone, and especially those who are extending a helping hand to you by booking a show, offering up a house of rock to be filled by your jams, or giving you a dirty floor to sleep on. Show your thanks for everything you are given. Wash any dishes you use. Savor with with a deep and unknowable appreciation your big bag of sandwiches. Tour can sometimes be stressful, and it is easy to fall victim to bad moods or vibes, but always try to be thankful and respectful, and if ever you commit some transgression be it intentional or not, be apologetic.

5. Chill out man
Relax. Laugh with and at each other. Write a reverent song about how I got frustrated and yelled at everyone for being a lazy bing bong. Don’t get upset and harbor deep seeded ill will towards any of your tour mates because you are stuck with them, and really they are probably not so bad. (Touring rules, everyone go on tour- Steven)

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Did you find these tips useful? Let us know in the comments below!