Mrs. Skannotto – TOUR TIPS

This set of Tour Tips was written by the ska/reggae band, Mrs. Skannotto. You can check out their tips for being on the road, after the break.

1. Wash your hands…a lot. Use hand sanitizer…a lot. Boost your vitamin C any way you can. Get some microphone sanitizer to spray and wipe down any mic with a mouth on it. And check your own mic after you do…don’t let the sound guy check it for you.

…Oh, and cover your fucking mouth when you cough!

And while you’re trying to stay not sick, try and stay healthy too. Eat as well as you can being on the road. Fast food and rest stop snacks are often your only option, but when you get into town with some time to spare, treat yourself to the local grocery store and munch on some actual produce. Jog or work out when you can. Those of you with a boyfriend, girlfriend or spouse to come home to will get a nice ego boost by coming home looking noticeably better than when they saw you last, so take advantage.

2. Get over yourself. Are you pissed that the band who played before you is packing up and driving away during your set? Let it go, or bitch about it later, in private. Same if you’re mad at the promoter, or if the sound guy cuts you off…etc. If you bitch about stuff like that with a live mic in front of you, or within earshot of potential fans or network connections, you’re burning bridges and giving the band a bad rep. Don’t be a whiny diva…at least not in public. I’m not saying don’t handle it if you’re getting screwed, I’m saying handle it privately, and as smoothly as possible.

3. If a sufficiently inebriated bandmate wants to spend $60 at Carl’s jr. buying two of every sandwich and burger they make for a 2AM post gig band meal…Let him. He is determined, don’t try and talk him out of it, this is happening. Count yourself lucky he didn’t spend that $60 on 120 Carl’s jr. tacos for you all to eat.

4. Play every show like it’s the gig of your lifetime. You’ll hear this a lot, it’s kind of become a cliche, but it’s the truth. So the promoter fucked up, whether you’re playing for 2 people or a room full of metal bands and fans and you’re an indie folk duo, it doesn’t matter…blow their fucking minds. Sure, you’re tired, you’re pissed off, and you can easily blow through your set, standing still and just going through the minimal motions. Or, you can play for those two people as if there are 200 in that room. So why bother? Well, because you’re out on the road away from your homes and families to make fans. Not listeners, fans. A fan will see you play an intense, high energy, engaging set for an empty room and be blown away. You never know who you’re in front of, or who they know or how they can help you in the future. You work a couple of hours a night…own that room.

5. “Do NOT go in there for a while.”

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Did you enjoy these tips? Do you have any tips that you would recommend to other bands for touring? Let us know in the comments below!