Hotel Apache – PRESHOW RITUALS

In this Preshow Rituals segment, the pop band, Hotel Apache, share what they do before every show. You can check out their rituals, after the break.

Steven
For me, pre-show rituals are a time to mentally rehearse our set. I will start by listening to our songs full blast in my headphones while I put together my rig on stage. This always helps me when it comes time to sound check. By then, I have the sound of the band locked in my brain and it helps me to easily spot something that is off on stage. I also like to stand about 15-20ft from the stage and listen from the audiences’ perspective during this time and get a feel for how the show will go. All I need to do after this is drink a Powerade and I am good to go.

Ryan
For my pre-show rituals, I like to practice singing our songs to focus on melodies while also doing my usual voice warm – ups to make sure I’m ready to go. I also like to ensure everything is set up correctly from my guitar and mic to everyone else’s instruments and lights to make the best show possible. I then like to pray and ask god to give me the words to speak and voice to sing while performing, and lastly, drink a Powerade and we’re good.

Jared
Like most drummers, I take about 15 years to set up and tune my kit. I’m very specific when it comes to how my drums sound. I’ll check out the venue and get the best sound I can for that particular place. I always like try to take at least 15 minutes to practice some rudiment exercises. I like to stretch as well. There have been shows where I just say screw it and don’t do anything and I notice a huge difference from when I’m warmed up to just hitting the stage. Feeling tense when you play is the absolute worst. Another thing I do is set a click to the BPMs of our songs and just mess around with some sticking. It helps get me in gear. Then, of course, I drink a large bottle of Powerade to calm any nerves I may have.

Casey
In all of my years performing music, I’ve found that months of work goes into perfecting the live show from sound management to lighting, transitions, and perfecting the set sonically and performance-wise. By the time we get to the venue it’s loading in and making sure everyone’s on the same page with the set. Powerade is an essential tool to success when playing live. I never go to a show without one.

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