Quiet Company – TOUR TIPS

Powerpop band, Quiet Company, have written a set of helpful Tour Tips for you guys to learn from. You can check them out after the break.

1. Gear security is a huge priority (this lesson is taken from bitter experience)
a. Spend the money on the best locks for your van/trailer
b. Buy insurance
c. If you’re driving a van with a trailer, take the time to back it up against something so it’s more difficult to access. A determined thief will find a way to get your stuff, so make it as hard as possible for them.
d. Bring your instruments in with you to wherever you’re sleeping. Amps have less sentimental value and are more replaceable (and borrowable) than your one-of-a-kind vintage guitar or bass.
e. Load in and load out should always have at least one person at each point where your gear is
2. Bring something to read.  If you can afford one, a digital reader is a great way to not run out of books while saving valuable van space.
3. GPS or GPS enabled phone!  It takes the guesswork out of getting to the venue as well as getting to the house or hotel where you’re crashing after the gig.  Also, your passenger seat is the co-pilot seat.  Whoever sits in that seat has to take on navigation responsibilities, particularly when you’re pulling into a city you’ve never been in before.
4. Get some cheap toys from a truck stop when you’re losing your mind, take a break at a rest stop and play some wiffle ball or have a nerf war.  This will help you not kill each other, and you’ll find out quickly which people in your band have athletic skills, and get some fantastic video footage for the tour video you’re trying to edit in the van.
5. Get something in writing (email counts) for every show.  Confirm the details of each show with the venue at least twice.  You will be shoved to the worst spot on the bill, double booked out of a gig, told you’re guaranteed one amount and given a much smaller amount (all the way down to nothing at all), or any number of other potentially avoidable catastrophes.

Make sure to check out Quiet Company on Facebook, Twitter and Myspace.