Ed Wimp (Earth Wind & Fire + A$AP Rocky’s Tour Manager) – TRICKS OF THE TRADE

In all of our other features, we highlight bands/artists; now we want to take you into the world of the people who work for a band on tour, their crew. For this feature, we teamed up with tour manager, Ed Wimp. You can can find out more about Ed and advice he has for people interested in hitting the road (his “Trick of the Trade”), after the break.

Name:
Ed Wimp

Touring Resume:
Earth Wind and Fire, A$AP Rocky

What positions have you held (i.e. Tour Manager, Front of House, etc.)?
Tour Manager, Artist Manager

Your first touring gig:
Who did you work for?
I got my first professional touring gig with Earth Wind and Fire as soon as I graduated college in 2012.

How did you get the gig?
I had just graduated from Monmouth College and wanted to explore my options. We had a family friend that had worked with Earth Wind and Fire for 18 years. This man ended up being my mentor. I asked him if I could shadow him for a show at Ravinia in Highland Park, Illinois. He allowed me to come out. It turns out that the merchandise manager was stuck in the last city and would not be arriving to the venue until much later. The merchandise had to be counted in, so I was asked to do that. Instead of shadowing, I was assigned tasks throughout the day that I really had no experience doing. After that show, we were hanging out by the buses and my mentor pulled out the touring schedule and asked me if I could join them on the rest of the tour. I have been working with the band since that day. From there, I started working with A$AP Rocky on the Under The Influence Tour with Wiz Khalifa in 2013 through connections that I made from that initial Earth Wind and Fire gig.

What was (is your continued) motivation for wanting to start working for tour bands?
As a fan of music from a young age, touring has always fascinated me. I was intrigued and wanted to know the various inner workings of what goes into a tour. I also thoroughly enjoy the travel. Sometimes I wish we could spend more time in each city, but it’s cool to always be on the move. I now actively speak to aspiring tour managers and artist managers to teach them how to get into the industry and the necessities that they need to know to have a successful career.

While growing up were you involved in your local music scene? If so, how did you get involved?
Yes. I grew up in the Chicago music scene as a fan and also as a musician myself. I got involved in the scene by making friends that were involved in it. The cool thing about music is that, at any level, it’s a small world and everyone knows everyone. Additionally, as much as the music industry gets a bad reputation, there are good people at every level in the industry that will look out for you. I miss my teenage days of going to shows in Chicago!

If you could recommend one piece of advice (“trick of the trade”) to current or aspiring crew members, what would it be?
My first bit of advice is to meet as many people as possible. I made a New Year’s Resolution that I wanted to meet a new person every day in 2016. So far I am doing really well and have made a number of great new connections since the year has begun. My best advice is that you won’t always find a connection when you are actively looking for it. Live outside of your comfort zone and meet everyone. You never know where the relationship could lead. I’ve gotten opportunity in some of the most unlikely places and through some of the most unlikely people. I am releasing a book this spring/summer called Building Fans, Fame and Wealth: The 18 Revenue Streams of Music. My book gives a lot of advice, tells touring stories, and will equip you with the knowledge you need to have a great career in music.

My second bit of advice is to always be able to adapt. The mark of a good tour manager lies in their ability to improvise and figure out solutions when things do not go as planned. Work on your problem solving skills and remaining calm under pressure.

Keep up with with Ed on Facebook and Twitter!