The Greasy Slicks – TOUR TIPS

In this Tour Tips segment, the blues rock band, The Greasy Slicks, give you their tips for being on tour. You can check out the feature, after the break.

1. PACK SMART. Sticks, leads, drum heads, strings etc. Don’t go on tour without a fully stocked arsenal! Also make sure you’ve got all the tools you may need to maintain your gear between shows. If, like us, you sweat a lot, we recommend wearing the same clothes on stage each night and allowing them to dry during the day (this stage is vital to ensure that your sodden garments don’t start to smell like vinegar). This is in order to maximize luggage space & reduce cross contamination between clean and sweaty clothes.

2. DON’T BE BLUE. Touring is boring. There, I said it. Apart from that exhilarating hour or so you’re on stage every night (which is, after all, the reason we do this), life on the road can be an awful drag. There’s only so much conversation that can be had between three blokes who know more about each other than is socially acceptable, and once that dies you’re going to need something to keep your mind occupied – books, music, podcasts, writing etc. Or if you’ve got time to kill before/after sound check in a new city, go for a walk. Learning to meditate and be mindful is an effective way of dealing with any anxieties that affect many touring musicians. Be here now!

3. BE CLEAN/BE KIND. If you’re lucky enough to have some generous strangers offer you a place to crash for the night, make sure you leave that place cleaner than you found it. As a hairy man, I feel it’s my duty to urge other hairy men to rinse your fallen bristles from the shower after use when a guest in someone’s home. Otherwise, the less hairy men of the house see it as an attack on their masculinity and lash out in envy. Furthermore, if your sympathetic hosts have gone the whole nine yards and provided your famished crew with some much-needed, nutritious sustenance, the gracious response is to offer to wipe the soiled crockery with a dry tissue to at least remove the bulk of any remaining debris, before stacking it neatly on the floor. Be nice people and you’ll get invited back. Oh, and know the sound guy’s name and say thanks at the end of the night.

4. TAKE ONE FOR THE TEAM. We all have our bad days, and some have more than others. There’s a palpable tension that surrounds the whole entourage when just one person isn’t in the zone. PLEASE, for the sake of your band mates and team, don’t be a dick. Try not to bring everyone else down, and instead make an effort with the people who care about you; your performance will suck if you don’t. In addition, ensure that everyone assumes necessary roles and does their bit whilst on the road – who’s taking care of socials? Who’s cutting together a video from last night’s footage? Quick, we need a flyer made up for a show that just came in! Be prepared to have a task assigned to you, and don’t be a bitch. Division of labour = a well-oiled machine.

5. PUSH MERCH. Don’t be the band that shamelessly plugs their discography in between every song, but it’s important that people know you’ve got stuff for sale. If you’re selling your merch properly you can be almost doubling your fee every night, which means your hotel bill is covered and you’ve got some extra cash in the kitty… for fuel. (You didn’t think bands MADE any money on tour, did you?!) Once the show is finished get yo’ ass over to that merch table and be friendly to the folks who’ve just paid to come and see you. People are much more likely to buy your shit if it’s the band themselves selling it and communicating directly with the punters (even more so if it’s the frontman!)

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